Hospitals in Dallas will not accept organ donations from people who aren't friends or relatives. They fear under-the-table payments—it is a federal offense to buy or sell organs in the United States—and the growth of an Internet-induced organ exchange industry preying on the sick and poor.
Services such as credit scoring help nonprofit hospitals identify patients who qualify for charity or free care, those eligible for discounts and those who should pay the whole bill. "It's a sign of the times in healthcare," said Kevin Bloye, a Georgia Hospital Association vice president. "Hospitals can use this as a tool to determine who can pay and who can't." But the use of credit scores in analyzing patients' finances has triggered criticism for nonprofit hospitals. Many are trying to tamp down a reputation as aggressive bill collectors while their tax-exempt status gets heightened scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators.
A Senate committee has scheduled a vote for Tuesday on President Barack Obama's nominee for health and human services secretary, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. The Senate Finance Committee will vote on sending Sebelius' nomination to the full Senate. Lawmakers want Sebelius in place quickly as they get to work on legislation overhauling the nation's costly healthcare system.
The widow of a judge who died of lung cancer last year can sue Blue Cross for refusing to tell him about his right to seek an experimental treatment that his doctor said was his only hope, a California appeals court has ruled. The decision is the first to allow policyholders to seek damages from claims administrators, who advise insurers on coverage for millions of Californians. Blue Cross is the main administrator for CalPERS, the California Public Employees' Retirement System, which insures 1.6 million state and local government employees and retirees.
After a nationwide search, the Miami Public Health Trust voted unanimously Friday to pick a veteran hospital administrator, Eneida Roldan, as the new chief executive of the Jackson Health System. She will become the first woman and first Hispanic to lead the tax-supported system, which generates more than $1 billion in revenue from four hospitals, 10 primary care centers, and other facilities, as well as a half-penny sales tax. With growing numbers of uninsured and pressures to reduce reimbursement rates for the Medicaid program that serves the poor, Roldan acknowledges she will face severe challenges of running a public hospital during a recession.
A coalition of groups pushing for a sales-tax increase to pay for healthcare programs in Washington state showed signs of getting back on a campaign track, after appearing to falter earlier. House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, met with representatives from the Washington State Hospital Association and Service Employees International Union on April 18. "We have a group of organizations that are very concerned about these budget cuts and I think they'll be there to respond" to a proposal for a public referendum on a sales-tax increase, he said.