January 23, 2008 |
Bay Area Healthcare News |
- Report finds that two North Bay hospitals, NorthBay Medical Center and Vaca Valley Hospital charge about 100% more than the state average for services, but two North Bay hospitals, including Sutter Solano Medical Center, were not included in the study. (Vallejo Times-Herald, 1/17)
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- Sutter Health unveils plans for an electronic filing system at its Santa Rosa facility to store patients’ medical records. (Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 1/22)
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- Column by Dick Spotswood: “MGH [Marin General Hospital] consultant knows how to get results”; Lee Domanico, hired by the Marin Healthcare District, has a history of cutting services and staff and clashing with SEIU. (Marin Independent Journal, 1/20)
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- Petaluma Health Care District plans to hire a consultant to do an independent review and analysis of several aspects of Petaluma Valley Hospital’s operational data; action is in response to request by South Sonoma County Medical Group, which says that St. Joseph Health System is plundering the hospital of money and patients. (Petaluma Argus-Courier, 1/23)
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- Eden Township Healthcare District announces that it has bought Dublin Gateway Medical Center. (Daily Review, Hayward, 1/17; San Francisco Business Times, January 18-24, p. 14)
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- Neighbors of Children’s Hospital Oakland oppose hospital’s expansion plans. There are two parcel tax measures on the February 5 ballot that would help pay for the expansion. (San Francisco Chronicle, 1/18, p. B2)
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- John Muir Medical Center breaks ground on a new five-story patient-care tower in Walnut Creek. (East Bay Business Times, January 18-24, p. 9)
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- California Nurses Association takes issue with Alta Bates Summit Medical Center’s wellness program; hospital is making participation in wellness a condition for free premiums in its PPO. Health assessment survey seen as an invasion of privacy. (East Bay Business Times, January 18-24, p. 13)
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- Restaurants in San Francisco say diners will have to pay more or hours will have to be reduced to cover the cost of the Healthy San Francisco program requirement that businesses with at least 20 employees must contribute at least $1.17 per employee per hour. (San Francisco Business Journal, January 18-24, p. 4)
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- “Quietly efficient: Mills-Peninsula boss Merwin’s understated style has shown results – including a hospital under construction”. (San Francisco Business Times, January 18-24, p. 25)
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- Proliferation of healthcare quality “report cards” and rankings may be confusing consumers. (San Francisco Business Times, January 18-24, p. 28)
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- Palo Alto Medical Foundation launches two-year pilot program to promote online communication between diabetic patients and their healthcare providers. (San Francisco Business Times, January 18-24, p. 32)
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- List of the largest hospital construction projects in the Bay Area ranked by cost of construction; Kaiser Permanente’s Antioch Medical Center tops the list. (San Francisco Business Times, January 18-24, p. 36)
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- Eden Medical Center will cease operating the SNF it runs at Baywood Court Retirement Community in Castro Valley on February 29. (East Bay Business Times, 1/18 [latest news])
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- Alameda Hospital CEO says the hospital is eliminating 15 positions to improve its financial performance. (East Bay Business Times, 1/17 [latest news])
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- At healthcare forum at Washington Hospital in Fremont, Rep. Pete Stark says that if the transition to a more universally accessible system is make incrementally and allowed time to prove itself, the public will get behind it. (Fremont Argus, 1/19)
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Los Angeles Area Healthcare News |
- Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center is sued for dumping a paraplegic man on skid row last year. Witnesses say the man crawling in the gutter in a soiled hospital gown. (Los Angeles Times, 1/18, p. B3; Long Beach Press-Telegram, 1/18)
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- Patients with cold and flu symptoms are flooding ERs across L.A. County, increasing wait times and resulting in ambulance diversions. (Los Angeles Daily News, 1/17)
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- Catholic Healthcare West will pursue a string of lawsuits against the City of Long Beach for allegedly failing to pay hospital bills for care of prisoners at St. Mary Medical Center. (Long Beach Press-Telegram, 1/18)
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- Los Angeles police search for a suicidal man who tried to hang himself in a jail holding cell after he is quickly evaluated and released by California Hospital Medical Center.(Los Angeles Daily News, 1/20)
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- South Coast Medical Center in Laguna Beach is moving forward with plans for a $70 million tower. (Orange County Business Journal, 1/21)
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- Integrated Healthcare Holdings Inc cofounder and president ends his tenure after 4 years. (Orange County Business Journal, 1/21)
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California Healthcare News |
- El Dorado County Board of Supervisors frees a community clinic, El Dorado County Community Health Center, from a $300,000 debt in hopes that the clinic will be able to expand services to the county’s rural areas. (Sacramento Bee, 1/18, p. B1)
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- In the central San Joaquin Valley, most hospitals charge less than the state average for services. (Fresno Bee, 1/18)
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- Kaiser Permanente, Sutter Health and Catholic Healthcare West top the list of the largest employers in the Sacramento area, rated by number of FTEs. (Sacramento Business Journal, 1/18, p. 16)
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- Eisenhower Medical Center in La Quinta breaks ground on the most comprehensive hospital expansion in its 36-year history; aimed at improving health services in the eastern Coachella Valley. (Desert Sun, 1/18)
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- Enloe Medical Center and two doctors who worked as temporary anesthesiologists at the hospital are sued for malpractice in deaths of three patients. (Chico Enterprise-Record, 1/22)
