MedWorm: Bonuses

Bugs on trains

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:06:00 +0100

The figures for bugs in train compartments sound a little bit on the high side. Where did they come from?The figures were all very specific and very frightening. "Two thousand bugs taking a ride in every train compartment," said the Daily Mail. "Cockroaches cluster on trains," groaned the Telegraph. "Commuters share trains with 1,000 cockroaches, 200 bedbugs and 200 fleas," said the Evening Standard.These figures all sound a little bit on the high side. Where did they come from? "Staff at Rentokil sprayed insecticide throughout the carriages of a train and a bus and then counted the bodies of insects," said the Standard. It quoted a Rentokil spokesman: "The bus we studied was within the M25."But Transport for London says it has had no contact with Rentokil, and that no such study has been ...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

CombinatoRx pays execs on drug's success

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:53:24 +0100

Drug developer CombinatoRx Inc. said Monday it will pay its new CEO an annual salary of $450,000 and dole out $325,000 in cash bonuses to several senior executives following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of its pain drug Exalgo. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines)

Human Genome Sciences pays CFO Tim Barabe severance, gives execs big bonuses

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:04:56 +0100

Human Genome Sciences Inc. will make severance payments to its soon-to-depart chief financial officer, even as the Rockville biotech’s board decided to award bonuses to its remaining executive officers. (HGSI) (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines)

A little way on libel reform | Simon Singh

Guardian Unlimited Science — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:30:00 +0100

This article was amended at 17:10 on 4 March 2010 to restore the final paragraph, which an editorial error had led to being missed from the original versionSimon SinghLawFreedom of speechMedia lawPress freedomJack StrawSimon Singhguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)

Who is to blame when groups succeed or fail?

Psychology Today Work Center — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:14:44 +0100

In the modern world, assigning blame to groups is difficult. In schools, we want to teach children to collaborate with others on work, but at the same time each individual student ultimately needs a grade. In work settings, most projects are too big for individuals to do by themselves, but in the end, every person gets an individual paycheck. We assume that raises and bonuses at work should be based on effectiveness.In order for this to work, though, people have to be good at judging the importance of other people's contribution to group efforts. Tobias Gerstenberg and David Lagnado looked at this issue in a 2010 paper in the journal Cognition. They asked people to play a game with a group. In this game, each person was led to believe that they were playing with a team of...

Congress to ask feds to extend start date for meaningful use rule

Healthcare IT News — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:51:12 +0100

Some members of Congress are going to ask federal officials to postpone the start date for when providers must begin to show meaningful use of health data to qualify for bonuses under the new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, according to Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), who spoke in a healthcare policy session Monday morning at HIMSS10. (Source: Healthcare IT News)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

PNC pays $1,000 bonuses to some full-time employees

bizjournals.com Health Care:Hospitals headlines — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:01:46 +0100

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. is paying all eligible full-time employees a Chairman’s Award of $1,000 to reward their efforts last year, according to a memo sent by Chairman and CEO James Rohr to PNC (NYSE:PNC) employees Thursday. Eligible part-time employees will receive an award of $500. (PNC) (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Hospitals headlines)

Thanks, but science funding is still at risk

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:09:53 +0100

Phil Burnell (Letters, 25 February) seems to have reacted to my letter (24 February) from some sense of lack of appreciation of his personal efforts on our behalf while working for funding bodies such as the EPSRC during the times of plenty. He seems to think we should stop complaining or all leave, while he pulls up the drawbridge at the Channel. The country is in a serious plight economically because of mismanagement in the financial service industry. If it's more gratitude that Phil Burnell wants, then may be he could direct his attention to the bankers who took our money, lots of it, and for which he and I, as taxpayers, have never received any thanks. And by the way, it would only take a handful of bankers' bonuses this year to get us out of the immediate mess which my science, physic...

Pay-For-Performance Programs Show Positive Impact On Low-Performing Physicians

Health News from Medical News Today — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 08:00:00 +0100

Pay-for-performance (P4P) programs are payment models that reward workers for meeting certain performance measures for quality and efficiency. In the healthcare setting, P4P programs use a variety of methods to reward physicians financially for achieving targets, including fee differentials and bonuses. A new study in the Journal for Healthcare Quality reveals that P4P programs appear to be effective in incentivizing low performing physicians. The article is part of the January/February 2010 special issue on pay-for-performance in the health care system... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Pay-For-Performance Programs Show Positive Impact On Low-Performing Physicians

Immune System / Vaccines News From Medical News Today — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 08:00:00 +0100

No bonus for Poniard execs, higher targets for 2010

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:35:53 +0100

None of Poniard Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s top executives received bonuses for a rocky 2009, but the company has raised the potential payout for this year as it seeks to find a partner for its main chemotherapy agent. (PARD) (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

J&J Changing Bonus Plan To Reward Performance More

Drugs.com - Pharma News — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:11:57 +0100

From Associated Press (February 18, 2010) TRENTON, N.J. -- Thousands of Johnson & Johnson employees will get lower bonuses next year, due to an overhaul of its bonus program meant to make the extra payments more uniform across the sprawling... (Source: Drugs.com - Pharma News)

Pay-for-performance programs show positive impact on low-performing physicians

EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(Wiley-Blackwell) Pay-for-performance (P4P) programs are payment models that reward workers for meeting certain performance measures for quality and efficiency. In the health care setting, P4P programs use a variety of methods to reward physicians financially for achieving targets, including fee differentials and bonuses. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

Panel recommends making meaningful use requirements more flexible

Healthcare IT News — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:22:16 +0100

The Health IT Policy Committee on Wednesday recommended that federal officials ease up the meaningful use requirements, allowing providers to defer some of them and still earn bonuses under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The recommendations included allowing qualified providers and hospitals to defer three criteria in the quality domain, one in the care coordination domain and one in the population health domain. (Source: Healthcare IT News)

Millipore discloses pay, bonuses

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:48:21 +0100

Millipore Corp., a maker of instruments and technologies for the life sciences industry, has announced that it handed out year-end bonuses to its three top executives that were at least double the incentive payments of the previous year. However, the company announced it will offer only modest salary increases this year. (MIL) (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines)

My Diagnosis is Killing Me!

