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Busy Time on Capitol Hill for Physician-Owned Hospitals

Written by Stephanie Wasek
Monday, 14 April 2008
The first two weeks of April were busy with regard to Capitol Hill activity for physician-owned hospitals. While the American Hospital Association fly-in meeting was marking the destruction of the physician-hospital industry as one of its top priorities, four documents were released that were very beneficial to physician-owned hospitals. Separately, Physician Hospitals of America has learned that provisions prohibiting physician ownership of hospitals may be inserted into the Senate version of the farm bill.
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Major Chicago-Area Hospital to Close

Written by Stephanie Wasek
Monday, 14 April 2008
Citing mounting financial losses and having exhausted all other options -- including giving the hospital away for free -- SSM Health Care recently announced that it will close St. Francis Hospital and Health Center, located in the Chicago suburb of Blue Island, Ill. The hospital will remain open until SSM receives necessary approvals for its plans from the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board and the state Department of Health.
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Colorado ASCs Can Now Perform Physician Peer Review

Written by Stephanie Wasek
Sunday, 13 April 2008
In a move touted as "improving quality of care and patient safety," Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter signed HB 1075, which lets ASCs form physician peer review committees, earlier this month. Peer review was previously only allowed by the state's hospitals.
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Two Key Issues for ASCs: An Interview With Rob Carrera

Written by Stephanie Wasek
Sunday, 13 April 2008
After all these years, physician-driven surgery centers still have to battle to survive in the healthcare marketplace. Currently, there are two key issues ASCs have to be concerned about, says Robert Carrera, the President of Pinnacle III, a provider of consulting and management services to surgical centers through both equity and non-equity models.
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Federal Judge Ruling Temporarily Prevents Anti-Markup Rule Provisions

Written by Rob Kurtz
Friday, 11 April 2008
Physicians can continue to markup and get paid for the professional or technical component of anatomic pathology diagnostic testing services they order but do not perform after a federal judge ordered a temporary injunction blocking a CMS provision that would have prohibited such practices, according to published reports.
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