Access, cost and quality of healthcare are inter-related and are all of primary concern to business. Public policy proposals should be evaluated for the effect on all three areas as well as the preservation of a private sector based system. Most recent legislative areas of interest to the GRCCI include proposals to reduce health care costs by focusing on chronic disease prevention and management, transform health care from paper records to electronic medical records and encourage the growth of consumer-oriented options such as Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs).

Mar 9, 2010 Obama takes the push for health care reform to the people, distancing himself from Washington machinations (The Morning Call) That, Obama said, is what's wrong with national politics. The White House wants a vote on health care, at least in the House, by March 18. It's your last chance on this particular [issue]. There's no time to hold anything back." Obama's health care speech broke no new ground. Only recently has...    more...  

Mar 9, 2010 Pennsylvania data shed light on national malpractice debate (The Patriot-News) David Wenner Mar. 9, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Medical malpractice has again moved to the center of national debate. In 2008, 162 of the cases went to trial and 80 percent were won by the health care provider. The biggest problem, according to Rieders, is...    more...  

Mar 9, 2010 Democrats silent on health-bill concerns (The Philadelphia Inquirer) Millions of seniors who have chosen Medicare Advantage will lose the coverage they now enjoy. Hiding spending does not reduce spending. ...""Are we bending the cost curve down or bending the cost curve up? If you look at your own chief actuary at Medicare, we're bending it up.    more...  

Mar 9, 2010 For Democrats, it's make-or-break time (The Philadelphia Inquirer) But midterm elections are typically dominated by the most partisan voters. Failing now on health reform _ when they have the votes for passage and the parliamentary route for passage _ would likely put the kibosh on Democratic turnout. After they whiffed on Clinton health reform (which never even...    more...  

Mar 9, 2010 Eachus attends Obama's health-care session: State rep. (The Times Leader) Our community is facing 10 percent unemployment, and with every job lost, health care is lost." "The crowd was very enthusiastic. Bob Casey and Arlen Specter were among those the president recognized at the beginning of his speech. "Everybody notice how good Ed is looking, by the way?    more...  

Mar 9, 2010 Obama stirs Arcadia U.crowd with fiery call for health-care vote now (Philadelphia Daily News) Is this good for the Democrats or good for the Republicans? How many more Americans have to lose their health insurance? How many more businesses have to drop coverage?" The White House is calling on Congress to vote on a health-care bill by March 18, when Obama leaves for Asia.    more...  

Mar 8, 2010 Fiery Obama delivers a final pitch for health care reform (The Morning Call) A man in the crowd took the opportunity during a pause in Obama's speech to ask about abortion, screaming about protecting unborn babies. Obama did not respond. The health care speech itself broke no new ground. Specter and Bob Casey both flew with the president.    more...  

Mar 8, 2010 Medical outreach planned (The Tribune-Democrat) David Carlson, chief medical officer. The outreach will address weight management, cancer, osteoporosis, nutrition, cardiovascular disease, sleep disorders and smoking cessation. People who have less resources have worse health.    more...  

Mar 7, 2010 New academic medical center would change NEPA health care (The Times-Tribune (Scranton, Pa.)) And that is what has to change," he said. Wide impact There are 130 academic medical centers across the United States. In 2008, AAMC-member hospitals and medical schools in Pennsylvania had a total economic impact of $42 billion in the state. Academic medical centers in Pennsylvania include...    more...  

