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

Iowa News

Cited as one of country’s most profitable hospitals, St. Luke’s officials disagree
Forbes Magazine states that St. Luke’s has an operating margin of 36 percent. St. Luke’s officials said the hospital’s true operating margin last year was 5.4 percent. Hospital officials noted that the information does not accurately reflect St. Luke’s complete financial picture because many support services and administrative department expenses were omitted from the calculation of operating margin. (Eastern Iowa Health)

Disaster Drill in Marcus
The Marcus Fire Department recently sponsored a community-wide fire and disaster drill that simulated a catastrophic explosion at the Marcus school.  Cherokee Regional Medical Center played a key role in the drill. (Cherokee Chronicle Times)

Chemo patients benefit from Skiff support group help
Skiff Medical Center’s chemotherapy treatment room, located in the Skiff Specialty Clinic, was in need of some renovations to accommodate its increasing patient load. The Pink Ribbon Support Group, after discussing the project with chemotherapy nurse Veronica Mangrich, willingly accepted the task of completing the renovations. (Newton Daily News)

U.S. News

Growth slows in health spending
Health care spending this year has grown at its slowest rate in a half-century, a sign that people are forgoing medical care during the recession. Spending on doctors, hospitals, drugs and other medical care climbed at a 2.7 percent annual rate per person in the first half of 2010, the smallest increase since the Bureau of Economic Analysis began tracking medical care in 1959. (USA Today)

Hospital CEO pay: Maryland Hospital Association responds
The compensation for hospital executives is determined by hospital boards and compensation committees who follow nationally recommended practices for setting contract terms, evaluating CEO performance, reviewing salary comparability data, setting and approving compensation and ensuring the process is free from conflict of interest. (Baltimore Sun)

Health insurance tax credit likely to affect small part of small-business workforce
About 16.6 million workers are employed by small businesses that are eligible for health insurance tax credits under the new health-care law, according to estimates that were to be released by a nonpartisan research foundation Thursday. However, the report by the Commonwealth Fund estimated that only 3.4 million of those workers are at firms that would take advantage of the tax credit. (Washington Post)

Falls represent a deadly public health problem, UN warns
Falls are a major public health problem across the world with an estimated 424,000 fatalities occurring each year, making it the second leading cause of unintentional injury and death after road traffic accidents, according to the United Nations health agency. More than 80 per cent of fall-related fatalities occur in low-and middle-income countries, with regions of the Western Pacific and South East Asia accounting for more than two thirds of these deaths, the World Health Organization said in a fact sheet issued today. (UN News Service)

Desperate for a treatment, one physician heals himself
In late May this year, Dr. Stephane Huberty inserted a needle into his upper arm and injected himself with a cloudy white vaccine previously tested only on rats and dogs. The reason for this desperate measure: Dr. Huberty suffers from myasthenia gravis, a rare neurological condition. It is one of more than 5,000 “orphan” diseases, so called because there are so few sufferers that most pharmaceutical companies are reluctant to invest in cures. (Wall Street Journal)

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

Iowa News

West Des Moines hospitals’ beds slow to fill
The two new hospitals in West Des Moines have dozens of empty beds most days, but administrators say they’re confident of the facilities’ future. When Mercy West Lakes opened with 82 beds last September, its leader at the time said it would be full within six months. Current leaders admit that the prediction hasn’t come true, but they see progress. (Des Moines Register)

Hancock County Memorial Hospital expansion given the green light
Hancock County Memorial Hospital will proceed with a multi-million dollar facility expansion following approval by its Board of Trustees earlier this week. The board gave hospital officials the go-ahead Monday to proceed with construction of a 20,000-square-foot addition that will improve the hospital’s outpatient and rehabilitative services. Although construction is expected to cost $8 million, total project cost is estimated at almost $12.8 million. (Forest City Summit)

Get some invaluable health care advice
The University of Iowa is offering Iowans the chance to learn more about the law. Average people – not just the policy wonks among us – should take advantage of the opportunity. That means finding a few hours a week to “go back to school.” The university has put together a semester-long class on the law and its impact. Though targeted at law students, all Iowans can benefit from the information being shared. (Des Moines Register)

