Unsafe Plastic Bottles Pulled from the Market
April 18, 2008
Wal-Mart, Nalgene Pull BPA Bottles from Shelves
Wal-Mart said it would phase out BPA from all the baby bottles it sells, replacing them with different plastics or glass.
“Safety is a top priority for Wal-Mart,” the company said in a statement. “While the FDA has not established any restrictions on the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles, for several years now we have offered a variety of BPA-free products for customers who seek this option.
We are working to expand our BPA-free offerings and expect the entire assortment of baby bottles to be BPA-free sometime early next year.”
California to Review Rescission of Coverage
April 18, 2008
The practice of rescission of coverage just when an insured needs it most has been in the news for quite some time and has been practiced for even longer. It is good to see that California is taking steps to double check the decisions made in this regard. There should be a nationwide policy that each rescission of coverage be reviewed and approved by an elected body.
State to review canceled health insurance policies
Thousands of people whose policies were canceled by California health insurers will have a chance to win back their coverage and be reimbursed for outstanding medical bills, the Schwarzenegger administration announced Thursday.
The state’s action is the boldest yet in dealing with the industry’s increasingly controversial practice of canceling individual coverage — known as rescission — after patients have taken ill and submitted medical bills.
Look at the Percentage Change in Profit
April 16, 2008
From 1.1% increase in profit to more than 6000% increase!!
Who says health care is in a crisis?
Chicago Business News, Analysis & Articles | | Crain’s
Chicago’s largest hospitals
| Name Address/phone/Web address |
Administrator Title of person in charge |
Network affiliation | 2007 Net patient revenue / % change |
2007 net profits/ % change |
No. of hospital employees | No. of inpatient days | No. of beds Daily occupancy rate |
|
| 1 | Northwestern Memorial Hospital(1) 251 E. Huron St. Chicago 60611 (312) 926-2000 www.nmh.org |
Dean M. Harrison President, CEO |
Northwestern Memorial HealthCare | $1,125.5 14.7% |
$142.9 33.3% |
5,804 | 193,198 | 642 82.0% |
| 2 | University of Chicago Medical Center(2) 5841 S. Maryland Ave. Chicago 60637 (773) 702-1000 www.uchospitals.edu |
Dr. James L. Madara CEO |
University of Chicago Medical Center | $1,077.5 18.5% |
$140.8 96.3% |
6,389 | 162,357 | 541 82.0% |
| 3 | Rush University Medical Center(2) 1653 W. Congress Pkwy. Chicago 60612 (312) 942-5000 www.rush.edu |
Larry J. Goodman President, CEO |
Rush University | $842.1 15.5% |
$120.7 61.6% |
4,988 | 169,547 | 676 68.8% |
| 4 | Advocate Christ Medical Center 4440 W. 95th St. Oak Lawn 60453 (708) 684-8000 www.advocatehealth.com/christ |
Kenneth Lukhard President |
Advocate Health Care | $774.1 7.5% |
NA (100.0%) |
4,152 | 206,316 | 653 81.9% |
| 5 | Loyola University Medical Center(2) 2160 S. First Ave. Maywood 60153 (708) 216-9000 www.loyolamedicine.org |
Paul K. Whelton President, CEO |
Loyola University Health System | $676.4 2.5% |
$31.1 97.3% |
5,118 | 125,369 | 507 68.0% |
| 6 | Advocate Lutheran General Hospital 1775 W. Dempster St. Park Ridge 60068 (847) 723-2210 www.advocatehealth.com/lutheran |
Bruce C. Campbell President |
Advocate Health Care | $584.4 12.2% |
NA (100.0%) |
3,258 | 147,181 | 532 69.6% |
| 7 | Central DuPage Hospital(2) 25 N. Winfield Rd. Winfield 60190 (630) 933-1600 www.cdh.org |
Luke McGuinness President, CEO |
Independent | $496.7 21.9% |
$86.6 30.6% |
2,198 | 78,351 | 321 67.0% |
| 8 | Evanston Hospital(3) 2650 Ridge Ave. Evanston 60201 (847) 570-2000 www.enh.org |
Mark R. Neaman President, CEO |
Evanston Northwestern Healthcare | $448.5 7.5% |
$25.4 71.4% |
2,661 | 84,168 | 280 82.0% |
| 9 | Edward Hospital(2) 801 S. Washington St. Naperville 60540 (630) 527-3000 www.edward.org |
Pamela Meyer Davis President, CEO |
Edward Hospital & Health Services | $448.2 14.6% |
$37.2 25.8% |
3,312 | 86,419 | 288 96.8% |
| 10 | Northwest Community Hospital(3) 800 W. Central Road Arlington Heights 60005 (847) 618-1000 www.nch.org |
Bruce K. Crowther President, CEO |
Independent | $410.8 8.1% |
$3.3 (61.9%) |
2,733 | 93,748 | 383 67.0% |
| 11 | University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago 1740 W. Taylor St. Suite 1400, Chicago 60612 (312) 996-3900 www.uillinoismedcenter.org |
