by admin on Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Leave a CommentFeaturing hospital and health care headlines from the media and the Web.
Iowa News
Iowa hospitals making an impact on state’s economy
When you think about economic growth, hospitals might not be the first thing that comes to mind. A new report by the Iowa Hospital Association shows medical facilities in the state, and their employees, are making big contributions. Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa employs more than 2,300 people. That makes them the second largest employer in north Iowa behind Winnebago Industries in Forest City. But with an aging Iowa population, folks in the medical profession hope the health care industry remains a popular career choice. (KIMT)
Sioux City hospitals generate $233 million to local economy
St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center and Mercy Medical Center contribute nearly $233 million annually to the tri-state economy, according to a study released Tuesday by the Iowa Hospital Association. The study examined the jobs, income, retail sales and sales tax produced by hospitals and the rest of the state’s health care sector. The two Sioux City hospitals have a combined 2,513 employees, who spent in excess of $95 million on retail sales and contributed $5.7 million in state sales tax revenue, according to the newly released IHA report. (Sioux City Journal)
Ottumwa is desperate for new doctors
Getting a doctor’s appointment can be tough in rural America. Ottumwa is no different — yet. “Most of the primary care physicians essentially have a ‘closed’ practice,” said Beth Davis, director of physician practice at Ottumwa Regional Health Center. “Which means no new patients.” But Davis and others in the community are trying to increase the number of doctors in town. The hospital’s executive director of development, Suzie Wood, has been on the state website. “It shows that in Ottumwa, we are 12 primary care physicians short of what we should have,” Wood said. (Centerville Daily Iowegian)
Regents approve purchase of $2.2 million surgical robot
The state Board of Regents approved the purchase of a $2.2 million surgical robot by the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics at a meeting Monday. The da Vinci Si Firefly surgical robot would allow surgeons to perform surgery through a remote control with small instruments attached to the robot. The method allows the surgeon to access hard-to-reach areas and is designed to be more precise, moving a half inch for every inch the operator moves. Equipment purchases at regent institutions that cost more than $1 million must be approved by the regents. (University of Iowa Daily Iowan)
Construction is ongoing at Oskaloosa hospital
Even with the cold weather, construction continues on the grounds of Mahaska Health Partnership in Oskaloosa. Mahaska Health Partnership received official notice April 21 that their new building addition to house surgery, inpatient services, and the birthing center will be financed with a direct loan of $23 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, of the nearly $25 million in total construction costs. (Oskaloosa News)
National News
Minnesota plans for exchange, even without new law
Minnesota lawmakers are grappling with a new question: How close can they get to setting up a health insurance exchange without passing a new state law? The state, which has a Democrat in the governor’s mansion and Republicans in control of both houses of the legislature, saw exchange legislation fail in the last session. And prospects for a law’s passage are not much better in the current session. (Kaiser Health News)
Rethinking hospital readmissions
Hospitals have always said there’s nothing they can do to change how people behave once they leave the hospital. But starting this October that excuse won’t wash any more. As part of the new health care law, hospitals will face hefty fines for allowing too many readmissions. At Penn, Dr. Kangovi launched a program that focuses on the five poorest zip codes in Philadelphia — responsible for 85 percent of readmissions in the city. (Marketplace)
Obama tries to ease ire on contraception rule
Facing vocal opposition from religious leaders and an escalating political fight, the White House sought on Tuesday to ease mounting objections to a new administration rule that would require health insurance plans — including those offered by Catholic universities and charities — to offer birth control to women free of charge. As the Republican presidential candidates and conservative leaders sought to frame the rule as showing President Obama’s insensitivity to religious beliefs, Mr. Obama’s aides promised to explore ways to make it more palatable to religious-affiliated institutions, perhaps by allowing some employers to make side insurance plans available that are not directly paid for by the institutions. (New York Times)
Appeals court rules that seniors receiving Social Security can’t reject Medicare eligibility
A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that seniors who receive Social Security cannot reject their legal right to Medicare benefits, in a rare case of Americans suing to get out of a government entitlement. Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey is among the five senior citizens who sued to stop their automatic eligibility for Medicare. But the appeals court ruled in a split decision that the law gives them no way to opt out of their eligibility if they want to keep their Social Security benefits. (Washington Post)
by admin on Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Featuring hospital and health care headlines from the media and the Web.
