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Partnering with major league baseball, basketball, hockey, football and even lacrosse teams isn't just about building brand recognition. It's also a way to promote health and fitness in the community.

As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services sharpens the sticks and sweetens the carrots to encourage health care providers to reduce avoidable readmissions, better discharge planning has become a [...]

The article focuses on John Roberts, chief justice of the U.S. and "Modern Healthcare's" most influential person in healthcare for 2012. As proof of his influence, Roberts cast the deciding vote and wrote the majority opinion in the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling to uphold the constitutionality of the individual mandate of the U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. One major issue faced by Roberts and the other justices is health insurance. Details of his opinion on the issue are noted. INSET: A senator with staying power.

The article features several U.S. health care facilities which won in the periodical "Modern Healthcare" 26th Design Awards. Sharron van der Meulen of ZGF Architects says they used light-colored materials at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Brooklyn Infusion Center in New York to create a look of more space. Tim Fishking of the architectural firm NBBJ notes that the Miami Valley Hospital Heart and Orthopedic Centers in Dayton, Ohio had a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certificate.

The article reveals the findings of "Modern Healthcare's" 2008 Physician Compensation Survey which indicates that physicians' services could become a very high priced commodity which could force healthcare organizations to get creative in order to afford or use less of that commodity. Alternatives to higher physician salaries have grown to include establishing joint ventures between doctors and hospital systems, loan forgiveness agreements for medical-school debt, research opportunities and payment for on-call duties and administrative services.

The article reports on the economic and financial policies made by Maryland hospitals in response to the new incentives and how they address coordination with post acute providers. It mentions the potential for quality improvement and cost savings by the Maryland hospitals and budgeting for the patient care. It further mentions the views of Paul Keckley, managing director of the Navigant Center for Healthcare Research and Policy Analysis, on the same.

The article discusses the initiative taken by Michael Graves for the development of healthcare industry in the U.S. It also reflects on his major works which include the Graves' whistling bird teakettles, the Denver Central Library and his work with the medical product firm Stryker Corp. to make hospital items like over-bed tables and wheelchairs.

This section offers news briefs in the Midwestern U.S. healthcare industry. Two consultants were appointed by the Michigan attorney general's office to examine the proposed sale of tax-exempt Detroit Medical Center to Vanguard Health Systems. Ohio's hospital association reported that the overall rate of central line-associated bloodstream infections have been reduced by almost half by a pilot group of 53 hospitals in the state within six months. The redesign and construction project at St. Anthony's Medical Center has been completed.

The article reports that hospital competition is on the upswing in Florida, Georgia and Iowa, where a new legislation makes it easier for healthcare construction to begin. The legislation involved reforming state certificate-of-need (CON) laws and mostly revolved around streamlining processes that some say appeared geared more toward helping a community's existing healthcare system avoid the inconvenience of competition.

The article considers the growing number of hospitals and health systems in the U.S. entering the field of retail. Healthcare in retail settings is acquiring a new layer of legitimacy as more of these convenient-care clinics are being opened or operated by traditional providers. The rapid growth of convenient care coupled with recognized access-to-care problems have led many systems to take a closer look at the retail clinic business model.

The article focuses on the shortage of on call-physician specialist in the U.S. It emphasizes that the contributing factors to the shortage of on-call physician include perception of greater risk for malpractice litigation and lost opportunities to see patients or spend time with family and friends because of being on unpaid call. It cites that hospitals are offering on-call stipends, guaranteed reimbursement for service and limited on-call schedules to solve the problem.

The article presents information on the staff of OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Illinois which has worked hard to reduce pressure ulcers in their hospital patients as of January 2014. Topics discussed include patient safety and quality improvement, five Million Lives campaign of nonprofit Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), and the view of Kelly Nimtz-Rusch, a nurse. Other topics include provision of providing educational materials on prevention of ulcers for patients.

The article offers information on the list of 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare in 12 years compiled by the periodical. It mentions that the list include RoseAnn DeMoro, executive director of the National Nurses United union and Drew Altmam president of the Kaiser Family Foundation. It states that now a days consumer-oriented organizations including the organization American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) are also getting involved in the healthcare.

The article reports on the increasing number of hospitals in the U.S. being revamped and rewired for new technology. It is noted that the typical patient room now has Internet access and a 42-inch flat-screen television that has cable channels and movies on demand. Architects suggest that hospitals put together information technology (IT) distribution rooms.

The article deals with a study produced by Public Citizen's Health Research Group which claims that the failure of U.S. hospitals to discipline and report doctors endangers patients. According to the study, almost half of all U.S. hospitals have failed to file a report to the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB). The study points out that underreporting to the NPDB reflects the inadequacy of the hospital peer review. A different strategy for improving peer review and the NPDB was suggested by Nancy Foster of the American Hospital Association (AHA).

