MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'imperial'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:25:57 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050461&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fhealth-care-for-very-rich-is-different.html Another glimpse of health care for the very rich comes by way of a BNet post by Jim Edwards about the beleaguered CEO of Forest Laboratories.The background is that:The CEO is fighting to retain his place atop the company against both investor Carl Icahn, who wants his own directors on Forest’s board, and the Department of Health & Human Services, which wants to exclude Solomon from the drug business as a punishment for the company settling a $313 million investigation by the Department of Justice over its illegal marketing of Levothroid and other drugs.We had posted about the government threat to disbar him from government business after his company here. Edwards noted that despite these setbacks, Solomon's total compensation actually increased:Forest Labs (FRX) reported that CEO How... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050461 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 21:16:00 +0100 5050461 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952748&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fmanagers-coup-how-hired-hands-got.html We have frequently discussed the perverse incentives provided to the leaders of health care organizations.  They almost never pay a penalty for presiding over organizational actions that are unethical, harmful to patients, or even criminal (e.g., see posts here and here for some very recent examples.)  However, they often collect outrageously huge compensation disproportionate to any reasonable measure of their organizations' performance.  (e.g., see posts here and here for relevant recent examples.)Now two news articles, based in turn on research studies, further illuminate how hired managers and executives have become so wealthy and unaccountable.The first news article was in the New York Times, and was in turn based on an accounting study.  In summary, a recent,... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952748 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 00:47:00 +0100 4952748 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893402&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FPxrcRUxnjW4%2F By Trevor BurrusCornel West feels jilted. In an article on him at Truthdig, Princeton’s Professor of African-American Studies and Religion criticizes President Obama for being ungrateful for West’s service to his campaign. Much of the article reads like post-breakup grumblings. West describes how Obama never calls him back, “but then a month and half later I would run into other people on the campaign and he’s calling them all the time. I said, wow, this is kind of strange. He doesn’t have time, even two seconds, to say thank you or I’m glad you’re pulling for me and praying for me, but he’s calling these other people.” Most interesting are West’s criticisms of Obama’s presidency. Like many former supporters, Professor West feels betrayed by Obama’s “same as the o... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893402 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 20:23:49 +0100 4893402 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893413&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FrydOQNq3g4U%2F By Gene HealyMy Washington Examiner column today closes out a three-part series this week on “Obama’s Imperial Presidency” (also running at Reason.com). Tuesday’s column covered Obama’s expansion of executive power abroad, and Wednesday’s looked at the ways in which Obama has turned the Imperial Presidency inward against the private sector. Today’s column begins with a recap of the powers 44 holds: Abroad, Obama claims the power to start wars at will; scoop up your email and phone records without answering to a judge; assassinate you via drone strike far from any battlefield, and — should your relatives complain — keep the whole thing secret in the name of national security. At home, Obama has summarily fired the CEO of General Motors, ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893413 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 14:11:38 +0100 4893413 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862515&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fhu_TAotJGc0%2F By George Scoville “Vouchers and tax credits differ from one another in important ways, and Pennsylvanians deserve to have their representatives consider them one at a time.” “So, if the Supreme Court’s precedents defer to Congress’ assessments of its powers, but Congress is relying for ‘constitutional authority’ on the Supreme Court’s precedents, then NO ONE is actually looking at the Constitution itself to see if a bill is within Congress’ enumerated powers.” “Carbon dioxide, thought to be a significant cause of the warming of surface temperature since the mid-1970s, is currently the respiration of the world’s economic civilization. Getting rid of it isn’t as simple as banning CFCs and switching to another refrigerant.... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862515 Tue, 24 May 2011 15:23:20 +0100 4862515 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841388&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fseverance-package-to-un-severed-ceo.html The latest jaw-dropping story about executive compensation in health care has been unfolding in California, but at least now I have a diagnosis for this syndrome.  A Generous Retirement Package, Paid Before RetirementIn April, the Los Angeles Times reported about the generous retirement package given to an outgoing public hospital district CEO in California:When he turned 65 two years ago, Samuel Downing received a $3-million retirement payment from a public hospital district in Salinas, Calif., where he serves as president and chief executive.But Downing continued working at his $668,000-a-year job for another two years, and after he retires this week, he will receive another payment of nearly $900,000. That comes on top of his regular pension of $150,000 a year.Note that not only wa... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841388 Thu, 19 May 2011 21:11:00 +0100 4841388 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704627&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F37Y-u-NanmY%2F By Gene HealyThat’s the topic of my Washington Examiner column this week. In it, I discuss last week’s budget battle and the failure of “policy riders” designed to rein in the Obama EPA’s attempts to regulate greenhouse gases without a congressional vote specifically authorizing it. The Obama team believes it has the authority to implement comprehensive climate change regulation, Congress be damned. Worse still, under current constitutional law–which has little to do with the actual Constitution–they’re probably right. Thanks to overbroad congressional delegation, “the Imperial Presidency Comes in Green, Too.” At home and abroad, the legislative branch sits on the sidelines as the executive state makes the law and wages war, despi... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704627 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 12:59:32 +0100 4704627 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4394688&cid=t_226216_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F01%2F24%2Fa-grand-old-montreal-building-enters-a-new-phase%2F When I read news from over the weekend that another former Montréal banking landmark is up for sale – there’s a wealth of information from this link – I found the photo (below) of “The Canadian Bank of Commerce” which I took a few years ago. (In 1961 it merged with The Imperial Bank of [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4394688 Tue, 25 Jan 2011 04:19:13 +0100 4394688 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4309562&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F01%2Fsome-call-it-tyranny-top-leaders-of.html The state of California, and its flagship university system, the University of California, have been under extreme financial pressure lately.  The 36 Executives' DemandsHowever, that apparently has not decreased the University's hired managers' and executives' sense of entitlement.  They are threatening to sue if their pensions are not increased.  