West Penn Finalizes Job Cuts

The West Penn Allegheny Health System announced its final plans for the consolidation of the West Penn Hospital in Bloomfield today saying around 400 jobs would be cut as relocation of its services begins in January. An original estimate for jobs lost due to the consolidation announced in June was approximately 1,500 positions. The facility in Bloomfield will continue to offer outpatient services and outpatient surgery. But other areas, inluding emergency services will move to Allegheny General Hospital on the North Side. The emergency unit of the Bloomfield branch will close December 31. According to West Penn, 210 employees will accept other positions within the system, 65 employees will move to Allegheny General, 220 employees left through resignations, and 400 will lose their jobs as a result of the consolidation. West Penn spokesman Dan Laurent says West Penn's plan is to provide health care needs locally with an eye on future changes in health care reform, "We're focused on our system and what we need to do to become a more effective health care system for the people of this community." Laurent says they plan to develop more localized, community health care at a center it plans to built in Peters Township next year.

Study Finds Major Geographic Differences in Medicare Drug Spending

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine finds that some regions in the U.S. spend twice as much as others on drugs under Medicare. Dr. Yuting Zhang is a professor of Heath Economics at the University of Pittsburgh and is the lead author of the report. She also found little correlation between spending on drugs and spending on other medical services like hospitalizations and visits to the doctor. Zhang sees the study as an important tool for health care reform and bringing down medical costs. She says eventually they can use the data to learn why some places are inefficient with their spending and how to emulate best practices from other areas that keep their costs low while maintaining quality patient care. Researchers divided the country into 306 hospital-referral regions and controlled for geographic differences in cost, demographics, insurance and overall health. Manhattan New York spends the most on drugs under Medicare at $2,973 annually per beneficiary, the Hudson Florida area spends the least per beneficiary at $1,854 per year. Out of the 306 regions Johnstown Pennsylvania was ranked the 15th highest spender on drugs, but came in at 242 in overall medical spending. Pittsburgh ranked 59 and 61 respectively. Zhang says they will conduct follow-up studies focused on doctors' prescribing practices and a comparison of the prescription of generic and brand name drugs.

Health Care Summit

President Obama will try to re-launch his stalled health care overhaul today by hosting a televised summit with Congressional leaders to discuss the bill.
Mr. Obama says he wants to hear Republican ideas, but the head of Pennsylvania’s GOP says he doesn’t think the president is sincere.
The President will sit down with top Republicans and Democrats to talk about the future of his health care package, which has stalled since Democrats lost their Senate supermajority last month.
The White House says it’s serious about soliciting input from the GOP, but Pennsylvania Republican Chairman Rob Gleason says he doesn’t buy that.

"I don’t trust the White House on that. I think it is a publicity stunt. I think he’s trying to fool the people by doing this. He’s trying to embarrass the Republican Party. They call us the party of no, but we have a lot of good ideas."

Democratic state Representative Josh Shapiro, who sits on a panel of state legislators who advise the White House on health care issues, says it’s “nonsense” to suggest Mr. Obama is trying to trap Republican leaders by asking for their input on legislation.
He says he’s confident a bill will be signed into law this year, saying the country’s present health care system is too expensive and unsustainable. He also says he’s confident a measure will be signed into law this year.

"We are somewhere between second and third and goal. And it’s time to get this done, but get it done responsibly, and with Republican input. And the president has established a forum to do that tomorrow, and I’m looking forward to the discussion."

There’s some debate over whether Senate Democrats can use a maneuver called “reconciliation” in order to bypass a filibuster. Supporters of the tactic point out several landmark bills, like the Children’s Health Insurance Program and COBRA, have been passed this way. The White House claims the package will provide coverage to 30 million uninsured Americans.

Pittsburgh Emergency Medicine Doctor Back from Haiti

Earlier this week, Chip Lambert, an emergency medicine physician, returned to Pittsburgh after spending two weeks in Haiti. He works for the Medical Benevolence Foundation of the Presbyterian Church. Dr. Lambert is also medical director for Brother's Brother Foundation, and he works part-time at Allegheny General Hospital. He was in Haiti to assess the damage to the hospital in Laogone, which his foundation supports and coordinate delivery of medical supplies. He's seen the destruction following Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami in Sri Lanka and Hurricane Mitch in Nicaragua. But he told DUQ's Alexandria Chaklos it was difficult to witness the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, a place he had visited a few months earlier.

