Despite the need for more doctors in rural areas, a hospital that serves workers and their families in Eastern Washington farm country could fall victim to a crackdown on boutique hospitals that cater to the urban rich. Wenatchee Valley is one of a handful of doctor-owned hospitals nationally that face a substantial loss in money to treat their poorest patients amid a push to curb Medicare payments to such hospitals with specialized services only.
Cases in which doctors were accused of botching operations while undergoing treatment for drugs or alcohol have led to criticism of rehab programs that allow thousands of U.S. physicians to keep their addictions hidden from their patients.
Approximately 4 million nonelderly Floridians--about a quarter of the state's under-65 population--are expected to spend more than 10 percent of their income on healthcare in 2008, according to a report released from Families USA.
A proposed lease transferring management of Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta to a private, nonprofit corporation requires the new board to break even within six years while maintaining Grady's mission to care for the poor.
Vanderbilt Medical Group Westhaven is has announced the opening of a new Primary Care Practice in Franklin, TN. The practice will offer a full range of primary care services and are accepting patients of all ages.
A Brentwood, TN-based operator of dialysis centers announced it has acquired a California company and its joint venture interest in 35 dialysis programs nationwide. The acquisition of Innovative Dialysis Systems Inc. of Long Beach is the largest by Ambulatory Services of America Inc.
Tufts Health Plan has donated $500,000 to Massachusetts Health Quality Partners, a nonprofit attempting to create new ways to measure physicians' performance. The gift is intended to accelerate the partnership's work and establish Tufts as a force for improving healthcare quality, the insurer said.
A 14-month pilot program at UCLA taps into the surplus of medical school graduates in Latin America and attempts to address the shortage of Spanish-speaking doctors in the United States. The program is privately-funded, and is seeking to expand enrollment.
Under a new agreement, New Jersey will offer low-cost health coverage for the children of families who lack insurance but who earn too much for government help. The agreement between the state and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey would make health insurance accessible for up to 60,000 children, Senator Joseph F. Vitale.
Acknowledging that too many people simply cannot obtain health insurance on their own, the insurance industry is proposing a series of steps the companies say would let more individuals obtain coverage. The proposals would make it harder for insurers to cancel policies or deny coverage to people with pre-existing medical conditions.
