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Magnet hospitals, which are recognized for better patient safety and outcomes, don't provide better working conditions for nurses than non-magnet hospitals, according to a new study by the University of Maryland School of Nursing.
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A study released Monday by Thomson Reuters found that church-owned health systems demonstrate significantly better, more efficient care than for-profit health systems.
According to the study, Catholic health systems also were found to provide significantly higher quality care than secular not-for-profit health systems, while for-profit systems had the lowest performance.
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Blue Cross Blue Shield companies experienced both a decline in underwriting earnings and lower premiums in 2009, according to a report by the credit rating firm A.M. Best.
Investment income also declined for BCBS plans because interest rates remained low, the report said.
The Oldwick, N.J.-based firm said the turnaround in the financial markets resulted in realized and unrealized gains in 2009, compared with losses the prior year.
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A survey of large employers found they are anticipating an 8.9 percent increase in the cost of health insurance next year, up from an average 7 percent this year.
As a result, employers said they are planning to make changes to their 2011 healthcare benefit programs.
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A new study estimates that measurable medical errors cost the U.S. economy $19.5 billion in 2008.
Commissioned by the Society of Actuaries and completed by Milliman, Inc., the study used claims data to project a measurement of costs for avoidable medical injuries. Of the approximately $80 billion in costs associated with medical injuries, around 25 percent were found to be the result of avoidable medical errors.
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As the demand for hospitalist physicians increases nationwide, Allegiance Health has decided to expand its own program by entering into an agreement with a hospitalist management company.
Hospitalists are one of the fastest growing subspecialties in contemporary medicine. These physicians are usually internal medicine specialists who care exclusively for hospital-based patients.
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Forty health systems have joined the Premier healthcare alliance's Accountable Care Organization Readiness Collaborative, which will help health systems prepare to become ACOs.
"ACOs are a departure from the status quo and will be an ambitious goal for even the most advanced healthcare systems," said Premier President and CEO Susan DeVore.
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To the growing number of revenue cycle management vendors seeking to help hospitals improve their bill collections and avoid bad debt, add Passport Health Communications.
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Despite a bitter partisan battle over federal spending, Congress has passed a six-month, $16.1 billion extension to federal matching funds for Medicaid.
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Farmington Hills, Mich., physician Jose Castro-Ramirez has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for his role in a Medicare fraud scheme.
He was also ordered to pay $9.4 million in restitution and sentenced to three years of supervised release following his prison term.
A federal jury in March convicted Castro-Ramirez of one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, 11 counts of healthcare fraud and one count of conspiracy to launder the proceeds of the fraudulent scheme, according to the departments of Justice and Health and Human Services.
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