As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle,Three dozen of the University of California's highest-paid executives are threatening to sue unless UC agrees to spend tens of millions of dollars to dramatically increase retirement benefits for employees earning more than $245,000.'We believe it is the University's legal, moral and ethical obligation' to increase the benefits, the executives wrote the Board of Regents in a Dec. 9 letter ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4309562 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 20:58:00 +0100 4309562 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4294580&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fhackensack-university-medical-center.html Last year was an embarassing one for Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC), a large academic medical center affiliated with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.  In April, former state senator Joseph Coniglio was convicted of fraud (against the public) and extortion for a scheme that involved him being paid $5000 a month for undefined consulting work for HUMC while he promoted the hospital's interests in the state legislature (see post here).  A subsequent investigative report revealed widespread self-dealing on the part of the HUMC board (see post here).  Soon after, the HUMC CEO, John Ferguson, announced his retirement, per the Newark Star-Ledger.Scandal Leads to Apparent ReformsSo when I read an article from last week on NorthJersey.com entit... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4294580 Mon, 27 Dec 2010 22:47:00 +0100 4294580 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214036&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fconfidentiality-clause-or-oath-of.html The advancement of modern scientific medicine depends on the search for and dissemination of truth. Academic medicine, like the rest of academia, ought to be based on openness, transparency, and academic freedom. The 1940 American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure opened with:The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Yet we have written about dark clouds of secrecy spreading over medicine and health care. The increasingly powerful leaders of health care increasingly use opacity and secrecy to keep what they are doing out of the public eye. We have frequently discussed the anechoic effect, how it is just not done to discuss certain topics, particularly those related to the adverse effects ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214036 Tue, 30 Nov 2010 21:27:00 +0100 4214036 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4133612&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fgreat-investment-oppotunity.html A sad commentary on the current morality of the health care "business," as provided by the New York Times. Sam Waksal is back in the biotechnology business:Mr. Waksal says his new venture, Kadmon Pharmaceuticals, will be 'a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company from the get-go,' replete with everything, including its own research and products on the market or in clinical trials that it acquires from others. 'You’ll see a company that next year will be doing significant revenues in a growth area, with earnings, probably five Phase 3 programs and a couple of Phase 2 products,' Mr. Waksal said Sunday in a telephone interview. Phase 3 and Phase 2 are the late and middle stages, respectively, of clinical trials. Several of Mr. Waksal’s former colleagues from ImClone have joined him at ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4133612 Tue, 02 Nov 2010 21:21:00 +0100 4133612 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4124961&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fblogscan-florida-doctors-endorse-ex.html Rick Scott was the CEO of for-profit hospital chain Columbia/ HCA.  The company ended up settling civil and criminal charges for $1.7 billion.  Like many other examples in the march of legal settlements about which we have often posted, no individual who authorized, directed, or implemented the relevant bad behavior suffered any sort of negative consequence or paid any penalty.  Rick Scott left the company, but with a golden parachute.  Now he his running for Governor of Florida, using a substantial amount of his own money (but money that probably mostly came from Columbia / HCA). (See post here.)  He may be in the lead.  And the Florida Medical Association has just endorsed him.  In the Health Beat blog, Maggie Mahar is all over this story.  Read it... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4124961 Mon, 01 Nov 2010 19:35:00 +0100 4124961 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4060548&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F10%2Fsynthes-and-its-subsidiary-plead-guilty.html In December, 2009, we updated the story of Swiss-based medical device company Synthes and the marketing by its Norian division of a bone cement.  At that time, US authorities charged the company with use of an unapproved product in about 200 patients, three of whom suffered untimely deaths.  At that point, four US based Synthes executives had pleaded guilty to charges related to this affair.  Last week, another shoe dropped.  As reported by the Associated Press,A medical devices company will admit criminality and pay the maximum $23 million fine for illegally testing bone cement on about 200 spinal patients, three of whom died in surgery, U.S. prosecutors said Monday.Norian Corp. trained surgeons to conduct unapproved clinical tests of its bone cement from 2002 to 2004,... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4060548 Tue, 12 Oct 2010 21:52:00 +0100 4060548 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4031185&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F10%2Fpay-for-what-redux-surrealistic-pay-for.html Pay-for-performance has been a persistently fashionable mantra for health care business leaders and policy advocates, particularly as applied to physicians to control costs and perhaps even improve quality.  We have been highly critical of current methods proposed to measure performance and tie pay to it (e.g., here), and other bloggers, notably Dr Robert Centor at DB's Medical Rants, have vigorously pursued this issue (e.g., here).It is beyond ironic that meanwhile, the pay of health care organizations' leaders seems less and less related to their performance.  For example, in a recent series on local executive pay in the Boston Globe there were these examples:HologicHologic Inc. gave its chief executive, John W. Cumming, a $1.5 million “retention payment’’ ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4031185 Mon, 04 Oct 2010 20:51:00 +0100 4031185 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3998926&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fhealth-care-leaders-in-maine-fail-to.html From down east Maine comes a telling story about the problems of contemporary health care leadership.  I assembled this case from three articles by Meg Haskell in the Bangor Daily News, links are below. (1-3)Complaints About the CEO's Clinical PoliciesThe story begins with complaints about clinical policies instituted by the CEO of Acadia Hospital.[Acadia CEO David] Proffitt has come under fire in recent weeks from current and former Acadia Hospital employees who say the incidence and severity of staff injuries have risen since he initiated a policy that essentially eliminates the use of mechanical and physical restraints with mentally ill patients who become violent. (2)The concerns were raised with government agencies:Since the end of July, the federal Occupational Safety and H... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3998926 Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:40:00 +0100 3998926 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3946400&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F09%2Flogical-fallacies-in-defense-of-million.html We recently posted about the latest example of generously paid health care leaders, million dollar plus hospital CEOs in the Baltimore area (here).  Such stories are appearing more often in the media, and increasingly generating skeptical, anguished, or angry responses.  Defending Millionaire Hospital CEOsSo it should be no surprise that the defenders of rich hospital CEOs are starting to rally.  The Baltimore Sun published two letters defending the million dollar plus compensation received by many local hospital CEOs.  But what arguments they made.First, let us examine in detail  the arguments made by Carmela Coyle, "president and CEO of the Maryland Hospital Association."  She opened with this description of hospitals as organizations:Famed management expert... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3946400 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 16:23:00 +0100 3946400 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3920789&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F08%2Fmore-hospital-ceos-join-millionaires.html As we predicted, more stringent requirements by the US Internal Revenue Service for financial reporting by not-for-profit organizations, including hospitals and hospital systems, have produced an enlarging parade of revelations of obese pay packages for hospital leaders.  The latest report came out courtesy the Baltimore Sun:Baltimore-area hospital CEOs and presidents boast seven-figure salaries, club and gym memberships, and paid financial planning and tax services as part of compensation packages from their nonprofit employers.According to a survey of Baltimore-area hospitals, the highest-ranking executives were often the recipients of financial payouts and perquisites that many private-sector companies have abandoned in the face of intense public debate about excessive CEO pay. The... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3920789 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:09:00 +0100 3920789 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3914933&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F08%2Fcan-1-billion-group-of-babies-provide.html The issue of executive compensation in health care seems to be attracting more media attention.A St Louis Post-Dispatch editorial noted how executive compensation for for-profit health insurance CEOs has grown. It started with a quote from Steven Hemsley, the CEO of UnitedHealth:Today the American people are questioning whether or not we receive fair value for the $2.6 trillion we, as a society, are expecting to spend this year on our health care system. The vast majority, including those of us at UnitedHealth Group, believe the answer is, 'No.'Here is a summary of the compensation information:Modern Healthcare, a leading health industry trade journal, published its annual executive compensation survey this week. Topping the list is Stephen Hemsley, quoted above, who gave a speech to the D... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3914933 Sun, 29 Aug 2010 23:49:00 +0100 3914933 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3868784&cid=t_226216_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F08%2F15%2Fthreats-hidden-in-the-moral-of-the-story%2F The human mind is always searching for meaning in the world. It’s one of the reasons we love stories so much: they give meaning to what might otherwise be a random series of events. From stories emerge characters, context, hopes and dreams, morals even. Using simple structures, stories can communicate complex ideas about the author’s view of the world and how it works, often without the reader’s knowledge. Two simple stories that illustrate quite different ways of thinking about the world were used in new research published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. The authors wanted to explore how we react to ideas and narratives that contradict our view of the world (Proulx et al., 2010). The Tortoise and the Hare The first story used in their research... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3868784 Sun, 15 Aug 2010 10:35:00 +0100 3868784 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3865227&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F08%2Fbeing-health-insurance-executive-means.html WellPoint, the largest US for-profit health care insurance company, has provided a steady stream of examples of poor management and bad behavior for the edification of Health Care Renewal readers.  Most recently, a company whose core functions include reliably and confidentially managing electronic data on policy-holders allowed what should have been private data from nearly half a million people to appear on-line (see post here.  For other examples, look here.) This week, the Los Angeles Times recounted what happened to a highly placed WellPoint executive who tried to improve the company's behavior.  Leslie Margolin was the public face of Anthem this year when it sought to raise individual insurance rates as much as 39%. The move triggered a backlash in ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3865227 Fri, 13 Aug 2010 19:52:00 +0100 3865227 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3865228&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F08%2Fgolden-parachute-for-making.html In late 2009, we posted about problems at a Genzyme plant that manufactured some fabulously expensive drugs, e.g. Cerezyme whose cost to patients approximated $160,000 a year. We thought then that for a drug costing that much, the company ought to have figured out a conservative process to provide pure and unadulterated product. In a later post we also why a company that could afford to make its CEO very rich could not afford to adequately maintain its manufacturing facilities.  In May, 2010, we posted about a legal settlement of charges related to its manufacturing problems requiring Genzyme to pay a $175 million fine and function under US government supervision.Recent news articles suggest that the fix of the company's inabilities to manufacture pure, unadulterated drug remained rem... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3865228 Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:48:00 +0100 3865228 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3805786&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F07%2Fwhere-no-hospital-ceos-are-below.html In Lake Woebegon, all children are above average.  Now it seems that hospital CEOs have moved there.  Ventura County, Where No CEO is Below AverageThe Ventura County (California) Star reported on the uniformly high remuneration of the CEOs of local, mostly small, not-for-profit hospitals and hospital systems.T. Michael Murray reaped $330,545 in 2008 as chief executive officer of St. John’s hospitals in Oxnard and Camarillo. He drew an additional $187,071 in bonuses with $73,113 more in benefits and other compensation.His total package, according to IRS records, reached $590,729.And he may have been underpaid, according to a statewide survey of 118 nonprofit hospitals. The report by the Payers & Providers healthcare business publication suggests the base salary for CEOs aver... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3805786 Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:38:00 +0100 3805786 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3802342&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F07%2Fhospital-ceo-as-debt-collector.html Last year we noted that the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) required more detailed reporting starting in 2009 by US not-for-profit organizations. Many US health insurance companies/ managed care organizations, most hospitals, nearly all medical associations, nearly all disease advocacy organizations, all health care charities, and nearly all medical schools are not-for-profit organizations. We suggested then that this reporting might lead to more transparency about the leadership and governance of these organizations.  The 2009 990 forms seem to be trickling into public view, sometimes leading to some striking disclosures about how US not-for-profit health care organizations are lead.The California Watch blog just reported about the interesting part-time job of a hospital CEO:The fo... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3802342 Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:17:00 +0100 3802342 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3767033&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F07%2Fnot-your-average-joes-health-plan.html A Denver Post article offered a brief glimpse into the health benefits of corporate leaders, on the unusual occasion of a former CEO now in legal fight for the health benefits in the style to which he had become accustomed:Poor Joe. He's not getting the health-care benefits he was promised.His former employer merged with another company, and then another, and then another. And, you know how it goes after a slew of mergers. Suddenly the new, conglomerated monster just doesn't care about retirees any more.Joe isn't going to sit back and take it like an average Joe. He's suing his former employer in U.S. District Court in Manhattan for breach of contract, breach of faith, breach of fiduciary duty and even promissory estoppel.The Joe in question was really:Lord & Taylor's CEO.Joseph E. Bro... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3767033 Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:37:00 +0100 3767033 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3721754&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F_bzZO0pzusE%2F By Roger PilonAt Politico Arena today, the question is: Who was the best president, and who was the worst? (For more on this question, see the post by David Boaz, just below.) My response: The new Siena College poll ranking U.S. presidents speaks to nothing so much as the corruption of the modern American academy. I defer to the comments of my colleague, David Boaz, and would add only that these rankings are about as insightful as many of the scribblings of these academics. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3721754 Fri, 02 Jul 2010 14:28:24 +0100 3721754 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3710519&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F06%2Fwellpoint-dont-know-much-about-computer.html Big US based health care insurance companies have not been covering themselves in glory in the last week.Aetna's Math ErrorsFirst, there was the case of Aetna's mathematical prowess, e.g., as reported by the Los Angeles Times:A second insurance company in California has killed plans for double-digit rate hikes for individual policyholders because of errors in its filing that would have inflated premiums, state regulators said Thursday.Connecticut-based Aetna Inc. had sought an average 19% increase in rates for its 65,000 individual customers, but pulled back after multiple math errors in its paperwork were found by its own staff and by an independent consultant working for the state.Aetna's decision follows a similar move by Anthem Blue Cross, which canceled a rate increase of as much as 3... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3710519 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:49:00 +0100 3710519 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3706659&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FZhuNkK7P9Ks%2F By David BoazSenator Robert C. Byrd, who died today at age 92, had a long and varied career. Unlike most senators, Senator Byrd remembered that the Constitution delegates the power to make law and the power to make war to Congress, not the president. He often held up the Cato Institute’s pocket edition of the Constitution as he made that vital point in Senate debate. I have several emails from colleagues over the years reading “Senator Byrd is waving the Cato Constitution on the Senate floor right now.” Alas, if he really took the Constitution seriously, he would have realized that the limited powers it gives the federal government wouldn’t include many of the New Deal and Great Society programs that opened up whole new vistas for pork in West Virginia. Justin... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3706659 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:20:49 +0100 3706659 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3695520&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F06%2Fedwin-lee-on-tiger-we-are-now-riding.html Some insights about why the leadership of large health care organizations has gone so wrong may be found on a blog I just discovered entitled "Dismounting Our Tiger," written by entrepreneur Edwin Lee. In particular, this post, triggered by the miserable results produced by BP in response to the gulf oil spill, posits the series of steps by which people become leaders of most big organizations, presumably including health care organizations:1.They always followed orders and met the cultural expectations of their organization. They went along to get along. Early in their careers they were faced with a choice: they could make a difference or get promoted; they chose to get promoted. (Those who attempt to make a difference make waves for senior management and fellow workers who then deal with... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3695520 Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:59:00 +0100 3695520 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3652370&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F06%2Ffinding-out-about-health-care.html A persistent theme for Health Care Renewal has been how concentration and abuse of power in health care trap patients and heath care professionals in a maze of bureaucracy, perverse incentives, deception, and conflicts of interest.  To anyone who has to make the transition from person to patient, some of these problems become immediately obvious.  Consider, for example, this account of "going into a hospital for a minor procedure":The very idea of being a patient is anathema. To people of my generation -- the 'me' generation -- who like to be in control, the experience begins with loss of control. First the paperwork -- three or four times paperwork has to filled out and given to a succession of strangers. Then they take all of your belongings, they tell you to take your clothes ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3652370 Thu, 10 Jun 2010 21:04:00 +0100 3652370 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3644726&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F06%2Fkind-of-blackmail-not-for-profit-health.html Here is another case in the annals of over-paid executives of not-for-profit health care organizations, this time from the Burlington (VT) Free-Press,Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont overpaid its former chief executive officer by $3 million over an eight-year period and has been ordered to pay the money back to its subscribers by 2012 in the form of reduced premiums, a top state regulator said Wednesday.The action by the state Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration Department follows last year’s disclosure that William Milnes, the nonprofit firm’s former CEO, received a $7.2 million payout when he stepped down in 2008.Furthermore, note that [Commissioner of the Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration Department Paulette] Thabault said h... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3644726 Tue, 08 Jun 2010 21:49:00 +0100 3644726 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3595541&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2Freading-between-lines-scrappy-wellpoint.html Giant US for-profit insurance company/ managed care organization WellPoint has provided numerous examples of problems with the current way health care organizations are lead.  Here we discussed charges that recent rate increases by its Anthem subsidiary may have violated previous agreements not to directly fund from premiums the golden parachutes of executives who left after the merger of Anthem and WellPoint; that WellPoint used magical accounting to make administrative costs appear to be from patient care; and that WellPoint investigated patients who developed cancer to find minor errors in their policy applications, and  used these as excuses for post-hoc cancellations (rescissions) of their policies.  And here we discussed a long list of WellPoin... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3595541 Mon, 17 May 2010 16:26:00 +0100 3595541 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3573643&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2Freading-between-lines-scrappy-wellpoint.html Giant US for-profit insurance company/ managed care organization WellPoint has provided numerous examples of problems with the current way health care organizations are lead.  Here we discussed charges that recent rate increases by its Anthem subsidiary may have violated previous agreements not to directly fund from premiums the golden parachutes of executives who left after the merger of Anthem and WellPoint; that WellPoint used magical accounting to make administrative costs appear to be from patient care; and that WellPoint investigated patients who developed cancer to find minor errors in their policy applications, and  used these as excuses for post-hoc cancellations (rescissions) of their policies.  And here we discussed a long list of WellPoin... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3573643 Mon, 17 May 2010 16:26:00 +0100 3573643 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3546833&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2F19-million-means-never-having-to-say.html Johnson and Johnson, the giant diversified health care company, recently shut down a factory that manufactured non-prescription childrens' medication, and recalled its products.  The findings from a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspection of the plant were striking.  As described by Reuters,The company recalled 40 widely used children's pain and allergy medications, saying some may have a higher concentration of their active ingredients, while others may be contaminated. J&J has had four recalls in the past year of over-the-counter medicines.In an FDA report issued on Tuesday, inspectors said they found thick dust, grime and contaminated ingredients at the J&J plant that produces Children's Tylenol and dozens of other products recalled last week.This infuriated t... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3546833 Sat, 08 May 2010 19:05:00 +0100 3546833 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3501494&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F04%2Fpay-for-hypocrisy-for-health-insurance.html A few weeks ago, we discussed the cognitive dissonance produced by huge salary boosts for top executives of health care companies with miserable ethical track records.  One of our examples contrasted a long list of ethical violations by US giant health insurance company/ managed care organization WellPoint and the huge raises given its CEO and top executives.  Now more ethical questions are being raised about WellPoint.Rate Hikes Retrospectively for Golden ParachutesAn op-ed published in several California newspapers (here via the Sonoma Index-Tribune) claimed that the huge rate hike that WellPoint's California subsidiary proposed earlier this year, an action that helped to revitalize the US legislative health care reform process, was meant to recoup costs of a pre... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3501494 Fri, 23 Apr 2010 20:09:00 +0100 3501494 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3448806&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F04%2Fwhat-me-worry-leaders-prosper-despite.html There were two examples in the recent news about how the leaders of health care organizations seem to prosper no matter what questions are raised about their organizations' ethics or performance.WellPointIt seemed that anger over a rate increase by a subsidiary of the huge insurance company/ managed care organization WellPoint was one reason for the revival of efforts in the US to enact some sort of health care reform legislation.  In our comment on this controversy, we noted that questions about the ethics of WellPoint's actions have appeared again and again.  Wellpoint...settled a RICO (racketeer influenced corrupt organization) law-suit in California over its alleged systematic attempts to withhold payments from physicians (see post here).subsidiary New York Empire Blue Cross ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3448806 Thu, 08 Apr 2010 16:19:00 +0100 3448806 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3429131&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F03%2Fnew-investigations-of-boston-scientific.html It appears that device-maker Boston Scientific has a new set of troubles.  The Boston Globe just reported:Stepped-up government scrutiny of Boston Scientific Corp. stems from heightened concern over medical safety and disappointment that the company made new missteps after resolving previous problems with the Food and Drug Administration, analysts said yesterday.The Natick medical-device maker, which has been working to settle patent suits and federal investigations dating back years, recently was notified of fresh investigations begun by the Department of Justice and the Securities Exchange Commission into problems that forced it to recall implantable heart defibrillators this month.Boston Scientific said March 15 that it had halted shipments and recalled unsold units of seven brands... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3429131 Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:39:00 +0100 3429131 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3283535&cid=t_226216_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D2764 I had never intended to write about climate. It is too far from the things I know about. But recent events have unleashed a Palin-esque torrent of comments from people who clearly know even less about it than I do. In any case, it provides a good context to think about trust in science, Earthrise from moon. (click to enlarge) My interest in it, apart from little matters like the future of the planet, lies in the reputation of science and scientists. I have been going on for years now about the lack of trust in science, and the extent to which it is a self-inflicted problem. The latest reactions to the developments at the University of East Anglia and the IPCC may show the nature of the problem with dreadful clarity, Many of us came into science because, apart from the sheer be... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3283535 Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:09:04 +0100 3283535 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3100748&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fwith-leaders-like-these.html My current favorite book about the global financial meltdown, aka great recession, The Sellout, by Charles Gasparino, featured vivid portraits of the bad leadership that lead to the collapse.  For example:Richard S Fuld, Jr, former CEO of Lehman Brothers (now bankrupt) - Fuld had become more isolated and arrogant. (p.208)As the firm's leverage increased, Fuld's grip on his management and board grew. He was revered by so many people in his circle of senior advisers that almost no one dared to speak out about the firm's risk and leverate, and almost never to Fuld himself. Everyone else was so scared to be cursed at in public or even fired that they simply kept their mouths shut.Fuld's leadership was more like that of a cult leader than even that of an imperial CEO. (p. 20... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3100748 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 22:04:00 +0100 3100748 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3089237&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F12%2F98-million-dollar-man.html We seem to have a new candidate for the award for best-paid CEO of a not-for-profit academic medical center, as reported in the New York Post,Wall Streeters aren't the only ones raking in big bonuses during tough economic times.Hospital presidents and CEOs also collect fat bonuses and 'incentive payments,' even as health-care systems cry poverty, claiming they struggle to break even against government cutbacks, tightwad insurers and skyrocketing costs.While warning of layoffs and slashed patient services, many hospitals shower their top execs and department heads with bonuses and perks. They include housing allowances, chauffeurs, first-class air travel, tuition for their kids and country-club memberships.Under new IRS rules, the extras are disclosed for the first time in recently filed 20... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3089237 Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:29:00 +0100 3089237 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3082380&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fperson-no-7-also-known-as-83rd-richest.html This one nearly snuck by.  A Settlement and Some IndictmentsIn May, 2009, we posted that international Swiss-based medical device manufacturer Synthes settled charges that it was paying surgeons who conducted clinical trials for the company with company stock, and in June, 2009, we posted that Synthes was indicted based on allegations that it had subjected patients to an experimental use of its Norian XR bone cement product on the spinal cord, a use not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, and that its executives had lied to the FDA about these actions.  It was noteworthy that the indictment named but did not charge the then CEO of the company as "Person No. 7" who allegedly decided not to conduct clinical trials of Norian XR, but rather to have surgeons use it in a c... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3082380 Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:48:00 +0100 3082380 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3066982&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fcompensation-madness-insiders-hijacking.html As we learn more about the causes of the global financial melt-down, aka great recession, the lessons appear more applicable to health care.  My latest example comes from last week's Wall Street Journal.  There appeared an article by a Professor from the Faculty of Management of McGill University (Montreal, Canada) on executive compensation that has important lessons for health care (Mintzberg H. No more executive bonuses. Wall Street Journal, Nov 30, 2009.  