After studying the idea for more than a year, the city of New Orleans is negotiating to buy Methodist Hospital and open an emergency room that would serve residents of neighborhoods deprived of critical health services since Hurricane Katrina. State Sen. Ann Duplessis, whose district includes eastern New Orleans, said the city hoped first to re-establish emergency services at the hospital, which has stood vacant since Katrina flooding. Residents of the east have had to travel far during medical emergencies, distances that could prove catastrophic for those in critical condition.
It's not uncommon for patients with no insurance or poor insurance to receive different treatment: A 2006 study of 25 primary care private practices in the Washington, DC, area showed that in nearly one in four encounters, physicians reported adjusting their clinical management based on a patient's insurance status. Nearly 90% of physicians admitted to making such adjustments. For patients with no insurance, alterations occurred 43% of the time; and for the privately insured, just 19%.
Tens of thousands of Anthem customers could face higher healthcare bills or disruptions in service if they seek care from Indiana-based St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers after Nov. 2. That's when the hospital system plans to sever ties with the Anthem in a dispute over reimbursement rates. St. Francis' contract with Anthem does not expire until September, but the Catholic hospital system said it is prepared to sever ties with the insurer almost a year early.
Ascension Health is the country's largest nonprofit hospital system, and says its mission is to serve all. In 2007, an Ascension subsidiary closed Riverview Hospital, the third hospital it has shut down in Detroit in the past 10 years. Meanwhile, 30 miles away, in a suburb of multimillion-dollar homes, Ascension is opening a new $224 million hospital. The approach is an increasingly common strategy among nonprofit hospital systems: Close money-losing facilities in poor areas where a large share of patients are uninsured, and build or refurbish hospitals in affluent places where people have private insurance coverage.
The English government has struck a deal with doctors' leaders to reform the GP contract which MPs complained had led to "eye-watering" pay rises. The new deal with the British Medical Association will see the minimum income practice guarantee phased out by April 2011. MIPG was introduced years ago, alongside bonus payments for GPs helping people with conditions like diabetes or asthma better look after themselves. It soon emerged most practices came close to achieving the maximum bonus points, and the contract was also criticized for allowing GPs to stop offering out-of-hours care. Under the new deal, the amount GPs earn will be directly proportionate to the number of patients on their list and the health needs of their local populations, the Department of Health said.
Almost two-thirds of the patients getting basic medical care from the Cincinnati Health Department's primary care centers in 2008 are uninsured, according to city health officials. In 2005-06, that figure stood at 57%, and by the end of this year it will be about 64%, officials said. Given the nation's troubled economy the increase isn't a surprise, said Hirsh J. Cohen, assistant health commissioner for the city. But it does illustrate the need for better "safety net" health services, Cohen added.