The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center plans to team with GE Healthcare over the next decade to establish 25 cancer centers overseas in Turkey, Greece, Germany, and South Korea. This will add to the two cancer centers UPMC already operates in Ireland, and bring a higher level of cancer treatment to currently underserved regions.
California hospitals are not immune to the credit crisis, according to financial advisors who note that the more a hospital pays to its bond investors, the less money it has left for patient care, new equipment, and other programs. The market for tax-exempt hospital bonds has seen significant changes in recent months, as the credit crisis has made it more expensive for health facilities to borrow money.
U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus has unveiled a plan that would guarantee health insurance for all Americans. This would be done by sales of private insurance, expansion of Medicaid and Medicare, and requiring most employers to provide health benefits. The plan would eventually require everyone to have health insurance coverage.
C. diff infections are ailing hospitals as much as 20 times more than previously believed, according to a new survey of U.S. hospitals. The survey reports that more than 7,000 patients are regularly battling such infections.
Researchers say heart failure accounts for about 37% of Medicare spending, with more doctor visits and medications prescribed. Treatment for these patients also contributes to nearly 50% of all hospital inpatient costs.
Two lawmakers filed a bill that would phase out the two-year waiting period for the government to review whether individual disabled people qualify for Medicare. The legislation sponsored by Rep. Gene Green and Sen. Jeff Bingaman would eliminate the waiting period gradually over 10 years. The bill would also allow those with life-threatening illnesses to get coverage immediately.