Link here.)Prof Mintzberg's first major premise was that current executive compensation at major corporations resembles a rigged casino:Although these executives like to think of themselves as leaders, when it comes to their pay practices, many of them haven't been demonstrating leadership at all. Instead ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3066982 Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:38:00 +0100 3066982 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3035877&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F11%2Fwas-is-worst-biotech-ceo-worth.html Recently, we posted about misadventures of the leadership of biotechnology giant Genzyme.  Although the company has long priced its drug Cerezyme for the rare Gaucher's disease at a stratospheric level, it did not sufficiently reinvest money in its manufacturing facility for the drug.  Deferred maintenance at a production facility running at maximum capacity has apparently lead to two different kinds of contamination problems, forcing a shut-down of the plant, and now a shortage of the drug.  For this, Genzyme CEO Henri Termeer was just labeled the "Worst Biotech CEO of '09" by TheStreet.com.It was not always thus.  A 2008 profile of Mr Termeer in Boston Magazine chronicled the rise of Genzyme from a "startup [which] operated 15 stories above the Combat Z... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3035877 Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:15:00 +0100 3035877 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2977243&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F11%2Fpaging-and-paying-dr-coca-cola.html A few weeks ago, the Los Angeles Times Booster Shots blog announced that "Dr. Coca-Cola will see you now," noting opposition to the recently revealed alliance between the Coca-Cola Company and the American Academy of Family Physicians:[in] a sharply worded letter sent Wednesday to Dr. Douglas E. Henley, the academy’s chief executive.'We urge the AAFP to regain its credibility by rejecting the deal with Coca-Cola,' the letter stated. 'If the AAFP declines to do that, we urge your organization to reassert its support for the public health (and its own independence) by supporting a warning label on caloric sugar-sweetened beverages and a federal tax on soft drinks to support health promotion or health insurance programs.'The letter was signed by 22 doctors, nutritionists and health adv... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2977243 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:24:00 +0100 2977243 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2820174&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fsafety-net-medical-center-ceo-gets.html From theBostonChannel.com comes this story on executive compensation in a not-for-profit health care organization,Boston Medical Center – a financially troubled hospital – gave its outgoing CEO a one-time, nearly $3.5 million payment, in addition to her $1.3 million annual salary, Team 5 Investigates reported Friday.Elaine Ullian, 61, has led the city’s major 'safety net' hospital for the last 15 years. She recently announced she will retire when her contract expires in January.The hospital's financial situation is such that hospital leaders say it could face closure in the years ahead. It is currently suing the Executive Office of Health and Human Services over how it gets paid for treating poor and uninsured patients.Team 5 Investigates discovered, in a review of the hospital’s f... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2820174 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:16:00 +0100 2820174 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2768618&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fcaptains-outrageous-for-cape-annes.html While on a brief vacation on lovely Cape Anne, Massachusetts, one of my daily automated Google searches provided an article of local interest. The person nominated to be CEO of the local hospital system had been at the center of controversy while in his previous position as leader of a hospital system in Cincinnatti, Ohio. When I got back, I put some relevant terms into Google, and lo and behold, came up with one of the more complicated and colorful, if unhappy stories about problems with health care leadership and goverance I have seen lately. So, to the tune of "lions and tigers and bears, oh my...."Let me start with some background, and then to try to tell this story chronologically, noting issues as they came into public view. Northeast Health System is a regional hospital system in no... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2768618 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:13:00 +0100 2768618 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2751909&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fceo-begs-questions-about-paying.html We previously posted about financial ties between Professor David Polly at the University of Minnesota and medical device maker Medtronic. The main issues we discussed were 1) that when the good doctor spoke to a US congressional committee in support of research that might reflect favorably on one of Medtronic's products, he did not reveal that he was paid by Medtronic for "lobbying related costs (according to the Wall Street Journal); and 2) that many of the specific activities for which Dr Polly was paid by the company seemed related to marketing or lobbying, not science or education.Now the Pioneer Press (Minneapolis - St Paul, MN) and other papers have reported that the payments to Dr Polly have interested not only US Senator Charles Grassley, but at least one active Medtronic sharehol... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2751909 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:14:00 +0100 2751909 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2730066&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fny-mayor-pharmaceutical-executives-dont.html We just posted about the onrush of people into health care management, including many with little knowledge of or experience in health care. According to the Associated Press, one prominent politician defended at least pharmaceutical company managers who "don't make a lot of money." [Warning, irony and sarcasm ahead.]Billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg defended multibillion-dollar pharmaceutical companies and their chief executives on Friday, declaring that they 'don't make a lot of money' and shouldn't be scapegoats in the health care debate.The mayor — and wealthiest person in New York City with a fortune estimated at $16.5 billion — made the comments on his radio show Friday during a discussion about health care."You know, last time I checked, pharmaceutical companies don't make a l... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2730066 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:19:00 +0100 2730066 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2645275&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FdSUdUYuYpCw%2F The Bush administration has many legacies.  One is the more than $700 million U.S. embassy, set on 104 acres, only slightly smaller than the Vatican’s land holdings, in Baghdad.  It was an embassy designed for an imperial power intent on ruling a puppet state. It turns out that Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki doesn’t plan on being anyone’s puppet.  U.S. troops have come out of the cities and will be coming home in coming months.  Provincial reconstruction teams also will be leaving.  The Bush administration’s plan for maintaining scores of bases for use in attacking Iran or other troublesome Middle Eastern states is stillborn.  And Prime Minister Maliki isn’t likely to ask for Washington’s advice on what kind of society U.S. offi... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2645275 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:30:58 +0100 2645275 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2510284&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F0FhTEaO333Y%2F It seems that the Japanese government no longer seems entirely comfortable relying on America for it’s defense. Reports Reuters: A draft of Japan’s new mid-term defense policy guidelines is calling for the reinforcement of military personnel and equipment in the face of growing regional tensions, Kyodo news agency said. The draft, obtained by Kyodo, says Japan needs to reverse its policy of reducing its defense budgets in light of North Korea’s missile launches and nuclear tests, as well as China’s rise to a major military power, the news agency said. The document urges the government to raise the number of Ground Self-Defense Forces troops by 5,000 to 160,000, Kyodo said. The new National Defense Program Guidelines, covering five years to March 2015, are scheduled ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2510284 Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:25:58 +0100 2510284 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2510433&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F06%2Fscrushy-owes-288-billion-for-damages.html As reported by the Wall Street Journal, here is another reminder about just how bad the leadership of health care can be,Richard Scrushy was hit with a staggering $2.88 billion civil judgment in a suit brought by HealthSouth Corp. shareholders, one of the largest findings ever from the era of massive corporate scandals.The plaintiffs said that the former chairman and chief executive helped artificially inflate HealthSouth's earnings for at least six years through an accounting scam uncovered in 2003.Lawyers said Thursday's judgment appears to be the largest financial penalty ever levied against a single executive.Mr. Scrushy was once the poster child of highflying CEOs. He was paid salary and perks of as much as $40 million a year, performed at company events in his country band and travel... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2510433 Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:18:00 +0100 2510433 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441315&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fimperial-college-disowns-karol-sikora.html Enjoy the video? This is who made it.++++++++++A number of emails arrive from NHS BLOG DOCTOR readers to say that the Guardian medical editor has just nicked an NHS BLOG DOCTOR story. Tush! to those cynical readers. The Guardian is an honest, reputable newspaper.  I have written articles for them. They would never do something like that.Regular readers will remember the controversy about Karol Sikora, who is still flagrantly misrepresenting his relationship with Imperial College as he continues to mount a critical campaign against the NHS. On Saturday, 14 May, in Karol Sikora pissing into the NHS tent we looked at Sikora's disgraceful claim, written as though he is still a Professor of Cancer Medicine at Imperial College, that the NHS was killing patients by neglect:As a practicing oncol... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441315 Fri, 22 May 2009 23:15:00 +0100 2441315 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441289&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fhealthsouths-digital-hospital-from-era.html The trial for a civil law-suit against Richard Scrushy, the former CEO of for-profit rehabilitation hospital chain HealthSouth, is currently in progress. One bit of testimony provided a reminder about how supposed "innovations" in health care are uncritically accepted. As reported by the Birmingham (Alabama, US) News:HealthSouth Corp. Chief Executive Jay Grinney has concluded his testimony in the Richard Scrushy civil trial, ending with a devastating critique of the so-called 'digital hospital.''It was a very bad business decision that made no sense,' Grinney said of the half-completed Scrushy brainchild on U.S. 280 he inherited when he took over in 2004.Ending his sixth hour of testimony over two days, Grinney said the hospital had an original budget of $200 million, and that much had alr... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441289 Wed, 20 May 2009 20:11:00 +0100 2441289 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2424077&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fimperial-college-confirms-that-karol.html As we saw a few days ago, Karol Sikora continues to represent himself as a Professor of Cancer Medicine at Imperial College:He is Professor of Cancer Medicine and honorary Consultant Oncologist at Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, London.Karol Sikora dot comAnd, last week in an article written for an American newspaper he is styled thus:Karol Sikora, a practicing oncologist, is professor of cancer medicine at Imperial College School of Medicine, LondonUnion LeaderKarol Sikora's  views are outspoken and many NHS doctors disagree with him. But is he still a Professor at Imperial College and does he speak on behalf of Imperial College?  NHS BLOG DOCTOR wrote to Professor Charles Coombes, who is currently the head of the oncology department at Imperial College. He h... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2424077 Wed, 20 May 2009 16:21:00 +0100 2424077 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2414780&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fkarol-sikora-pissing-into-nhs-tent.html Imperial College, LondonDr Aust has not disappeared. He is alive and well, and draws my attention to an article "Professor" Sikora wrote a few days ago for the right-wing American press.Karol Sikora: This health care 'reform' will kill thousandsOne of the more unproductive elements of President Obama's stimulus bill is the $1.1 billion allotted for "comparative effectiveness research" to assess all new health treatments to determine whether they are cost-effective. It sounds great, but in Britain we have had a similar system since 1999, and it has cost lives and kept the country in a kind of medical time warp.As a practicing oncologist, I am forced to give patients older, cheaper medicines. The real cost of this penny-pinching is premature death for thousands of patients -- and higher over... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2414780 Sat, 16 May 2009 13:12:00 +0100 2414780 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2263911&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F03%2Fhealth-care-ceo-who-didnt-put-his-own.html We recently posted about executives at two different not-for-profit health care insurance companies/ managed care organizations whose pay seemed to keep levitating, despite organizational financial losses, and commented on how the compensation of top executives of health care organizations seems always to go up, regardless of the financial fortunes, or quality of the products or services provided by their organizations. (Posts here and here.)Today's Boston Globe, however, provided a contrast. The background is that the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), a renowned Harvard teaching institution, is facing a budget shortfall.Paul Levy, the guy who runs Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, was standing in Sherman Auditorium the other day, before some of the very people to whom he m... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2263911 Thu, 12 Mar 2009 20:17:00 +0100 2263911 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2232511&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F03%2F43-million-dollar-ceo-for-not-for.html The US stock markets are at lows unseen for more than 10 years, unemployment is rising, around the world national deficits are increasing, and times are tough for ostensibly not-for-profit Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the state's largest health care insurer/ managed care organization. Per the Boston Globe:Blue Cross-Blue Shield's business was affected by the stock market decline, the recession, and the increasing cost of medical care.Membership at the state's largest health plan declined about 40,000 to just over 3 million.'The decline in membership had an impact on results,' said chief financial officer Allen Maltz. 'In addition, many of our customers changed their benefits plans to products that have much lower margins.'Blue Cross-Blue Shield insures employees of national... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2232511 Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:12:00 +0100 2232511 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1990694&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F11%2Fquestions-of-benefits-vs-risks-for-upmc.html Last week, the Wall Street Journal published an investigative report on the liver transplant program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center which provided a troubling view of some the issues affecting US health care.Let me summarize the main points, as I would like to organize them, using quotes from the article, and my parenthetic comments.Liver Transplantation Strategies at UPMC were Aggressive and RiskyEarlier this decade, UPMC made an aggressive bid to reclaim its leadership by hiring an innovative surgeon named Amadeo Marcos, who promised to double the number of liver transplants the hospital did. Dr. Marcos delivered on his pledge. In doing so, however, he resorted to practices that some colleagues found questionable. These practices included:Lowering Standards for Donor Live... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1990694 Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:36:00 +0100 1990694 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1883291&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F10%2Fascension-healths-descent-away-from-its.html This week, the Wall Street Journal continued its series on US not-for-profit hospitals and health systems with a story about how Ascension Health is abandoning inner-city Detroit for the more affluent suburbs,Ascension Health, the country's largest nonprofit hospital system, says its mission is to serve all, 'with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable.' But in this city, where one in four people don't have health insurance, it's become harder for the poor and vulnerable to find Ascension.Last year, Ascension's local subsidiary closed Riverview Hospital, the third hospital it has shut down in Detroit in the past 10 years and the only hospital that remained on the city's blighted east side. Meanwhile, 30 miles away, in a suburb of multimillion-dollar homes, Ascension is open... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1883291 Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:35:00 +0100 1883291 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1825538&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F09%2Ffailed-masters-of-universe-running.html The Wall Street Journal Health Blog recently reported about some New York City hospitals worried about the current financial/ economic crisis, but for interesting reasons:To give you a sense of how the crisis on Wall Street is affecting New York hospitals, we need only provide the names of some financial execs who are on the board and donor list of of New York-Presbyterian Hospital.The chairman of the board is John Mack, Chairman and CEO of Morgan Stanley — you know, that big investment bank that just scrapped its business model? Serving alongside him was Richard Fuld, CEO of Lehman Brothers, the one that’s now reorganizing under bankruptcy protection. Another board member is John Thain, CEO of Merrill Lynch, which is selling itself to Bank of America. The hospital’s chairman emeritu... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1825538 Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:59:00 +0100 1825538 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1794367&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F09%2Funiversity-of-minnesota-courts-mcguire.html We have posted quite a bit about leadership problems at one of the US biggest for-profit managed care organizations/ health care insurers, the UnitedHealth Group (UHG), most recently here.UHG has not always been known for being particularly patient-, employer-, or physician-friendly. For example, as reported by the Hartford Courant, "UnitedHealth Group Inc., the largest U.S. health insurer, will refund $50 million to small businesses that New York state officials said were overcharged in 2006."We have previously discussed how UHG promised its investors it would continue to raise premiums, even if that priced increasing numbers of people out of its policies (see post here); allegations that the UHG acquisition of Pacificare in California lead to a "meltdown" of its claims paying mechanisms ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1794367 Mon, 15 Sep 2008 21:10:00 +0100 1794367 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1763871&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F09%2Fhealth-care-leaders-at-30000-feet.html The Times of Trenton (New Jersey, USA) reported this insight about the leadership of large health care organizations:Bristol-Myers Squibb [BMS] is preparing to shut down its aviation operation at Trenton-Mercer Airport, sell four aircraft and dismiss about 32 employees as the drugmaker and leading Mercer County employer seeks to cut costs, according to sources familiar with the company's plans.The company will sell its two Gulfstream V jets and two Sikorsky S-76C helicopters, terminate pilots, mechanics and other personnel, and move out of its hangar at the airport in Ewing.Other corporations with aviation operations at the airport include Unisys and drugmakers Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Merck, Hughes said.Bristol-Myers' two jets could sell for approximately $40 million each dependi... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1763871 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:23:00 +0100 1763871 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1671466&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F07%2F10-years-later-eerie-echo-of-fall-of.html This week, as reported by Steve Twedt in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, accounting irregularities were found at the West Penn Allegheny Health System,An independent review of West Penn Allegheny Health System finances has found that it overstated payments from vendors and patients by $73 million over the past two years, a move that is expected to result in substantial operating losses.'This is significant,' said analyst Jeff Schaub of Fitch Ratings in New York, who spoke to WPAHS officials yesterday.WPAHS President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Christopher Olivia sent a system-wide e-mail yesterday morning assuring staff that the reductions 'have no direct implications on the System's pension plan' and that WPAHS has 'now adopted an industry 'best practice' accounting methodology to help e... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1671466 Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:19:00 +0100 1671466 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1331368&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Fsmoked-out-funding-lung-cancer.html A few weeks ago, we posted about conflicts of interest affecting a widely publicized study of using CT scans to screen for lung cancer. The study, basically a large case-series, was susceptible to multiple kinds of study bias that challenged its validity. Yet its authors used this limited and flawed data to strongly advocate such screening. Two lead study investigators, Dr Claudia Henschke and Dr David Yankelevitz of Weill Medical College of Cornell University, held multiple patents on technology used for the screening, and had licensed one patent to General Electric, a manufacturer of CT scans, and exchanged another for rights in a start-up manufacturer of lung biopsy devices. They did not disclose these conflicts in the articles they published describing study results, including one in t... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1331368 Thu, 27 Mar 2008 14:36:00 +0100 1331368 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1327469&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Fblogscan-imperial-pharmaceutical-ceos.html On the PharmaLot blog, Ed Silverman has two posts about how pharmaceutical executives continue to rake in humongous compensation whose magnitude seems unrelated to their performance or the performance of their companies. The CEO of Cephalon got more than $15.8 million, including the value of stock options, while the company is dealing with an Federal Trade Commission lawsuit which contends the company blocked sales of a generic competitor, and despite settling a suit about off-label marketing (see post here.) The CEO of Bristol-Myers-Squibb got $13.5 million after the company's stock price fell, the company took a charge for losses on sub-prime mortgages, and several top financial officers left (see post here.) Again, as we noted earlier, imperial CEOs seem rampant in health care organizat... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1327469 Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:38:00 +0100 1327469 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=849981&cid=t_226216_87_f&fid=34867&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thediabetesblog.com%2F2007%2F09%2F07%2Fnevada-county-has-a-low-rate-of-diabetes%2F Filed under: Type 1, Type 2, Childhood, Adult Onset, Diet, Lifestyle, Research, Exercise, Support, Care, ComplicationsUCLA researchers report Nevada County, California residents have the lowest rate of diabetes in the state -- 2.6 percent. That's about one-third the state-wide average (6.8 percent), and slightly less than one-quarter the prevalence of diabetes in Imperial County (11.2 percent). Take a few guesses why Nevada County's rate of diabetes is so much lower than Imperial County, and well under the national average of 7 percent. Do families eat less processed food around the dinner table? More jogging trails? Better health insurance coverage? Researcher Theresa Hastert states, "There is no one thing, but higher income is associated with better foods and exercise." Hastert explaine... The Diabetes Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=849981 Fri, 07 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 849981