South Carolina's Medicaid program plans to stop paying hospitals for medical errors they make. Representatives from the state Health and Human Services Department said South Carolina officials must resolve some technical questions before stopping the payments, however. South Carolina Hospital Association representatives say the group already has adopted principles encouraging hospitals not to bill for certain mistakes.
Saint Thomas Health Services in Nashville, TN, has named Jennie D. Renwick senior development officer and major gifts director for Saint Thomas Health Services Fund. Since 1999, Renwick has served as vice president at First Tennessee Bank in Nashville. Her responsibilities included overseeing large-company relationship portfolios, as well as the start-up and management of Private Client Services for Middle Tennessee. In addition, she is responsible for creating and growing Medical Private Client Services at First Tennessee. From 1993 to 1999, Renwick served as vice president at Heidtke & Company, providing institutional and individual clients investment portfolio services.
Hartford, CT-based Aetna has appointed David S. Memel, MD, to head the company's health informatics organization, Aetna Informatics. He will have a dual reporting relationship to Aetna Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President Troyen Brennan, MD, and Aetna Head of Health Care Management Eileen Auen. Memel most recently was the chief medical officer and head of Medical Affairs, Professional Diagnostics for Roche Diagnostics, based in Rotkreuz, Switzerland.
Indianapolis-based WellPoint, Inc. has appointed Lori Beer as executive vice president and CIO and Martin Miller as senior vice president, CAO and controller. Beer has more than 20 years of information technology experience, including more than 10 years at WellPoint. Miller is joining WellPoint from Molson Coors Brewing Company and will report to Wayne DeVeydt, executive vice president and chief financial officer.
Dawn Javersack has been named CFO of Broward Health, based in Fort Lauderdale, FL. She will oversee financial operations for one of the country's 10 largest public health systems. Javersack spent nearly 20 years with West Penn Allegheny Health System in Pittsburgh. Most recently, she served as CFO for Allegheny General, a 724-bed academic medical center and the system's largest hospital. She was also vice president of finance for the not-for-profit system, which includes six hospitals. Prior to that, Javersack was director of finance for the system's Western Pennsylvania Hospital. Javersack, who starts Sept. 2, takes over from Broward Health Controller Debbie Breen. Breen stepped in as interim CFO when former CFO Frank Nask was named CEO of Broward Health.
Brentwood, TN-based rural hospital chain LifePoint Hospitals, Inc. has announced that William M. Gracey, executive vice president and COO, will retire effective April 30, 2009. Gracey will serve as an executive vice president until the planned retirement date. David M. Dill, LifePoint's executive vice president and CFO, will become COO when his replacement is retained. A search process for a new CFO has been initiated. Before joining LifePoint as CFO in July 2007, Dill served as executive vice president of Fresenius Medical Care North America and as CEO of the East Division of Fresenius Medical Care Services. LifePoint operates 48 rural hospitals in 17 states.
The University of Maryland Medical System started planning a $350 million ambulatory care center more than two years ago, but disputes and infighting at the organization have helped to stymie the project. That kind of gridlock among leadership of the medical system is one of the factors that led to the resignation of one-third of its board. The system, which oversees hospitals in Baltimore and throughout the state, has been beset by a number of competing agendas that have not only stalled progress but left a wake of distrust, current and former board members said.
A Miami-Dade County (FL)-based health concern has opened walk-in clinics inside three pharmacies that operate in Hialeah, Miami, and Kendall. The deal is the result of a partnership between MediGo Express Medical Care and Navarro Discount Pharmacies. The clinics are also part of an affiliation between Samoho Healthcare and Mercy Hospital.
Officials at Los Angeles-based Century City Doctors Hospital have given up hope of finding a buyer and began shutting down the facility. On August 22, The hospital filed for financial liquidation under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The 176-bed facility has tried for months to improve its finances but has struggled to pay its growing debt, which the hospital estimated at more $60 million.
Texas' plan to subsidize private health coverage for working-poor adults has hit a snag, as federal health officials have questioned whether the state's proposal to overhaul Medicaid moves quickly enough to cover uninsured workers and is sweeping enough to justify bending federal rules. A federal official outlined the reservations in a recent letter to state officials. Some healthcare lobbyists said that the letter's tone suggests state leaders may not be able to get federal approval before President Bush leaves office.