The article focuses on the buy-and-hold strategy being used by some hospitals in the U.S. in purchasing land. William Tuttle, vice president of planning for Baptist Memorial Health Care Corp., says that when buying land, the first evaluation takes into account how a land fits into Baptist Memorial's long-term strategic plan and then the purchase is balanced against the organization's other capital needs. William Hejna of Noblis Center for Health Innovation says capital spending is being restricted to projects that are considered essential for operations.

This article states that members of the National Quality Forum began voting on 43 performance measures that if approved would boost by 13% the total number of measures the organization has endorsed. The organization is voting on whether the measures have the importance, scientific soundness, feasibility and usability necessary to qualify for use as valid indicators on the quality of care a hospital provides. If endorsed, the measures will then be considered performance standards and used to measure the quality of care delivered at hospitals in the U.S.

The article reports on the fight between hospitals and physicians in Georgia. The Georgia Hospital Association has joined the cause of not-for-profit members of the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals against Albany Surgical and the Georgia Department of Community Health who, in turn, have the support of the Medical Association of Georgia. The dispute centers on whether general surgeons-unlike surgical specialists-need to go through a certificate-of-need process before opening an ambulatory surgery center.

The article reports on the commentary made by researchers Robert Wachter and Peter Pronovost against the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's (IHI) 100,000 Lives Campaign in the U.S. in 2006. Their scrutiny was featured in an article in the November 2006 issue of the Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety. The researchers questioned the campaign's promotion of rapid-response teams and the calculations that led the IHI to proclaim that the campaign helped avert some 122,300 preventable hospital deaths.

The article reveals that the Hospital Compare Web site will include more quality measures including data on patient satisfaction and mortality rates. The site is getting ready to post several new types of data including the 30 day mortality rates for acute myocardial infarction and heart failure drawn from claims data submitted to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The article focuses on the use of wireless technology in hospitals and solutions to signal challenges of wireless. More access points are added to address coverage issues. Technical problems with wireless coverage may harm patients according Konrad Schroth, director of product marketing at InnerWireless. Wireless tags are becoming popular for tracking medical apparatus and supplies such as wheelchairs.

The article reports on changes in facilities offered in two newly built healthcare centers, Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute , opened at Texas in December 6, 2014. Topics discussed include views on the same by Henry Chao, executive at HOK architects, various services includes cancer-testing equipments, hotel like facilities and 24 hr intensive care unit(ICU) service and number of medical staffs.

The article offers information on University of South California, San Francisco,(UCSF) Medical Center, a healthcare project built by the integrated-project-delivery(IPD)approach. Topics discussed include views on the same by Stuart Eckblad, UCSF director of design and construction, comments based on same by Laurel Harrison, executive at architectural firm, Stantec and an overview on IPD services by the American Institute of Architects, a professional organization for architects.

The article discusses the initiative taken by George F. Geisinger Memorial Hospital, based in Danville Pennsylvania, for promoting healthcare including introduction of an online course xG Health Learning, and a genomic research partnership formed in partnership with the company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. Topics discussed include Geisinger's efforts to pass the U.S. Affordable Care Act, and views of Richard Gilfillan, chief executive officer at the organization Trinity Health, on Geisinger.

An interview is presented with Howard Grant, President and Chief Executive Officer at the non-profit organization Lahey Health System in Burlington, Massachusetts. Topics discussed include the rising costs of healthcare in Massachusetts, Grant's opposition to the expansion of Partners HealthCare System Inc. through a coalition and the challenges faced by accountable care organization of Lahey Health.

The article discusses the 2014 Design Awards presented by "Modern Healthcare" magazine to various hospital projects, evaluated on several criteria including design excellence of the hospital building, functional utility of the hospital and its flexibility. It mentions that Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, a cancer-treatment center in Sydney, Australia and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, a Partners Healthcare facility in Boston, Massachusetts won the "Award of Excellence" in 2014 Design Awards.

The article informs that academic medicine and hospital group disagree with the U.S. Institute of Medicine (IOM) for overhauling Medicare-funded medical training for doctors.

The article reports on the planned renovation of the Parkland Health & Hospital System in Dallas, Texas. Topics discussed include the construction project management, the hospital management, and the fundraising campaigns for the hospital renovation. Also mentioned are the property tax bills, the interest payments, and the safety management for patients.

The article reports on the planned relocation of the Parkland Hospital to a new facility. Topics discussed include the Parkland Hospital history, the death of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, and the social aspects of the Parkland Hospital. Also mentioned are the museum wall in the hospital and the safety management for patients.