Greg Walden introduces plan to protect health care access for Oregon military retirees
Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) today introduced a bill, the TRICARE Protection Act, to protect thousands of Oregon military retirees from changes to TRICARE Prime that will soon be implemented by the Pentagon. He was joined by Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) and Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.) in writing the bipartisan plan. "Thousands of Oregonians who have worn our nation #39;s uniform are at risk of losing access to their health care provider when the popular TRICARE Prime option is eliminated for many beneficiaries by the Pentagon. This could mean higher out-of-pocket costs and longer drives for many Oregon military retirees. These heroes have put their lives on the line for our freedom. They deserve the very best care our nation has to offer," Rep. Walden said. "Our common-sense, bipartisan proposal will require the Pentagon to report on the impact these changes will have on Oregon military retirees and their families, so they will know what is being planned. It also requires that the Pentagon guarantee that those affected retain access to a primary care doctor for two years to allow for a smooth transition under the switch," Rep. Walden said.From:RepGregWaldenViews:1 0ratingsTime:01:14More inNews Politics

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Greg Walden introduces plan to protect health care access for Oregon military retirees - Video

RWJF Podcast Series - Bringing New Voices and New Perspectives to the Research Agenda
In Bringing New Voices and New Perspectives to the Research Agenda podcast, Jacinta Gauda speaks with Gerri Spilka and Edith Arrington on how the New Connections program supports scholars and researchers from ethnic or racial minority or low-income communities, first-generation college graduates, or others who historically have been underrepresented in health care and health policy. Spilka and Arrington discuss the challenges faced by scholars and researchers from underrepresented groups -- isolation and the lack of access, funding and mentoring support -- and the impact these things can have on researchers #39; careers. They discuss how New Connections provides academics with the support they need to conduct research, publish findings and move up the academic hierarchy. Listeners will hear how New Connections provides funding, mentoring and networking opportunities and high-level recognition awards to scholars. Spilka and Arrington discuss outreach, networking and marketing efforts by the program that have led to the highest number of applicants in the program #39;s history. This podcast highlights the things that academia and philanthropy can do to bring new voices and perspectives to the research agenda.From:RWJFDiversityMattersViews:218 1ratingsTime:23:58More inNonprofits Activism

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RWJF Podcast Series - Bringing New Voices and New Perspectives to the Research Agenda - Video

Whether referred to as electronic medical records, electronic health records, or electronic patient records, there is no doubting the tremendous potential benefits that the digitization of medical data holds for the health care industry and the public at large.  EMRs can make a patient’s medical information readily accessible to a range of treating professionals, whether for routine visits or ...

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EMRs: The New Health Care Fraud Frontier?

How technology can benefit both patients and the NI economy

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High-tech health care

With the law overhauling health care all but certain to move ahead, the nation's health insurers are scrambling to reinvent themselves.

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Health care law has insurers focusing on attracting new customers

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Americans could realize net savings in health care costs of around $200 billion to $600 billion cumulatively over the next 10 years if concerted action is taken to reform care provider payment incentives, including moving away from the traditional fee-for-service model, according to a new working paper by UnitedHealth Groups (UNH) Center for Health Reform & Modernization.

The working paper, Farewell to Fee-for-Service? A Real World Strategy for Health Care Payment Reform, is being launched at todays Forbes Healthcare in the USA Forum in New York. (To read the full report, go to: http://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/reform.)

Underlining the size of the opportunity, the report also finds that U.S. physicians say that care costs could be cut by an average of 18 percent without any impact on quality, and 59 percent of physicians report there are meaningful differences in the quality of care provided by doctors in their local areas although only 44 percent of consumers are aware of them.

It is time to move past talk and convert the broad national consensus about the need to pay for value not volume into action. Payment reform is only going to move the needle on U.S. health spending growth if it is implemented on a massive, industrial scale, said Simon Stevens, chairman of the UnitedHealth Center for Health Reform & Modernization, executive vice president of UnitedHealth Group, and one of the papers authors.

Speaking at todays Forbes Health Forum, Stevens said, We will need to provide doctors and hospitals with constructive support during the transition, but savings ultimately have to flow to consumers and cant just be recycled and retained within the health care system.