Extra care for moms-to-be on bed rest
Ashley Adams is helping ease the stay for expectant mothers on bed rest at Iowa Methodist Medical Center. She’s the antepartum care coordinator, a new position created to provide more consistent care to those pregnant women. Adams is getting the word out about her role and building up donations of books, board games, gaming systems and laptops for patient use. (Des Moines Register)

U.S. News

America’s most profitable hospitals
The average American hospital barely breaks even. But some are enormous profit centers. Forbes’ first-ever survey of America’s most profitable hospitals reveals that some American hospitals make 25 cents or more for every $1 in patient revenue they take in. Our list, done by the American Hospital Directory, is based on operating income figures that hospitals must report to the federal Medicare program each year. (Forbes)

More ‘empowered’ patients question doctors’ orders
In the past, most patients placed their entire trust in the hands of their physician. Your doc said you needed a certain medical test, you got it. Now many physicians say an increasing number of patients are getting involved in decisions about their medical care, including medication choices, whether they need a specialist, and especially whether they need expensive diagnostic tests, which some health economists say are driving up the cost of health care. (USA Today)

Minnesota balks at health law funds
The executive order by Gov. Tim Pawlenty made Minnesota the first state to formally restrict itself from taking some federal dollars under the law. The order isn’t likely to significantly affect how the law is applied in Minnesota. It says the state can’t seek further discretionary money for demonstration projects and grant funding unless the governor approves it. In some cases, Minnesota’s legislature has already put in place plans to seek federal money under those programs. (Wall Street Journal)

Medicare: a prevention plan that could lower costs
The new smoking cessation program for seniors might seem a tad late. People usually smoke for decades before they get cancer, emphysema, heart disease and other smoking-related disorders — just in time for Medicare to pick up the tab. But the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services decision memo noted that even older smokers who quit can see fairly quick payback in terms of reduced illness. (Fiscal Times)

Duluth nurses object to proposed code of conduct
A final round of contract negotiations takes place Tuesday for more than 400 registered nurses who work at St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth. The talks will focus on a proposed code of conduct opposed by the nurses’ union. Staffing issues are the main issue in the contract dispute between the nurses union and the two main hospitals in Duluth. (Minnesota Public Radio)

FDA is actively monitoring medical and health care apps in mobile app stores
Bradley Merrill Thompson, an attorney with an expertise in the FDA approval process for medical devices, is stating the Food and Drug Administration is actively monitoring app stores on various platforms. Regulating medical devices and health care related applications falls under the FDA’s jurisdiction. (iMedicalApps)

Federal spending rises a record 16%
Federal domestic spending increased a record 16 percent, to $3.2 trillion, in 2009, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday, largely because of a boost in aid to the unemployed and the huge economic stimulus package enacted to rescue the sinking economy. The rise in spending was the largest since the Census Bureau began compiling the data in 1983. (Washington Post)

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

Iowa News

Doctors to get help in shift to electronic records
When Dr. Robert Lee decided to install an electronic medical records system for his family practice clinic in Johnston in 2002, he had to choose from somewhere around 60 companies’ systems. “I could see electronic records were coming, so I decided to switch over when I started my new office,” Lee said. “It was so intimidating; there weren’t enough sites that had already installed one in Iowa that I could visit.” (Des Moines Business Journal)

Plans progressing for PCI’s medical mall
A portion of Second Avenue SE will close in April under plans for constructing Physicians’ Clinic of Iowa’s new medical mall. Mike Sundall, the group’s CEO, said PCI is working with the city on finalizing the development agreement for the mall, which includes tax increment financing. (Eastern Iowa Health)

U.S. News

Even with malpractice insurance, doctors opt for expensive, defensive medicine
Most malpractice suits turn out to be against doctors who were not at fault. Of every 100 malpractice claims filed, only 17 appeared to involve a negligent injury, such as a medication overdose resulting in death, according to a 2004 New England Journal of Medicine review. This means that patients and lawyers appear to be suing the doctors and hospitals for non-negligent injury 83 percent of the time. (Washington Post)

