The federal government is proposing cuts to the Medicare and Medicaid programs, so now hospital organizations are lobbying to legislators and warning of cutbacks if the cuts are approved. Pennsylvania and New Jersey hospitals estimate that the proposed budget would reduce payments to hospitals in the two states by $8.4 billion over five years. Almost 50 percent of New Jersey's hospitals are already in the red, and the cuts would drive more hospitals in the state into bankruptcy, according to representatives from teh New Jersey Hospital Association.
Healthways Inc. has announced that it expects its pilot program to determine whether disease management lowers the cost of treating patients with chronic illnesses to meet specified performance targets. The move questions conclusions by Medicare that had caused Healthways stock to plunge.
Premiums for private health insurance plans in Massachusetts sold through the state are likely to rise an average of about 5 percent over last year's prices, according to a state memo. The 5 percent increase is roughly half as much as plans for people covered through their employers.
Massachusetts health regulators have approved a sweeping crackdown designed to stem the spread of infections inside hospitals. The Public Health Council will dispatch state inspectors regularly to hospitals to make sure they are following rules on preventing infections and reporting them promptly when they occur. The panel also approved a plan to issue report cards on infection rates for each hospital and will post that information on a state government website.
One in every 10 patients admitted to six Massachusetts community hospitals suffered serious and avoidable medication mistakes, according to a report from two nonprofit groups trying to get all hospitals in the state to install a computerized prescription ordering system. Previous studies in large academic hospitals that also lacked computerized systems found such medication errors occurred less than half as often, said the study's author. Researchers declined to release the names of the six Massachusetts hospitals that were part of the report.
New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has announced a sweeping investigation into whether health insurance companies have systematically forced patients to pay more than they should when using doctors and hospitals outside their insurer's networks. Cuomo said he intended to sue UnitedHealth Group as part of the investigation. The problem has existed for about a decade, potentially adding hundreds of millions of dollars to the out-of-pocket medical expenses of insured consumers nationwide, Cuomo added.
Michigan's Medicaid director has disputed contentions by the Detroit Medical Center that the state is overpaying doctors at Wayne State University who care for low-income patients. DMC alerted WSU on Feb. 1 that it would begin to withhold $12 million in Medicaid payments it would pass on to WSU for the care of indigent patients. Without the money, WSU may need to cut services or lay off doctors.
Florida's First District Court of Appeal has turned down an appeal by Central Florida Regional Hospital, clearing the way Health Management Associates to construct a hospital in Oviedo, FL. HMA is still looking for land on which to build its 60-bed hospital, which is expected to operate in partnership with Orlando Regional Healthcare System.
SSM Health Care-St. Louis has announced a $59 million capital improvement plan, most of which will be targeted at St. Joseph Health Center and St. Mary's Health Center. System representatives called the plan "a major step to improve patient care, enhance services and reinforce competitive strength."
St. John's Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis has implemented a Web-based work force management system created by San Diego-based Bidshift, Inc. The scheduling program gives the medical center's more than 2,000 nurses greater flexibility in identifying extra shifts and linking the vacancies to their expertise and interests. The shift was made as hospital executives sought an up-to-date method of communicating open nursing shifts and attracting qualified workers.
