In a ceremony at the State House, Gov. Carcieri signed the Rhode Island Health Information Exchange Act of 2008, which was written after the quality institute held dozens of meetings with consumers, providers, insurers, academics, employers, and others. The law establishes the rules governing the state's health exchange: it gives patients control over who sees their records, puts the Health Department in charge, requires a commission to oversee the exchange, and sets civil and criminal penalties for violating the law.
With the United States facing a huge financial crisis, hospitals are putting off construction projects and paying higher interest on some existing debt. Hospitals with existing variable-rate debt have seen a big jump in the interest they’re paying—in some cases up to 10% or more, up from 3% or 4%, American Hospital Association CEO Rich Umbdenstock told the Wall Street Journal. At the same time, they're seeing more patients who are unable to pay.
Critical Health Systems of Raleigh, NC, has been purchased by a division of Sunrise, FL-based Pediatrix Medical Group for an undisclosed amount of cash. Critical Health is currently the only provider of anesthesia for hospital patients in Wake County, NC. The company has long-term contracts with medical facilities in North Carolina, but officials at WakeMed and Rex Healthcare said they don't expect to see any changes after the sale.
A seven-year, $32 million information technology plan to convert paper records into computer files is under consideration in Vermont, according to doctors and state health officials. The plan is focused on integrating electronic health records into the offices of half of the state's primary care doctors, according to Gregory Farnum, president of Vermont Information Technology Leaders. The VITL is a partnership tasked by the state General Assembly's Commission on Health Care Reform to take the lead in integrating technology into Vermont's healthcare system. The General Assembly's Commission has vowed to support a $1.2 million VITL appropriation in the state budget.
Tarpon Springs, FL-based Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital is facing a $9-million budget shortfall this year, hospital administrators have announced. To offset the deficit, the hospital has discontinued its home health agency, eliminated some open positions, and is working to generate alternative revenue sources, said hospital CEO Don Evans. The hospital was taken over by Tampa's University Community Health in 2000 when it was on the verge of financial disaster, but has continued to struggle since the partnership was formed. This year's shortfall, however, is about $1-million less than last year's, Evans added.
Doctors aren't going into primary care anymore, despite a rapidly aging population, according to an article in the September 2008 Journal of the American Medical Association. The resulting problem is that even if healthcare coverage becomes universal, there will not be enough primary care physicians to go around, according to this opinion article in the Denver Post.