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- UNAC files complaint with the NLRB about Parkview Community Hospital’s interference with the union’s attempt to organize; hospital in Riverside threatens employees that unionization would lead to the hospital’s closure. (Riverside Press-Enterprise, 1/19)
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- Nurses at Fremont-Rideout Medical Group hospitals in Yuba City and Marysville will, members of CNA, will vote on management’s “final” offer. (Marysville Appeal-Democrat, 1/19)
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- Column by David Lazarus: “Is this a healthy way to choose who gets care?” Blue Shield refuses to cover member’s care; physician reviewing case for Blue Shield was not qualified to make judgments related to patient’s care. (Los Angeles Times, 1/20)
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- OSHPD opens Hospital Fair Pricing Program Web site to help consumers find out how much hospitals are willing to discount care for uninsured patients. (San Francisco Chronicle, 1/23, p. C3)
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- California’s Legislative Analyst says that the proposed overhaul of California’s healthcare system could cost billions in unanticipated expenses in the first five years; could be $4 billion in the red by the fifth year. Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco announces that he will vote against proposed legislation as a member of the Senate Health Committee; committee chair Sheila Kuehl also expected to oppose it. (San Francisco Chronicle, 1/23, p. B1; p. B2 [column]; West County Times, 1/23, p. A9; Sacramento Bee, 1/23, p. A3; Los Angeles Times, 1/23)
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- Catholic Healthcare West makes more than $3 million in grants to organizations in California, Nevada and Arizona; single largest grant of $50,000 goes to Shasta Community Health Center in Redding. (Catholic San Francisco, 1/18, p. 9)
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National Healthcare News |
- Federal law, ERISA, may block efforts by states and communities to provide universal healthcare coverage. (USA Today, 1/16)
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- HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt says the Bush administration will work to limit the role of government in the delivery of healthcare. (San Francisco Chronicle [Associated Press], 1/21, p. A6)
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- Hilary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards all agree that Americans of all ages should have the choice of buying a government-run plan modeled on Medicare. (Los Angeles Times, 1/21)
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- Washington governor Christine Gregoire proposes that $3 million be spent on help address a shortage of nurses and healthcare workers; money would help employed healthcare workers get additional education in their fields. SEIU 1199 NW president Diane Sosne praises governor’s action. (Seattle Times, 1/18)
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- More than 80% of Americans think employers should be required to provide health insurance to their workers or pay into a fund to help cover them according to a survey by the Commonwealth Fund. 68% favor a mandate for individuals to have insurance. (San Francisco Business Times, January 18-24, p. 22; Modern Healthcare, 1/21)
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- Price inflation for hospitals and physicians in 2007 far outpaced inflation for overall goods and services. (Modern Healthcare, 1/21)
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- CNA is organizing in Ohio, Kentucky and Texas where it will be in competition with SEIU to organize nurses. CNA backs single-payer healthcare. (The Nation, 2/4)
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- Start-up for-profit chains funded by private equity not expected to be as aggressive in acquiring hospitals in 2008. (Modern Healthcare, 1/21)
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Los Angeles Area Labor News |
- WGA will drop two key demands in talks with Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers; drop proposals to unionize writers who work on animated movies and reality TV shows. (Los Angeles Times, 1/23)
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- SEIU reaches agreement with property management companies that provide security to 80% of the commercial real estate in L.A. County; agreement will raise overall salary and benefits 40%. (Los Angeles Times, 1/21)
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California Labor News |
- California Teachers Association, AFSCME and SEIU are top donors to campaign in favor of Proposition 93, which would change legislative term limits. (Sacramento Bee, 1/20)
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- Presidential candidate John Edwards campaigns at SEIU headquarters in Los Angeles; blasts Gov. Schwarzenegger’s proposed education and healthcare cuts. UHW is aiding Edwards campaign with calls and personal contacts with members. (Sacramento Bee, 1/18, p. A4; San Francisco Chronicle, 1/23, p. A10)
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National Labor News |
- “Air traffic controllers’ labor tactics raise concern: Safety experts worry that air controllers’ statements in labor talks run the risk of scaring flying public”. NATCA president talks about a staffing emergency. (Los Angeles Times, 1/17)
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- Federal judge allows creation of nine at-large Democratic casino precincts on the Las Vegas strip for Democratic caucus; Nevada State Education Association had sought to ban the at-large precincts, which are seen as favoring voting by members of Culinary Workers Local 226, which has endorsed Barack Obama. (Los Angeles Times, 1/18, p. A12)
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- Amtrak reaches tentative agreement with nine unions, whose last contract expired at the end of 1999. Pay increases retroactive to 2000 total 35.2% through 2009. (West County Times, 1/19; Wall Street Journal, 1/19, p. A3)
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- People with union members in their household made up 29% of those who responded in entrance poll for Nevada Democratic caucus. Hilary Clinton was supported by 45% of those with a union member in their household, compared to 44% for Barack Obama, and 7% for John Edwards. Clinton led 49% to 40% among those with no union member in the household. Clinton carries 7 of 9 caucus sites and 54% of the delegates on the Las Vegas strip as many Culinary Local 226 members ignore their union’s endorsement of Obama. (CNN, 1/19;Las Vegas Sun, 1/20; Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1/20)
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- “Labor Makes Big Comeback In ’08: Ramping Up Spending, Unions Get Votes to Polls; The Battle in Nevada”. (Wall Street Journal, 1/18, p. 1)
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- UAW President Ron Gettelfinger says that his union’s contracts with the Big Three automakers will save about the companies about $1000 per car built in the U.S. (Wall Street Journal, 1/18, p. A9)
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