Clostridium difficile, one of the most insidious bacterial infections found in hospitals, may be easier to spot after a study by Chicago and Australian researchers discovered that the true cause of its potentially deadly effects has been misunderstood for decades. Clostridium difficile is a growing concern in the medical community as infection rates rise and more virulent strains emerge that are resistant to treatment. The bacterium infects or colonizes as many as 13 out of every 1,000 hospital patients, according to a study released last year.
Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, facing a $20 million loss this year, says it is cutting expenses by freezing salaries for some employees and reducing top executives' pay, and also considering layoffs. Chief executive Paul F. Levy said the expense cuts are necessary because of state cutbacks on Medicaid payments, a disappointing contract with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, and an unexpected drop in patient volume.
A plan before Connecticut lawmakers calls for building a $475 million hospital to replace the outdated John Dempsey Hospital and creating a "University Hospital" with campuses in Hartford and Farmington. Hartford Hospital would take responsibility for any future deficits the UConn Health Center runs, but the state would pay the bonding costs of a new hospital and an estimated $13 million a year in labor costs. Some lawmakers expressed excitement at the concept and emphasized the proposal's potential for spurring economic growth in the area, but others question the nature of the proposal and whether it was the only solution to the Health Center's problems.
An eastern Pennsylvania healthcare group says a new affiliation with the University of South Florida medical school will lure more doctors to a region that's having trouble holding onto physicians.
The Lehigh Valley Health Network has hospitals in Allentown and Bethlehem and health centers in surrounding communities. Some of the Tampa school's third- and fourth- year medical students will take their final two years of training at the Lehigh Valley facilities.
Federal regulators charged Sunrise-based Pediatrix Medical Group, now known as Mednax, with back-dating stock options for executives and employees from 1997 to 2000. Without admitting or denying the allegations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Mednax settled the case by promising not do such back-dating in the future.
The SEC complaint said the back-dating was done by a "now-deceased former senior financial officer" who "granted options at below-market prices." Mednax provides physician services primarily in neonatal and anesthesiology.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has announced that he'll barnstorm Florida to spread the word about his Cover Florida affordable health insurance plan because "people are hurting." Despite the tight budget year, Crist said he has no plans to change state workers' insurance plans, which are heavily subsidized by taxpayers. About 26,111 state workers pay no premiums at all.
President Obama hosted a forum on healthcare reform Thursday that was intended to open the door to all the groups who say they were left out in the cold 15 years ago when then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton tried to craft a bill she then tried to sell as as a fait accompli to Congress. Clinton’s plan failed, but now Obama’s administration says it has learned from the mistakes of the past and hopes that the new plan will be a winner.
To a generation of Philadelphians, they are known simply as "the free clinics." The city-run health centers are where one can get care ranging from pediatrics to dentistry to OB-GYN. But as public-health officials consider massive disruptions in healthcare, one change is increasingly likely: Patients without insurance will face fees on a sliding scale at all the centers.
Bloomington (IN) Hospital has signed an agreement to merge with Clarian Health Partners. The merger is expected to be completed in 18 months, said Bloomington Hospital officials. Clarian Health Partners includes Methodist Hospital, Indiana University, Hospital and Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.
Federal health officials have warned that patients who wear nicotine or other drug patches during MRI scans risk burns, because some patches contain tiny metal elements that can be heated by the device's huge magnet. Patients should consult their doctors on whether to replace or reuse patches after removal for scans, officials said. The alert is the latest in a string of safety warnings involving magnetic resonance imaging that have resulted from the unpredictable effects of the strong magnets used in MRI devices.
