Featuring hospital and health care headlines from the media and Web.

Iowa News

UI details proposed $73M clinic
A regent hospital oversight subcommittee Wednesday heard a fleshed-out vision of the project first introduced in the summer of 2008. Regents gave preliminary approval and the board will formally vote today. The site and the new facility will provide convenience for patients, visibility for the hospital, decongestion for the main campus and much needed room for expansion of UIHC’s many clinics, UI Vice President for Medical Affairs Jean Robillard said. (Iowa City Press-Citizen)

Sanford to sell insurance in N.D.
Sanford Health expanded its regional position Wednesday as it gained clearance to sell insurance in North Dakota. The new authority lets Sanford come closer to a longtime goal of selling its insurance wherever it also provides medical services in its hospitals and clinics. That medical service area expanded into North Dakota in November 2009 as Sanford merged with the MeritCare health network of Fargo. (Sioux Falls Argus Leader)

Ponseti’s longtime friend honors him
Paul Etre, administrator of the orthopedics and rehabilitation department at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, was the featured speaker at the Foreign Relations Council’s regular luncheon. Sharon Benzoni, executive director of the council, said the talk was to celebrate Ponseti’s legacy, a legacy that spans the globe, Etre said before his speech. (Iowa City Press-Citizen)

Typical levels of respiratory distress being treated at area hospitals
Plenty of babies and toddlers are being treated for coughing and wheezing at Quad-City area hospitals and health clinics these days, but officials say the numbers are actually typical for this time of year. The ailing youngsters have respiratory syncytial virus, also known as RSV. The virus causes coughing, sneezing, runny nose and fever. (Quad-City Times)

U.S. News

Reid hopes Senate to approve jobs bill next week
A senior Democratic leadership aide said that an initial package could include a job-creation tax credit, an extension of unemployment insurance benefits and federal health-insurance subsidies for jobless people, tax relief for small businesses investing in their companies, and tax-friendly bonds to help state and local governments fund infrastructure projects. (Wall Street Journal)

Obama’s words fail to bridge health care divide
“Here we are with a chance to change it,” the president said. “And all of you put extraordinary work last year into making serious changes that would not only reform the insurance industry, not only cover 30 million Americans, but would also bend the cost curve and save a trillion dollars on our deficits.” That wasn’t enough for Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu to upgrade her assessment of the health legislation’s condition. (Associated Press)

Illinois court strikes down malpractice cap law
The Illinois Supreme Court has declared unconstitutional a 2005 state law that capped damage awards for a plaintiff’s pain and suffering at $500,000 against doctors and $1 million against hospitals. It was the second time in 13 years that the state’s highest court has struck down a state law capping damage awards. (Reuters)

More money, new name for comparative effectiveness research
While Congress may not have approved healthcare reform legislation yet, one of the more well-discussed—and sometimes controversial—areas included in the reform bills was included in President Obama’s proposed fiscal 2011 budget: comparative effectiveness research (CER). However, a scan of the proposed budget will detect no references to “CER;” its new name is instead: “patient-centered health research.” (HealthLeaders Media)

Whistleblower lawsuit could cost Ohio health system $424M
The federal government and Christ Hospital have reached a settlement in a whistleblower lawsuit that accused the hospital of giving cardiologists time at Christ’s Heart Station between 1999 and 2004 based on both the number of coronary bypass procedures referred to the facility and catheter lab revenue generated. While terms have not been disclosed as of yet, Christ’s liability could be as much as $123 million. Christ’s former parent company, Health Alliance, could be on the hook for $424 million. (Fierce Healthcare)

When patients can’t afford the care
Last fall the journal Academic Medicine reported that the vast majority of students felt they had received adequate clinical training during their four years of schooling. But fewer than half felt they had had adequate exposure to health care systems and practice, an area of study that extends to subjects like medical economics, managed care, practice management and medical record-keeping. (New York Times)