Piedmont Healthcare, fresh off a deal to buy four hospitals from HCA, is looking to continue its expansion into new areas of Georgia. The Atlanta-based system announced Wednesday that it has signed a letter of intent with University Health Care System in Augusta, exploring the possibility of adding it to the Piedmont family. University includes…
Piedmont Healthcare is adding four HCA hospitals to its network in a deal valued at close to $1 billion. The purchases from HCA, announced Monday, would make Atlanta-based Piedmont the leading system in Georgia in number of hospitals, at 15. The Emory and Wellstar systems are next, at 11. The deal had been rumored for…
Eight of Piedmont Healthcare’s 11 hospitals earned an “A’’ grade in the latest patient safety evaluation by the Leapfrog Group, released Thursday. Those top-rated Piedmont hospitals represent one-third of Georgia’s 24 hospital “A” grades. It’s the largest group earning top marks that Piedmont has ever recorded in the twice-a-year ratings. Kevin Brown, Piedmont Healthcare president…
By John Bailey and Andy Miller Speculation is swirling in Rome about the possible sale of Redmond Regional Medical Center, owned by HCA, to AdventHealth, a Florida-based health system. Redmond CEO John Quinlivan declined to comment Wednesday about a potential deal. The potential for a sale could be part of a larger strategy by HCA…
Jan. 1 marked the launch of a federal rule on medical prices that the hospital industry fought hard to stop. For the first time, each hospital was required to publish a website file showing the payment rates it had negotiated with insurers, and another post that would let consumers search for hundreds of “shoppable’’ medical…
A big change in drug treatment for cancer is arriving in Georgia. It’s not a new medication. What’s coming is something known as “white bagging,’’ an insurer tactic involving expensive infusion or injection drugs. And at Crisp Regional Health Services in Cordele, Jennifer Taylor, an oncology nurse practitioner, is concerned about the ultimate effect on patient…
Story updated Georgia’s Department of Public Health has issued a warning about a cluster of overdoses from counterfeit pills that contain fentanyl, a potent opioid drug. Roughly 100 cases are suspected in the Augusta area, according to Public Health officials. But there also have been cases reported in the Savannah area and northwest Georgia, as…
Five years ago, Marietta-based Wellstar Health System bought five Georgia hospitals from Tenet Healthcare. The prize of the lot was seen to be North Fulton Hospital in suburban Roswell, not far from Wellstar’s hub. Today, it’s doing well financially, as expected. Two other hospitals, in towns on the southern outskirts of metro Atlanta, have made…
As the 2021 legislative session ended, Georgia lawmakers wound up not passing a bill to allow visits by a “legal representative’’ to patients in hospitals and nursing homes during a health emergency. The legislation ping-ponged Wednesday between the two chambers, with the House supporting its previous, stronger version, and the Senate holding firm to its…
Despite two recent mass shootings, including one in Georgia, the state Senate on Monday passed a gun rights bill that proponents say protects the Second Amendment freedoms of citizens. The bill passed along party lines, with Republicans, who control the chamber, voting in favor of it. Gov. Brian Kemp’s floor leader, Sen. Bo Hatchett (R-Cornelia),…