Mar 7, 2010 Works for Me campaign gets the message out (Reading Eagle) ...not employed with jobs. John J. Miller, vice president of AHEDD, a nonprofi t organization with an office in Wyomissing that helps people with disabilities fi nd employment, said that in the last year, Pennsylvania launched an ongoing campaign, Works for Me, which directs individuals with...    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 Women's health care provider to open at former Planned Parenthood location (Standard-Speaker) ...health care provider will open in Hazleton. Maternal and Family Health Services' family planning center will see its first patients March 15 from a space previously occupied by Planned Parenthood at 10 W. Chestnut St., Hazleton. The office will accept patients who do not have health...    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 Report (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Henschke said. "It's being extended up to 120 days. Henschke said. "The results were very consistent regardless of the size of the business. Their biggest challenges are health care costs and taxes.    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 Health costs top business woes (The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) SMC represents about 5,000 businesses throughout western and central Pennsylvania. About 71 percent of the 250 businesses that responded to the survey said health care costs were their biggest challenge. The company operates Advanced Mining Service, which repairs and sells coal mining equipment....    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Funding cuts could lead to long waits for local Medicare patients (Erie Times-News) Medicare patients already wait weeks, even months, to see some local specialists for nonemergency medical care. That wait could get a whole lot longer. Doctors in the Erie area might limit the number of Medicare patients they treat if Congress doesn't stave off a 21 percent cut in Medicare...    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Hospital breaks new ground in luxury (The Philadelphia Inquirer) But it, too, has plans. Cooper opened the $220 million patient Pavilion in Camden in 2008, but two of its 10 floors remain empty. It is seeking financing to build a cancer center and a four-year medical school in the city. Virtua's patient base is an undeniable asset.    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Study urges changes in Delco health system (The Philadelphia Inquirer) McGarrigle said he planned to visit the Montgomery County Health Department and the state-run clinic in Chester City. Johns Hopkins concluded that the study sample was not completely representative.    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Clinic fell through cracks (The Philadelphia Inquirer) The 2005 case, which alleged a patient suffered a perforated uterus and bowel, was dropped. The patient died of a perforated uterus and bloodstream infection. Most states, including Pennsylvania, ban abortion after fetal viability -- about 24 weeks. Gosnell has long been willing to perform...    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Survey: We're more obese, less stressed (The Times Leader) And 67.5 percent of Hispanics identified themselves the same way. Those same groups also reported a lack of health insurance that was much higher than other ethnic groups. In 2009, 77 percent were eating breakfast, lunch and dinner.    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Multifaceted project aims to make a difference (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) It could, for example, be some behavioral health issue, said Dr. Keyser added. Those diagnosed as depressive were then pointed to treatment by their managed care organizations. "Engaging them in treatment is very difficult," Dr. Keyser said. "The real problem in Allegheny County and across the...    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 OPINION (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Henry Waxman, a Democrat from California who supports health care reform, observed at the summit: "Now, I hear people all day say, 'Mr. Waxman is the rarest of politicians -- he is bald and has a mustache, a type of fellow always to be trusted, a view of course not influenced by my own baldness...    more...  

Mar 2, 2010 Health 'call for action' (The Tribune-Democrat) Cambria County ranked 64th out of 67 counties in Pennsylvania on the report. Windber's Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention has volunteered to help analyze the report and identify responses by various health care, social service, human service and government organizations, center...    more...  

Mar 2, 2010 West Penn Allegheny posts profit (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Moody's has issued WPAHS a Ba3 rating with a negative outlook. In November, Dr. Olivia had described West Penn Allegheny as "financially stable" despite a net $25.2 million loss in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009. Largely untapped are $76.9 million in junk bonds earmarked for future capital...    more...  

Mar 2, 2010 Pa., N.J. fare poorly in public-health spending (The Philadelphia Inquirer) Since then, many states have slashed budgets in response to lower tax revenues in the recession. Gov. Rendell's health department budget was down 12 percent for the current fiscal year, with a smaller cut proposed for the year that begins July 1, according to numbers from Harrisburg. New...    more...  

Mar 1, 2010 Pa. and N.J. among lowest in federal health spending (The Philadelphia Inquirer) Pennsylvania got $14.86 per capita, ranking it 47th of the 50 states. Delaware got $27.26, No. 8. State treasuries nationwide budgeted a median of $28.92 per capita for health in fiscal year 2009, the report said. New Jersey's budget for the Department of Health and Senior Services was slashed...    more...  

Mar 1, 2010 OPINION: Health reform not a sure, or certain, bet (The Times Leader) If it works, some will get re-elected despite polls that show angry voters prepared to dump incumbent Democrats. The meeting was all about appearance and perception, not results. Dana Milbank, writing in Friday's Washington Post, is less certain than I about Obama's motives. But our national...    more...  

Mar 1, 2010 Erie's poor at risk for major health problems (Erie Times-News) ...health of every county in the United States, showed that health is suffering locally, with many of the concerns pointing directly at those living in poverty. Erie County ranked 61st out of 67 counties in health factors, which include, among other things, children living in poverty. Crawford...    more...  

Feb 28, 2010 Will layoffs heal Hanover Hospital? (The Evening Sun) They also are more likely to be hospitalized for preventable conditions, are less likely to manage chronic care and are less likely to seek preventative care, the report states. It also cut hours and salaries -- Kyriacou's alone was cut by 10 percent, he said.    more...  

Feb 28, 2010 The Philadelphia Inquirer Karen Heller column: Karen Heller (The Philadelphia Inquirer) Karen Heller Feb. 28, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Another snow day, another partisan Washington debate. Kids, let's watch the health-care summit! Which I do after worrying that Boehner's overly tan head might implode.    more...  

Feb 28, 2010 Greensburg killing prompts review of mental health services (The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) The can was discovered Feb. 11 in a snow-covered parking lot at Greensburg Salem Middle School, two blocks from the apartment where she was killed. She talked to everybody," Patterson said. Patterson said case managers don't always keep track of their clients. There is too little time for...    more...  

Feb 28, 2010 Experts (The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) For instance, Butler Memorial Hospital is constructing a seven-story, 210,000-square-foot addition in Butler that should open in July. The sector created 1,000 jobs in the past two years, the second-most of any sector. The sector shed 7,200 jobs, or 5.2 percent, he said. But other signs of...    more...  

