August 30th, 2010 by RyanDuBosar in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News
Tags: ACP Internist, Care for the Poor, Centers For Medicare And Medicaid Services, Charitable Hospitals, Community Care, For-Profit Hospitals, For-Profit Medical Groups, For-Profit Medical Institutions, General Medicine, Hospital Medicine, Inpatient Services in Rural Areas, Medicare Reimbursement, Modern Healthcare, Rising Healthcare Costs, Robotic Surgery, Uninsured Patients, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post
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More than one-fifth of hospitals are government-owned, but states and counties are out of cash to keep them open. So, charitable hospitals are being sold to for-profit groups or facing closures. Rising costs and more uninsured patients run smack into falling Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. When bonds come due, there’s little chance of states and counties paying them back. And the facilities are often standalones, and they can’t fall back on corporate backing. This year, 53 hospitals have been sold in 25 arrangements. While the deals often stipulate that care for the poor continues, no one is certain exactly how or even whether such services will continue.
That said, other charitable hospitals are making big profits. What are they doing differently? First, they’re competing for patients, so they’re increasing room sizes, offering amenities and even investing in high-end procedures such as robotic surgery. They continue to offer community care, but they’re acting more like for-profit institutions to cover their charitable missions. But this conflicts with an old-fashioned view of what charitable care is supposed to be.
Stepping into the breach is the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which is offering one solution, by increasing reimbursement for inpatient services in rural areas. The agency is expanding a pilot program by increasing reimbursement for inpatient services. Facilities are eligible if they offer care to rural areas in the 20 states with the lowest population densities, have fewer than 51 beds, provide emergency-care services and are not a critical-access hospital. (Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Modern Healthcare)
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
August 30th, 2010 by DrWes in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Health Tips, News, Opinion
Tags: Empowered Patients, General Medicine, Healthcare Economics, Healthcare Politics, Modern Healthcare, Most Powerful People In Healthcare, Patient Empowerment, Rankings in Healthcare, Taking Control of Your Health, Your Doctor, Your Healthcare
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In case you haven’t seen it, a list of the 100 Most Powerful People in Health Care was [recently] published. In thinking about this list I realized that, in reality, these people had little to do with my patients’ health care delivery. So how did they became the most powerful people in health care?
Quite simply, they are not the 100 most powerful people in health care, but rather they are the 100 most powerful people overseeing the funding of health care — at least for the moment. In as little as 11 months, many of the people on this list will be gone or have moved on to their next money-making venture.
So who are the most powerful people in health care? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
August 30th, 2010 by GruntDoc in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion
Tags: Alexander Everest, Elite American Medical Systems, FMGs, Foreign Medical Graduates, General Medicine, Harlem Hospital, Hospital Bribe, IMGs, International Medical Graduates, Medical School, Medical Students, National Resident Matching Program, New Doctors, Residency Applicants, U.S. Medical Residencies, Wall Street Journal, Young Doctors
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In another one of the things I had no idea about, there’s a market to assist FMGs [foreign medical graduates] in getting U.S. residencies, which makes sense. Allegedly, this guy was willing to go the extra mile for his clients.
Full marks for creativity, but…
Mr. Everest allegedly provided an employee at the hospital with forged letters from a California hospital to show that the applicants had been accepted into a second-year program. And he gave her a check for $4,000, followed by another check for $2,000. She reported him to hospital officials, and later told him she knew the letters were forged. He then allegedly gave her $6,000 for time to get a letter from a different hospital—which was also forged—and gave her $3,000 more before he was arrested.
Geez.
– Via Hospital Bribe Alleged – WSJ.com
*This blog post was originally published at GruntDoc*
August 29th, 2010 by Berci in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Brian Stelter, Data Analytics, Dieting Accountability, Internet-Based Data Collection, Losing Weight on the Interent, New York Times, Obesity, Online Dieting Support, Online Weight Loss Tools, Overweight, Tweeting, Twitter Diet, Your.FlowingData.com
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Here is a recent piece in the New York Times by reporter Brian Stelter who decided to lose weight by 1) getting support from fellow Twitterers, and 2) by tweeting everything he eats throughout the day. An excerpt:
I knew that I could not diet alone; I needed the help of a cheering section. But rather than write a blog, keep a diary or join Weight Watchers, I decided to use Twitter. I thought it would make me more accountable, because I could record everything I ate instantly. And because Twitter posts are automatically pushed to each person who subscribes to them, an audience — of friends or strangers — can follow along.
What’s surprising is that he didn’t start using some kind of data-collecting application. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at ScienceRoll*
August 29th, 2010 by JenniferKearneyStrouse in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News
Tags: Advice For Parents, Athlete's Health, CDC, Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, Dehydration, Fluid Replacement, General Medicine, Heat Stroke, Heat-Related Illness, Los Angeles Times, Pediatrics, Sports Medicine, Sports Safety, Young Athletes
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With back-to-school time around the corner, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a warning about the risk for heat-related illness in young athletes, especially football players, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Coaches and parents should be aware of the signs and symptoms of heat stroke, dehydration and other problems, and fluid replacement formulas should be used during practices and workouts, among other precautions, the LA Times said.
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