The federal government projects that national health spending will rise from $2.8 trillion to $4.8 trillion over the coming decade, accounting for nearly 20 percent of the U.S. economy. Paying health care providers on a fee-for-service basis is one of the key contributors to the quality and cost shortfalls in the current health system, recently documented by the Institute of Medicine, among others. This new UnitedHealth Group research therefore sheds light on three important debates on U.S. health care and government entitlement program reform:

Key findings

1. Care provider payment reform has the potential to slow U.S. health spending growth and improve the sustainability of Medicare and Medicaid but it wont be a silver bullet.

By looking at different scenarios for net savings and speed of adoption, the report estimates that care provider payment reform could slow U.S. health spending by between $70 billion and $1.01 trillion cumulatively over the coming decade, with more likely savings in the $200 billion to $600 billion range. Around half of these savings might accrue to Medicare and Medicaid.

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New Report: Health Care Payment Reform Could Save U.S. $200 Billion-$600 Billion over Coming Decade, but ...

* With an aging population, there's a rising demand.

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Front-line health care jobs are in demand, group says

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Health Net Federal Services, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Health Net, Inc. (HNT), today announced its continued partnership with PennState Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine and the American Red Cross, through its Service to the Armed Forces program, to promote the last in a series of four symposiums entitled, Meeting the Needs of Returning Military Service Members, for primary care physicians and behavioral health professionals in the Chicago-area and part of the TRICARE North Region.

As this years series of behavioral health symposiums comes to a close in Chicago, we are very proud to know that the hundreds of physicians and behavioral health professionals who have attended these symposiums are better equipped to assess and treat the invisible wounds of war, said ThomasCarrato, president, Health Net Federal Services. The enthusiasm and interest from those who attended the symposiums speaks to the collective commitment within our region to the resiliency and well-being of our service members and their families who sacrifice so much for our country.

Topics that are scheduled to be discussed at the symposium include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) assessment tools and list factors that impact screening among military personnel; emerging technologies that support psychological health and brain injury recovery in the military community; mechanisms of injury and Department of Defense diagnostic criteria for mild, moderate, severe and penetrating traumatic brain injury (TBI); clinical practice guidelines for the management of mild TBI in non-deployed settings; contrasting the components of a differential diagnosis of TBI and/or PTSD; and understanding challenges faced by returning service members and program benefits available to them.

The symposium will be conducted by leaders from the Center for Deployment Psychology at the Uniformed Services University, the National Center for Telehealth and Technology, and the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center. Penn State College of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council of Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians, APA and NASW credits for behavioral health professionals, and credits for nurses also are available. This symposium has been designated for 7.0 continuing medical education (CME) hours.

The full-day symposium is expected to be held Dec. 8, 2012, at the Adler School of Professional Psychology, 17 North Dearborn Street, Community Room, in Chicago, Ill. Interested physicians and behavioral health care professionals can register by fax or by mail. Agenda, credits and registration details can be found at http://www.pennstatehershey.org/ce.

The TRICARE North Region includes Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky (except Fort Campbell), Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. In addition, the TRICARE North Region covers a small portion of Missouri and Iowa.

About Health Net

Health Net, Inc. is a publicly traded managed care organization that delivers managed health care services through health plans and government-sponsored managed care plans. Its mission is to help people be healthy, secure and comfortable. Health Net, through its subsidiaries, provides and administers health benefits to approximately 5.4million individuals across the country through group, individual, Medicare (including the Medicare prescription drug benefit commonly referred to as Part D), Medicaid, U.S.Department of Defense, including TRICARE, and Veterans Affairs programs. Health Nets behavioral health services subsidiary, Managed Health Network, Inc., provides behavioral health, substance abuse and employee assistance programs to approximately 4.9million individuals, including Health Nets own health plan members. Health Nets subsidiaries also offer managed health care products related to prescription drugs, and offer managed health care product coordination for multi-region employers and administrative services for medical groups and self-funded benefits programs.

For more information on Health Net, Inc., please visit Health Nets website at http://www.healthnet.com.

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Health Net Federal Services, Penn State and Red Cross Host Chicago Symposium to Better Equip Local Health Care ...

By Travis Pillow Florida Capital Bureau -- Florida lawmakers face a series of key decisions on the federal health care law, and on Monday they got their first taste of how contentious those decisions will be.

Originally posted here:

Health care law talks meet cries of 'tyranny'

WATERTOWN, Mass. & PORTLAND, Maine--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

athenahealth, Inc. (ATHN), a leading provider of cloud-based electronic health record (EHR), practice management, and care coordination services to medical groups and health systems, today announced that Martins Point Health Care, a medical group and health plan administrator with nearly 90 providers, will implement athenahealths integrated suite of services to optimize productivity and improve care delivery across its clinical network.