Psychology Today Personality Center — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:54:02 +0100

I used to find it somewhat odd, looking around my ex-psychiatrist's office, to see how many promotional items he had scattered around. There were Pfizer note pads, Prozac pens, Merck coffee cups, an Adderal wastebasket, and Eli Lilly toilet paper.I'm exaggerating, but not by much; the shelf in his foyer was stacked high with boxes of this stuff, as well as countless free samples of the actual medications. Often, before my session would start, I shared the waiting room with a well-groomed, young, salesman-type who was apparently the Fuller Brush Man of Psychiatry, anxious to unload his free wares, hoping, I supposed, that when my doctor picked up a monogrammed GlaxoSmithKline ballpoint pen to write me a prescription, he might be more inclined to go with P...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

The Castrating Woman: Rising from the Unconscious at the Superbowl

Psychology Today Work Center — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 01:58:49 +0100

Yikes. The Superbowl hadn't even made it to half time yet. But the ads already told a strange story about the nation's collective psyche.It's a cliché that sometimes the advertisements are the best part of the Superbowl broadcast. Depends on the game I guess. But the enormous investment of corporate America in advertising can be interpreted in a variety of ways-economically, what industries are thriving, or at least optimistic. Artistically, what's the latest in video technology and graphic design. And psychologically, what are our national pre-occupations, what says our national unconscious.I was amazed that two of the ads in the first half of the broadcast featured one ancient theme-- man's problem with the castrating woman. In the first, an ad for a car, a man lists in a flat voice all...

Crush Your Dreams and Watch Them Take Off

Psychology Today Work Center — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:51:19 +0100

Marsha Sinetar wrote a brilliantly-titled book, "Do What You Love The Money Will Follow." Joseph Campbell said "Follow your bliss." Gary Vaynerchuk, author of Crush It says, "If you live your passion and work the social networking tools to the max, opportunities to monetize will present themselves."The perennial idea of turning your passion into a vocation has had mixed results. The good should be obvious-- people following their bliss pursue careers which have personal meaning, which enhance and support their life, and which complete them in a fulfilling way. The downside is that the "follow your bliss" mantra can be blindly and mindlessly followed and used as an excuse for self-destructive, narcissistic behavior. People pursue unrealistic dreams without thinking through the practical asp...

Leadership 101: Leader Success: It’s Not All About the Money

Psychology Today Work Center — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:44:34 +0100

Looking just at the salaries and bonuses of Fortune 500 CEOs, financial executives, top university presidents, and even some directors of the larger nonprofit organizations, you would think that these leaders are performing at high levels - at least levels high enough to justify their huge compensation. Unfortunately, that's not often the case.Many executives are paid huge salaries and severance compensation even when their performance is dismal (and brief). As we learned last week, about half of these leaders will be out of the job in three years. So if we are not rewarding leaders for their performance, what are we rewarding them for? They often receive their enormous compensation merely because they made it to the top. CEO salaries have been on a meteoric rise for decades, and they are ...

BofA to pay $150M to settle SEC charges

bizjournals.com Health Care:Health Insurance headlines — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:34:09 +0100

The Securities and Exchange Commission is seeking court approval of a proposed settlement of charges that Bank of America Corp. failed to properly disclose employee bonuses and financial losses at Merrill Lynch & Co. before BofA shareholders approved the merger of the companies in December 2008. (BAC) (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Health Insurance headlines)

Bristol-Myers to Freeze Salaries

WSJ.com: Health — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:58:54 +0100

Bristol-Meyers Squibb is freezing employee salaries for the year, although bonuses won't be affected. (Source: WSJ.com: Health)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Nursing Jobs No Longer Recession-Proof

Health News from Medical News Today — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:00:00 +0100

"A few years ago, hospitals were offering nurses $10,000 signing bonuses, loan payoffs, even cars as incentives to battle a nursing shortage in Texas. Today, some nursing school graduates say they're fortunate to find a job," The Star-Telegram reports. "Three years ago there were three job offers for every graduate, said Dr. Pamela Frable, director of nursing at Texas Christian University's Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences. But at graduation last summer, there were more students without a job than ever before... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Nursing Jobs No Longer Recession-Proof

Nursing News From Medical News Today — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:00:00 +0100

Proposed EHR ‘Meaningful Use’ Criteria Chart Path to Incentives

Internal Medicine News — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Medical organizations are closely examining the long-awaited, proposed “meaningful use” criteria developed by the Department of Health and Human Services. The final criteria, to be phased in starting in 2011, will be crucial for providers interested in receiving bonuses of up to $64,000 for installing or upgrading electronic health record (EHR) systems. (Source: Internal Medicine News)

‘Meaningful Use’ for EHRs Defined

Cardiology News — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The Health and Human Services Department has released long-awaited, proposed “meaningful use” criteria for providers interested in receiving bonuses of up to $64,000 for installing or upgrading electronic health information systems. (Source: Cardiology News)

Minimal EHR Criteria Will Take Effect in 2011

Ob.Gyn. News — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

HHS Issues ‘Meaningful Use’ Criteria for EHRs

Clinical Endocrinology News — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Maryland SunTrust executive sees ‘a new norm’ for banking

bizjournals.com Health Care:Health Insurance headlines — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Like many of the nation’s large banks, SunTrust Banks Inc. had a rough 2009, losing $1.3 billion in the third quarter alone. The Atlanta-based bank accepted a $4.9 billion infusion from the Troubled Asset Relief Program, and as part of that deal agreed to freeze the salaries and bonuses of virtually all its top executives. SunTrust’s Greater Washington/Maryland CEO, Scott Wilfong, who has been in the banking business for 38 years, has seen the bulls and the bears on the run before. He sees glimmers of recovery but says the days of excess are over.Before joining a SunTrust predecessor in 1997, Wilfong, a Baltimore native, worked as senior vice president at First National Bank of Maryland. He began his banking career with Equitable Trust Co. in 1972. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:...

SuperGen boss wins $500,000 in bonuses

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:17:41 +0100

SuperGen Inc. Chairman, President and CEO James Manuso won two bonuses totaling a half-million dollars for his performance last year. (SUPG) (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines)

UC approves bonuses for hospital execs

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:55:43 +0100

University of California regents approved $500,000 in bonuses to six top officials at the UC San Francisco Medical Center, part of a package of $3.1 million in payments to 38 hospital executives across the UC system. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines)

No big bonuses necessary for bankers

Guardian Unlimited Science — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:05:26 +0100

Scientific evidence suggests that finance jobs are too complex to be aided by performance-related payNext time you hear a banker defend big bonuses as an essential spur to doing a good job, attack him or her with a candlestick. In a classic psychology experiment, a candle is placed on a table with a box of pins and some matches. Subjects are told to attach the candle to the wall and light it without dripping any wax on the table below. Most try pinning the candle to the wall. It doesn't work. Others melt the base and attempt to stick it to the wall. No joy. Finally, the answeAdityr dawns: empty the box, pin it to the wall – and you have a candleholder.What's this got to do with financial incentives? In the 60s, Sam Glucksberg ran a version of the candle trial where subjects w...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Shifting Career Opportunities Seen in Nursing

NurseZone.com Featured Stories — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 14:43:10 +0100

Jan. 15, 2010 - It wasn't long ago that the nursing shortage was making headlines, both staff and temporary nurses were in high demand and even new graduate nurses were being offered signing bonuses as an enticement to employment. The recession, however, has softened the shortage as many nurses have delayed retirement, returned to the workforce or increased the hours they are available to work. Health care facilities have also had to tighten their belts. These changes have contributed to fewer job opportunities and altered career paths for nurses seeking new employment in recent months. (Source: NurseZone.com Featured Stories)

Paid to publish?

