The Senate Finance Committee rejected a proposal to require pharmaceutical companies to give bigger discounts to Medicare on drugs dispensed to older Americans with low incomes. The proposal, an amendment by Senator Bill Nelson, Democrat of Florida, would have required drug makers to provide Medicare with discounts in the form of rebates totaling more than $100 billion over 10 years.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stepped up her push for a publicly run health plan, saying it could "save enormous amounts of money." Congressional aides said including a government-run plan for people under 65 in the health overhaul could save as much as $100 billion, if such a plan were to pay healthcare providers the low rates used by Medicare. The resulting savings would allow Democrats to keep subsidies and other provisions intended to help lower-income people buy health insurance.
Facing criticism from a health workers union, Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians has decided to drop its late-night surcharge for emergency room patients at five Massachusetts hospitals. The doctors group said that it would no longer add $30 to bills for emergency care delivered between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. The fee was attacked by a healthcare union that is trying to organize workers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, with which the doctors are affiliated.
Eleven California hospitals were fined $25,000 each in administrative penalties for violations that, in some cases, led to death or serious injury, according to Department of Public Health officials. Most of the hospitals fined were in Southern California, and about half were cited because doctors or hospital staff had left foreign objects in patients after surgery. Coast Plaza Doctors Hospital in Norwalk and Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center were fined for failing to follow proper surgical procedures.
The potential exists for this year's H1N1 influenza outbreak to be on par with or exceed the severity of pandemic outbreaks of 1968 and 1918, says Sg2 Director Manuel Hernandez, MD. Hernandez suggests that if your facility has not begun to make serious preparations to deal with the potentials of H1N1, that process needs to begin immediately.
A Small Claims Court judge ruled that healthcare giant Anthem Blue Cross of California overcharged a Culver City man more than $5,700 for safety-net medical insurance, and he ordered the company to pay him back with interest. Anthem said afterward that it disagreed with the decision. "The company feels that the reimbursement made to the member was appropriate," spokeswoman Peggy Hinz said.
Resurrection Health Care employees seeking to unionize plan a 36-hour vigil in Chicago to protest the hospital group's stand. The American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees says workers at Resurrection hospitals have been trying to form a union for years. AFSCME has accused Resurrection of harsh anti-union tactics, including firings.
Hospital operator NorthShore University HealthSystem signed a deal to become the official healthcare partner of the Chicago Blackhawks, the team and medical system said. The five-year partnership will give NorthShore a marketing presence at the United Center, on television and radio broadcasts, and on the team's Web site.
Beverly, MA-based Northeast Health System, the parent organization of Beverly, Addison Gilbert, and BayRidge hospitals, has confirmed that its trustees have appointed Ken Hanover as president and chief executive. In his new job, Hanover will oversee the operations of Northeast's network of acute care, senior health, and behavioral health services.
A Rhode Island judge has allowed Landmark Medical Center, a 214-bed community hospital in Woonsocket, RI, that has been in court receivership since last year, to enter into exclusive merger negotiations with Caritas Christi Health Care of Boston. The board of Caritas Christi, a chain of six Catholic hospitals, authorized management last spring to pursue negotiations with Landmark.