Martins Point will implement athenahealths Best in KLAS EHR service, streamlined medical billing and practice management service, and patient communication services across all of its health care centers. Additionally, Martin's Point Health Care will be utilizing health care business intelligence services from Anodyne Health Partners, Inc., an athenahealth company.

We are very excited to partner with athenahealth, said David Howes, MD and President and CEO of Martins Point Health Care. Their cloud-based services will help us work more efficiently, allowing us to focus on delivering the highest quality care and the best patient experience while lowering costs.

We at athenahealth are thrilled to be chosen by Martins Point Health Care, said Jonathan Bush, Chairman and CEO, athenahealth. As an insurance payer and a provider group with nearly 90 providers, they are in the unique position to truly change the way primary care is delivered in Maine. We are particularly pleased and honored to welcome our largest client in this state, where we have offices and employ more than 500 people.

About athenahealth

athenahealth, Inc. is a leading provider of cloud-based Best in KLAS electronic health record (EHR), practice management, and care coordination services to medical groups and health systems. athenahealths mission is to be the most trusted service to medical care givers, helping them do well by doing the right thing. For more information, please visit http://www.athenahealth.com or call 888-652-8200.

About Martins Point Health Care

Martins Point is a progressive, not-for-profit, health care organization, with experience and demonstrated excellence in both clinical patient care and health plan administration. Martins Point has nine health care centers in Maine and New Hampshire as well as three health care plans for select groups throughout the northeast. Martins Point is committed to improving the experience of care, improving health outcomes and reducing the overall cost of care. To achieve these goals, Martins Point is working to make systemic changes to the way primary care is delivered and coordinated. For more information, please visit http://www.MartinsPoint.org.

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Martin’s Point Health Care Selects athenahealth to Achieve Operational Productivity

Id-Ul Fitr Health Care/Party for the Kayayei at CDR, Nima, Accra, Ghana
A demonstration of safe sexFrom:Alhassan Jr AndaniViews:0 0ratingsTime:02:42More inNonprofits Activism

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Id-Ul Fitr Health Care/Party for the Kayayei at CDR, Nima, Accra, Ghana - Video

Health care on the go
Clark tells you about some new technology that allows you to fit in a doctor #39;s appointment without waiting at the doctor #39;s office. For more informaton please visit http://www.hlntv.comFrom:HLNViews:0 0ratingsTime:00:57More inNews Politics

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Health care on the go - Video

NWO Exposed -RFID Microchip
All the information on the RFID chip you could ever ask for. en.wikipedia.org Lists of RFID manufacture #39;s http://www.rfidexchange.com Get your RFID today your a moron if you implant this into you..... http://www.gaorfid.com http://www.gizmag.com There are many more place #39;s you can call to get an RFID implant take my advice don #39;t get it. Positive ID website positiveidcorp.com Full text of hearing with congress http://www.gpo.gov Transcript page from 2004 http://www.gpo.gov Top link once there: http://www.gpo.gov There are a total of 5 different version{link to video http://www.youtube.com The first version (2310) pages long contained section 2521 .. the final version (55 pages) Does not Contain Section 2521 ... it doesn #39;t get any more simplistic than this ... Source ( thomas.loc.gov ) Source of Public Law.. not shown in video ( http://www.gpo.gov ) RFID HR 4872 PAGE 1014 ! PDF FILE OF BILL PAGE 1014{housedocs.house.gov HR 3200/HR 4872 HEALTH CARE LAWS ! HR 4872 DID PASS ! Reconciliation Act HR4872 Brings Microchipping to America http://www.infowars.com PDF read full bill{housedocs.house.gov This link did work, so if it doesn #39;t let me know I will put a new one. HR 3200 DID NOT PASS ! en.wikipedia.org This was the PDF file where you could read the whole bill GOV. has taken it down this link is broke strange.{candicemiller.house.gov This Link does work for now.....................{waysandmeans.house.gov HR 3590{www.govtrack.us Here is a video of some news clips within the video of the chip being refered to by the FDA, and the President ...From:TheKimrobViews:5 0ratingsTime:07:55More inNonprofits Activism

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NWO Exposed -RFID Microchip - Video

