Massachusetts gets high marks in health care report

Massachusetts is among the top states in the nation when it comes to access to and delivery of health care, according to a study by The Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System's second state scorecard report. The “state health care scorecard” by the New York-based Commonwealth Fund detailed sizable differences among the states in the cost and quality of health care, as well as in access to care and health outcomes. Where the Bay State ranked highest was in the areas of insurance coverage for non-elderly adults and children, which is notable in a widely varied states report.

Full-text post is available via The Boston Business Journal, 10/8/09.

For access to The Commonwealth Fund's report see Science Daily, 10/9/09.

Nonprofit Health-Care Groups Suffer Major Investment Losses, Study Finds

The value of investments held by 143 nonprofit health-care organizations that participated in an annual study fell an average 21.2 percent in 2008 — by far the worst results since the study began in 2002, according to The Choricle of Philanthropy.

Full-text post by Suzanne Perry is available via The Choricle of Philanthropy, 9/21/09.

President Obama Visits Children's National Medical Center

Congratulations to Children’s National Medical Center for hosting President Obama this week. The President visited with doctors and CNMC leaders. The hospital is one of the nation’s premier pedicatric centers.

More information is available via the Children's National website.

U of Alabama System Cutting 245 Jobs

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System is cutting 245 jobs to save an estimated $15 million to $20 million a year, following the results of a performance review.

Full-text article is available via ModernHealthcare, 6.5.09. [Free registration required.]

Senate Proposes Change for Nonprofit Hospitals

The two top members of the Senate Finance Committee have released what they call policy options for revamping the nation’s health-care system that include a change in how the tax-exempt status of nonprofit hospitals would be handled under federal law.

Full-text blog posting is available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy's Government and Politics Watch, 5.19.09.

No Actors, Just Patients in Unvarnished Spots for Hospitals

Advertising is showing fewer “skilled” doctors and “caring“ nurses, and a more YouTube-influenced sketch of what hospital care is like for patients.

Full-text article by Andrew Adam Newman is available via The New York Times, 5.4.09.

A Different Nursing Shortage

Healthcare’s single largest occupation is making gains in U.S. hospital boardrooms as directors and trustees grapple with efforts to curb costly and harmful medical errors.

Full-text article by Melanie Evans is available via Modern Healthcare, 4.13.09.

Facing Hard Times, Shriners May Close 6 Hospitals

Shriners hospitals, which have provided free care since before the Great Depression, are considering closing a quarter of their facilities as donations stagnate, costs increase and the charity's endowment shrivels.

Full-text article by Katrina A. Goggins is available via The Associated Press, 4.11.09.

Children’s Hospital Boston’s Philanthropic Tween Website Nabs Eight National Awards

Just three months after Children’s Hospital Boston launched Generation Cures , an innovative online philanthropic community for tweens, the site has been honored with eight prestigious national awards. The awards recognize the site’s kid-friendly content and interactive design, and demonstrate the much needed difference Generation Cures is making by empowering kids to positively impact each other and the world.

Full-text press release is available via Business Wire, 2.18.09.

Minnesota Hospitals In Bad Shape, and Things Could Get Worse

The prognosis for state hospitals and health care providers will be sustained pain if Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s proposed budget cuts are approved, the head of the Minnesota Hospital Association predicted this week.

Full-text article by Scott Carlson is available via The Saint Paul Legal Ledger, 2.12.09.

Hospitals and Health Systems to Cut Back on Both Capital Spending and Unprofitable Services in 2009

A new report released in January 2009 from the Noblis Center for Health Innovation, a leading non-profit advisory firm to health providers, has found that hospitals and health systems across the United States are cutting back on both capital spending and unprofitable healthcare services as a result of the economic crisis. Conducted in late 2008, the Noblis Economic Impact Study assesses the impact of the national economic crisis on the financial health of hospitals and health systems including: utilization; profitability; uncompensated care; philanthropy and fundraising goals; and the status of current and future projects.

Full-text press release is available via PRNewswire, 1.19.09.

Foundations Take Active Role On Health Policy

Frustrated that years of financing studies and demonstration projects have not translated into widespread improvement in medicine, California philanthropic foundations and think tanks are shedding their traditionally detached stances to crusade for healthcare reform in the state Capitol and in Congress.