The Scientist — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Publication bonuses may be spoiling Chinese science (Source: The Scientist)

Boost bonuses for NHS managers says think tank

HSJ — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Top NHS managers should receive annual bonuses of up to £30,000 to encourage good performance, a think tank close to the Conservatives has said. (Source: HSJ)

AG Cuomo quizzes banks on bonuses

bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 19:36:02 +0100

State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo asked eight of the nation’s largest banks for details on Monday about the size and scope of year-end bonuses to employees. (BAC) (BK) (C) (GS) (JPM) (MS) (SST) (WFC) (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines)

Cuomo seeks info on BofA, Wells bonuses

bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 19:29:06 +0100

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is seeking information on employee bonuses for 2009 from eight U.S. banks, including Bank of America Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co. (BAC) (WFC) (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Multi-million-pound bonuses for doctors 'should be axed'

Scotsman.com News - Health — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

A MULTI-million-pound bonus scheme for top UK doctors should be scrapped, Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said yesterday. (Source: Scotsman.com News - Health)

Stakeholders have mixed reviews on proposed meaningful use requirements

Healthcare IT News — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:42:25 +0100

Physicians and privacy advocates aren't pleased with the newly proposed "meaningful use" requirements with which providers will likely have to comply to gain bonuses under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology proposed the rules on Dec. 30, and will take comments for 60 days before issuing a final rule. (Source: Healthcare IT News)

RCN comments on DH bonuses

Royal College of Nursing - UK- National News — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:11:44 +0100

The Royal College of Nursing describes the high bonuses paid to Department of Health staff as 'disingenuous' at a time when frontline staff may face a cap in pay. (Source: Royal College of Nursing - UK- National News)

RCN comments on DH bonuses

Royal College of Nursing - UK- National News — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:11:44 +0100

Proposed EHR ‘Meaningful Use’ Criteria Are Released

Clinical Psychiatry News — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

HHS Issues ‘Meaningful Use’ Criteria for EHR Systems

Family Practice News — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Proposed ‘Meaningful Use’ Criteria Released for EHRs

Clinical Neurology News — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Proposed Regs Outline Criteria for EHR Incentive

Pediatric News — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Policy & Practice: Want more health reform news? Subscribe to our podcast – search “Policy & Practice” in the iTunes store

Pediatric News — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The Department of Health and Human Services has awarded more than $72 million in bonuses to nine states for enrolling more eligible children in Medicaid and for making other improvements in that program as well as the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Funding for the state “performance bonuses” was included in the CHIP reauthorization last year. The states that qualified for bonuses adopted at least five of eight prescribed program features, such as using a joint application for both Medicaid and CHIP and streamlining eligibility renewals. The rewards went to Alaska, Alabama, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington. (Source: Pediatric News)

Financial Incentives and Accountability for Integrated Medical Care in Department of Veterans Affairs Mental Health Programs [Articles]

Psychiatr Serv — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:01:28 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Financial incentives to improve quality performance may promote accountability in monitoring diabetes and cardiovascular risk assessment within mental health programs. Integrated care strategies (co-location) might be needed to promote management of high-risk behaviors among patients with serious mental illness. (Source: Psychiatr Serv)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

'Fat cat' doctors' bonuses to be frozen in spending cuts

Scotsman.com News - Health — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100

A LUCRATIVE bonus scheme for top doctors is to be frozen in a drive to curb public spending. (Source: Scotsman.com News - Health)

RCN comments on DH bonuses

Royal College of Nursing - UK- National News — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:06:48 +0100

RCN comments on DH bonuses

Royal College of Nursing - UK- National News — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:06:48 +0100

United Therapeutics lays out 2010 executive bonus goals

bizjournals.com Health Care:Health Insurance headlines — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:08:21 +0100

United Therapeutics Corp. has laid out refined goals for its executives in order to earn bonuses in 2010. (UTHR) (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Health Insurance headlines)

United Therapeutics lays out 2010 executive bonus goals

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:08:21 +0100

United Therapeutics Corp. has laid out refined goals for its executives in order to earn bonuses in 2010. (UTHR) (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

South Africa: Doctors to Get Bonuses This Week

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:38:43 +0100

PUBLIC sector doctors would be paid half their occupation-specific dispensation bonuses today as part of an agreement signed in July and the balance would be paid on Thursday, the Department of Health said yesterday. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

States Get Bonuses for Boosting Enrollment in Children's Health Coverage

News stories via the Rural Assistance Center — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:59:43 +0100

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the award of more than $72 million to nine states for making significant progress in enrolling children in health coverage through Medicaid and improving access to childrens coverage through Medicaid and the state childrens health insurance program. (Source: News stories via the Rural Assistance Center)

FMQs: Liberal Democrats hit out at bonus payments paid to NHS consultants

Scotsman.com News - Health — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:37:42 +0100

Liberal Democrat leader Tavish Scott hit out today at the millions of pounds paid to health service consultants in bonuses. (Source: Scotsman.com News - Health)

Anger over bank bonuses as nurses face pay freeze

Nursing Times Breaking News — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:07:00 +0100

Nursing union representatives have said it is outrageous that bankers were attempting to get bonuses when nurses around the country were facing pay freezes. (Source: Nursing Times Breaking News)

Advocacy: Patient Advocacy Groups Show Support for Neurology

American Academy of Neurology — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:55:00 +0100

One of the Academy's top priorities has been passage of an amendment that would add neurology to the list of eligible specialties for the primary care incentive bonuses given out in any health care reform legislation. (Source: American Academy of Neurology)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Results of the 2009 AORN Salary Survey

AORN Journal — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100

ABSTRACT: AORN conducted its seventh annual compensation survey for perioperative nurses in August of 2009. A multiple regression model was used to examine how a variety of variables including job title, education level, certification, experience, and geographic region affect nursing compensation. Comparisons between the 2009 data and previous years' data are presented. The effects of other forms of compensation, such as on-call compensation, overtime, bonuses, and shift differentials on average base compensation rates also are examined. Additional analyses explore the effect of the current economic downturn on the perioperative work environment. AORN J 90 (December 2009) 829–844. © AORN, Inc, 2009. (Source: AORN Journal)

Nicessism: Narcissism with a "not nice" defense.

