Hospital groups fight over patients

News outlets report on a variety of issues affecting hospitals and doctors.

Politico Pro: Hospital Groups' Bills Compete For Patients
There is a quiet battle being waged about the future of long-term care hospitals, with infighting between two major trade groups that have drafted bills to help each side compete for the same patients. In one corner, there's the trade group for the long-term care hospitals, the National Association of Long Term Hospitals, which is shopping around a draft bill that's designed to steer patients toward its members' facilities. In the other, there's the powerful American Hospital Association, which has written its own bill that would make the eligibility standards so specific for the long-term care hospitals that it would become harder for a lot of patients to get in. Both sides want the patients — and the money that comes with them (Coughlin, 5/20).

The Miami Herald: Economist Issues Report On Governing Jackson Health System
A report commissioned by SEIU Local 1991 has concluded that "there are no magical governance answers" to turn around a struggling hospital. The 33-page report by the Washington Economic Group, headed by Coral Gables economist Tony Villamil, was scheduled to be released Friday morning at a breakfast presentation. "No governance structure … directly determines the effectiveness of a health system," the report stated (Dorchner, 5/19).

WBUR's CommonHealth blog: Study: Hospitals Misleading Patients On The Benefits Of Robotic Surgery
Robotic surgery — which is up 400 percent in the last four years — is touted as the latest, greatest high-tech medical breakthrough. Proponents say it's less painful, less invasive and smarter than conventional operations. But a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers found that hospital websites routinely overstate the benefits of robot-assisted surgery without any scientific evidence to back those claims, and often rely on industry-provided marketing materials with no mention of potential risks (Zimmerman, 5/19).

Modern Healthcare: AMA Profit Up 44.8% In 2010
While still lagging behind its totals from pre-recession years, the American Medical Association recorded a profit of $23.9 million for 2010, up 44.8 percent from 2009, according to the association's annual report. It was the AMA's eleventh-straight year of operating profits, and the second consecutive year of growth after profits plummeted almost 89.8 percent in 2008 to $2.5 million from $24.4 million in 2007 (5/19).