Software Development Company Hyderabad,India
Lava Infotech delivers innovative software products in Health care, Education, Social Networking etc.with benefits and cost that outperform any other software development company.From:lavainfotechViews:4 0ratingsTime:00:41More inScience Technology

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Software Development Company Hyderabad,India - Video

Inpatient Diabetes Management
A summary of the inpatient management of diabetes. Topics include the sliding scale, basal bolus regimens, adjusting insulin when NPO, adjusting insulin for persistent hyperglycemia, and the consistent carb diet. Information here is provided for educational purposes only, and is not intended to substitute for the opinion of an experienced and licensed health care professional. This work is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons, Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. It may be reproduced and distributed provided that accurate attribution remains, the work is not altered in any way, and it is not used for commercial purposes. For details, please refer to: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en_US.From:drericstrongViews:5 0ratingsTime:22:54More inEducation

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Inpatient Diabetes Management - Video

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (PRWEB) December 04, 2012

LEVEL, a global brand strategy and advertising firm, has been named agency of record for North Memorial Health Care, an independent health care provider with hospitals in Robbinsdale and Maple Grove and a network of primary care, specialty and urgent care clinics and 5,000 employees in the Twin Cities. As agency of record, LEVEL will manage brand and media strategy and creative development for the local health care system.

North Memorial Health Care, which has provided more than 50 years of health care to Minnesota communities, selected LEVEL in response to the firms depth of health care knowledge and recognition of the changing health care landscape as well as the longevity of LEVELs client partnerships.

We are delighted to name LEVEL as agency of record for North Memorial. With their expertise in health care and proven skills in building lasting brands, LEVEL is a true strategic partner that can help us share the amazing story of what we do, whom we serve and how we are making a difference in Minnesota communities every day, said Trudy Marshall, director of marketing, North Memorial Health Care.

North Memorial, well known for its Level 1 trauma center and leading emergency care department, also operates a network of primary, urgent and specialty care clinics including Heart & Vascular Clinics, the Hope Chest Breast Center of North Memorial, the Humphrey Cancer Center, and the Sleep Health Center.

We are honored to work with such an esteemed local organization. This new partnership gives us the opportunity to show the community why North Memorial was named one of HealthGrades 50 Best Hospitals in America, the only Minnesota hospital on the list, said Kim Thelen, vice president of strategic planning and client service for LEVEL.

About LEVEL LEVEL is a global brand strategy and advertising firm headquartered in Minneapolis. We help our clients build world-class brands and reputations that inspire stakeholder loyalty, increase revenue and drive sustained profitable growth. LEVEL provides a variety of services and proprietary tools for fully integrated communications strategy and implementation. For further information about LEVEL visit http://www.levelbrand.com or call (612) 338-8000.

About North Memorial North Memorial, based in Robbinsdale, Minn., provides innovative and advanced medical care to patients in the Twin Cities, greater Minnesota and western Wisconsin. North Memorial has provided health care services in the metro area for more than 50 years and includes North Memorial Medical Center - a Level I Trauma Center, Maple Grove Hospital, a partnership between North Memorial Health Care and Fairview, Hubert H. Humphrey Cancer Center, as well as a network of 35 primary and specialty care clinics. North Memorial also operates one of the largest hospital-based ambulance services in the country with eight helicopters and more than 100 ground ambulances. For more information, please visit http://www.northmemorial.com.

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LEVEL Named Agency of Record by North Memorial Health Care

The provinces health-care workers are hailing a last-minute reprieve in a landmark policy by public health officials that would have forced them to receive a flu shot or wear a surgical mask during their shifts.

Staff who refused to comply with the policy the first of its kind in Canada would have been liable to discipline, up to and including termination.

But late last week, the Health Ministry agreed to hold off enforcing the flu-shot decree for the next year, and renew efforts to persuade public health-care personnel to agree to be immunized. The mandatory policy was to have taken effect Dec. 1.

This is a huge relief, BC Nurses Union president Debra McPherson said Monday. It was creating a lot of anger and frustration in the workplace.

As the deadline for compliance approached, hospitals were posting public lists of nurses who had been immunized and encouraging employees to report on other workers who had not received their shots, Ms. McPherson said.

It was really upsetting. Now, some of the poison has been stopped. Its taken a lot of the pressure off.

Jeanne Meyers of the Health Sciences Association, the first of three health-care unions to file a grievance against the new rule, said HSA members are absolutely pleased by the easing of the approach.