Psychology Today Relationships Center — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:34:50 +0100

I've done a little online dating lately and it's notable how many women (and perhaps men--I don't know) list "niceness" as a priority. They want a nice guy. Well, I certainly understand. I want a nice gal too. But experience has shown me that we can't simply pop this positive sounding word at the top of our wish lists as though its meaning is as obvious as "Pledge" on a grocery list. Nice is the preferred outcome but we don't have a clear way to distinguish nice from not nice by execution alone. Nice isn't simply voice tone or not swearing or smiling or putting a kind hand on your shoulder. Any of those gestures can be truly nice or can mask meanness. As I keep pointing out, vices are a half-step away from virtues. Lying looks almost exactly like honest...

Medicare paid $92 million for 2008 quality bonuses

American Medical News - GOVERNMENT — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0100

The number of doctors who received a PQRI bonus increased by a third from 2007, but the participant success rate was only about 55%. (Source: American Medical News - GOVERNMENT)

How to fight Recession Fatigue at Work

Psychology Today Work Center — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:32:40 +0100

This recession has gone on long enough. Jobs are still scarce. Layoffs are still happening. While the end looks in sight one day, the next day it seems to disappear.Last fall, when the bottom fell out of our economy, anyone who still had a job was willing to do the work of three people. That person understood that their supervisor's bad mood was caused by stress.O.K., that was over a year ago and many people are still dealing with stressed out bosses and doing the work of three people. Others struggle with fear and anxiety over their job search process.Emotions are high: fear, panic and stress are in the air like the H1V1 flu. Let's consider using other attitudes to get us all through this time:1 - Try Giving rather than getting - We may not be getting those big bonuses, big mortgages, and...

CMS Paid Quality Reporting Initiative Participants More Than $92M in 2008

RWJF News Digest - Quality/Equality — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:00:00 +0100

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has awarded more than $92 million in bonuses to health care professionals who successfully reported quality measures under the 2008 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI), a rate far higher than the $36 million awarded in 2007, Modern Healthcare reports. (Source: RWJF News Digest - Quality/Equality)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

UK Doctors to earn bonuses linked to up-take of swine flu jabs

Alliance for Natural Health — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:47:38 +0100

ANH looks at the US & UK H1N1 vaccine program (Source: Alliance for Natural Health)

UK Doctors to earn bonuses linked to uptake of swine flu jabs

Alliance for Natural Health — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:47:38 +0100

ANH looks at the US & UK H1N1 vaccine program (Source: Alliance for Natural Health)

Fair Play

Psychology Today Work Center — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:20:22 +0100

Recently, while finishing up delivering a talk in Silicon Valley, I found myself struck by a deep sense of dread. I hadn't brought enough copies of hand out materials for the unexpectedly large group. This meant that at any moment a small mob of otherwise friendly people might turn against me, driven to expressing mild rage from a sense of unfairness. It was enough to put me on edge for some time until I labeled what was going on.Fairness is the fifth and final domain of threat or reward I have written up in a series of posts, the others being Status, Certainty, Autonomy and Relatedness. These five ideas together make up the 'SCARF' model that has become a popular way of thinking about what happens in the brain during social situations. In later posts I will go further into the implication...

GPs offered bonuses for hitting swine flu vaccination targets

Management in Practice — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:39:57 +0100

QOF will be relaxed for practices that vaccinate DH target of 50% of at-risk patients under 65, NHS Heart of Birmingham has told Pulse (Source: Management in Practice)

GPs offered bonuses for hitting swine flu vaccination targets

Nursing Times Breaking News — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:10:00 +0100

GPs in Birmingham - one of the areas worst affected by the H1N1 swine flu pandemic - will receive bonuses for meeting swine flu vaccination targets, reports claim. (Source: Nursing Times Breaking News)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Birmingham GPs offered bonuses for hitting swine flu targets

HSJ — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:41:00 +0100

GPs in Birmingham - one of the areas worst affected by the H1N1 swine flu pandemic - will receive bonuses for meeting swine flu vaccination targets, reports claim. (Source: HSJ)

GPs to get bigger bonuses if they meet swine flu jab targets

the Mail online | Health — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:15:32 +0100

GPs are in line for huge bonuses if they manage to persuade large numbers of their patients to sign up to the swine flu jab, it has emerged. (Source: the Mail online | Health)

Paper round: Wednesday

OnMedica Latest News — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Huge bonuses for GPs who meet jab targets, NHS's midlife MOT, and moreRelated items from OnMedicaPaper round: FridayNew website forum launched for future GPsMedicine and the internetPaper round: WednesdayOnline teen health quiz launched today (Source: OnMedica Latest News)

GPs offered cash bonuses to hit swine flu uptake targets

Pulse — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:35:00 +0100

Exclusive: GPs at the centre of one of the summer’s swine flu hotspots have been offered bonuses worth thousands of pounds extra for hitting vaccination targets, Pulse can reveal. (Source: Pulse)

GPs offered cash bonuses to hit swine flu uptake targets

Pulse — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:35:00 +0100

Exclusive: GPs at the centre of one of the summer’s swine flu hotspots have been offered bonuses worth thousands of pounds extra for hitting vaccination targets, Pulse can reveal. (Source: Pulse)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

GTC cuts 45 workers, lines up retention bonuses for execs

bizjournals.com Health Care:Health Insurance headlines — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:16:35 +0100

Struggling drug developer GTC Biotherapeutics Inc. plans to cut 45 employees, or a third of its entire workforce. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Health Insurance headlines)

GTC cuts 45 workers, lines up retention bonuses for execs

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:16:35 +0100

Struggling drug developer GTC Biotherapeutics Inc. plans to cut 45 employees, or a third of its entire workforce. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines)

Policy & Practice: Can't get enough Policy & Practice? Check out our new podcast each Monday. egmnblog.wordpress.com

Internal Medicine News — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Medical practice revenues fell in 2008, possibly because of declining patient volumes and payments from people in financial hardship, according to the Medical Group Management Association. Medical practices responded by trimming overhead costs more than 1%, but that wasn't enough to offset shrinking revenues, the MGMA found in its 2009 practice cost survey. Multispecialty group practices saw a 1.9% decline in total medical revenue last year from 2008, with substantial drops in both the number of procedures and the number of patients. Bad debt in multispecialty group practices from fee-for-service charges increased 13% from 2006 to 2008. Practices trimmed their expenses mostly by cutting support-staff costs. Total worker count remained constant, suggesting that practices may have eliminated...