Listen to the interview.

Health Care Center Receives Stimulus Funds

The Squirrel Hill Health Center (SHHC) has been chosen as one of 85 community health centers in the country to receive stimulus funds from the federal Recovery Act.
The health center will receive $792,700, which will be directed toward the renovations and construction of an oral health care center for uninsured and underserved residents of Western Pennsylvania.
CEO Susan Friedberg Kalson says the center had an oral healthcare center in its plans since it opened three and a half years ago, but did not have the funds to build it. She says the money will cover construction and renovation costs, but will not cover operating expenses. She says the center has begun applying for more funds to cover those costs as well.
Kalson says the center will provide care for people with no dental insurance on a sliding fee scale, which means patients will be evaluated based on household income. There will be a minimum fee per service. She says care will also be provided for people with insurance, mostly for those with MediCaid because it is especially difficult for those people to receive dental care. She says not only will this benefit people in need of care, but it will also create jobs in construction, renovation and permanent positions once the center is completely finished. The center has partnered with area social service agencies and dental advisory groups made up of community dentists. She says they are looking forward to working with their community partners to make this happen. Kalson says there is an incredible need for increased dental services in our area.

"PA Society" Gathered in NYC

The state’s political power players gathered in New York City over the weekend for an annual event. If you’re a Pennsylvania politician – or if you’re trying to win an election to join that club – then Pennsylvania Society is the place to be. It’s a tradition that dates back to 1899. Pennsylvania’s political scene migrates to the Waldorf-Astoria in Manhattan for a weekend of parties packed with schmoozing, black ties, cocktails and gossip. Nearly every gubernatorial candidate held a reception, and there was an unspoken attendance competition going on among them. It is believed a well-attended soiree means a strong campaign. Standing in the middle of a packed ballroom he had rented, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato said he was in New York to build relationships with supporters. He says, “Pennsylvania Society is a unique situation because you can get all corners of the state, the middle of the state, a lot of people from all over in one area for three days. And as you can see, I packed the room with a lot of supporters tonight. And I think it’s an indication of the viability of my candidacy.” Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett says it was worth the trip, “You know, there’s a lot of potential fundraising ability here, contacts here. Networking. I certainly like the reception that I have received this weekend, and continue to receive. I mean I’ve been coming to this since 1993 or 1994. It’s nice to get to see everybody. It is a lot of seeing the same people over and over again.” Along with campaigning there are a lot of discussions about upcoming legislative efforts. House Majority Leader Todd Eachus says Democrats have the votes they need to pass a table games bill. He says he is taking a different approach than the governor, “I always worry about the work. The governor’s got to worry about his press conferences. My focus is trying to get the job done.” At the same time, US Senator Arlen Specter of PA was talking about health care. Specter says the Senate will pass a health care bill by month’s end, but he shied away from declaring support for a compromise on the public health care option. He says, “We’ve talked a lot about it, but I want to read the fine print before I take a final stand on it. Getting 60 votes—getting 60 out of 60—is a tough job when you don’t have any Republican support.”

PA Christmas Tree Lit

10 year old Becky Boucher, a 5th grader at Upper Moreland Intermediate School, who is battling bone cancer, joined Governor Ed Rendell today in lighting the Capitol Christmas tree in Harrisburg.
Governor Rendell called Christmas a season of hope..."a time when all of us dream dreams, not just the children, we think of a world we would like to see, a hope for better times."
Rendell gave special recognition to the men and women in the military whose duties will separate them from their families during the holidays. He noted that 233 Pennsylvanians have been killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan including 46 members of the Pennsylvania National Guard.....that's the highest total of any state's guard contingent.
Rendell asked for those who are doing well to reach out to others who are not: 156 thousand Pennsylvanians have lost their homes to foreclosure over the last 3 to 4 years and another 155,00 are in danger of doing so. He noted that 560,000 state residents are unemployed and 883,000 are without health care. The governor expressed hope that Congress would pass an extension to jobless benefits and approve a health care overhaul to extend coverage to more Americans.