Weve agreed to put our grievance in abeyance, and they are holding enforcement in abeyance, Ms. Meyers said. Our membership is very relieved.

The nurses union, the HSA and the Hospital Employees Union, together representing more than 100,000 health-care workers, objected to their members being forced to have a flu shot, or wear a mask, while at work. Nurses felt it was a real violation of their right to direct their own health care, that it was questioning their own critical judgment, Ms. McPherson said. She said studies have shown that flu shots offer only marginal benefits.

Despite that, the BCNU and other health-care organizations continue to recommend immunization to their members. Its the best weve got, Ms. McPherson said. But it has to be a matter of choice.

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Health-care workers cheer softened stand on flu shots

The provinces health-care workers are hailing a last-minute reprieve in a landmark policy by public health officials that would have forced them to receive a flu shot or wear a surgical mask during their shifts.

Staff who refused to comply with the policy the first of its kind in Canada would have been liable to discipline, up to and including termination.

But late last week, the Health Ministry agreed to hold off enforcing the flu-shot decree for the next year, and renew efforts to persuade public health-care personnel to agree to be immunized. The mandatory policy was to have taken effect Dec. 1.

This is a huge relief, BC Nurses Union president Debra McPherson said Monday. It was creating a lot of anger and frustration in the workplace.

As the deadline for compliance approached, hospitals were posting public lists of nurses who had been immunized and encouraging employees to report on other workers who had not received their shots, Ms. McPherson said.

It was really upsetting. Now, some of the poison has been stopped. Its taken a lot of the pressure off.

Jeanne Meyers of the Health Sciences Association, the first of three health-care unions to file a grievance against the new rule, said HSA members are absolutely pleased by the easing of the approach.

Weve agreed to put our grievance in abeyance, and they are holding enforcement in abeyance, Ms. Meyers said. Our membership is very relieved.

The nurses union, the HSA and the Hospital Employees Union, together representing more than 100,000 health-care workers, objected to their members being forced to have a flu shot, or wear a mask, while at work. Nurses felt it was a real violation of their right to direct their own health care, that it was questioning their own critical judgment, Ms. McPherson said. She said studies have shown that flu shots offer only marginal benefits.

Despite that, the BCNU and other health-care organizations continue to recommend immunization to their members. Its the best weve got, Ms. McPherson said. But it has to be a matter of choice.

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Workers cheer softened stand on flu shots

today's news

related articles

In a major disaster, health care institutions face many issues, including disaster readiness, privacy concerns, and insurance coverage considerations. Superstorm Sandy offers a few lessons with respect to various health law requirements, and also sends a reminder to health care institutions of the need to carefully review their property insurance policies before faced with a claim.

Disaster readiness and privacy issues

Some facilities, like New York University Langone Medical Center, met Sandys challenges admirably, conducting an orderly and safe evacuation of patients when emergency power failed, and notifying family members of the new locations of the relocated patients.

Other facilities were less prepared, failing to prepare patient health information for evacuation and stock sufficient medicine and flashlights (in violation of state regulations). These failures resulted in patients being transferred without their health care information, and relatives unable to find out where their loved ones had been sent.

In a disaster, it is important to be clear about what the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) permits with respect to sharing patient health information. Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights issued a bulletin that provides guidance on how HIPAA allows patient information to be shared to assist in disaster relief efforts, and to assist patients in receiving the care they need. For example, a facilitys patient directory information can be shared for these purposes.

In addition, HIPAA business associates, subject to their contractual agreements, can help facilitate appropriate information sharing. The Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (also known as the HIPPA Police) has indicated that it will consider emergency circumstances when it assesses whether there has been a failure to meet HIPAA requirements and how quickly any failure must be cured.

Disaster readiness will also be under the microscope in the coming months. In light of the power failures at hospitals affected by Sandy, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are reviewing whether requirements for backup power should be updated.

Currently, Medicare Conditions of Participation (COPs) for hospitals require that the hospital meet the applicable provisions of the 2000 edition of the Life Safety Code, which references National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards, specifically NFPA 99. Emergency power and lighting are required in critical areas such as operating, recovery, intensive care and emergency rooms and stairwells. In other areas not serviced by emergency supply sources, battery lamps and flashlights must be available. Although NFPA updates its standards every three years, the COPs still reference the version that was in place in 2000.