Profit Driven Swine Flu Propaganda - Pump Up the Volume - Part Four

NaturalNews.com — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:00:00 +0100

This article is part four in a six-part series. Be sure to read part three at http://www.naturalnews.com/027310_swine_flu_health_Tamiflu.htmlThose in control of the mainstream media have joined together with public health officials to provide the pharmaceutical industry with the best swine flu promotional campaign that money can buy.In an October 7, 2009, OpEd News article titled, "The Centers for Disease Control: The Best Vaccination PR Firm Taxes Can Buy," the makers of the documentaries, "Vaccine Nation," and "Autism: Made in the USA," Richard Gale and Dr Gary Null wrote: "If the flu season goes according to schedule, the vaccine industrial complex will be poised to join Wall Street for record year rip-off profits. We will also likely witness huge Pharma executive bonuses and perhaps go...

HealthSouth to pay shareholder proxy fight costs

bizjournals.com Health Care:Health Insurance headlines — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:24:11 +0100

HealthSouth Corp.’s board has voted to pay shareholders’ expenses incurred during proxy fights and to take away bonuses from executives engaged in misconduct. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Health Insurance headlines)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

HealthSouth to pay shareholder proxy fight costs

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:24:11 +0100

Competition and Health Insurance

Kidney Cancer Association — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:31:45 +0100

During his weekly radio address last Saturday, President Obama attacked health insurers for allegedly making excessive profits and paying excessive bonuses, for spreading "bogus" misinformation about the impact of Democrats' reform agenda on the cost of health insurance, and for "figuring out how to avoid covering people." He opined that health insurers are "earning these profits and bonuses while enjoying a privileged exemption from our antitrust laws, a matter that Congress is rightfully reviewing."10/21/2009 (Source: Kidney Cancer Association)

Physicians encounter barriers in exchanging lab results electronically

Healthcare IT News — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:37:01 +0100

The HIT Policy Advisory Committee's information exchange workgroup learned Tuesday just how difficult it's going to be for doctors to exchange electronic lab results to qualify for federal "meaningful use" bonuses. Physicians can earn a potential $44,000 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), beginning Oct. 1, 2011, but they will have to show meaningful use of data, including the use of electronic laboratory results. (Source: Healthcare IT News)

Blue Shield pays $29.6M in bonuses

bizjournals.com Health Care:Health Insurance headlines — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Blue Shield of California has paid $29.6 million this year in “pay for performance” bonuses to California medical groups and IPAs, based on key clinical and “patient experience” measurements. That compares to $29.5 million in payouts last year, and $31 million each in 2006 and 2007. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Health Insurance headlines)

Blue Shield pays $29.6M in bonuses

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:00:00 +0100

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

2009 CAP Postponement Article is Available on CMS Website: Contact Congress on Physician Bonus Payments

American Academy of Neurology — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:21:00 +0100

The US House and Senate are currently considering health care reform legislation that would give five to 10 percent bonuses to physicians who provide primary care services. The Academy needs your help to ensure cognitive, face-to-face care for patients. (Source: American Academy of Neurology)

Job-hunting in a recession: Physician jobs are out there but they may not be easy to find

Clinical Cases and Images — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:13:00 +0100

From American Medical News (AMedNews.com):53% of companies hiring physicians said ability to sell a home is a significant barrier.Physicians traditionally work within 100 miles of where they trained.Physician recruiter: We have seen at least a 15% decline in the number of candidates applying for our positions.85% of employers offer physicians signing bonuses with an average $24,850 (up from 58% in 2006).Related:Job Search: There's a feed for that?!Image source: OpenClipArt, public domain. Posted at Clinical Cases and Images. Stay updated and subscribe, or follow me on Twitter. (Source: Clinical Cases and Images)

Advocacy: Contact Congress on Physician Bonus Payments

American Academy of Neurology — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:23:00 +0100

BULLETIN: Reid Likely To Ram Health Bill Through Congress

Kidney Cancer Association — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:13:48 +0100

A senior aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told CNSNews.com that it is “likely” that Reid will use H.R. 1586—a bill passed by the House in March to impose a 90-percent tax on bonuses paid to employees of certain bailed-out financial institutions—as a “shell” for enacting the final version of the Senate’s health care bill, which Reid is responsible for crafting. [Read full story here] 10/08/2009 (Source: Kidney Cancer Association)

Blue Shield pays California doctors $29.6M in 2009 performance bonuses

bizjournals.com Health Care:Health Insurance headlines — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:32:50 +0100

Blue Shield of California said Wednesday it has paid $29.6 million in so-called “pay for performance” bonuses to California medical groups and IPAs this year, based on key clinical and “patient experience” measurements. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Health Insurance headlines)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Blue Shield pays California doctors $29.6M in 2009 performance bonuses

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:32:50 +0100

Earn a Bonus for Your EMR

Blogged_Arteries — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100

You may be able to earn bonuses through Medicare (up to $44,000) or Medicaid (up to $63,750) over the next several years if you demonstrate "meaningful use" of an electronic medical record (EMR) in your practice. (Source: Blogged_Arteries)

Management Practices That Waste Time and Money

Psychology Today Work Center — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 03:33:03 +0100

At the best of times, management mistakes can cost an organization valuable time and money. During difficult economic times, the results can be disastrous. In my Psychology Today article, Management Rewired: What Brain Science Can Tell Us About Leadership I said, "Research on how the human brain can affect behaviors--called neuroscience, or the popular term, brain science--has yet to be fully appreciated by leaders of organizations. That knowledge could have a significant impact on how leaders are trained and what they do. In the past few decades, scientists have gained new and more accurate scientific views of human behavior, studying the human brain. Organizational change that takes into account the physiological nature of the brain and ways that predisposes...

Job satisfaction as self-care within a restrictive regulatory environment: Nevada's study

Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The eligible NP sample was 315, or 61.5% of the total advanced nursing population. The sample was racially diverse, with a high male population. Job satisfaction was just over midway between "minimally satisfied" to "satisfied," with the highest satisfaction in "challenge/autonomy" and the lowest in "professional growth." Income was positively correlated with satisfaction for northern NPs earning less income and working fewer hours; bonuses were positively correlated for all. Those interested in higher education (e.g., doctorate) were younger, less experienced, part-time, professional members, and urban (south).Implications for practice: Findings provide insight for maximizing professional self-care, particularly in areas of professional growth. Job satisfaction data assist le...