Full-text article by Jordan Rau is available via the Los Angeles Times, 1.5.09.

Nonprofit Hospitals Could Face New Rules in 2009

Aides to Sen. Charles E. Grassley say that the Iowa politician is considering proposing legislation early in 2009 that would require nonprofit hospitals to spend a minimum amount on free care for the needy and set restrictions on executive compensation and conflicts of interest.

Full-text John Carreyrou and Barbara Martinez is available via the Wall Street Journal, 12.18.08.

Teaching Hospitals Warily Await Details of Obama's Health-Care Plan

Many hospital executives support the concept of universal health care but worry that lawmakers might raid other funds that teaching hospitals receive for treating the uninsured to pay for broader coverage.

Full-text article by Kelly Ware is available via the Chronicle of Higher Education, 12.8.08. [Subscription required.]

2007 AHP Report on Giving

The growth of philanthropic giving for health care in the United States fell by more than half in 2007 from 2006, while the Canadian rate of growth in donations to health care nearly tripled, according to the FY2007 AHP Report on Giving.

More information is available via the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy's website.

Hospitals Brace for Bad News

Based on their experiences after the 1987 stock market plunge, hospital fund-raisers expect a decline in donations in the near future.

Full-text article by Reed Abelson is available via the New York Times, 11.10.08.

Hospitals Endure Soaring Rates as Bonds Reset Weekly

The nation’s financial market meltdown is hitting many Massachusetts hospitals in the form of higher borrowing costs.

Full-text article by Mark Hollmer is available via the Boston Business Journal, 10.3.08.

Flagging Donations - Risky for Health Care

Dwindling donations caused by the lagging economy could deal a serious blow to the nonprofit health-care sector, says a study released by the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP).

"In tight economic times, fundraisers will have to better benchmark their data and strategies, as nonprofits convince donors, board members, hospital leaders and the public that they are accountable for the gifts they receive," Lisa Hillman, chair of the board of directors for the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, says in a statement.

Full-text press release and study are available via AHP.

Up and Down: Economy Hurting Healthcare Giving

Donations to not-for-profit hospitals may be slowing down, yet industry sources claim their fundraising programs continue to stay afloat through loyal donors and
healthy community support.

Full-text article by Jennifer Lubell is available via NonProfit Healthcare, 8.2008.

Web Sites Compare How Hospitals Measure Up

A new Web site called “Hospital Compare” evaluates hospital death rates around the country and shows how individual hospitals stack up against the national average. Guests discuss the reliability of the data on the site and describe the measures hospitals are taking to improve performance.

The Hospital Compare Web site was created through the efforts of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), along with the Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA). The HQA is a public-private collaboration established to promote reporting on hospital quality of care. The HQA consists of organizations that represent consumers, hospitals, doctors and nurses, employers, accrediting organizations, and Federal agencies.

Children's Memorial Campaign

A campaign to tap Chicago's philanthropic community for at least $600 million, about 60 percent of what's needed to build a replacement for Children's Memorial Hospital, was unveiled recently.

Full-text article by Bruce Japsen is available via the Chicago Tribune, 9.11.08.

Disney Children's Hospital at Florida Hospital will be Model for Pediatric Care Nationwide

Officials from Florida Hospital revealed new details about their visionary plans to shape the 'Children's Hospital of the Future,' which will make a significant impact on children's health throughout Central Florida and be a model for pediatric hospitals beyond the region.

Full-text press release is available via MarketWatch / Disney Children's Hospital at Florida Hospital, 8.27.08.

Thousands of California Children In Danger of Losing Health Insurance

Increased premiums for low-income families are expected to put the program out of reach for many. A new Medi-Cal policy is also expected to cut enrollees, further weakening the healthcare system.

Full-text article by Jordan Rau is available via the Los Angeles Times, 8.24.08.

New Guide Helps Organizations Understand HIPAA and Fundraising

A new downloadable guide aims to assist healthcare organizations thinking about the ramifications of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in fundraising. The HIPAA Effect: Considerations for Fundraising After the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, created by Changing Our World, Inc. and Convio, examines how HIPAA laws have affected fundraising for nonprofit hospitals, foundations, and health organizations.