Iowa News
St. Luke’s creates $216 million impact on local economy
St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids generates 2,733 jobs that add $216,397,926 to the Linn County economy, according to the latest study by the Iowa Hospital Association (IHA). In addition, St. Luke’s employees themselves spend over $82 million on retail sales and contribute nearly $5 million in state sales tax revenue. “In addition to being a not-for-profit provider of health care services to the community, St. Luke’s is also an important part of the community’s financial structure,” said Ted Townsend, St. Luke’s Hospital President & CEO. (Eastern Iowa Health)
Reforming Iowa’s mental health care
For decades, the state has funded mental health services for Iowans, but the programs have been administered at the county level. For some in the General Assembly, that means Iowans have been facing a patchwork quilt of services. County officials are concerned that the reforms will shortchange local patients. “The regionalization we don’t support at this time unless the taxes are levied-equaled out and the services are equalized out so that we don’t get hurt and our clients and citizens of Wapello County who use our services don’t get hurt,” says Wapello County Supervisor Steve Siegel. (KTVO)
New House bill could help Keokuk hospital
State Rep. Jerry Kearns, D-Keokuk, has filed a bill in the Iowa Legislature that could help financially-strapped Keokuk Area Hospital. House Bill 2065 would maximize hospital-specific disproportionate share hospital payments. The measure has been referred to the Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee. Kearns and state Sen. Gene Fraise, D-Fort Madison, updated about 20 people on the Legislature’s business during a luncheon in Keokuk Friday. Kearns responded to a statement by Keokuk Area Hospital CEO Wally Winkler that “KAH and other hospitals are getting the short end of the stick trying to take care of Medicaid and indigent patients.” (Keokuk Daily Gate City)
UIHC officials say facility upgrades are critical
A substantial increase in the demand for services at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics makes the need for new facilities and added space even more critical, hospital officials reported Monday to the Iowa state Board of Regents during its meeting. Admissions to UIHC have increased by 25 percent over the last 10 years, and the hospital has seen the number of surgical cases and outpatient visits grew by 40 percent and 22 percent, respectively, during that same time, said Jean Robillard, vice president of medical affairs at UI. The hospital has grown on the financial front, as well. Annual net revenue has grown from $518.6 million in 2001 to $943.4 million in 2010. UIHC broke the $1 billion revenue mark in 2011. (Iowa City Press-Citizen)
National News
Why do cardiologists often pass up safe, low-tech treatments for chest pain?
Can American doctors say “No” to an aggressive and high-tech treatment they’re used to providing even when it turns out a less heroic and cheaper one works just as well? The affordability of American medical care in the future will depend, in part, on the ability of physicians to simplify and economize, which are two things they’ve never been good at. With national health expenditures amounting to $2.6 trillion a year — 45 percent of it paid by government — prosperity and political stability may also be at stake. (Washington Post)
Nowhere to go but up for poor lacking health insurance
In anticipation of the expansion of health insurance that will start in 2014 under the federal health care law, the Commonwealth Fund has begun tracking coverage of low-income Americans. The first of the surveys reconfirms what’s already well-known: the poor are starting from a pretty bad place in terms of coverage. Here are a few examples. (Kaiser Health News)
Medicaid changes challenge TX hospitals to do things differently
The goal is lofty: improve and expand health care for millions of Texans. But with billions of dollars at stake and the new project under way before the rules are even written, decisions made over the next few months are causing anxiety in many Harris County hospitals. The new rules, part of a complicated, first-of-its-kind project approved by the federal government, will determine who gets paid for providing charity care, and how much. Hospitals that historically received the most government reimbursement for charity care are not guaranteed to prosper under the new rules. (Houston Chronicle)
by admin on Monday, February 6, 2012
Featuring hospital and health care headlines from the media and the Web.