Going without health insurance is a foolish gamble

L.A. Times - Health — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:43:37 +0100

Also: insurance policies and vaccines. Re: "Uninsured, Unafraid" (Sept. 21): It's very nice that J. Duncan Moore Jr. has decided that the $6,000 or so he is saving every year will pay for any care he might need in the future. Let me ask, if a drunk driver knocks you off your bike and you end up on a respirator, would you like me or other insured people or taxpayers to take care of you? Or if despite your good health, you suddenly find yourself diagnosed with cancer, would you like someone else to bail you out? The insurance pool works when it includes high- and low-risk people. What we need is insurance overhaul -- no $20,000,000 bonuses for insurance execs, no cherry-picking of young and healthy applicants, no rescinding of insurance when the...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

UNC Hospitals paying $9M in bonuses

bizjournals.com Health Care:Health Insurance headlines — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:56:06 +0100

UNC Hospitals is paying out about $9 million in incentive bonuses to employees for meeting the hospital’s strategic goals. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Health Insurance headlines)

UNC Hospitals paying $9M in bonuses

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:56:06 +0100

UNC Hospitals is paying out about $9 million in incentive bonuses to employees for meeting the hospital’s strategic goals. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines)

Can You Earn Your EMR Bonus?

Blogged_Arteries — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Is your practice ready to demonstrate "meaningful use" of an electronic medical record (EMR) so you are in line to earn bonuses through Medicare (up to $44,000) or Medicaid (up to $63,750) over the next several years? (Source: Blogged_Arteries)

Management Rewired: What Can Brain Science Tell Us About Leadership?

Psychology Today Work Center — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 15:35:14 +0100

Research on how the human brain can affect behaviors--called neuroscience, or the popular term, brain science--has yet to be fully appreciated by leaders of organizations. That knowledge could have a significant impact on how leaders are trained and what they do. In the past few decades, scientists have gained new and more accurate scientific views of human behavior, studying the human brain. Organizational change that takes into account the physiological nature of the brain and ways that predisposes people to resist or cooperate with leaders can be extremely useful for leaders.Some valuable insights come from John Medina, a molecular biologist, published in the Harvard Business Review in May 2008. Medina is an author of Brain Rules: 12 Principles For Surviving and Thriving at Work, Ho...

Health insurers' executive pay faces Congressional scrutiny

Modern Medicine — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:44:51 +0100

In a letter sent to executives, two top lawmakers demanded compensation information, for each year from 2003 to 2008, on health insurance company employees earning more than $500,000, including their bonuses, stock options, and other incentives. (Source: Modern Medicine)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

School Lunch: Where the Real Weapons of Mass Destruction Lie (Opinion)

NaturalNews.com — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews) Mike Adams wrote a great piece on how the public is kept nutritionally uneducated. Unfortunately, the best place to start with this is the youngest members of society through the school lunch program. In this era of government bailouts and concern over wasteful spending, an opportunity presents itself to take a hard look at the National School Lunch Program. It was started in 1946 as a public safety measure, and it certainly turned out to be a disaster.Under the program, the USDA gives public schools cash for every meal served - $2.57 for a free lunch, $2.17 for a reduced-price lunch and 24 cents for a paid lunch.In 2007, the program cost around $9 billion. This figure is acknowledged as inadequate to cover food costs. What people don`t realize is that very little of this mon...

Making The 'Pay' Matter In Pay-For-Performance: Implications For Payment Strategies [Health Tracking]

Health Affairs — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Although pay-for-performance (P4P) is being widely adopted, little is known about how different P4P strategies affect provider payment. These differences may be essential in motivating and maximizing quality improvement across all providers. We review hospitals’ P4P strategies and describe differences in payments by size of reward; payment differences between high- and low-performing providers; ability to reward improvement in the absence of high performance; and the percentage of payments based on performance. Bonuses vary considerably by payment strategy, which suggests that the strategy selected should vary depending on program goals. These findings are relevant to P4P for any type of provider. (Source: Health Affairs)

Half of large practices net bonuses from Medicare P4P demo

American Medical News — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:43:39 +0100

Participants say they are pleased with the results, despite the payout rate. Small practices start seeing their own performance dollars. (Source: American Medical News)

New Jersey Prepares to Launch Accountable Care Organization

AAFP Professional Issues — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:00:00 +0100

New Jersey is one of the first states to experiment with accountable care organizations, or ACOs, a relatively new health care model that is similar to the patient-centered medical home, or PCMH, and that links primary care and subspecialist practices with area hospitals to create an integrated delivery system. Providers are accountable for costs and the quality of care delivered, and bonuses and penalties are tied to overall spending and quality measures. (Source: AAFP Professional Issues)

House quietly gives 'bonuses' to top aides

Kidney Cancer Association — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:48:17 +0100

A month after they voted to punish some corporate executives for taking hefty bonus payouts, members of the House of Representatives quietly gave their own staffers a new potential bonus by making even their top-earning aides eligible for taxpayer dollars to repay their student loans.08/26/2009 (Source: Kidney Cancer Association)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Bonuses for healthy NHS staff attract lukewarm reception

HSJ — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Calls to incorporate managers’ support for employees’ health and wellbeing in bonuses and promotions have received a lukewarm reception from NHS Employers. (Source: HSJ)

Collision course

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:05:11 +0100

Chiefs at Cern in Geneva have now confirmed that the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) – switched on last autumn and hailed as the scientific breakthrough of the year – will run at only half of its intended energy when it resumes in November. The LHC came to a catastrophic halt nine days after the switch-on, and even after repairs will stay at half its planned energy during 2010. The magnificent instrument – hailed as the fastest thing on earth, the hottest property in the solar system and the coolest machine in the galaxy – will indeed accelerate hydrogen nuclei to velocities that approach the speed of light in a vacuum, but until the people with spanners and screwdrivers are sure that they have fixed everything, half energy is the best anyone can hope for.Particles will accelerate in t...

SNOMED CT will be required by 2015 for bonuses under economic recovery law

Healthcare IT News — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:28:06 +0100

The federal advisory panel on health IT standards has approved refined recommendations on how providers may electronically record a physician's observations to qualify for federal recovery bonuses. The HIT Standards Committee endorsed recommendations to call for SNOMED CT for physician's clinical observations by 2015. In 2010, providers must use ICD-9 or SNOMED CT to qualify, and in 2013 they must use ICD-10 or SNOMED CT. (Source: Healthcare IT News)

19 teams to compete for Google's lunar prize money

Physics Today News Picks — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100

New Scientist: A pack of private teams are racing to send robots to the Moon and claim the $20-million Google Lunar X Prize announced nearly two years ago. So far 19 teams have registered for the contest with only two teams—Quantum3 and SCSG—withdrawing. To win, they must land a rover on the moon that will then drive 500 metres before turning to photograph its landing site—all before the end of 2012. The team that does it first will pick up $20 million. Second place will earn $5m and a further $5m in bonuses will be awarded for finding relics from past US or Soviet moon missions such as visiting the Apollo 11 landing site. (Source: Physics Today News Picks)

Do You Qualify for a $63,750 Medicaid EHR Bonus?

