A survey by United Benefits Advisors LLC has found that Wisconsin employers want to see more pricing information from physicians, hospitals and insurance companies. According to the findings, of the southeastern Wisconsin employers surveyed 90.3% felt the government should require physicians and hospitals to publicly disclose pricing; 83.9% said insurers should be required to publicly disclose actual discounted prices to paid providers; and 80.6% said the government should mandate healthcare provider quality reporting.
The Blue Shield of California Foundation has awarded $12.3 million in grants to California nonprofits, with $8.1 million to go to increase access to healthcare for uninsured residents in the state. Another $1.3 million is designated to improve patient care using technology.
Geisinger Health System representatives say construction is nearly complete on its new $35 million Grays Woods facility in Centre County, PA. An Aug. 4 opening is being planned for the building, which includes 70 exam rooms, 16 procedure rooms and six imaging suites. Services will include pediatric care, women's health and family medicine as well as cardiology, pulmonary medicine and urology.
Ohio and national experts discussed the challenges and possible solutions to controlling costs at a forum hosted by the Cleveland Clinic and the Brookings Institution. The panel discussion touched on what changes the new president is likely to push in reforming the U.S. healthcare system. Ohio officials also discussed the initiative started by Gov. Ted Strickland to get half the state's uninsured adults and all Ohio's children in health plans within three years.
To show opposition to the move of South Bay Hospital, the community association for Sun City Center, FL, have kicked off a letter-writing campaign to send opinions to state officials, representatives and senators. South Bay is trying to move its hospital to Riverview and leave behind an emergency room and diagnostic services. In late 2007, the Agency for Health Care Administration approved South Bay's plans despite opposition voiced during a community meeting that drew more than 1,000 residents.
Federal health officials will begin monitoring prescription drug usage by Medicare participants in an effort to identify potential safety problems. New regulations will enable the FDA, states and academic researchers to screen the Medicare claims data. The FDA primarily relies on physicians and patients to report suspected adverse events, and it often takes a number of cases before someone at the agency detects a pattern that's worth investigating. But now at the first hint of trouble, the FDA now will be able to query databases involving tens of millions of patients.
The American Heart Association and other groups are urging everyone with high blood pressure to own a home monitor and do regular pressure checks. Home monitors can help find the right combination of medicines to control high blood pressure by giving a better picture of pressure variations and the response to a drug, say proponents. As a result, it will spare people the cost and side effects of unnecessary treatment, they say.
The debut of Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center is coming soon, but doctors and politicians are still sparring over scarce bed space, workers are trying to fix last-minute glitches, and contractors are struggling to incorporate new technologies. The most pressing dispute surrounds bed space. When doctors and patients move to the new campus, the number of budgeted beds will drop from 671 to 600 and it is unclear how many will be dedicated exclusively to children. Twenty-five beds are certain, but some people want a total of 44. Without the additional beds, they say, the USC pediatric residency program would be at risk of shutting down.
Connecticut's Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell should approve a bill that would open state-employee health insurance to municipalities, small businesses and nonprofits, said a group of Democratic town officials and state lawmakers during a press conference. The conference was one of several such meetings that bill proponents are having across the state as they attempt to sway Rell to sign the Connecticut Health Partnership bill. Proponents say it would offer an alternative, less costly coverage plan to people, nonprofits and businesses. Opponents argue it would probably drive up state costs as much as $78 million.
Leaders at Carney Hospital in Boston are seeking up to $30 million in funding to keep the facility running as an acute-care hospital. Caritas Christi Health Care chief executive Ralph de la Torre has pitched a plan to invest in the run-down hospital, bring new doctors to the facility, and revitalize Laboure College, the nursing school that is part of the Carney campus. He is seeking $20 million to $30 million from outside sources, including funds from the city, state, foundations, and individuals.