Iowa News
County system has many traveling for care
Nate Breitfelder, 34, has lived in Dubuque, the county seat of Dubuque County, ever since he was diagnosed with schizo-affective disorder 14 years ago. But because his parents’ house is over the Jackson County line, authorities in Maquoketa pay his bills and decide which public services he may use. His Jackson County case manager drives the 30 miles from Maquoketa about once a month to check on Breitfelder in Dubuque. She coordinates his care, including regular appointments with a psychiatric nurse practitioner, health checkups at his apartment and help keeping track of his finances. (Des Moines Register)
Autistic man struggles in Iowa’s mental health system
Since early October, Jeff Paprocki has been locked behind two sets of heavy wood and steel doors at a Des Moines hospital’s psychiatric ward. He hasn’t been outside a single time. He receives little therapy for his serious autism. He sees his family only every other Sunday, when they make the two-hour drive from Waterloo. “It’s like he’s in prison,” says his brother, Jimmy. Jeff, 23, has committed no crime, and everyone agrees there should be a better place for him. (Des Moines Register)
Oskaloosa hospital makes $26 million impact
Mahaska Health Partnership in Oskaloosa generates 371 jobs that add $26,160,159 to Mahaska County’s economy, according to the latest study by the Iowa Hospital Association. In addition, MHP employees themselves spend $5,918,870 on retail sales and contribute $355,132 in state sales tax revenue. “We recognize our impact in the community as one of the top three employers,” said MHP CEO Jay Christensen. “As a business leader, we have made a commitment to be positive community partners.” (Oskaloosa News)
Allen Hospital opens new inpatient rehab department
“(Jerry Gehrke) came to us as almost a total assist on all his daily activities,” said Sarah Brown, program director for the new Allen Hospital inpatient rehabilitation department. “Yesterday, he was walking down the hall without his walker and he will probably go home Sunday or Monday.” Allen’s inpatient rehab department opened Dec. 1. The floor, which used to house the skilled nursing unit, can accommodate up to 12 patients. “There is a huge community need,” Brown said. (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)
National News
Check hospital tab
Some Medicare beneficiaries who visit the hospital are getting surprised by big bills because their stays weren’t considered inpatient services. The issue arises when a Medicare beneficiary who comes to a hospital is placed in a status called “observation care.” This is supposed to mean that patient is being watched while doctors decide if she can be discharged, or if she is ill enough to be admitted as a true inpatient. Observation is typically supposed to last 48 hours or less. The number of observation hours grew to around 36 million in 2009, from 23 million in 2006, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. The commission also saw a growing number of stays lasting 48 hours or longer between 2006 and 2008. (Wall Street Journal)
Cancer centers drive hard bargains
As New Hampshire lawmakers decide whether to bend licensing and Medicaid tax rules for a new, private cancer treatment hospital, they may want to look to Georgia and Arizona, the center’s two newest locations. In both states, Cancer Treatment Centers of America negotiated deep local and state tax breaks before building and, in Georgia, succeeded in rewriting a state licensing law, as it hopes to here. (Concord Monitor)
Insurance lags on wound care
Medical device firms across Minnesota have invested millions to develop products to heal open wounds, a $1.8 billion market that is expected to grow as the population ages and the number of people with type 2 diabetes climbs. But many of these companies are struggling to get their treatments to the masses because insurance companies often refuse to pay for their products. Chronic wounds, which range from bedsores to surgical incisions that don’t heal, differ from other ailments because of their varying types and stages. And there is disagreement within the medical community about the best way to treat them. “When new technologies come out that are beneficial, the process is so darned slow,” said Gary Goetzke, an insurance reimbursement consultant. “It’s really hard to get Medicare and others to recognize good technologies and pay for it.” (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
NY eyes tough reporting system for dispensing of prescription drugs
Maybe it’s the mounting death toll or the sobering addiction statistics. Or that it’s an election year for all state lawmakers. No matter the reason, efforts are taking hold for New York to join other states that require doctors and pharmacists to participate in a real-time reporting system before dispensing prescriptions for painkillers, sleeping pills and other controlled drugs. Stalled for several years, the push is on at the state Capitol to end a system that now permits growing numbers of people addicted to powerful narcotics to physician- and pharmacy-shop for their drug supplies. (Buffalo News)
by admin on Friday, February 3, 2012
Featuring hospital and health care headlines from the media and the Web.
