As the state Legislature prepares to meet, a group backed by the for-profit HCA hospital chain and Associated Industries of Florida is using fliers and a TV commercial to hammer public hospitals, which are accused of spending "$1.2 billion of our tax money . . . on themselves." The targets of the ads are members of the little-known Lower Income Pool Council, which advises the Legislature on how to distribute state-federal money to hospitals and clinics that provide the most care for the poor and uninsured.
Home visits died when medical insurance replaced pay-as-you-go, and administrative costs and malpractice insurance fees forced doctors to abandon individual practices and join together in groups. By the early 1970s, fewer than 1% of doctors made house calls.
But now, doctors visiting the sick in their homes seems to be in vogue again.
Nurses at Mercy Walworth Medical Center in Lake Geneva, WI, accused of photographing a patient and posting the pictures on the Internet have been fired. The investigation started with an anonymous call from an employee at the medical center, with the allegation that a nurse took pictures of a patient with her cell phone and posted them on her Facebook page. County authorites said they have notified federal authorities of the allegation to see if there are federal and HIPAA violations.
Missouri House Republicans have shot down an attempt by Democratic lawmakers and the governor to reduce healthcare premiums and increase access for thousands of children. Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, had proposed expanding the number of families eligible to enroll their children in the State Children's Health Insurance Program for free and capping the monthly premium for others in his supplemental budget. Republicans on the House Budget Committee, however, did not include the recommendation in the budget bill.
A former Farmington Hills, MI, dentist OK'd to resume his practice despite a 2002 conviction for sexually assaulting a patient is the target of legislation to bar license reinstatement for healthcare professionals convicted of sex crimes. State Rep. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, who is one of the ban's sponsors, told the Detroit Free Press giving a convicted sexual predator renewed access to patients and potential victims is "outrageous ... horrendous. It shouldn't be allowed to happen."
The $360-million Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital is opening soon in Michigan with 191 all-private rooms, nutritious, restaurant-quality food, and programs that aim to make a hospital stay both high quality and comfortable. It also features a 90-seat theater for cooking demonstrations and a wellness center with programs and health and beauty products typically found at spas and retreats. The hospital is to begin accepting patients March 15.