Receive a free copy of The HIPAA Effect by visiting Changing Our World's Web site.

New Survey: Most Americans Think Health System Needs Major Overhaul

Dissatisfaction with the U.S. health care system is running high, and 82 percent of Americans think it should be fundamentally changed or completely rebuilt, according to a new survey released by The Commonwealth Fund.

Full-text report: Public Views on U.S. Health Care System Organization: A Call for New Directions.

Americans Made Over 1 Billion Hospital and Doctor Visits in 2006

Patients in the United States made an estimated 1.1 billion visits to physician offices and hospital outpatient and emergency departments (EDs) in 2006--an average of four visits per person per year, according to new healthcare statistics released Aug. 6 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The data come from various components of CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics National Health Care Survey and are featured in a series of new national health statistics reports.

More information is available via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 8.6.08.

Arizona Hospitals Paying Out More in Charitable Care

Valley hospital executives are bracing for a spike in charity care, as patients who can't afford to pay their mortgages also are having trouble paying their medical bills.

Full-text article by Angela Gonzales is available via the Phoenix Business Journal, 8.8.08.

Online Donation Systems Growing Part of Fundraising at ALSAC and Le Bonheur

Nonprofit health care providers like Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital depend on financial gifts from the public to sustain their operations. Therefore, it is crucial for them to streamline the process of giving and to reach the widest audience possible. For both, recent experiments with online giving may change the game of fundraising at little additional cost.

Full-text by Michael M. Hill is available via the Memphis Business Journal, 7.18.08.

Program Brings Top Minds in Biotech to Georgia

The Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholars. All told, 60 researchers -- 37 in biotechnology -- are now probing the frontiers of science at Georgia's research universities, thanks to the GRA's program, which recruits leading researchers in their field to the Peach State.

Full-text article by Tom Barry is available via the Atlanta Business Chronicle, 7.18.08.

Academic Health Centers Call for New Way to Plan Work Force

The nation's decentralized approach toward planning its health-care work force could leave millions of Americans without adequate care at a time when aging baby boomers will need it most.

Full-text article by Katherine Mangan is available via the Chronicle of Higher Education, 7.18.08.

Complete report available via the Association of Academic Health Centers.

New Loma Linda Hospital?

Faced with growing health-care demands in the region, Loma Linda University officials want to build a $1 billion children's hospital in the city.

Full-text article by Stephen Wall is available via RedOrbit, 7.17.08.

Norton Healthcare Posts $80 Million Surplus in 2007

Leaders of Norton Healthcare Inc. have a special interest in the recent turmoil in the stock market.

Louisville’s fourth-largest employer, with a work force of about 9,000, finished last year with a surplus after expenses of nearly $80 million. And nearly 72 percent of that surplus came from the health care giant’s investment income.

The company benefits from charitable giving as well. Last year, it received a record $22.2 million in private philanthropic support through the Children’s Hospital Foundation, Norton Healthcare Foundation Inc. and the Kosair Charities Committee Inc.

Full-text article by Kevin Eigelbach is available via Business First of Louisville, 7.17.08.

Economic Downturn Apparently No Problem for Fundraising Efforts by Local Hospitals

As the economy has headed south, it might seem that charitable giving would be the first line item to shrink. But the major Memphis hospitals haven't yet felt a funding bump in their quests for multimillion-dollar projects.

Full-text article by Toby Sells is available via the Memphis Business Journal, 6.6.08.

Sanford Health Hopes To Open Its First International Site in Dublin, Ireland

Sanford Health soon might ink a deal to build its first international children's clinic in Ireland.

The health system is in the process of exchanging agreements with the Hermitage Medical Clinic to build a $5 million children's health clinic, said Sanford Executive Vice President Dave Link. The 126-bed independent hospital is in west Dublin.

The hospital is using a $400 million donation from South Dakota businessman and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford to build clinics throughout the world, create opportunities for health research and identify and then resolve one of "the most pressing health issues of our day."

