More than 10% of employees of the Los Angeles-based Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital had criminal histories, according to a long-awaited analysis that also found the King nurses provided inferior care. The hospital had about 1,600 employees when background checks were conducted a year ago, according to the report by the auditor-controller's department. Of those, 1,356 had their backgrounds examined, and 152 of those came back with criminal or arrest records. The number is far larger than the 17 employees with criminal histories that Los Angeles County has previously acknowledged.
After years of delays, a groundbreaking is finally scheduled for West Kendall Baptist Hospital in Miami. Executives aim to make the hospital the highest-tech and greenest facility in South Florida. The $160 million facility will include a medical office building and four-story, 80-bed hospital. Peter Goicouria of MGE Architects, the Coral Gables firm that designed the facility, said it's intended to be the first certified green hospital in South Florida. The facility's design aims to stay green by incorporating features such as those to reduce the consumption of electric power and limit water usage.
Abington (PA) Memorial Hospital has announced that it had taken a preliminary step toward acquiring Lansdale, PA-based Central Montgomery Medical Center. The hospital said it had signed an asset-purchase agreement with Universal Health Services Inc., a national chain of acute-care hospitals and other health facilities. Both parties declined to disclose the purchase price. After the acquisition, the 125-bed CMMC will continue as an acute-care hospital and will provide emergency care, inpatient and outpatient surgery, and diagnostic services, according to a statement.
In this opinion piece for the New York Times, Sandeep Jauhar, MD, says that on the surface pay for performance seems like a good idea, but the initiative may be having untoward consequences. Under P4P, there is pressure to treat even when the diagnosis isn't firm, so, for example, more and more antibiotics are being used in emergency rooms despite all-too-evident dangers like antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic-associated infections, Jauhar says.
Atlanta's Emory Crawford Long Hospital plans to demolish the 78-year-old Life of Georgia building to make way for a medical complex scheduled to open in 2013. But the plans have started to draw opposition, as the Atlanta Preservation Center has launched an online petition signed by more than 275 people asking the hospital to reconsider. The hospital is still fleshing out its plans and does not intend to tear down the building anytime soon. In the meantime, it is conducting an audit of the property's architectural features that might be worth reusing.
A year after Gov. Rod Blagojevich outlined his "All Kids Bridge" program to expand the state's health insurance coverage for sick or injured young adults, it still doesn't exist. When he announced the program last August, Blagojevich said he was addressing a problem with the state's All Kids program, which offers health medical benefits for young people with serious medical conditions such as organ transplants and diabetes. Susan Hofer, a spokeswoman for the Division of Insurance said the state remains "entirely committed to All Kids Bridge," but added that the administration is still working with the (insurance) board to finalize program details.
Indianapolis-based Clarian Health has signed a letter of intent to take over Cardinal Health System, which owns Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie, IN, and Blackford Community Hospital in Hartford City. The merger could be completed by the end of the year, and officials say both hospitals will keep their names and their current services.
Adults with Type 1 diabetes can gain better control over their disease by using a device that continually monitors blood-sugar levels, according to a new study. The "continuous glucose monitoring" systems provide a steady stream of data that allows patients to adjust their insulin injections as needed. The systems are attached to a small sensor inserted just beneath the skin, and they also sound an alarm if blood sugar rises or falls to dangerous levels.
A coalition of business and labor groups has joined with an advocacy group for the elderly to try to break the gridlock and achieve successful healthcare reform under the next president. The nearly 40 million-member senior citizens group AARP, the Business Roundtable, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, and the Service Employees International Union have been dogging candidates on healthcare for more than a year. Their "Divided We Fail" campaign includes television advertisements and dozens of community forums to ensure healthcare takes center stage in this year's congressional and presidential elections.
George Hamilton has been promoted to chief administrative officer at Aurora Sinai Medical Center, located in downtown Milwaukee. Hamilton has been at Aurora Sinai since 2000, and most recently served as vice president of operations, and as vice president of academic affairs at Aurora Health Care. +
WellCare Health Plans, Inc., has hired Rex M. Adams as COO. In this newly created position, Adams will report directly to the president and CEO and have responsibility for the company's operations, including claims payment, customer service and information systems. Before joining WellCare, Adams served as the president and COO of AT&T East, a division of AT&T Inc. +
HealthMarkets, Inc., the health insurance company that writes policies for the self-insured, individuals and small businesses, has named Tim Roach chief marketing officer. Additionally, Lucinda Lewis has been hired as senior vice president and chief actuary. HealthMarkets does business through its subsidiaries, The MEGA Life and Health Insurance Company, Mid-West National Life Insurance Company of Tennessee and The Chesapeake Life Insurance Company. +