John J. DeNardo CEO of health care system |
University of Illinois at Chicago | $406.0 3.3% |
$3.1 (43.8%) |
4,136 | 122,730 | 343 67.9% |
| 12 | Children’s Memorial Hospital(1) 2300 Children’s Plaza Box #14, Chicago 60614 (773) 880-4000 www.childrensmemorial.org |
Patrick M. Magoon President, CEO |
Children’s Memorial Hospital | $380.4 4.7% |
$20.6 (34.2%) |
3,900 | 65,954 | 247 73.2% |
| 13 | Provena St. Joseph Medical Center 333 N. Madison St. Joliet 60435 (815) 725-7133 www.provena.org/stjoes |
Jeffrey L. Brickman System senior vice-president, regional CEO |
Provena Health | $359.8 6.1% |
$23.2 (15.7%) |
219,400 | 99,190 | 410 71.0% |
| 14 | Alexian Brothers Medical Center 800 Biesterfield Road Elk Grove Village 60007 (847) 437-5500 www.alexianbrothershealth.org |
John Werrbach President, CEO |
Alexian Brothers Hospital Network | $359.0 2.9% |
($10.0)(4) (232.8%) |
2,268 | 101,315 | 372 74.6% |
| 15 | Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center 836 W. Wellington Ave. Chicago 60657 (773) 975-1600 www.advocatehealth.com/masonic |
Susan Nordstrom Lopez President |
Advocate Health Care | $343.6 2.8% |
NA (100.0%) |
2,014 | 90,410 | 319 68.1% |
| 16 | John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County(5) 1901 W. Harrison St. Chicago 60612 (312) 864-6000 www.ccbhs.org |
Johnny C. Brown Chief operating officer |
Cook County Bureau of Health Services | $326.9(6) (1.4%) |
$19.9(6) (116.0%) |
3,912 | 118,358 | 460 69.1% |
| 17 | Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital 3815 Highland Ave. Downers Grove 60515 (630) 275-5900 www.advocatehealth.com/gsam |
David S. Fox President |
Advocate Health Care | $321.5 5.4% |
NA (100.0%) |
1,816 | 78,349 | 290 64.2% |
| 18 | St. James Hospital and Health Centers 1423 Chicago Road Chicago Heights 60411 (708) 756-1000 www.stjameshospital.org |
Seth C.R. Warren President |
Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Inc. | $308.2 0.1% |
($21.1) 7.2% |
2,041 | 106,757 | 370 78.9% |
| 19 | Condell Medical Center 801 S. Milwaukee Ave. Libertyville 60048 (847) 362-2900 www.condell.org |
Dennis Millirons President, CEO |
Condell Medical Center | $303.2 (6.0%) |
($9.1) (1.1%) |
1,800 | 70,364 | 257 75.0% |
| 20 | Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center(2) 2233 W. Division St. Chicago 60622 (312) 770-2000 www.smemc.reshealth.org |
Margaret McDermott Executive vice-president, CEO |
Resurrection Health Care | $299.0 20.5% |
$27.8(7) (6,246.7%) |
1,753 | 82,715 | 320 70.9% |
| 21 | Palos Community Hospital 12251 S. 80th Ave. Palos Heights 60463 (708) 923-4000 www.paloscommunityhospital.org |
Sister Margaret Wright President |
Independent | $291.5 3.1% |
NA (100.0%) |
2,343 | 92,200 | 369 68.5% |
| 22 | Elmhurst Memorial Hospital(2) 200 Berteau Ave. Elmhurst 60126 (630) 833-1400 www.emhc.org |
Leo F. Fronza President, CEO |
Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare | $285.9 4.1% |
$11.8 73.1% |
2,173(8) | 57,428 | 255 62.0% |
| 23 | Adventist Hinsdale Hospital 120 N. Oak St. Hinsdale 60521 (630) 856-9000 www.keepingyouwell.com |
Todd Werner CEO |
Adventist Midwest Health | $280.8 6.7% |
$18.6 (18.7%) |
1,345 | 57,166 | 293 53.0% |
| 24 | Resurrection Medical Center(2) 7435 W. Talcott Ave. Chicago 60631 (773) 774-8000 www.reshealth.org |
Sister Donna Marie Wolowicki Executive vice-president, CEO |
Resurrection Health Care | $280.7 (0.3%) |
$20.2 (13.5%) |
1,894 | 74,248 | 289 70.4% |
| 25 | Sherman Hospital(9) 934 Center St. Elgin 60120 (847) 742-9800 www.shermanhealth.com |
Richard B. Floyd President, CEO |
Sherman Health | $242.4 9.8% |
$13.9 123.5% |
1,329 | 52,944 | 258 56.2% |
Chemical in Plastic May Harm Human Growth
April 16, 2008
Chemical in plastic may harm human growth
A federal report finds ‘some concern’ that fetuses, babies and children are at risk from bisphenol A. But plastics industry officials see no serious risk.
By Marla Cone, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
April 16, 2008
A controversial, estrogen-like chemical in plastic could be harming the development of children’s brains and reproductive organs, a federal health agency concluded in a report released Tuesday.The National Toxicology Program, part of the National Institutes of Health, concluded that there was “some concern” that fetuses, babies and children were in danger because bisphenol A, or BPA, harmed animals at low levels found in nearly all human bodies.