Iowa News
Care for all
Hospitals in Eastern Iowa recently enacted measures to reduce the number of people incurring debt while strapping the facilities with unexpected uncompensated care costs. University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, for example, added social workers and a health care benefits assistance program coordinator to its emergency department, which handles most of the uninsured patients. St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids created a unit dedicated to helping patients identify funding sources, including options through Medicaid. Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids added four counselors to its emergency department to work around the clock with patients needing financial aid. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
Blue Zones creator talks health and longevity
Dan Buettner has been across the globe searching and studying the healthiest communities with the longest living residents. During a stop in the Coralville Marriot Hotel and Conference Center’s Coral Ball Room, Buettner said the nation’s first step to healthier citizens needs to start small. The world-renowned explorer, National Geographic writer and New York Times best-selling author also acknowledged the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce’s plans to take that step. “It’s gonna start with cities leading the way; here’s to Iowa City being the next Blue Zone,” Buettner said. (Iowa City News-Press)
Church affiliated hospitals upset over health care decision
A decision by the Obama Administration that forces church affiliated employers to cover birth control in their healthcare plans has outraged religious organizations across the country. The ruling means church affiliated hospitals such as Sioux City’s Mercy Medical Center would be force to pay for insurance that covers contraceptives and sterilization. Mercy spokesman, Jim Wharton, says the decision makes no sense. “A Baptist hospital, a Catholic hospital, whatever, it would no longer be considered a religious employer, which means we lose the right to exercise what we call our conscious clause. Where if it’s something that’s totally contrary to what our principles and beliefs are we still have to violate our conscience to abide by a government regulation to provide these services,” Wharton says. (Radio Iowa)
DHHS claims Iowans with Medicare saved $25.8 million
42,015 Iowa residents with Medicare saved $25,876,475 on their prescription drugs in 2011 thanks to the Affordable Care Act, according to data issued today by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Savings for people with Medicare will increase over time. According to a new report issued today from HHS, the average person with Medicare will save nearly $4,200 by 2021 because of the new law. “The Affordable Care Act is already saving money for millions of Americans with Medicare,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “As we move forward, we will close the donut hole completely and save even more money for everyone with Medicare.” (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
Davenport doctor defends traffic cameras
raffic injuries declined “significantly” after Davenport installed red-light and speed cameras, a trauma physician said Wednesday. Last year, 120 patients were admitted to Genesis Medical Center, Davenport, for treatment of injuries suffered in Davenport vehicle crashes, Dr. Joe Lohmuller, general surgeon and medical director of Genesis Trauma Services, said during a news conference at the hospital. It is interesting that prior to the installation of these devices, the number of patients we were admitting to the hospital each month from vehicle crashes in Davenport was steady at 15 to 17,” Lohmuller said. (Quad-City Times)
National News
Hospital HCAHPS scores beat expectations
In the health reform sweepstakes to retrieve their share of $850 million in federal funds, hospitals have been scurrying to improve their patient experience scores under Medicare’s value-based purchasing rules. Now, according to the latest survey results, their efforts are paying off. For discharges in July, 2011, the month scoring began, patients’ responses were 0.7 % better than they were in June, according to Press Ganey Associates, which distributes and analyzes patient responses to the 27 Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. (HealthLeaders Media)
Study: Hospitals overpay for devices
Some hospitals pay thousands of dollars more than others for big-ticket medical devices such as defibrillators and hip replacements, and a portion of the higher costs could be passed on to the federal Medicare program, a new government report says. Among 31 hospitals surveyed by investigators for the Government Accountability Office, one paid $8,723 more than another for an identical model of a device that regulates heart rhythm. The device, called an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, typically costs the hospitals between $16,445 and $19,007. (Wall Street Journal)
Health care’s jobs boom
While the economy lost 7.5 million positions during the 18-month recession, the health care industry added doctors, nurses, and other hospital personnel. Together with the social assistance category, which includes day-care workers, career counselors, and similar positions, the sector will add more than 5.6 million employees and be the biggest job gainer by 2020, according to new projections by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Manufacturing is forecast to lose 73,000 jobs by then. “The first baby boomer just turned 65 last year, so when it comes to health-care jobs, we haven’t seen nothing yet,” says Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ in New York. (Business Week)
Health law delivers $2.1 billion in savings on drugs for seniors
In the first full year of the new healthcare law, 3.6 million people in the government Medicare program saved $2.1 billion on prescription drugs in 2011, the Obama administration announced Thursday. The savings are one of the first tangible benefits of the sweeping overhaul that the president signed in March 2010. The law’s biggest changes, including the guarantee that all Americans can get health coverage even if they have a preexisting condition, do not go into effect until 2014. (Los Angeles Times)
Komen gives new explanation for cutting funds to Planned Parenthood
On Thursday, Susan G. Komen Foundation President Elizabeth Thompson told reporters that the funding decision was unrelated to the investigation into whether Planned Parenthood was illegally using federal funds to pay for abortions. Komen founder Nancy Brinker said the organization wants to support groups that directly provide breast health services, such as mammograms. She noted that Planned Parenthood was providing only mammogram referrals. (Washington Post)
by admin on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Featuring hospital and health care headlines from the media and the Web.
