Facing a crisis in its pension fund, 1199, New York's giant healthcare union, reached a settlement that calls for forgoing nearly a billion dollars in raises for 145,000 union members so that hospitals can increase their pension contributions to safeguard future retirement benefits. The union agreed to a wage freeze for next year, but also accepted less generous pensions for future hires.
There were hundreds of incidents of death or serious medical harm disclosed in the past year by hospitals in the Washington, DC, region, preventable errors that until recently have not required public reporting. Under laws that took effect last year in Virginia and a few years earlier in Washington and Maryland, hospitals must report to health regulators many serious injuries that patients suffer in the course of treatment.
As doctor rating sites proliferate, questions about their usefulness, accuracy, and fairness are intensifying. As a defensive measure, some physicians are requiring patients to sign broad agreements that prohibit online postings or commentary in any media outlet "without prior written consent." Many experts say these "gag orders" are both unethical and unenforceable, but an increasing number of doctors view them as an appropriate response to the sites.
Anthem Blue Cross is seeking approval from the Connecticut Insurance Department for increases averaging 23%, running as high as 32%. They would apply to about 56,000 individual policies bought by consumers under 65. During questioning, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal quizzed Anthem officials on profits. George Siriotis, regional vice president of individual sales at Anthem, said rising healthcare costs, including what he called unnecessary testing, use of brand-name medication, and the heavy use of diagnostic imaging have forced the rate increases.
Debate continues surrounding the healthcare legislation that is currently being pored over by members of Congress.
However, one part of the healthcare reform that has not been a sticking point, but is important in the world of patient safety, is the requirement of a national reporting system for healthcare-associated infections. One piece of healthcare reform legislation, H.R. 3200, includes a provision that would require all hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers to report data concerning healthcare-associated infections to a database that already exists with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a condition of their participation with Medicare and Medicaid.
A group of healthcare organizations sent a letter to Congress Monday, urging the adoption of H.R. 3200. These groups include The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), and the Trust for America's Health (TFAH).
"Overall–this is a win for patients," said APIC 2009 President Christine J. Nutty, RN, MSN, CIC. "Public reporting of HAIs may drive further improvement in healthcare processes, which will reduce infections, save lives, and preserve healthcare dollars. We are pleased that the House bill would also address the need for highly trained staff to effectively implement the system."
The organizations hope that a national database of HAIs, run through the CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network, would help improve transparency, as well as reduce rates of infections.
"Using CDC's network means that everyone will be looking for the same information in the same way," said Mark E. Rupp, MD, president of SHEA. "This approach for HAI reporting will be a more accurate way to compare local and national infection rates and trends. This will give us the science base we need to better prevent HAIs." HAIs, which reportedly claim 99,000 lives annually, cost $20 billion in extra healthcare dollars.
The groups also want H.R. 3200 amended to include language about antimicrobial resistant organisms. Earlier this year, the Strategies to Address Antimicrobial Resistance Act was submitted to Congress to build new strategies for addressing multiple drug-resistant organisms.
Health Net Inc. announced plans to sell its Northeast U.S. health insurance operations to UnitedHealth Group Inc. for about $510 million. UnitedHealth, the country's largest commercial health insurer, will pick up Health Net's 578,000 members in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. This year's operations are expected to generate about $2.7 billion in revenue.
At the University of Michigan Health System, lawyers and doctors say admitting mistakes up front and offering compensation before being sued have brought about remarkable savings in money, time, and feelings. The willingness to admit mistakes goes well beyond decency and has proven a shrewd business strategy, according to a 2009 article in the "Journal of Health & Life Sciences Law" by UM Health System representatives.
A new office-based surgery law went into effect in New York recently, requiring that physician's offices that perform surgery with moderate or deep sedation be accredited by one of three independent agencies to make sure they are meeting standards of safety and care. Any office that isn't accredited is no longer authorized to perform surgery, and practices also have to report all adverse events to the New York Department of Health. The New York law may serve as a model for other states considering similar measures.
As lawmakers try to remake the U.S. healthcare system, the Wall Street Journal provides basics questions about health reform. The effort enjoys more support than past attempts, but the complications are as acute as ever, according to the Journal.
Major business groups are launching a series of new advertising campaigns aimed at shaping Congress' health overhaul. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, for example, plans to introduce a sharply worded multimedia advertising campaign pushing back against the key planks of Democrats' health overhaul proposals. America's Health Insurance Plans, the nation's largest health insurance lobby, has also launched a television advertising campaign costing at least $1 million, with ads that say the industry supports the idea of health overhaul.
