hospital

Michigan hospitals may be asked to be more 'transparent' about their 'futility' policies

Steve Carmody — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 18:28:00 +0000

There’s a bill making its way through the state legislature that would require Michigan hospitals to reveal when they will withhold treatment from severely ill patients.

Many hospitals have ‘futility’ policies. The policies outline when the hospitals will withhold treatment from a patient on the grounds that further care would be futile and would simply waste hospital resources.

The policies are mainly for internal use and not widely disclosed.

Sequestration, Medicare & Michigan hospitals

Steve Carmody — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 19:57:00 +0000

Michigan hospitals could be among those hardest hit by automatic federal budget cuts this week.

Under the sequestration, Medicare reimbursements to doctors and hospitals would be cut by two percent.

Laura Appel is the vice president for federal policy and advocacy with the Michigan Health and Hospital Association. She says sequestration would add up to tens of millions of dollars a year in loss reimbursements to Michigan hospitals.

Ninety-Four percent of hospitals suffer data breaches

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 22:33:05 +0000

A new study by Michigan’s Ponemon Institute reports hospitals are easy places for thieves to make off with a treasure trove of information.

The Institute is in Traverse City and studies information security. In the “Third Annual Benchmark Study on Patient Privacy and Data Security”, Ponemon found 94 percent of hospitals have suffered data breeches.

Stateside: Dr. Jack Kevorkian's legacy

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 19:36:57 +0000

Twenty-two years ago today, Dr. Jack Kevorkian was first charged with murder.

He was charged with the death of Janet Adkins, an Alzheimer's patient who traveled from Oregon seeking Kevorkian’s assistance in ending her life.

Michigan Radio’s Jack Lessenberry knew Kevorkian and extensively covered his trial.

“Kevorkian was more of a scientist than a doctor. He was obsessed with death and obsessed with the idea of organ transplants. He was presented by Geoffrey Fieger as concerned with alleviating peoples’ suffering,” said Lessenberry.

Lessenberry found Kevorkian to be both impatient and strikingly intelligent.

“He was brilliant; he probably had an IQ of 200. He was a restless person and a self-destructive person. He was a very different individual,” said Lessenberry.

Hospital worker accused of spreading of hepatitis C worked in Michigan

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 20:23:16 +0000

Health officials say a traveling medical technician accused of infecting 30 patients with hepatitis C in New Hampshire may have worked at several Michigan hospitals.

A New Hampshire U.S. Attorney's Office media advisory released earlier this week says the charges against Kwiatkowski relate to suspected thefts of the anesthetic Fentanyl.

U of M tops ranking of best hospitals in Michigan

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 16:12:02 +0000

U.S. News & World Report has identified 34 high-performing hospitals in Michigan out of more than 175 hospitals statewide. The rankings were released earlier this week.

Regional rankings around the country are based on how hospitals compare nationally in 16 medical specialties.

System allows doctors to send immunization records electronically to the state

Lindsey Smith and The Associated Press — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:38:13 +0000

Doctors are already required to send immunization records to the State of Michigan. With the new system, the data will arrive in real time with no extra steps for the doctors or hospitals.

The system was launched by a non-profit called Michigan Health Connect. Executive Director Doug Dietzman says eventually the data could travel both ways – so doctors could avoid giving patients shots they don’t need. He outline tetanus as a common example.

Private practice vs a hospital paycheck: Michigan's evolving health care culture

Steve Carmody — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 05:01:01 +0000

Next week, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear legal arguments over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The federal health care law has come under fire for a variety of reasons, including changes to the way Americans will get their health care.

Preparing for the worst

Steve Carmody — Wed, 18 May 2011 19:00:07 +0000

State health officials are putting a 140 bed emergency field hospital to the test today just south of Lansing. They're preparing for the kind of medical needs that may follow a catastrophic natural or man-made disaster.

“Never had a seizure before?"

Ingham Regional Medical Center starts layoffs this week

Steve Carmody — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 15:00:07 +0000

Ingham Regional Medical Center in Lansing will start laying off about 7 percent of it’s workforce this week.

Interim hospital CEO Patrick Salow says a 10 percent decline in patient numbers over the past year is forcing the staffing cuts. He says the layoffs will affect the hospital’s nursing staff, but the layoffs will also affect other divisions like the finance department.

“If we’ve got fewer patients, so there’s fewer bills to send out, do we need as many people to process bills for example."

The total layoff will be between 100 and 150 hospital employees.

Bronson Healthcare to buy major stake in Battle Creek Health System

Rina Miller — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 21:10:34 +0000

Patients at Battle Creek Health System are expected to have more services and physicians available to them after a deal with a larger hospital is completed.

Bronson Health Group of Kalamazoo is buying a 51% stake in the smaller BCHS.

Denise Brooks-Williams is president and CEO of the Battle Creek facility. She says the two hospital systems have common goals.

A call for safer CT scans

Mark Brush — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 15:42:07 +0000

No doubt CT scans have improved a doctor's ability to make diagnoses. The ability to see inside the body without cutting it open has meant better treatment.

But CT scans can deliver high doses of radiation, which can lead to cancer later in life, or in severe cases, can cause severe burns and even death.

Blue Cross/Blue Shield accused of hiking Michigan hospital prices

Steve Carmody — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 18:35:21 +0000

Federal and state prosecutors are suing Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan.

The non-profit health insurance company is accused of violating anti-trust laws.

When Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan negotiates a contract with a hospital, it includes a provision giving it a discounted rate compared to other health insurance companies.

Blue Cross insists that allows it to provide its members with discounted hospital stays. But the US Justice Department and Michigan’s Attorney General’s office disagree.