Sunrise, FL-based Pediatrix Medical Group has purchased a neonatal physician practice based in Hammond, LA. The practice staffs the Level 3 neonatal intensive care unit at North Oaks Medical Center.
Pediatrix paid cash for the practice and expects that it will contribute to the company's earnings immediately.
About 6,500 boxes of medical supplies are piling up in a San Leandro, CA, warehouse, waiting to be shipped off to developing countries and health clinics that need them. The warehouse started accepting supplies in August and is just beginning to ship the goods overseas. It is the first expansion in the 10-year history of MedShare International, a Decatur, GA-based nonprofit that sends surplus medical materials overseas to hospital and medical clinics.
The organization uses a Web inventory management system that allows healthcare providers throughout the world to order exactly what they need.
The 926-bed Washington Hospital Center, the largest private hospital in the nation's capital, has begun installing sophisticated new radiation detectors in an effort to better prepare for a terrorist attack with a radiological "dirty bomb." The sensors will immediately let doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff know if someone contaminated with dangerous radiation enters the emergency room or other areas of the hospital.
About 70 volunteers and employees of Meriden, CT-based Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut stood outside polls on election day in an attempt to recruit activists for universal healthcare. The foundation's "healthcare4every1 Campaign" is aimed at building public support for legislation that would make comprehensive healthcare available to all Connecticut residents.
Starting May 1, hospitals and other healthcare providers that allow patients to pay bills using credit must put written identity theft prevention programs in place. The "red flag rules" from the Federal Trade Commission were supposed to go into effect in November, but enforcement was delayed to give healthcare outlets and others more time to comply. "You'll find more hospitals . . . asking for a picture ID, so they would know the person sitting in front of them is the person on the insurance card," said David McClure, vice president of finance with the Tennessee Hospital Association.
Hermitage, TN-based Summit Medical Center wants to build an emergency and diagnostic medical complex in Mt. Juliet. Summit, part of HCA Corp.'s TriStar division, has presented Mt. Juliet with a letter of intent to develop and operate an "outpatient medical facility providing emergency services, diagnostic imagery, laboratory services and/or physician office space." Jeffrey Whitehorn, the hospital's chief executive, said his hospital is the emergency room of choice for about three-fifths of Mt. Juliet's residents who seek such care.
Hospital operator HealthSouth Corp.'s third-quarter net income tumbled 98% from a year ago when the company recorded a big tax benefit, but the company raised its 2008 per-share earnings forecast on its efforts to reduce debt. Shares were up 10% to $13.50 in after-hours trading. HealthSouth reported net income of $6.6 million, or less than 1 cent a share, down from $287.6 million, or $3.13 cents a share, a year earlier. The latest quarter included a $17.1 million charge related to its securities litigation, while the year-ago period reflected a $281.2 million tax benefit and a $40.4 million gain on the sale of certain operations.
A merger between St. Elizabeth Medical Center and St. Luke Hospitals is complete, making all of Northern Kentucky's hospitals under one umbrella. The hospitals now employ more than 4,600 full-time workers and have over 2 million square feet of medical facilities in the Kentucky counties of Boone, Kenton, Campbell, and Grant.
Patients of St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers who are covered by Anthem insurance have received a reprieve, as both parties postponed a contract termination. After a weekend of intense discussions, both organizations reported that "significant progress in negotiations have taken place" and both hope to reach a deal "in the next few days," according to a news release. The contract was scheduled to terminate at midnight on November 2.
Citing the economic downturn, Milwaukee-based Columbia St. Mary's eliminated 74 jobs as part of a systemwide initiative to control costs. The eliminated jobs did not affect any registered nurses or the healthcare system's nurse-to-patient ratio, Columbia St. Mary's said in the announcement to its employees. The system operates hospitals in Milwaukee and Mequon, WI.
