Two pharmacy employees at Emory University Hospital Midtown illegally diverted more than 1 million doses of controlled drugs in a scheme that lasted more than four years, according to a Georgia Board of Pharmacy consent order. Details of the thefts came to light in the consent order with the Atlanta hospital, finalized last month. The…
WellStar Health System announced Wednesday that it has received regulatory approval from the state attorney general to add West Georgia Health to its system. The two organizations plan to sign a definitive agreement next month, with West Georgia expected to join WellStar, based in Marietta, on April 1. West Georgia’s flagship facility, West Georgia Medical…
A bill just introduced in the General Assembly would scrap the state’s current health care regulatory apparatus, known as certificate of need or CON. Georgia’s CON laws play a crucial role in health care facility construction and services across the state. House Bill 1055 has sent tremors through Georgia’s hospital industry, which has been a…
State Rep. Geoff Duncan represents a wealthy suburban area north of Atlanta. That makes the Cumming Republican, at first glance, an unlikely person to sponsor a proposal to help struggling rural hospitals in Georgia. House Bill 919, as proposed by Duncan, is unusual. It would allow individuals and corporations to get a state tax credit…
Prime Healthcare Foundation announced Monday that it has completed its acquisition of Southern Regional Medical Center, Clayton County’s only hospital. The deal, which closed Monday, follows a hectic year in which the struggling Southern Regional, near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, sought a financial partner to avoid closure. In July, Prime Healthcare Foundation, based in California, signed…
Two Georgia hospital organizations recently received a credit downgrade from Standard & Poor’s. But the financial outlooks for the two are very different going forward, the ratings agency said. While WellStar Health System, in the midst of an acquisition drive, still shows considerable financial strength, the situation at Oconee Regional Medical Center in Milledgeville is…
Emory’s Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta has announced the first community hospital partner for its new cancer network: Archbold Memorial Hospital in Thomasville. The affiliation means that physicians with the South Georgia hospital will have access to Emory cancer specialists for care consultations, the latest protocols and research, and a route for patients to participate…
A rural hospital announces that it’s closing its doors after steep financial losses. Employees will be laid off. Patients will have to travel farther to get hospital care. Democrats blame the fact that the Republican governor and state lawmakers have refused to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Republicans blame changes resulting from the…
The owner of North Georgia Medical Center in Ellijay plans to close the hospital’s inpatient services and lease its emergency room and medical offices to Piedmont Healthcare. Piedmont Mountainside Hospital in Jasper, about 20 miles away, would take over operation of the Ellijay hospital’s ER, doctors’ offices and imaging and outpatient surgery centers, under a…
For years, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia has maintained its dominance as the state’s No. 1 health insurer. Its membership now approaches 3 million members — in a state with slightly more than 10 million people. The company has also built a reputation as a bruising adversary in contract negotiations and pay disputes…