An ingredient of polycarbonate plastic, BPA is one of the most widely used synthetic chemicals in industry today. It can seep from hard plastic beverage containers such as baby bottles, as well as from liners in cans containing food and infant formula.
The federal institute is the first government agency in the U.S. to conclude that low levels of BPA could be harming humans. Its findings will be used to help regulators at federal and state environmental agencies to develop policies governing its use.
Failure to Rescue
April 11, 2008
Before Code Blue: Who’s minding the patient?
High-profile medical errors such as operating on the wrong body part or receiving a mistaken dose of drugs should take a back seat to a far more common and insidious mistake, a new report reveals.
For the fifth straight year, an analysis of errors in the nation’s hospitals found that the most reported patient safety risk is a little-known but always-fatal problem called “failure to rescue.” The term refers to cases where caregivers fail to notice or respond when a patient is dying of preventable complications in a hospital.
Between 2004 and 2006, failure to rescue claimed more than 188,000 lives, amounting to about 128 deaths for every 1,000 patients at risk of complications, according to the latest report from HealthGrades, a health care ratings organization.
Pre-Empted by FDA's Public Stance
April 9, 2008
Suicide Warning Suits Pre-Empted; Makers of Paxil, Zoloft Win
In a significant victory for drug manufacturers, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the makers of Paxil and Zoloft cannot be sued for failing to warn of a risk of suicide because the Food & Drug Administration has explicitly refused to order such warnings.
Voting 2-1 in a pair of cases where the lower courts issued conflicting rulings, the 3rd Circuit found that such lawsuits must be pre-empted because they directly conflict with action already taken by the FDA. Writing for the majority, 3rd Circuit Judge Dolores K. Sloviter said the FDA has “actively monitored” the possible risk of suicide from taking the class of antidepressant drugs known as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, for two decades, and concluded that the suicide warnings demanded by plaintiffs “are without scientific basis and would therefore be false and misleading.”
But Sloviter, who was joined by visiting Judge Jane A. Restani of the U.S. Court of International Trade, emphasized that the ruling was a narrow one. “Our holding is limited to circumstances in which the FDA has publicly rejected the need for a warning that plaintiffs argue state law requires,” Sloviter wrote in Colacicco v. Apotex Inc.
In dissent, 3rd Circuit Judge Thomas L. Ambro said he would have allowed both cases to go forward. “The FDA has for over three-quarters of a century viewed state tort law as complementary to its warning regulations. Only for the last two years has it claimed otherwise,” Ambro wrote.
Allstate Loses the Florida Battle
April 9, 2008
A Ban on Allstate Upheld in Florida
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., April 4 (Reuters) — A Florida appeals court on Friday upheld a state regulator’s order suspending the Allstate Corporation from writing new insurance policies in Florida.
The Florida insurance commissioner, Kevin M. McCarty, said that Allstate had 15 days to appeal and that he was not sure when the suspension would take effect.
Allstate said it was reviewing the ruling, issued by the First District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee, but believed it was not yet final. Allstate said it would continue to write new business.
“We are very disappointed in today’s ruling and disagree with the court’s opinion,” Allstate said Friday.
The suspension would mainly affect new auto policies, because Allstate said previously it planned to reduce its homeowner policy exposure in Florida.
Mr. McCarty said of Friday’s decision: “This is good news for the people of Florida. This is good news for all those law-abiding companies doing business in our state.”
FDA and Drug Maker's Immunity
April 6, 2008
I would understand that argument if the FDA was a trustworthy entity and void of political influence. But as it stands, it appears to me that if you have enough money to hire FDA officials as consultants and/or have enough political clout, anything you make will meet with FDA’s approval. So, I am not that keen in giving drug makers immunity just because they have received FDA’s approval.
Drug Makers Near Old Goal: A Legal Shield
For years, Johnson & Johnson obscured evidence that its popular Ortho Evra birth control patch delivered much more estrogen than standard birth control pills, potentially increasing the risk of blood clots and strokes, according to internal company documents.
But because the Food and Drug Administration approved the patch, the company is arguing in court that it cannot be sued by women who claim that they were injured by the product — even though its old label inaccurately described the amount of estrogen it
released.This legal argument is called pre-emption. After decades of being dismissed by courts, the tactic now appears to be on the verge of success, lawyers for plaintiffs and drug companies say.
The Bush administration has argued strongly in favor of the doctrine, which holds that the F.D.A. is the only agency with enough expertise to regulate drug makers and that its decisions should not be second-guessed by courts. The Supreme Court is to rule on a case next term that could make pre-emption a legal standard for drug cases. The court already ruled in February that many suits against the makers of medical devices like pacemakers are
pre-empted.More than 3,000 women and their families have sued Johnson & Johnson, asserting that users of the Ortho Evra patch suffered heart attacks, strokes and, in 40 cases, death. From 2002 to 2006, the food and drug agency received reports of at least 50 deaths associated with the drug.