The 21 foot Douglas Fir tree was donated by the Pennsylvania Christmas Tree Growers Association and is decorated with 700 energy-saving C-7 LED lights and more than 300 handmade ornaments donated by more than 50 senior centers.

Bishop Rejects Demand to Publicly Bar Politicians from Communion

The founder of the anti-abortion group, Operation Rescue, led small demonstrations yesterday outside the downtown Pittsburgh office of Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Bob Casey and outside St. Paul Cathedral. Randall Terry, who has split with Operation Rescue, demanded that Pittsburgh Catholic Bishop David Zubik to bar Casey and other Catholic politicians from receiving Communion if they vote for health care legislation unless the bill prohibits any public funds for abortion. The bishop rejected Terry's demands.
"Health care reform must be centered on saving lives, not destroying them...Questions regarding the reception of Communion by anyone in the Catholic Church is a matter of faith that does not belong in the public square.
The Church has traditionally taught that every Catholic has the serious moral responsibility to examine his or her conscience before receiving Communion or not.
At the same time, the Church also has the responsibility to protect the sacredness of the Eucharist from any abuse, inclusive of politicizing Communion.
If a time came where I must engage any individual for any reason in regard to reception of the Eucharist, that would be solely between myself as Pastor and that person as a member of my flock. This would certainly not be an issue to be debated publicly."

The Senate resumes debate on health care legislation today.

Medical Marijuana Debated in PA Legislature

Advocates and opponents of legalized medical marijuana stated their case at a state Capitol hearing. A bill before the House would allow patients to use marijuana with a doctor’s permission. The drug would be sold at licensed so-called “compassion centers.”
Patients would be limited to six plants or one ounce of marijuana at a time.
Those restrictions aren’t good enough for Sharon Smith, the founder and president of the anti-drug organization MOMSTELL

"When has smoking anything been good for your health?"

Smith doesn’t buy the argument marijuana can help ease the pain of seriously ill patients.

"House Bill 1393 ignores the fact that marijuana is an illegal drug with no recognized medical value."

Supporters of the bill told members of the Health and Human Services Committee that legalizing medical marijuana is a common-sense way to improve the quality of life for some terminally ill individuals.
Former Montgomery County Commissioner Ruth Damsker says the legislation wouldn’t have any impact on general drug use.
Damsker says if anything, medical marijuana could help parents convince their children not to mess with drugs.

"Treating marijuana as a powerful, medicinal drug for limited purposes will raise awareness that this is a serious drug, and not something to be taken for recreation."

The legislation would require registration with the Health Department.

Casey Wants Changes to Obama Health Care Overhaul

Pro-life Democrat Bob Casey says he wants to see changes to President Obama's health care overhaul, but he's confident the measure will pass the Senate by year's end.
Casey says Democrats don't have the votes they need to pass health care legislation yet, but argues the reform movement has gained momentum, and will clear the Senate in December.
Casey supports a push to make sure the proposed public option doesn't use public dollars to fund abortions.

"I think there's a consensus in the country not to have federal tax dollars pay for abortions and I think that's the intention of people in both parties here in Washington. But I don't think we're there yet in the current version of the bill."

Casey didn't say whether he'd support barring private plans offering abortion coverage from the public exchange, saying the proposal "complicates" things.
He says since there's no template for that type of initiative, it's difficult to tell whether the Hyde Amendment would apply.
Both Casey and Democrat Arlen Specter voted to begin debate on health care this past weekend.
Specter says health care may not pass this year--but he's confident it will pass the Senate.

"We're going to work at it, but it is more important that it is done right than it is done fast. We're dealing here with a big chunk of the economy. We're dealing with health care for America, and we're going to do it right. And if it takes a little longer we are going to take our time."

Specter says he thinks the final bill will include a public option.