AAFP Government and Medicine — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 20:20:00 +0100

A new report estimates that as many as 45,000 office-based physicians who participate in Medicaid and use electronic health records, or EHRs, could collect as much as $63,750 paid out over a six-year period as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Notably, about 9,800 primary care physicians -- defined by report authors as family physicians, internists and general practitioners -- could qualify for the bonuses. (Source: AAFP Government and Medicine)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Practice manager income rises despite shrinking bonuses

HealthcareRepublic Pharmacist News — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0100

The average practice manager's income has risen by 2% this year, despite bonuses falling sharply. (Source: HealthcareRepublic Pharmacist News)

Practice manager income rises despite shrinking bonuses

Healthcare Republic News — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0100

The average practice manager's income has risen by 2% this year, despite bonuses falling sharply. (Source: Healthcare Republic News)

Pain Therapeutics execs win bonuses

bizjournals.com Health Care:Industry Regulation headlines — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:46:08 +0100

Pain Therapeutics Inc., which late last year failed to win FDA approval of its abuse-resistant pain drug, gave bonuses totaling more than a half-million dollars to its top officers. (PTIE) (KG) (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Industry Regulation headlines)

Pain Therapeutics execs win bonuses

bizjournals.com Health Care:Physician Practices headlines — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:46:08 +0100

Pain Therapeutics execs win bonuses

bizjournals.com Health Care:Health Insurance headlines — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:46:08 +0100

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Pain Therapeutics execs win bonuses

bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:46:08 +0100

Pain Therapeutics execs win bonuses

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:46:08 +0100

Pain Therapeutics execs win bonuses

bizjournals.com Health Care:Hospitals headlines — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:46:08 +0100

Practice managers' salaries bitten by bonus drop

Management in Practice — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:44:07 +0100

The level of bonuses paid to practice managers has fallen by 26% in the last year, a large survey of the profession has revealed (Source: Management in Practice)

Pay for performance unaffected by complexity of patients

Modern Medicine — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:08:12 +0100

Doctors who seek pay-for-performance bonuses for quality of care for chronic conditions such as hypertension should not be concerned that they will be penalized if most of these patients have multiple other chronic conditions, according to a recent study. (Source: Modern Medicine)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Pay for performance unaffected by complexity of patients

Modern Medicine Medical Economics — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Cytokinetics execs land bonuses, raises

bizjournals.com Health Care:Industry Regulation headlines — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:44:44 +0100

Cytokinetics Inc. handed top executives special bonuses of more than a half-million dollars — as well as 2009 salary increases — as a thank-you for landing a licensing deal with biotech giant Amgen Inc. and closing a $14 million direct stock offering. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Industry Regulation headlines)

Cytokinetics execs land bonuses, raises

bizjournals.com Health Care:Physician Practices headlines — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:44:44 +0100

Cytokinetics execs land bonuses, raises

bizjournals.com Health Care:Health Insurance headlines — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:44:44 +0100

Cytokinetics execs land bonuses, raises

bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:44:44 +0100

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Cytokinetics execs land bonuses, raises

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:44:44 +0100

Cytokinetics execs land bonuses, raises

bizjournals.com Health Care:Hospitals headlines — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:44:44 +0100

Vital Signs: Behavior: Money Not a Motivator in Losing Weight

NYT > Health — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:55:22 +0100

Losing weight is so hard you cannot even pay people to do it. (Source: NYT > Health)

Investors Question Biotech Pay Deals

WSJ.com: Health — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:54:59 +0100

As U.K. biotechs face collapse, investors are asking why some senior executives and board members are getting big salaries and bonuses. (Source: WSJ.com: Health)

Biotech Pay Deals Draw Ire

WSJ.com: Health — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:31:23 +0100

As U.K. biotechs face collapse, investors are asking why some senior executives and board members are getting big salaries and bonuses. (Source: WSJ.com: Health)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Memo to Biotech CEOs: Keep Hands Off Cash

WSJ.com: Health — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:03:11 +0100

As U.K. biotechs face collapse, investors are asking why some senior executives and board members are getting big salaries and bonuses. (Source: WSJ.com: Health)

How to Save Money for Tubal Ligation Reversal

Tubal Ligation Reversal News — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Members of the Tubal Reversal Message Board discuss the various ways they have been able to save up in order to have their tubal reversals at Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center. Tax refunds, supplemented by a low interest credit card, reenlistment bonuses for military families, using reward points from bank cards and sky miles, plus a waitressing job after hours are some of the creative ways these women have found to finance their reverse tubal ligations. Fortunately, the low cost tubal reversal options make the surgery affordable for most people at the premier center for tubal reversal surgery. (Source: Tubal Ligation Reversal News)

A process evaluation of user fees abolition for pregnant women and children under five years in two districts in Niger (West Africa)

BMC Health Services Research — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The linkages between systems in which some patients pay (Bamako Initiative) and some do not should be carefully considered and organized in accordance with the local reality. For the poorest patients to really benefit, it is essential that, at the same time, the quality of services be improved and mechanisms be put in place to prevent abuses. Much remains to be done to generate knowledge on the processes for abolishing fees in West Africa. (Source: BMC Health Services Research)

Health Reform Options Include Boost to Primary Care

Family Practice News — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0100

The health reform package being crafted in Congress could include Medicare payment bonuses to primary care physicians and general surgeons, according to policy options released by leaders of the Senate Finance Committee. (Source: Family Practice News)

Saudi healthcare salaries under scrutiny

Healthcare — Sun, 24 May 2009 08:22:58 +0100

The Saudi Health Ministry and Civil Service Ministries have formed a joint committee to set out wages for newly appointed workers in private hospitals, medical cities and military hospitals in the Saudi Arabia. Spokesman for the Ministry, Dr Khalid Marghlani, said new job descriptions will be used to channel and control salary bonuses and to allocate accommodation and medical insurance allowances. Once the job descriptions are applied, doctors are expected to receive a SR50,000 housing allowance, while allowances for other employees will be awarded according to their qualifications. (Source: Healthcare)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

How to Spot a Bad Leader

Psychology Today Work Center — Sat, 23 May 2009 15:57:21 +0100

Inspired by some recent examples of bad leadership, I thought I would start a series of posts on bad leadership, and note some of the tactics used by "bosses from hell."1. Use of Threats and PunishmentPunishment is simply a bad and generally ineffective leadership tactic. The goal of punishment is to STOP undesired behaviors. It does nothing to encourage positive, productive behaviors in employees. People who are punished, or threatened with punishment, feel resentment and want to get back at the source of the punishment.From the leader's perspective, punishment is ineffective because it turns you into a "police officer," constantly on guard to catch any and all offenders (punishment is only effective if it occurs immediately and consistently after each violation).Threats can only be effec...

