Arkansas officials say a new computer database linking hospitals is now online, the first step in establishing a trauma care network around the state. The database allows hospital workers to determine which facilities have specialists and room available for patients. The database links major hospitals in Arkansas, along with The Med in Memphis, TN, and CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System in Texarkana, TX.
Sunrise, FL-based Pediatrix Medical Group has purchased a neonatal physician practice based in Hammond, LA. The practice staffs the Level 3 neonatal intensive care unit at North Oaks Medical Center.
Pediatrix paid cash for the practice and expects that it will contribute to the company's earnings immediately.
About 6,500 boxes of medical supplies are piling up in a San Leandro, CA, warehouse, waiting to be shipped off to developing countries and health clinics that need them. The warehouse started accepting supplies in August and is just beginning to ship the goods overseas. It is the first expansion in the 10-year history of MedShare International, a Decatur, GA-based nonprofit that sends surplus medical materials overseas to hospital and medical clinics.
The organization uses a Web inventory management system that allows healthcare providers throughout the world to order exactly what they need.
The 926-bed Washington Hospital Center, the largest private hospital in the nation's capital, has begun installing sophisticated new radiation detectors in an effort to better prepare for a terrorist attack with a radiological "dirty bomb." The sensors will immediately let doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff know if someone contaminated with dangerous radiation enters the emergency room or other areas of the hospital.
About 70 volunteers and employees of Meriden, CT-based Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut stood outside polls on election day in an attempt to recruit activists for universal healthcare. The foundation's "healthcare4every1 Campaign" is aimed at building public support for legislation that would make comprehensive healthcare available to all Connecticut residents.
Starting May 1, hospitals and other healthcare providers that allow patients to pay bills using credit must put written identity theft prevention programs in place. The "red flag rules" from the Federal Trade Commission were supposed to go into effect in November, but enforcement was delayed to give healthcare outlets and others more time to comply. "You'll find more hospitals . . . asking for a picture ID, so they would know the person sitting in front of them is the person on the insurance card," said David McClure, vice president of finance with the Tennessee Hospital Association.