Feb 28, 2010 Recession, funding cuts push nursing homes to brink (The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) Now is when we should be shoring up programs that protect our most vulnerable residents -- the frail elderly and those with disabilities -- instead of dismantling them. Medicare and Medicaid both have less money, and nursing homes are getting squeezed." Nursing homes are a difficult business to...    more...  

Feb 28, 2010 Region's hospitals expand site footprints, services (The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) Jefferson Regional purchased the building two years ago from the former Mercy Hospital system, which UPMC acquired. A new diagnostics center next to the pavilion will open this summer. An addition to Butler Memorial Hospital will provide 12 operating rooms and an patient area. Indiana Regional...    more...  

Feb 27, 2010 Philadelphia Daily News Elmer Smith column: Elmer Smith (Philadelphia Daily News) Republicans can whine about the tyranny of the majority. If we don't get health-care reform this year, it will be because the president and Democratic leaders failed. We have the second-largest majority either party has had in the last 39 years." Fattah has been a longtime advocate of passing...    more...  

Feb 26, 2010 Specter (The Philadelphia Inquirer) Scott Brown (R., Mass.) deprived Democrats of a filibuster-proof majority.    more...  

Feb 26, 2010 Health plans face big challenge (The Times Leader) That 1945 law gave states, not the federal government, the authority to regulate competition issues within the insurance industry. U.S. Rep. We must create much-needed competition and give families more options over their health insurance. The Senate version is co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Arlen...    more...  

Feb 26, 2010 Philadelphia Daily News Elmer Smith column: Elmer Smith (Philadelphia Daily News) Republicans can whine about the tyranny of the majority. If we don't get health-care reform this year, it will be because the president and Democratic leaders failed. We have the second-largest majority either party has had in the last 39 years." Fattah has been a longtime advocate of passing...    more...  

Feb 26, 2010 The Philadelphia Inquirer Annette John-Hall column: Annette John-Hall (The Philadelphia Inquirer) Now fix it. It's time to put up or shut up. Too late for Melanie Shouse, the St. Her insurance company had refused to pay for a new chemotherapy treatment recommended by her oncologist.    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 Cambria near bottom in health report (The Tribune-Democrat) There are underlying factors to take a holistic approach to quality of life here. They have to be addressed." Commissioners will meet next week with director Dr. Philadelphia County Health factors rankings, which cover environmental, economic and risk factors: 1. Chester County 47.    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 EDITORIAL: Action, not words (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Today President Barack Obama hopes to be that irresistible force when he meets with Republicans in a unique and politically charged health care summit. Good luck, Mr. President. So far his efforts and those of fellow Democrats have been resisted by the immovable force of united Republican...    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Government plans more funding cuts to home health care (Erie Times-News) President Barack Obama's new proposal "is expected to contain a $39.4 billion cut in funding for home heath care over a 10-year period.    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Merger talks end between WellSpan, PinnacleHealth (York Daily Record) ...number of PinnacleHealth employees. ABOUT WELLSPAN HEALTH --1999: The year when WellSpan Health formed after York Health System and Gettysburg Hospital affiliated. --65: The approximate number of locations it operates in York and Adams counties, including York Hospital, Gettysburg Hospital...    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Erie nurse visits patients in their homes: Nursing help at patients' houses grows with demand (Erie Times-News) As a Great Lakes Home Healthcare nurse, her 2004 Chrysler Town and Country minivan is her office. Seman is one of a growing number of nurses who make house calls. She can simply check her work calendar. Szewczyk was the third of eight patients she saw Feb. 17. He then went into cardiac arrest...    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 WellSpan and Pinnacle end merger talks (The York Dispatch) The latter is a $73 million orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation facility at the Apple Hill Health campus in York Township.    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 WellSpan merger talks with PinnacleHealth end (York Daily Record) Hospital and Polyclinic Medical Center. 4,700: The approximate number of PinnacleHealth employees. ABOUT WELLSPAN HEALTH 1999: The year when WellSpan Health formed after York Health System and Gettysburg Hospital affiliated. 65: The approximate number of locations it operates in York and...    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 New player in health care debate: President Obama's plan would significantly affect Pennsylvania, which can't regulate small-business insurance prices (The Morning Call) ...the state regulate rates charged to small businesses. A health care bill containing such regulatory language passed the Democrat-majority state House in early 2009 but has not been acted on by the Republican-controlled state Senate. Rep. Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery, who serves on the House...    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 EDITORIAL (Erie Times-News) Paul's Neighborhood Free Clinic, 1608 Walnut St. "I hear from people who have paid a dentist for a consultation, and then they can't afford to have the actual work done. Paul's averages about 1,500 patient visits a year, providing medical and dental care to people who don't have health insurance...    more...