Louisiana law enforcement authorities hope a new, statewide prescription drug monitoring program will curtail the practice of doctor shopping by drug addicts hoping to score narcotics. They also hope to ultimately reduce the number of people who die of accidental prescription drug overdoses. Under the program, prescriptions are entered into a database that can be accessed by prescribers, dispensers and, in some cases, law enforcement agencies.
With health costs rising for many patients across the nation, experts say a growing number are turning to billing advocates for help. In some cases, advocates say, patients merely need help negotiating the complicated system of health insurance coverage, doctor practices, and hospital procedures. But in others, they say, patients are being charged high prices that can and should be questioned.
Building a new state hospital alongside a planned U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in New Orleans won't produce the initial level of savings once touted by the Louisiana State University System, according to the school's top health officer. Fred Cerise, MD, said the primary reason is that a lack of clear financing has put LSU behind its original schedule, while federal money is lined up for the Veterans Affairs hospital slated to open in 2012, negating plans for sharing some equipment and facilities.
Hospital officials and advocates for the uninsured have argued in favor of a bill that would impose a fee on Colorado hospitals to generate a total of $1.2 billion for expanded healthcare programs. But Republicans on the House Health and Human Services Committee questioned whether the new programs were sustainable and asked whether insured patients would ultimately bear higher costs. After a nearly seven-hour hearing, the committee approved the bill on a 5-4 vote. It now goes to the state House Appropriations Committee.
Towson, MD-based St. Joseph Medical Center, where three top executives went on leave two weeks ago amid a federal investigation, has brought in an outside "restructuring team" to manage the hospital and ensure that it is not violating federal healthcare laws. Officials at the 354-bed hospital did not elaborate on the restructuring team's role. But Beth O'Brien, who is leading the team, said in the memo that "the overarching goal is to create a compliance program at St. Joseph that parallels the same high standards as our clinical quality."
As the recession deepens, doctors and hospitals are reporting that hard-pressed patients are deferring elective surgery, even as others are speeding up non-urgent procedures out of fear that they may soon lose their jobs and health insurance. Delaying elective procedures can have serious medical consequences, as when a detectable polyp develops into a tumor because a patient skips a colonoscopy. Some hospitals said their emergency rooms were already seeing patients with dire conditions that could have been avoided had they not deferred surgery for economic reasons.