Doctor’s duty of compassion, 12-16-11, The News and Observer
Letter to the Editor by NCMS President Robert W. Monteiro, MD, in response to an op-ed by Donna Helen Crisp, clinical assistant professor at the UNC-CH School of Nursing.
New billing system for Medicaid in trouble, 12-14-11, The News and Observer
Staff Writer Lynn Bonner reports on problems with the billing system used by the NC Medicaid program.
Delays, overruns plague NC Medicaid claims project, 12-13-11, The News and Observer/Associate Press
AP writer Gary D. Robertson reports on problems plaguing the two-year old NC Medicaid claims processing system.
Doc Fix 101: The options on the table, 12-12-11, The Washington Post
Writer Sarah Kliff outlines the various plans being considered by House Republicans to fix the sustainable growth rate (SGR) and the pending cut in Medicare physician payments.
Plan to raise Medicare premiums for upper-income retirees would affect middle class as well, 12-13-11, The Washington Post/Associated Press
AP report examines proposal by Republic lawmakers to hike Medicare premiums for retirees.
Leavitt ACO Report: Overstating or Understating Accountable Care Activity? , 12-7-1, The Health Care Blog
Blog author Vince Kuraitis, JD, MBA, comments on the recently released Leavitt Partners report on accountable care activity in the US. You can view the Report here.
Medicare and Private Health Insurance, 12-10-11, The New York Times
Letters to the Editor concerning a recent editorial, What About Premium Support? (December 3, 2011)
Judge halts change to Medicaid, 12-9-11, The News and Observer
Staff Writer Lynn Bonner reports that federal judge stopped the state from ending services for some Medicaid recipients who receive in-home care.
Editor’s Note: The News and Observer ran a four-part series this week on the battle between Wake County’s two largest hospitals. Following are links to those stories, as done by staff writer Mandy Locke:
(Pt 1) Changes in health care spark a feud between Rex, WakeMed, 12-11-11, The News and Observer
(Pt 2) Losing heart business brings worries to WakeMed, 12-12-11, The News and Observer
(Pt 3) Hospital CEOs argue, spur fight over WakeMed and Rex, 12-13-11, The News and Observer
(Pt 4) WakeMed’s bid to buy Rex spurs public relations battle, 12-14-11, The News and Observer
(Related article in series) Lawyers, lobbyists and money, 12-14-11, The News and Observer
(Editorial about series) Rex’s records, 12-14-11, The News and Observer
Carolinas HealthCare’s year-to-date income drops to $33 million, 12-13-11, Charlotte Business Journal
Writer Jennifer Thomas reports that investment losses were the primary cause of a decline in income for Charlotte-based Carolinas Healthcare System.
Cornerstone Health Care to hire 135 employees and invest $25 million, 12-12-11, Winston-Salem Journal
Writer Fran Daniel reports that Cornerstone Health Care plans to hire 135 new employees, while switching from a fee-for-service model to a focus on early intervention and closer monitoring of patients with chronic diseases.
Feds: Wake vaccine plant ready for flu outbreak, 12-12-11, The News and Observer/Associated Press
AP story reports that a Novartis plant in Holly Springs (Wake County) is ready in the event of a flu pandemic in the US.