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Health care institutions should learn lessons from Superstorm Sandy fallout

The man squirming in front of the 60 Minutes cameras on Sunday night was familiar to those who follow politics and health care in Broward County .

Alan Levine, the former chief executive of the North Broward Hospital District the legal name for the entity that has since branded itself with the softer and more customer friendly Broward Health name was the executive sent to face the inquisitors by his employer, Health Management Associates Inc.

The 60 Minutes report described what it said was the hospital chain pressuring doctors to meet quotas for admitting patients, all in the name of profit.

Not so, Levine said. Here's the section of the transcript that starts with the back and forth between Levine and the TV show's Steve Kroft.

As a memory refresher, heres what I wrote in the Jan. 9, 2008, newspaper about Levines departure:

Alan Levine, the health care wunderkind brought in less than two years ago to reform the North Broward Hospital District, has resigned to take over the rebuilding of the fractured health care system in Louisiana. He'll be that state's secretary of health and hospitals, Gov.-elect Bobby Jindal announced Tuesday. Louisiana's health care system is still suffering two years after Hurricane Katrina. "We're disappointed. But this is something that I think, if you know Alan, you would know this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Miguel "Mike" Fernandez, chairman of the hospital district board. "For a high-profile individual like Alan, who loves challenges, this is right up his alley." Levine's new job involves overseeing public health, hospitals and all other health care facilities and providers, and emergency preparedness - the equivalent of three or four Florida state agencies under one roof. Levine said Jindal wants to transform the system. At a special board meeting, commissioners appointed Frank Nask, 60, as interim chief executive. He's a former hospital system executive and consultant Levine brought in as chief financial officer. Jindal will be sworn in Monday. Nask takes over immediately, but Levine's contract calls for 90 days of work and pay. Levine said he would stay as long as he would be useful to Nask. Levine's hospital district salary is $540,800 a year plus a $7,200 car allowance. His incentive compensation, or bonus, for meeting goals last year was $130,000. He said his Louisiana salary hasn't been finalized, but expects a 50 percent to 60 percent pay cut. The hospital district collects taxes and operates four public hospitals, including Broward General Medical Center, and dozens of other health facilities in the northern two-thirds of the county. Though its legal name is the North Broward Hospital District, the agency recently started using the brand name Broward Health. The district is governed by seven commissioners appointed by the governor. For years it has been a little-noticed, highly political agency. After a series of controversies, then-Gov. Jeb Bush swept out the commissioners and installed a new board. Commissioners hired Levine, 40, a former secretary of Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration, deputy chief of staff and health policy adviser to Bush as chief executive in 2006. He reshaped the hospital district as a leaner, cost-conscious, customer-oriented organization. Among his actions were renegotiating contracts with doctors to save the district money in a way that won plaudits from some, criticism from others. The hospital district's bond ratings also increased. Last year, Modern Healthcare magazine put Jindal, a former Louisiana health secretary before he was elected to the House of Representatives, and Levine on its list of the 30 people in America most likely to influence America's health care system in the next 30 years. Last fall, Commissioner Rebecca Stoll became dissatisfied with Levine. Her scrutiny ushered in a new round of infighting and accusations of wrongdoing. Stoll said Levine had "misrepresented many facts to the board on critical votes. He also took several actions without board authority" and concluded that "everything in this place is upside down." Stoll's complaints prompted the board to authorize an outside investigation. The Miami law firm Rafferty, Stolzenberg, Gelles, Tenenholtz & Flynn concluded last month that "a few of Commissioner Stoll's concerns had some merit" but found no grounds for her most serious allegations. She could not be reached for comment Tuesday despite messages left on her cell phone and at her office. Commissioner Dan Gordon praised Levine. "He had me and all the board members and all the staff think that we were on the verge of a world-class operation here. Two years ago we were running a county hospital," Gordon said. "That was a whole mind-set that he fostered. He's a forward thinker." Both Levine and Fernandez, an appointee of Gov. Charlie Crist, said Levine wasn't pushed out of his job. "I know that that's what it's going to appear to some. The reality is far from it," Fernandez said. "Alan has done a very good job for us. We're very pleased with the results we were seeing." Levine said he was recruited by the Jindal transition team and met the governor-elect two weeks ago. "I was very inspired," he said. "He was amazing. He is a brilliant guy. He's going to be a great governor. Louisiana is a state that is going to be poised to see some transformation."

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Ex- Broward hospital district chief squirms in '60 Minutes' hot seat