Calif. Discloses Hospital Infection Rates; Kansas City Health Center Gets Facelift
Also, California Watch reports on a continuing investigation into alleged Medicare fraud.
Associated Press/San Francisco Chronicle: California Now A Leader In Hospital Disclosures
The California Department of Public Health has issued an annual report which for the first time allows residents to compare patient infection rates at hospitals across the state. The state released the infection data for 2009 and 2010 on Friday. Hospitals had sued the state to limit surgical infection reporting but the court ruled against the hospitals and required disclosures for 29 different surgical procedures (1/6).
Kansas City Star: Upgraded Rodgers Health Center Offers More Support
A fortunate series of events made it possible for the (Samuel U. Rodgers Health) center to put together the money for a new building, said the center’s chief executive officer, Hilda Fuentes. In 2007, Missouri appropriated $60 million to the state’s safety net clinics for capital improvements. Samuel Rodgers received about $11.5 million. The health center started a fundraising campaign that collected several million dollars more from local businesses and foundations. Then the Affordable Care Act put the center over the top. The health care overhaul legislation included funds for improvements to health centers serving the poor. Samuel Rodgers received $8.2 million (Bavley, 1/8).
California Watch: FBI Interviews Kwashiorkor Patient In Prime Inquiry
FBI agents interviewed a former Shasta County hospital patient Friday amid indications of a widening federal inquiry into Medicare billing practices at the Prime Healthcare Services hospital chain. ... (Julie) Schmitz said the agents asked questions about a 2010 hospital stay after which Prime had billed Medicare for treating (her mother, Darlene) Courtois for kwashiorkor, a dangerous form of malnutrition that afflicts children during African famines. Medicare pays hefty bonuses to hospitals for treating complicated medical cases, and a diagnosis of kwashiorkor can boost a hospital's payout by more than $6,000 per patient, records show (Williams, 1/9).