Specter: Good Health Care Reform Coming

U.S. Senator Arlen Specter says he is not worried about Republican efforts to “Sink” health care reform legislation as it moves through the Senate. “They have become the party of no,” says Specter, “Republicans are vowing to sink everything. They tried to sink the stimulus package, they are trying to sink health care reform. But there are 60 votes in the Senate and we are moving it along.” Specter says the nation will get, “a good healthcare reform bill.” He says, “I believe we will have the public option one way or another and we will be insuring millions of Americans and we will save money.” Those savings would come through more people seeking preventative care and help during the early stages of illnesses. Many of those watching the debate closely are using the end of the year as a milestone. Specter says he does not want to put a time line on the process. “It is more important that it is done right rather than done fast," says Specter.

Swine Flu Vaccine Clinics Today

The Pennsylvania Department of Health is offering free swine flu vaccine clinics for high risk groups starting today. Spokeswoman Stacy Kriedeman says they continue to target at-risk groups, including pregnant women, people between 6 months and 24 years old, care givers for babies less than 6 months old, health care personnel, and people between 25 and 64 with underlying conditions. However, those at-risk groups comprise about half of Pennsylvania's 12 million residents. To date, Pennsylvania has received 1.7 million doses of vaccine and is getting about 400,000 to 500,000 doses each week.
The clinics in Allegheny County today are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Chartiers Valley High School in Collier Township, McKeesport High School, North Allegheny High School in McCandless, and Pittsburgh Schenley High School in East Liberty.

Stem Cell Treatment for Heart Attack Patients

Researchers at Allegheny General Hospital have begun a clinical trial to explore the safety and effectiveness of an adult stem cell therapy for heart attacks. AGH is 1 of 38 hospitals across the country involved in the study using stem cells from the bone marrow of healthy adult donors. Dr. Robert Biederman is the Director of AGH's Cardiovascular MRI Center and the hospital's
principal investigator for this study.
Biederman says they are hoping the treatment reduces the enlargement of the heart following the attack....
"That has been one of the strongest predictors of outcome, meaning hospitalization, death and requirement of other interventions. We're hoping that it improves the heart function. If we can interfere with the natural decrease in function after the heart attack, that would be very advisable."
Dr. Biederman says they also want to reduce the heart scarring, the damage to the heart muscle. He says the stem cell treatment will be given 3 to 7 days after the patient, who has a modest heart attack, undergoes angioplasty to open the blocked vessel and receives the traditional medicines.
He says it's a one time I-V infusion through the arm and doesn't require a catheterization nor any needles into the heart itself for infusions.
A 53 year old Scott Township woman became the first patient in the study at AGH and Biederman says she is doing very well. She will have follow up MRI's to check for heart function and scarring at 3, 6 and 12 months.
Biederman says this may be a paradigm change in the treatment of heart attack patients. He says it's possible the FDA could approve the treatment in 2 to 2 and a half years.

Bill Would Revive State Health Care Agency

A state agency to help regulate medical costs would get another five years of funding if a bill is signed by Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell. The Senate approved legislation allowing the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4) to continue operations through the summer of 2014. Prime sponsor Patricia Vance (R – Cumberland) says it’s hard to tell just how much money the council will receive over a half-decade. “Well, it depends. Their budget has been cut this year, probably because they were reinstated by an executive order of the governor. It depends on how much is allocated every budget year. That’s impossible to tell at this point,” says Vance. She says the program provides a valuable service to people seeking information on health care by indexing the quality and pricing of state hospitals and medical centers. Despite their name, the PHC4 does not have any active power to contain health care costs, though. “I believe that knowledge is power, and if consumers have this information then it’s their obligation to act upon it,” says Vance.

COBRA Offered to Small Business Employees

Employees at small businesses in the state may soon have the ability to keep their health insurance if they loose their job. Both the PA House and Senate have approved legislation that would extend federal Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) to employees that used to work at companies with 2-19 employees. (COBRA) provides former employees, retirees, spouses, former spouses, and dependent children the right to continuation of health coverage at group rates for up to 18 months. The so-called "Mini-COBRA" health insurance plan still needs to be signed by the governor. A spokesperson for Gov. Ed Rendell says he supports the bill. PA Senator Don White says, "It is an important step in the right direction to maintain affordable accessibility to essential health care. Most significantly, it does not cost the Pennsylvania taxpayers one dime. This measure is already in place in many other states and it is time we make it part of Pennsylvania's health care network. " "House Bill 1089 could provide an important safety net to thousands of individuals who work for small businesses and find themselves to be between jobs," says White. The federal stimulus act provides a 65% federal subsidy for COBRA premiums. The subsidy is good for up to nine months for those covered by COBRA as well as those in a state continuation program such as the Mini-COBRA program established by this legislation.

