News in brief - Sept. 18, 2006

Aetna expands physician price lists - Discounted EMR offered to hospitals - Company acquires Ohio hospitals

Aetna expands physician price lists

Aetna is making available price as well as clinical quality and efficiency information in several U.S. markets, including Cleveland, Connecticut, South Florida and Washington, D.C. The company also is making price data only available for physicians in Kansas City, Mo., Las Vegas and Pittsburgh. In all, Aetna said physician-specific price data are now available for 70,000 doctors, while clinical quality and efficiency information is available for 15,000 physicians. Aetna first launched its price transparency list in Cincinnati in 2005.

Chief Medical Officer Troyen Brennan, MD, said Aetna had worked with physicians to determine the type of information and how the information should be presented to consumers.

During and before the 2006 American Medical Association Annual Meeting, doctors complained that generally health plans' transparency initiatives might mislead patients into thinking doctors are getting paid more than they actually were, which could lead patients to think doctors are overcharging them.

Delegates approved a report directing the AMA to closely monitor any pricing "transparency" initiatives by health plans.

Aetna receives the clinical quality and efficiency information from a system in which designated specialists undergo an evaluation process that reviews their delivery of care based on measures of clinical performance and efficiency.

Discounted EMR offered to hospitals

Medsphere Systems Corp. has signed a deal under which it will offer for purchase its open-source electronic medical records software at an undisclosed discount to members of the Greater New York Hospital Assn.

Under the terms of deal, Aliso Viejo, Calif.-based Medsphere and Nexera Inc., a for-profit subsidiary of the Greater New York Hospital Assn, will offer, implement and deploy Medsphere's EMR, which is based on the EMR used by the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs hospitals.

Company acquires Ohio hospitals

For-profit hospital chain Community Health Systems has signed a nonbinding letter of intent to buy the four hospitals and other assets operated by nonprofit Forum Health.

Forum, based in Youngstown, Ohio, disclosed the letter Aug. 23 and said its board of trustees had authorized its management team to negotiate a definitive agreement for the sale.

A spokeswoman for Community Health Systems said the Brentwood, Tenn.-based hospital operator would not comment on nonbinding agreements.

Forum's hospitals, all in Ohio, include Trumbull Memorial Hospital and Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital, both in Warren, and Northside Medical Center and Tod Children's Hospital, both in Youngstown.

Community Health Systems owns or operates 76 hospitals in 22 states. If the deal is completed, these would become the first hospitals Community operates in Ohio.

In the last year Forum has had management shakeups as part of its bid to swim out of a sea of red ink.

Vote refines AMA stance on health reform
The AMA House of Delegates rejected attempts to rescind support of a U.S. House health reform bill and any new government-sponsored health insurance plan during the 2009 Interim Meeting.
Story - AMA House - Slideshow