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

Iowa News

TRMC gets grant for cath lab gear
The $687,060 grant will be used to replace equipment in the cardiac catheterization lab that opened 10 years ago, according to Shannon McQuillen, a spokeswoman for the Fort Dodge hospital. ”Since then, there’s been significant advances in technology,” she said. The new gear, she said, will provide ”higher quality images at lower radiation doses.” The result will be increased accuracy for doctors providing the treatments and greater safety for patients, she said. (Fort Dodge Messenger)

Mercy selects local contractors to work on new cancer center
In an effort to provide the highest quality, innovative facility, Mercy has chosen general contractors Rinderknecht Associates, Inc. and Ryan Companies to work together, along with architectural partner OPN Architects, on the $10.7 million project.  Newly-formed patient focus groups will provide valuable input on design for a truly patient-centered environment. (Eastern Iowa Life)

Swimming advisories posted at 8 Iowa park beaches
Beaches at Iowa state parks continue to deal with high fecal bacteria levels this summer. Safety warnings have been posted at more than a half-dozen beaches. Bacterial readings higher than the swimming limit turned up this week in samples at eight beaches. The beaches are Backbone, Big Creek, Clear Lake, Emerson Bay, Lake Anita, Lake Keomah, Pine Lake and Prairie Rose. (Associated Press/Quad-City Times)

Reaching uninsured children: Iowa’s Income tax return and CHIP project
The State Health Access Reform Evaluation, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program, released a report that examines an innovative approach tested in Iowa – specifically the modification of tax forms to include a question about the health coverage status of each dependent child. This nontraditional approach could be a key learning for others as future CHIP federal funding allocations will be based on states’ net enrollment change. (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation)

U.S. News

U.S. cracks down on health care fraud
During a health care fraud summit in Los Angeles, Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said their agencies were jointly targeting fraud in the federal Medicare and Medicaid programs. They said the initiative, launched in May 2009, had so far produced more than 580 criminal convictions and recovered more than $2.5 billion in fraudulent proceeds. (Los Angeles Times)

Doctor doesn’t work hard to hide symptoms of Medicare fraud
When it came to Medicare, Dr. Shusil Sheth used two codes, each of which represents critical cardiac treatment and is reimbursed at a high rate. He sent 14,800 billings over five years to Medicare alone, billing for 24 hours or more of work every day of the year. It allowed for the purchase of multiple homes and numerous bank accounts and investments. When caught in 2007, Dr. Sheth confessed to getting $13 million in illegal payments. (New York Times)

Duluth nurses’ strike looks more likely
The possibility of a nurses’ strike in Duluth increased after a federal mediation session between nurses and SMDC Health System ended Wednesday without any agreement. According to a statement from the Minnesota Nurses Association, talks ended after three hours “as the hospital made it clear the contract offer SMDC nurses rejected by a 90 percent margin last week remains SMDC’s ‘Last and Best’ offer.” Union representatives and St. Luke’s are scheduled to meet with mediators on Tuesday. (Duluth News Tribune)

Future of primary care? Some say ‘medical home’
Imagine a place where your doctor doesn’t keep you waiting, does keep you healthy, and works with a whole team of other health care professionals. Oh, and imagine that place makes the doctor’s life easier and health care cheaper. In a nutshell, that’s the idea behind what’s called the “patient-centered medical home.” It’s an idea that’s spreading around the nation. (National Public Radio)

Is “hospital-in-a-box” the way to better health care?
Jon Weiner’s hospitals are a far cry from what you might be used to. There are no lengthy admissions forms to fill in. And the service you get might remind you of a five-star hotel. The cost? No more than any other hospital. The catch? They are all overseas. Weiner co-founded the New York-based startup OR International LLC with the goal of exporting a higher-quality American brand of health care throughout the world, with a primary focus on improving patient treatment. (Reuters)

States press workers on health care
On Thursday, a Michigan judge heard arguments in two of three lawsuits filed by public-school unions and retirees who opposed a new law that for the first time required them to contribute toward their health-care benefits. Michigan is among several states struggling with record budget deficits that want employees to take on a greater share of the burden of ballooning health-benefits costs. (Wall Street Journal)