The dismal economy has U.S. hospitals ailing, with data showing declines in overall admissions and elective procedures, plus a significant jump in patients who can't pay for care, the American Hospital Association said. Hospitals also have been hurt by losses on their investments due to the economic turmoil, and many are finding it more expensive to borrow money, according to a report from the association.
The Greater New York Hospital Association, developer Extell, and a financier are teaming up in hopes of building a 60-story glass-and-steel tower on the West Side of Manhattan that would function as an international showcase and permanent conference center for the hospital industry. The developers or their representatives said they imagined the building as a permanent exhibition center for hundreds of vendors to the medical industry.
A government plan mandating insurance coverage for all Americans could rake in revenue for commercial health insurers, but whether that revenue would trickle down to robust profit growth remains unknown, according to Wall Street analysts. A universal coverage plan could bring the roughly 46 million uninsured people into a coverage pool, but such a plan would lead to government oversight on underwriting. That could place "downward pressure" on profits, analysts said.
The care of trauma patients in the United States is roughly the same no matter what the patient's race or ethnicity, according to researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. For the study, researchers analyzed data from almost 8,600 trauma patients included in a 2003 national survey. The patients were divided into three groups: white (6,106); black (1,406), and Hispanic (1,051).
Wellington (FL) Regional Medical Center has introduced phase one of the ongoing expansion of its emergency room, and also has presented to the public the services it offers. Hospital officials are hopeful that expanding the ER will make room for more patients, while also reducing their wait times. The department now houses 17 patient beds; once phase two is complete in February, that number will rise to 36.
Citing an effort to better manage expenses, Kansas City-based St. Luke's Health System laid off 61 management and administrative employees. The cutbacks impacted less than 1% of the health system’s workforce, and did not include any direct patient-care positions. According to officials, the job cuts occurred in the corporate offices. The health system, which operates 11 hospitals in the Kansas City region, will also close the cranial and craniofacial programs at St. Luke's Hospital at the end of this year.