Dominion puts money toward Health Care needs

Dominion Energy has given a large amount of money toward a philanthropic cause for the second time in six months. The company is to distribute $1 million across 14 states, including $100,000 in Pennsylvania, to provide free health care money to assist with prescriptions, dental service and diagnostic tests. That money will be divided between 16 grants within the state. Dominion Foundation Executive Director Jim Mesloh says the money mostly came from Dominion employees by sacrificing "Dominion Days" this year, when employees take trips to Kennywood and have other various events. Last December, Dominion gave $1 million to help food banks and food pantries.

Drug Might Not Help Early Stage Colon Cancer

Researchers from Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) say a drug that's been approved to treat advanced colorectal, breast and lung cancer might not be effective in dealing with early stage colon cancer. Avastin interferes wit the growth of cancer cells by cutting off blood flow to the tumors. Dr. Norman Wolmark, the principal investigator for AGH's Department of Human Oncology, says they had hoped that using Avastin in early stage colon cancer would improve the survival rate, but it did not. However, Dr. Wolmark says the drug might be more effective if administered for more than 1 year. Researchers reported their findings yesterday at a national conference in Orlando.

Healthcare Groups Look for Help

Hospital executives are reminding lawmakers that medical centers are an economic anchor in many Pennsylvania communities. Lobbyists say proposed cuts to hospital Medicaid payments will lead to job losses across the Commonwealth. The budget approved by the Republican-controlled Senate reduces Medicaid funding to hospitals by nearly $280 million in combined federal and state money. Barry Freedman is CEO of the Albert Einstein Healthcare Network....“These cuts in Medicaid reimbursement proposed by both the Governor and the Senate hit the state's urban area's the hardest. More than 75 percent of the $280 million in cuts will affect hospitals in the state's two largest counties.” Freedman says medical centers in Allegheny County would get about $50 million less in the coming fiscal year under the current spending plan. Capitol observers say the Senate budget is a negotiation starter that won't likely reach the House floor for serious debate.

Bill to Aid Those in Kids' Health Insurance Crunch

Two Pennsylvania Congressmen have joined together in a bill that will help families ailing during the economic crisis with supplying health care for their children more effectively. It's called the Children's Health Insurance Accessibility Act, and it would eliminate the waiting period to join CHIP low-income health insurance. Democratic Congressman Patrick Murphy says a family should never have to make a choice between paying utilities or providing health insurance for their children, and out-of-pocket medical expense would be no more than 10 percent of the parents' current income. Republican Congressman Tim Murphy says the bill will help those affected by a job loss. Rachel Klein, health policy Deputy Director of Families USA, says states implemented waiting periods in order to prevent users from dropping CHIP to go to a private provider.

Parents Could Keep Kids On Health Plan Longer

The first Pennsylvania law of 2009 is a measure allowing children to remain on their parents' insurance plans through age 29. That's welcome news to uninsured twenty-somethings.
With companies downsizing and imposing hiring freezes, many recent graduates have had a hard time securing steady employment.
No job often means no health insurance, but the bill passed by both chambers would allow Pennsylvania residents in their twenties to stay on their family plans.

That's welcome news to Jess Doban, a 24-year-old uninsured Philadelphia resident who's held a series of jobs since graduating from college two years ago.

"Everyone I know bounces around so many jobs at this point, and everybody's new at the company so, you know, last one in is the first one out. So everybody's always a bit panicked that they're going to lose their job with the economy, with the way it is. Something to fall back on would be very nice."


Administration spokesman Chuck Ardo says Governor Rendell will sign the bill into law.
Though Ardo adds Rendell is surprised it's taken until mid-May for the General Assembly to get a bill to his desk.