A former Farmington Hills, MI, dentist OK'd to resume his practice despite a 2002 conviction for sexually assaulting a patient is the target of legislation to bar license reinstatement for healthcare professionals convicted of sex crimes. State Rep. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, who is one of the ban's sponsors, told the Detroit Free Press giving a convicted sexual predator renewed access to patients and potential victims is "outrageous ... horrendous. It shouldn't be allowed to happen."
Missouri House Republicans have shot down an attempt by Democratic lawmakers and the governor to reduce healthcare premiums and increase access for thousands of children. Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, had proposed expanding the number of families eligible to enroll their children in the State Children's Health Insurance Program for free and capping the monthly premium for others in his supplemental budget. Republicans on the House Budget Committee, however, did not include the recommendation in the budget bill.
The $360-million Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital is opening soon in Michigan with 191 all-private rooms, nutritious, restaurant-quality food, and programs that aim to make a hospital stay both high quality and comfortable. It also features a 90-seat theater for cooking demonstrations and a wellness center with programs and health and beauty products typically found at spas and retreats. The hospital is to begin accepting patients March 15.
Nurses at Mercy Walworth Medical Center in Lake Geneva, WI, accused of photographing a patient and posting the pictures on the Internet have been fired. The investigation started with an anonymous call from an employee at the medical center, with the allegation that a nurse took pictures of a patient with her cell phone and posted them on her Facebook page. County authorites said they have notified federal authorities of the allegation to see if there are federal and HIPAA violations.
A deal that could clear the way for West Columbia, SC-based Lexington Medical Center to perform heart surgeries and Providence Hospital to expand was announced by the two hospitals. As part of the deal, Columbia-based Providence agreed to give up one of its four open-heart surgery units to Lexington Medical. In return, Lexington Medical will pay Providence $15 million and drop a lawsuit it filed to block expansion at the Providence's Northeast campus.
One in four Americans said in a survey that someone in the family put off needed healthcare in the past year because of cost, including 16% who postponed surgery or a doctor's visit for chronic illness. In all, 53% of Americans in the Kaiser Family Foundation poll said they or a family member living with them cut back on healthcare in one or more ways to save money in the past 12 months.
The feud between Premera Blue Cross and Seattle-based Proliance Surgeons erupted last summer when Proliance walked out of Premera's network of providers in August. The two had disagreed on payment rates, and six months later the issue is still festering. Proliance is running radio ads slamming Premera, and Premera is responding by saying the surgeons had wanted too much money.
High-deductible health plans now cover more than 1 in 10 insured Minnesotans. The plans require people to pay a larger share of medical costs out of pocket, but let them set aside pretax money in health savings accounts to cover some of the costs. Advocates hope the new plans will help rein in healthcare costs by encouraging consumers to use medical services more prudently. But many experts worry that consumers will scrimp on needed care or valuable preventive services, which save money now but drive up health costs in the long run.
A new program aims to tackle the growing problem of diabetes in minority communities throughout Texas, and in Dallas, it will focus on getting community healthcare workers more intensely involved with patients. The $1.7 million plan will also feature cross-cultural education programs for doctors and an electronic diabetes registry to better manage cases.
Wall Street's credit crunch is putting a damper on a New Jersey healthcare company's hospital project in the Philadelphia suburbs.
Virtua Health is touting the hospital as a "state-of-the-art, digital" facility, but executives acknowledge that construction could be delayed because of trouble getting financing. Virtua wants to sell bonds to help pay for the project, but the volatile bond markets have made it expensive to borrow money, and executives say they won't sell them until conditions improve.
