A day before their contract was due to expire, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and Fairview Health Services signed an agreement that runs through 2009. The new contract ends the uncertainty for tens of thousands of Blue Cross members who had been told they might soon have to find doctors outside of Fairview or pay higher out-of-network charges. Blue Cross is the state's biggest health insurer, and Fairview is the third-largest clinic and hospital group in the state.
In the wake of two recent suicides at Tampa General Hospital, federal regulators are threatening to stop Medicare funding to the hospital. The regulators cited serious safety problems at Tampa General's psychiatric unit, and an investigation found psychiatric patients to be in "immediate jeopardy." The hospital is changing procedures due to the findings, increasing how often patients are observed, and making physical changes to the unit, say Tampa General representatives.
Many people in Medicare with diabetes, high blood pressure, and other chronic conditions stop taking their medicine when faced with picking up the entire cost of their prescriptions, researchers say. About 3.4 million older and disabled people hit a gap in their Medicare drug coverage in 2007. When they hit the gap, they had to pay the entire costs of their medicine until they spent $3,850 out of pocket. After that, insurance coverage would kick in again. About 15% of those hitting the coverage gap stopped their treatment regimen, with the rate varying depending upon illness.
The number of Ohio adults 18 to 64 without insurance grew to 19% this year, compared to 12% in 2006, according to a poll conducted by the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati. The poll also found
that the percentage of adults 18 to 29 who were uninsured "almost doubled" from 2007 to 2008, jumping from 23% to 43%.
An Alabama healthcare committee has declined to back either Baptist Health System’s or Brookwood Medical Center’s proposed amendments that would have paved the way for getting state approval for a hospital in Hoover. Instead, the hospital committee of the Statewide Health Coordinating Council asked for more information and time to study the issue. Both Brookwood and Baptist agree that Hoover needs a full service hospital. But Hoover is located in counties that have an excess of licensed beds, making it difficult for anyone to get a Certificate of Need for such a facility in the city.
An Alabama healthcare committee has declined to back either Baptist Health System's or Brookwood Medical Center's proposed amendments that would have paved the way for getting state approval for a hospital in Hoover. Instead, the hospital committee of the Statewide Health Coordinating Council asked for more information and time to study the issue. Both Brookwood and Baptist agree that Hoover needs a full service hospital. But Hoover is located in counties that have an excess of licensed beds, making it difficult for anyone to get a Certificate of Need for such a facility in the city.
More than 100,000 operations were cancelled at English hospitals in 2007, according to new figures. More than 7,000 patients had operations cancelled more than once for non-clinical reasons, according to the data. Health executives blamed patients' missing medical notes, bed shortages, staff absences, and equipment failures for the cancellations. Critics of the National Health Service said the cancellations were an example of the 'increasingly cavalier' standards of treatment for patients.
Tipton (IN) Hospital is about to hand over control to Indianapolis-based Clarian Health. Starting Jan. 1, Clarian will lease the hospital in an agreement approved by Tipton County leaders. The lease runs for 35 years, with an option to renew for another 25. The move is the latest example of large hospital systems building statewide networks and of smaller hospitals looking for healthcare partners.
Medica Encore is the latest in a flurry of attempts by Minnesota insurers to tailor niche products to smaller segments of the market. It's also the first plan to target 50- to 64-year-old early retirees who don't yet qualify for Medicare—most niche products up to this point had been aimed at young adults. Medica estimates that there are 30,000 to 40,000 older Minnesotans who are uninsured because they retired early, were laid off, or work for employers who don't offer group coverage.
St. Paul, MN-based Ecolab has introduced a preoperative antiseptic bathing kit that lets patients sterilize their bodies before undergoing surgery. The kits, which contain a 4-ounce bottle of chlorhexidine gluconate skin disinfectant, two wrapped washcloths and cleaning instructions, are expected to help hospitals cut down on the alarming number of surgery-related infections. Hospitals are expected to sell the kits, which have been approved by the FDA, for less than $40.
The Bush administration has proposed stronger job protections for doctors and other healthcare workers who refuse to participate in abortions because of religious or moral objections. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt said that healthcare professionals should not face retaliation from employers or from medical societies because they object to abortion. The proposed rule would require as many as 584,000 employers ranging from major hospitals to doctors' offices and nursing homes to certify in writing that they are complying with several federal laws that protect the conscience rights of healthcare workers.