Full-text article by Megan Myers is available via ArgusLeader.com, 5.30.08,

Hospitals, Patients Clash Over Privacy Rights

When patients check into hospitals or doctor offices, they presume their information will be kept in strictest confidence, but often, amid the pile of papers, they overlook fine print describing how their personal information can be farmed out for fundraising.

Hospitals and other health care organizations widely use patient information, without patients' explicit permission, to raise funds. To the dismay of privacy-rights advocates and some in the medical field, fundraising to benefit medical institutions is allowed under federal law.

Full-text article by Elizabeth Fernandez is available via San Francisco Gate.com, 5.27.08.

Detroit Medical Center Plans to Build Pediatric Center

The Detroit Medical Center plans to build a new $34 million Children's Hospital Pediatric Center across the street from the existing hospital, expanding the footprint of the downtown campus for the first time in more than 30 years and adding much-needed clinic and doctors' office space for children receiving outpatient treatment.

Full-text article by Christina Rogers is available via the Detroit News, 5.16.08.

Americans Rank Health Care Near Top of Their Economic Woes, New Poll Finds

Healthcare costs rank among Americans’ top personal economic problems, and their struggles to deal with those costs have affected both their financial well-being and their family’s health care, a new Kaiser Family Foundation poll finds.

Survey Brief: Economic Problems Facing Families

U.S. Faces Shortage of Generalist Physicians to Provide Primary Care for Adults

The United States faces an impending shortage of generalist physicians to provide primary care for adults, according to a study published April 29 as a Health Affairs web exclusive.

Full-text blog posting via the Healthcare Financial Management Association, 4.30.08.

Some Nonprofit Hospitals Demand Payments Before Treating Patients

In an effort to reduce debt and costs associated with treating uninsured or poor people, some nonprofit hospitals are asking patients to make payments before they receive treatment.

Full-text article by Barbara Martinez is available via The Wall Street Journal, 4.28.08. [Subscription required.]

Couple Gives $25M To Children's National Medical Center

Diana and Stephen Goldberg have made a generous donation to advance pediatric health care in the region, giving $25 million to fund diabetes and obesity research and a host of other initiatives at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C..

Full text article by Philip Rucker is available via The Washington Post, 4.17.08.

Video A Key Element In Healthcare Fundraising

Hospitals nationwide have been increasing their activity in technology-driven development and spending on fundraising in general, according to Julie Lane, managing director of the Philanthropy Leadership Council of The Advisory Board Company (ABC), a membership association of 2,600 hospitals, health systems and universities.

Full-text article by Tom Pope is available via The NonProfit Times, 4.15.08.

Association for Healthcare Philanthropy's Benchmarking Study

A landmark new series of studies on philanthropic practices has found that today's most effective fundraisers use a variety of well-rounded programs and activities to raise money, shattering the myth that big ticket galas, golf tourneys and telethons are the only way to attract donors. The most successful fundraising programs have a sustained emphasis on building relationships and cultivating and maintaining major gift donors.

These are findings from The Association for Healthcare Philanthropy's (AHP) initial series of studies based on initial results of its Performance Benchmarking Service, which for the first time allows participating nonprofit hospitals and health care systems to systematically compare and contrast their fundraising efforts. Data were gathered from 31 U.S. and Canadian organizations.

For a copy of the AHP Performance Benchmarking Service studies, a list of participating members, or to learn more about the program, visit the AHP Web site.



Full-text press release is available via PR Newswire, 4.7.08.

Fort Worth Gets New Hospital

With the opening of a four-story women's hospital, Baylor All Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth expects to become the favored site for expectant moms to deliver their newborns.

The $95 million Paul and Judy Andrews Women's Hospital features dozens of labor-and-delivery rooms, state-of-the-art operating rooms and a neonatal intensive care unit for the sickest preemies.

Full-text article by Maria M. Perotin is available via The Star-Telegram, 3.31.08.

Princeton hospital getting $25 million donation

University Medical Center at Princeton is getting a $25 million donation - believed the largest gift ever to a New Jersey hospital.

The donation comes from David and Patricia Atkinson, who now live in Pennsylvania. Atkinson was a partner in various money management firms and his wife was a longtime volunteer at the hospital.

Full-text article via Newsday.com, 3.10.08.

