Ronald Whitten, a licensed clinical social worker, is excited about the idea of being a patient in a “medical home.’’ A medical home, in this context, is not a residential institution. It’s a physician practice that aims to provide more comprehensive, patient-friendly treatment while also curbing health costs. Whitten, 70, a retired Emory faculty member…
The Atlanta-based National Health Museum is still in its early stages, but fund raising is expected to ramp up this year, says Dr. Louis W. Sullivan, the organization’s chairman. The former U.S. health and human services secretary told health journalists gathering in Denver on Thursday that the central goals of the museum are to improve…
Morgan Memorial Hospital in Madison got tired of having so many patients who were just passing through. Too often in the past, the hospital has stabilized newly arrived patients, only to see them quickly bundled off to Athens for further treatment. Ralph Castillo, the administrator for the 25-bed hospital in one of the most famously…
The physician pay hike for Medicaid services is finally beginning to reach Georgia doctors, more than a year after it was intended to take effect. The three managed care organizations serving the majority of Medicaid beneficiaries are sending the extra payments to physicians starting this month, according to a schedule released by the Department of…
A House panel Thursday approved a bill that targets potential conflicts of interest on the Georgia Department of Community Health board. The original HB 913 was amended before the vote to make sure medical professionals, such as physicians and dentists, were not precluded from serving on the DCH board, whose nine members are appointed by the…
Georgia faces major hurdles in addressing its shortage of primary care physicians. Among them is a low cap on Medicare-funded graduate medical education residency slots in the state. In a new GHN Commentary, two health care officials suggest several actions that the Georgia Legislature can take to help erase the primary care deficit. Denise Kornegay…
A partnership of health care heavyweights was created Wednesday as Emory Healthcare and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia announced a collaboration to improve quality and contain costs. The two entities will form an “accountable care organization” that will seek to enhance the care experienced by patients in the Atlanta region. ACOs are networks…
Contract battles between hospitals and insurers are often fought right up to the deadline for a deal. The typical scenario is that during the last month a contract between a health insurers and a health system is in effect, both sides announce publicly that the agreement is about to expire. The pressure builds on the…
Editor’s note: The subject matter of this story may be uncomfortable for some readers. It contains frank details about intestinal illness and treatment. As he walks into the Emory University School of Medicine lobby, Dr. Ryan McCormick is dressed from head to toe in blue scrubs, medical ID badge swinging, with a bag slung over his shoulder….
It was finals week in December 2009 and Alex Halstead, a 19-year-old undergraduate at the University of Georgia, was doing some late-night studying for an exam the next day when she felt a stinging pain in her lower right abdomen. The pain was severe, and she was worried that she might have appendicitis. By midnight,…