Iowa News
Eastern Iowa cities striving for blue
The Blue Zones Project is a main component of Iowa’s healthiest state initiative, an effort to make Iowa the nation’s healthiest state under the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. Healthways spokesman Bruce Middlebrooks says officials are reviewing applications from 54 communities across Iowa. About a dozen communities will be announced as finalists on Feb. 10. Those communities will receive expert help to make permanent environment and policy changes that improve the emotional, physical and social health of each town’s residents. “We’re preparing for it as if it’s going to happen,” says Jeni Palmer, a HealthCorps member working on the Cedar Rapids efforts through Linn County Public Health. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
Still many unknowns with proposed state changes
Johnson County is home to so many dedicated individuals and organizations who have worked tirelessly for years; we want to make certain that their accomplishments and strides to date continue and move forward. Most importantly, we want to be confident individuals affected by mental illness, intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families are assured full community inclusion and participation; enjoy productive and meaningful lives and full citizenship rights and opportunities. (Iowa City Press-Citizen)
Keokuk hospital pushing forward
Walt Winkler is juggling several balls to get the Keokuk Area Hospital finances where they should be, and he’s waiting for the right one to land in his hand. The CEO is keeping the hospital open on a week-by-week basis. “We do it just like the people do at home with their paychecks,” Winkler said. But unlike wage earners, the hospital is seeking help from the state and federal government in the form of disproportionate funding. “There are Medicare and Medicaid programs that are normal programs, and that’s how hospitals are paid,” he said. “The disproportionate share program has been developed in addition to normal payments and is aimed at trying to help facilities that are trying to take care of more disabled, elderly and indigent patients.” (Burlington HawkEye)
McKinley students team up with Mercy to design heart health brochure
Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids is partnering with neighboring McKinley Middle School on a science project involving the school’s sixth grade students. As part of a science unit on the vascular system, McKinley science teacher Michele Wilson asked Mercy nurses to present information on heart disease, risk factors, diet and exercise. The sixth graders were then invited to design and create an informational brochure that will be used to promote heart health among their peers and throughout the community. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
National News
Lawmakers urged to spare hospitals in fixing SGR
Several hospital groups urged Congress to use savings from overseas operations as a way to solve Medicare’s sustainable growth-rate formula for physicians—as long as those funds would provide for a full fix. Organizations including the Federation of American Hospitals, the American Hospital Association, the Catholic Health Association of the United States, and the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems sent a letter to members of Congress that again lobbied federal lawmakers to find a permanent solution to the way the Medicare program reimburses physicians that does not compromise funding to the nation’s hospitals. (Modern Healthcare)
How one hospital entices doctors to work in rural America
Recruiting doctors to live and work in rural America is a chronic problem. Most health centers try to attract workers with big salaries and expensive homes. Shots previously reported that one center in Maine was trying to lure medical students to the countryside for their final two years with the hope that they stick around. The Ashland Health Clinic, a tiny hospital in southwest Kansas, is trying a different tack — a reverse-recruitment model. It’s called mission-focused medicine, and it’s based on serving problems most commonly found in third-world countries. (National Public Radio)
Did Susan G. Komen turn itself into a lightning rod?
Susan G. Komen for the Cure says there wasn’t anything political about its decision to stop giving grants to Planned Parenthood. But in Washington, every decision is political — and now the cancer-fighting organization may have turned itself from a “safe” charity into just another political lightning rod. It may have ruined its fundraising, too, as its Facebook page filled up with messages from Planned Parenthood supporters promising they’ll never give a dime to the charity again. (Politico)