Shortage of Surgeons Pinches U.S. Hospitals

A crisis looms, say experts, as a national shortage of surgeons and doctors - particularly in rural areas - threatens patients’ access to health care, reports USA Today.

Full-text article by Robert Davis is available via USA Today, 2.25.08.

Google and Nonprofit Hospital Seek New Approach to Online Health

Google has formed a pilot program with the nonprofit academic medical center Cleveland Clinic to help patients gain more control over their online medical data, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Under the pilot program, Google officials say that patients in the Cleveland Clinic system will be able to gain access to their medical records at any time through a Google online health profile and can securely share medical information as needed.

Full-text article by Christopher Lawton is available via The Wall Street Journal, 2.21.08.

Hall Family Foundation gives $43M to Children's Mercy

Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics will receive a $43 million gift from the Hall Family Foundation to help pay for its $800 million expansion.

The gift is the largest Children's Mercy has received in its 110-year history. It will help pay for the expansion's first phase, which will include an expanded emergency room, two new heart-catheterization laboratories, an eight-story building for outpatient clinics and an office for physicians, all on the Hospital Hill campus.

Full-text article via Kansas City Business Journal, 2.22.08.

Health care can ensure a healthy economy, too

Health care has emerged in recent years as a bright spot for the Pensacola Bay Area economy, and as a focus for the future that promises more and better jobs.

Building on a base of existing hospitals, enhancing this area's status as a growing regional medical center is an exciting economic development trend.

Full-text article via Pensacola News Journal, 2.12.08.

Suburban Hospitals "Greening" Their Facilities

Some suburban hospitals have been making strides toward the increasingly important goal of “greening” their facilities as much as possible to become more environmentally friendly.

Realizing that such efforts are not only good for their bottom line in that energy savings and pollution reduction equipment and materials can reduce costs, hospital officials in the area know that it’s also a stance that’s increasingly popular to the public.

Full-text post is available via the Business Ledger, 1.7.08.

Michigan hospitals report record fund-raising results

Contributions from Michiganders and companies helped to make 2007 a record-breaking fund-raising year for many hospital systems despite the state's slumping economy.

Full-text article by Patricia Anstett is available via Freep.com/Detroit Free Press, 1.5.08.

Hospitals' charity work hard to assess

The California state auditor's office recently recommended that lawmakers give nonprofit hospitals more specific instructions on how to determine the value of services they provide to the cities and towns they serve, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Full-text article by Mary Engel is available via the Los Angeles Times, 12.14.07.

Foundation Establishes College Savings for Newborns

Officials at the Harold Alfond Foundation, in Portland, Me., said they will soon begin a program at two Maine hospitals that will establish a $500 college savings account for each child born at the institutions, reports the Portland Press Herald.

The money will be invested in college-tuition savings accounts managed by the Finance Authority of Maine. Money invested in the accounts will not be taxed as long as it is used for college tuition.

Mr. Alfond, who founded Dexter Shoes and was a big shareholder in Berkshire Hathaway, died last month at age 93.

Full-text article is available via the Portland Press Harold, 12.11.2007.

Donor Relations at Akron Children's Hospital

Akron Children's Hospital once a year invites local leaders to accompany doctors on their rounds, an experience that turns many of the visitors into loyal supporters.

Full-text article by Caroline Preston available via The Chronicle of Philanthropy. [subscription required]

With Health Costs Rising, a Tougher Sell for Hospitals

While America’s private and public medical institutions continue to have success raising money — $8 billion last year alone — fund-raisers and others say that the rising cost of health care is an issue they must address sometimes with potential donors.

Full-text article by Reed Abelson is available via The New York Times, 11.12.07.

The Association for Healthcare Philanthropy's Report on Giving

Grateful patients and other U.S. donors increased their charitable contributions to health care facilities and organizations in 2006, but the 11.5 percent increase to $7.9 billion was substantially lower than the 16 percent rate of increase to $7 billion reached in 2005, according to a new “Report on Giving” issued today by The Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP).

Related article, "Donations to Hospitals Grew 8.3 Percent" by Debra E. Blum via The Chroncile of Philanthropy, 11.1.07.