Quebec nurses to get summer bonuses after all

CBC | Health — Fri, 08 May 2009 19:35:01 +0100

Two months after cancelling summer bonuses for nurses and health-care staff in Quebec, Health Minister Yves Bolduc has changed his mind, saying the bonuses are needed, but with some strings attached. (Source: CBC | Health)

Congress Not Likely To Pass Permanent Medicare Physician Payment Fix This Year

kaisernetwork.org: Health Policy Daily Report — Tue, 05 May 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on Monday said that comprehensive health reform legislation likely will not include a permanent solution to the Medicare physician payment system, CQ Today reports. The Medicare sustainable growth rate requires physician payment cuts to control costs each year since the beginning of the decade, but Congress has approved short-term patches nearly every year to avoid the reductions. However, each temporary fix requires steeper cuts in future years, and the formula will require a 21% reduction in physician payments in 2010 (Armstrong, CQ Today, 5/4). According to the Congressional Budget Office, freezing physician payment rates for 10 years would cost $285 billion (Young, The Hill, 5/4).Last week, Baucus and Finance Committee ranking member ...

Michael White on the Budget crisis

HSJ — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0100

A shadow Cabinet heavyweight summed up the Budget crisis with brutal clarity: “We have been paying nurses by taxing bankers’ bonuses. It’s unsustainable,” the MP observed with some sadness. (Source: HSJ)

Sens. Baucus, Grassley Release Memo on Payment Reform, Improving Health Care Quality

kaisernetwork.org: Health Policy Daily Report — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Tuesday released a 48-page document outlining a number of health reform proposals, including payment reform and quality improvement, the Los Angeles Times reports (Levey, Los Angeles Times, 4/29). The committee will discuss the proposals Wednesday in the first of three closed-door meetings that will be held over the next several months to write health reform legislation (Budoff Brown, Politico, 4/28). The proposal aims to increase the number of primary care physicians, reduce hospital readmission rates, increase transparency, overhaul Medicare Advantage plan payments and create quality benchmarks for physicians and hospitals. Under the proposal, primary care physicians who treat Medicare benef...

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Meaningful use will likely include health registries, federal leader says

Healthcare IT News — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:49:49 +0100

Physician practices and health systems eyeing bonuses under the stimulus package should begin now by setting up health registries with their health IT vendor, according to Carolyn Clancy, director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (Source: Healthcare IT News)

Pay-for-performance influences patient care

Modern Medicine — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Annual performance bonuses of $1,500 to $2,000 per doctor were enough to alter patient care for a large group of California physicians, according to research released last month by the Rand Corp. (Source: Modern Medicine)

Pay-for-performance influences patient care

Modern Medicine Medical Economics — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

GP quality bonuses do not reflect patient satisfaction

HSJ — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Despite uniformly high scores in the quality and outcomes framework bonus scheme, GPs in some areas are receiving 63 per cent more complaints from patients than others. (Source: HSJ)

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals cuts bonuses

bizjournals.com Health Care:Hospitals headlines — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:24:25 +0100

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals Inc. has drastically slashed bonuses for its executives this year, as it continues to cut costs in a harsh economic environment. (SCMP) (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Hospitals headlines)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Nixon vows MOSERS reform with new appointees

bizjournals.com Health Care:Hospitals headlines — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:34:03 +0100

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon appointed two new members to the Missouri State Employees’ Retirement System board Tuesday in a push for reform after MOSERS gave bonuses to staff despite an asset loss of $1.8 billion last year. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Hospitals headlines)

Health Care Forum Discusses Role of Chronic Disease Management in Health Reform

kaisernetwork.org: Health Policy Daily Report — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:41:01 +0100

A bipartisan group of panelists on Tuesday at a health care forum agreed that managing and preventing chronic disease is essential to controlling health care costs and is necessary to achieve comprehensive health care reform, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. The forum, sponsored by the advocacy group America's Agenda, featured former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson and former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.). According to the Sentinel, the forum focused on the relatively "easy issues" in health care reform, such as encouraging healthier lifestyles, managing chronic illnesses, utilizing health information technology and restructuring the incentives in the health care system. The forum "touched just occasionally on the tough issues," including expanding health care coverage to...

Bill banning bonuses for denying insurance claims is killed

bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:00:45 +0100

Colorado lawmakers have killed a measure that would prohibit insurance companies from giving bonuses and incentives to adjusters and other employees for denying claims. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines)

What would it take to improve the quality of healthcare: more money, or more data?

Clinical Medicine — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Authors: Tomson CR Despite a sustained and massive increase in spending with the NHS, the evidence that care has improved, other than in areas of performance that have been intensively managed or rewarded by additional cash bonuses, is poor to non-existent. This failure to achieve across-the-board improvement is attributable to the fact that the outcomes of healthcare are 'system properties' and are unlikely to improve as a result of more work being put through the same system, and instead will only improve if healthcare providers at all levels are actively encouraged to redesign the system to improve on current performance. The most important way to achieve the 'will' to make such changes is to use data, preferably collected with minimal additional work, to generate clinically convinc...

Bonuses for top Universal Health Services executives top $5M

bizjournals.com Health Care:Hospitals headlines — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100

KING of PRUSSIA — Universal Health Services Inc. awarded more than $5 million in bonuses last week to five top executives for achieving 2008 performance goals under the hospital management company’s incentive plan. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Hospitals headlines)

MedWorm Message: Get the very latest Swine Flu news via the MedWorm Swine Flu RSS news feed - updated hourly from thousands of authoritative health and news sources.

Q&A: Medicare's quality and e-prescribing bonuses

Modern Medicine — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Will Medicare be giving a 2 percent bonus for e-prescribing, along with an additional 2 percent bonus for reporting quality measures? (Source: Modern Medicine)

Q&A: Medicare's quality and e-prescribing bonuses

Modern Medicine Medical Economics — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Will Medicare be giving a 2 percent bonus for e-prescribing, along with an additional 2 percent bonus for reporting quality measures? (Source: Modern Medicine Medical Economics)

AIG's Liddy: Payments 'distasteful'; Obey backs taxing bonuses

bizjournals.com Health Care:Hospitals headlines — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:23:04 +0100

While AIG's chief Edward Liddy said that he finds the firm's recent bonus payouts “distasteful” and has asked some employees to return part of the payment, Congressman Dave Obey (D-Wis.), the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said he is proposing a heavy tax on bonuses from all bailed-out firms. (AIG) (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Hospitals headlines)

Practices paperless before 2012 could maximize Medicare bonuses

American Medical News — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:02:09 +0100

Physicians can earn tens of thousands in IT incentives, but they must act quickly to achieve the biggest benefit and avoid penalties. (Source: American Medical News)