US urges nearly all to get flu shots
It’s flu-shot season already, and for the first time health authorities are urging nearly everyone to get vaccinated. There is even a new high-dose version for people 65 or older. Last fall, crowds lined up for hours for scarce shots during the swine flu pandemic, when infections peaked well before enough vaccine could be produced. This year, a record vaccine supply is expected — an all-in-one inoculation that now promises protection against that swine flu strain plus two other kinds of influenza. (Boston Globe)

Support slips for health reform law
Public support for the health overhaul declined in August, a development sure to stir concerns among the Obama administration and congressional Democrats seeking to shore up support for the law in the months leading up to the mid-term elections. The latest Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll found that 43 percent of Americans viewed the law favorably – down from 50 percent in July – while 45 percent held unfavorable views. (Kaiser Health News)

About 2,000 employers to draw health funds
Almost 2,000 employers and unions will be eligible to submit retirees’ medical bills for reimbursement by a $5 billion federal fund, the Obama administration will disclose Tuesday, suggesting the fund will be spread widely but thinly. General Motors Co., General Electric Co., Procter & Gamble Co., PepsiCo Inc., Alcoa Inc., Intel Corp., and Pfizer Inc. are among the large corporations that the White House will say can submit retirees’ health bills for reimbursement. The list also includes the United Auto Workers union, state and local governments and universities. (Wall Street Journal)

HHS authorizes first firms to certify electronic health record systems
The Obama administration on Monday named the first two companies with the power to approve the electronic health record (EHR) systems soon to be required of all providers. The Chicago-based Certification Commission for Health Information Technology and the Drummond Group Inc. of Austin, Texas, can begin certifying the products of EHR vendors “immediately,” said David Blumenthal, the Department of Health and Human Services’s national coordinator for health information technology. (The Hill)

Nebraska governor says health reform a threat to state education funding
Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman is calling on the state’s education advocates to support a repeal of the Democrats’ new health reform law — or risk getting fewer dollars in the future. The Republican governor says the looming expansion of Medicaid will steal funding directly from the state’s education coffers. (The Hill)

ER visits for concussions soar among kid athletes
Emergency room visits for school-age athletes with concussions has skyrocketed in recent years, suggesting the intensity of kids’ sports has increased along with awareness of head injuries. The findings in a study of national data don’t necessarily mean that concussions are on the rise. However, many children aren’t taken for medical treatment, so the numbers are likely only a snapshot of a much bigger problem, doctors say. (Associated Press/Cedar Rapids Gazette)

Providing health care at a community hospital is often a tough, demanding job that comes with high expectations and high pressure. It requires people who are well trained, highly confident and deeply motivated and who work well in a team-oriented environment.  There is another place that could be described similarly – a military unit. 

So it’s no surprise that people who find reward and success in the hospital setting also flourish in the military. And it’s also why Iowa hospitals wholeheartedly support their employees who have made that commitment to serve. 

One of those employees is Carrie Riley, a nurse at Winneshiek Medical Center in Decorah.  Like many medical professionals who have joined the military, Riley wanted to support those on the front lines who put their bodies and lives harm’s way every day.  “When I joined, the war had been going for a while. This just seemed like a way I could use my own skills to take care of them (injured soldiers),” she recently explained to the local newspaper, the Decorah Public Opinion. 

But unlike most others, Riley is twice as old as the soldiers she treats.  At age 45, those soldiers are like her own children, who are in their early and mid-20s.  “I think this is a remarkable feat for a woman in her early 40s to opt to join the military, let alone serve in a war zone,” said Riley’s husband, Bruce, who is also a military veteran. 

Riley’s war-zone deployment began in early August when her unit, the 109^th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron of the Minnesota Air National Guard, went overseas with the mission of stabilizing and caring for wounded soldiers who are being flown out of Afghanistan and Iraq to military hospitals in Europe.  The transports, which use Air Force cargo planes that have been converted into massive high-tech air ambulances, typically take nine hours each way. 

“It’s a fluid environment. You’re moving constantly. We have a place to stay, but you carry enough stuff with you to last a couple of weeks,” she explained. 

Riley said she is thrilled to be part of the military effort and is inspired by those she cares for.  “They have these awful injuries, yet they have the best attitudes. It’s amazing really, but it’s also why it’s so great to take care of them,” she said. “I just want to contribute to helping the troops. No matter how you feel about the war, people are over there still getting hurt and injured.” 

