Hospital Review
Hospital Review
By John Poisson |
August 28, 2008
Hospitals have endured an undeniable decline within their GI outpatient procedural volume in the past 10-plus years as physicians sought alternate settings to perform their cases. This migration of GI procedures from HOPDs to ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and GI professional practice settings typically results in a dramatic decline in the overall GI service line market share once enjoyed by local hospitals. In addition, the loss of these outpatient procedures has a ripple effect within the hospital delivery system— numerous other ancillary services traditionally provided by the hospital, such as pathology and radiology, frequently disappear as physicians select alternative providers when their historical referral pattern (and loyalty) to the hospital is loosened.
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Hospital hiring of physician specialists ebbs and flows, driven by reimbursement climates.
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Five Evolving Trends for Health Systems; Uwe Reinhardt to Keynote 15th Annual Ambulatory Surgery Center Conference
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By Mark Taylor |
August 28, 2008
As acute care hospitals face growing competition, protecting their orthopedic surgery departments becomes increasingly valuable. Not-for-profit acute care hospitals depend on that revenue to subsidize moneylosing services and attract new patients. Reimbursements from public and private insurers for orthopedic surgery remain high.
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By Scott Becker |
June 05, 2008
A Citi Investment Research analyst began coverage of hospital operator stocks and issued a ‘sell’ rating for them due to growing debt and lower patient commercial admissions, according to published reports.
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By David Blankenship |
June 05, 2008
With the recovery audit contractor (RAC) demonstration program ending this past March, CMS expects to name the new, permanent RACs by May, announced Kimberly L. Brandt, CMS program integrity director, at the Health Care Compliance Association’s Compliance Institute held in New Orleans.
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By Scott Becker |
June 05, 2008
A New Orleans Hospital, Touro Infirmary, will pay $1.75 million to settle allegations that it submitted false Medicare claims, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The DOJ alleges Touro made unlawful payments of almost $150,000 annually, from 2000 to 2004, to psychiatrist Dr. Maria Carmen Palazzo to induce her to refer patients to the hospital.
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By By Rob Kurtz |
June 05, 2008
In just eight years, BayCare Clinic has become an extremely profitable, high-quality, physicianowned organization serving the Green Bay, Wis., community. The chief medical officer for BayCare is Paul Summerside, MD, FAAEM, who also serves as the president of the board of managers for Aurora BayCare Medical Center, in Green Bay.
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By Scott Becker |
June 05, 2008
This short article briefly outlines several methods by which hospitals attempt to align interests with physicians. Certain of these options may be useful for different types of projects. Further, depending on whether pursing an imaging venture, an ASC venture, a nuclear camera venture, a cardiac cath venture, or other type of venture, certain of the models may be more or less useful. Briefly stated, the core models are as follows:
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By Scott Becker and Rob Kurtz |
June 05, 2008
1. Jack Bovender Jr. — Jack Bovender Jr. is the chairman and CEO of Hospital Corporation of America (HCA). He assumed this role in January 2002. Prior to this position, Jack served as HCA's executive vice president and COO for about ten years, and was division president of HCA's Atlanta division and president of HCA's Eastern Group Operations. Prior to joining HCA, Jack served as a lieutenant in the United States Navy, and as CEO of Medical Center Hospital in Largo, Fla., and West Florida Regional Medical Center in Pensacola, both owned at the time by HCA.
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By Scott Becker |
June 05, 2008
CMS is revisiting the Stark “stand in the shoes” provision as a component of its 2009 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed rule.
This provision, which was included in the Phase III final rule, is aimed at determining whether a direct or indirect compensation arrangement exists between a physician and an entity to which the physician refers Medicare patients for DHS.
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