The experience is also made positive by the support she gets from her employer, Winneshiek Medical Center.  “The staff has been awesome. I’ve been doing this for three years and they’ve been really supportive. I’ve been gone three or four weeks at a time and my coworkers have covered for me.” 

“Carrie is an inspiration of service to her colleagues and peers at Winneshiek Medical Center as well as to myself,” said Dan Wener, the hospital’s CEO.  “She is using her expertise and compassion to benefit our soldiers, while placing herself in harm’s way.  Carrie’s love of country is evident in her actions, I am proud someone of such character is part of Winneshiek Medical Center.”

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

Iowa News

Sioux City man guilty of making false claims to Medicaid
Vincent Stroman Sr., 44, pleaded guilty earlier this month to a felony charge of fraudulent practices. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay $155,338 in restitution to the Iowa Department of Human Services. Stroman was the treasurer of We Care Wheelchairs, a Sioux City company his family formed in 2006 to provide local transportation services to the elderly and the disabled. At one time, the company employed 13 people. (Des Moines Register)

Washington County Hospital Provides More Than $1.5 Million In Free And Discounted Care
Washington County Hospital and Clinics says a new study of 2009 figures shows it has provided over $1.5 million in free and discounted benefits. The hospital says those services were specifically implemented to help Washington County residents, and in addition to $1.3 million in uncompensated care, community benefits include programs such as Lifeline, support groups, and community education.  The Iowa Hospital Association completed the report. (KCII)

Vinton hospital plans open house events to mark expansion
Virginia Gay Hospital will unveil the hospital’s recent $8.5 million expansion project with a series of events scheduled September 15-18, 2010. A re-dedication deremony is planned for September 15, and a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony will be held Thursday, September 16.  Invited VIPs for the events include Iowa Hospital Association President Kirk Norris. (Eastern Iowa Health)

Time to invest in cancer center for area
With all the uncertainties surrounding health care reform, the time has come to invest in the future of cancer treatment in Cedar Rapids and the surrounding communities. We must ensure that those who are diagnosed with cancer can find the care they need right here — at home. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)

U.S. News

Nonprofit hospitals juggle earning with charity mission
Today’s nonprofit hospitals, which make up slightly more than half of the nation’s 5,000 community hospitals, are trying to juggle the demands of making money with being a charitable organization. “You’re supposed to show a good bottom line, but at the same time you’re supposed to show that you lost tons of money by giving charity care,” said Jessica Berg, a law professor at Case Western University who has studied the nonprofit-hospital system and its tax structure. (Washington Post)

Cash-poor governments ditching public hospitals
Faced with mounting debt and looming costs from the new federal health-care law, many local governments are leaving the hospital business, shedding public facilities that can be the caregiver of last resort. Officials in Lauderdale County, Ala., this spring opted to transfer their 91-year-old Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital and other properties to a for-profit company after struggling to satisfy an angry bond insurer. (Wall Street Journal)

Midlevel providers fill primary doctors’ shoes
Increasingly, the doctor is not in when it comes to delivering primary care. But the nurse practitioner or physician assistant is often taking the doctor’s place. “We are ideally suited for it. And it’s so cost-effective compared to any other form of medical provider,” says Jim Love, a physician assistant from rural Pittsfield, Maine. “We need to be educating a lot more of us.” (National Public Radio)

Tech firms help governments weed out fraudulent claims
Shaun C. Barry, director for fraud solutions in IBM’s public sector business, said his company began working with the state of New York after its tax department estimated it was losing $1 billion annually in improper tax refunds. So IBM built a predictive model that would score every refund request on the likelihood it was valid — the 4 percent of returns deemed the most questionable were rejected outright. Investigators examined others considered high risk to decide whether or not they were valid. (Washington Post)

Record number in government anti-poverty programs
More than 50 million Americans are on Medicaid, the federal-state program aimed principally at the poor, a survey of state data by USA Today shows. That’s up at least 17 percent since the recession began in December 2007. “Virtually every Medicaid director in the country would say that their current enrollment is the highest on record,” says Vernon Smith of Health Management Associates, which surveys states for Kaiser Family Foundation. (USA Today)