As Mitt Romney accepts his party’s nomination for president, health care looms as a nagging issue.

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RomneyCare II: Sequel gets a drastic rewrite

SALT LAKE CITY The number of Utah's uninsured continues to grow, despite state and national efforts to improve access to health care.

Of the 377,700 Utahns who went without insurance in 2011, 69,600 are children, according to Utah Department of Health data. Approximately 56,500 of those kids are eligible for the taxpayer-funded Children's Health Insurance Plan but continue to go without coverage.

"It is frustrating to know that there are that many kids who are sitting out there uninsured when they are eligible for a program that would provide them with an important service," said health department spokesman Tom Hudachko.

Lawmakers removed CHIP's enrollment caps during the 2008 Legislature, and the state was making progress on the number of uninsured children until now. Children eligible for the program must live in homes where the income is below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.

Hudachko said the latest numbers, however, aren't a good indicator of reality.

The method by which the 2011 data was gathered changed somewhat from previous years, including for the first time both land-line and cell phone respondent data, as well as a different way of tabulating results to more accurately represent Utah's population.

The new numbers, derived from the 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey, provide little more than a baseline indicator for state health officials moving forward, Hudachko said.

The survey also provides better and more reliable data on a number of other health issues, he said, and that's important when state officials are vying for funding each year.

In addition to a growing number of uninsured children, the population of young adults continues to have the lowest rate of insurance coverage than any other group. Of those ages 19 to 26, 23.6 percent were uninsured in 2011, and 24.1 percent of Utahns in the 27 to 34 age group went without health care benefits, according to the health department data.

In addition to access, cost appears to be is a concern for Utahns, as more than 26 percent of part-time employed individuals claim to be uninsured. About half that are uninsured among full-time employees throughout the state. The rate for self-employed individuals is also high, as nearly 30 percent are without insurance, the data states.

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More Utahns are uninsured, despite increased efforts for access

In May 2012, the ontario government launched an attack on health care in our province.

Without consultation or negotiation, they reduced and clawed back previously agreed physician fees. They have decided that the global health care budget will be reduced significantly going forward, even as the population grows and ages. The reduced health care budget will bring the province of Ontario into crisis. It is, we believe, irresponsible for the government to act as they are. In fact, such sweeping changes will result in lives threatened and lives lost because the government is far more eager to point fingers rather than own responsibility and accept accountability.

Physicians have offered countless times, through the Ontario Medical Association, to work with the government to find solutions to global health cost issues.

As a group of physicians, we feel compelled to speak out, and attempt to have those who read this understand that the government is short sighted and acting dangerously.

We must do all we can to continue to offer quality health care to our patients.

We must do all we can to expose and oppose the government cuts to health care that will harm the health of our patients.

We must try and keep our staff employed. We have an obligation to treat them with respect and dignity. We recognize their continued contribution will allow us to go on providing quality health care to those we care for.

We must try to kep our office hours from being reduced because of government cuts.

We must try and keep family medicine alive. Having a relationship with a family physician is essential for good care and good health.

We must try to stay working in the same community that we are committed to. We recognize that under the suggested government cutbacks, it will be much easier to work in clinics, where we are less familiar to the patients and where they are less familiar to us.

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Doctors outline what must be done

MELVILLE, N.Y., Aug. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Henry Schein, Inc. (HSIC), the world's largest provider of health care products and services to office-based dental, medical and animal health practitioners, announced today that the Henry Schein Cares disaster relief hotline is active and ready to support customers who may be affected by Hurricane Isaac. The toll-free number for all customers 800-999-9729 is operational from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST. The Henry Schein Cares disaster relief hotline is open year-round for dentists, physicians, and veterinarians who experience operational, logistical, or financial issues as a result of natural disasters. Henry Schein Cares is the corporate social responsibility program of Henry Schein, Inc.

"As Hurricane Isaac bears down on the Gulf Coast, we want to remind our customers in the affected region that the Henry Schein Cares disaster relief hotline is open and available to help with issues related to the severe weather," said James P. Breslawski, President and Chief Operating Officer, Henry Schein, Inc. "Our disaster relief hotline is part of our deep commitment to partner with our customers, and provide a source of assistance for helping to restore their affected practices as quickly as possible."

In addition to its disaster relief hotline, through the Henry Schein Cares global product donation program, health care supplies are provided to its non-governmental organization (NGO) partners in advance of disasters, so that the product is ready for use immediately. Henry Schein Cares will also stand ready to work with its NGO partners if additional supplies are needed.

About Henry Schein Cares and the Henry Schein Cares Foundation

Henry Schein Cares, Henry Schein's global corporate social responsibility program, stands on four pillars: engaging Team Schein Members to reach their potential, ensuring accountability by extending ethical business practices to all levels within Henry Schein, promoting environmental sustainability, and expanding access to health care for underserved and at-risk communities around the world.

Health care activities supported by Henry Schein Cares focus on three main areas: advancing wellness, building capacity in the delivery of health care services, and assisting in emergency preparedness and relief. Firmly rooted in a deep commitment to social responsibility and the concept of enlightened self-interest championed by Benjamin Franklin, the philosophy behind Henry Schein Cares is a vision of "doing well by doing good." Through the work of Henry Schein Cares to enhance access to care for those in need, the Company believes that it is furthering its long-term success.

Established in 2008, Henry Schein Cares Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization, works to foster, support, and promote dental, medical, and animal health by helping to increase access to care for communities around the world. The Henry Schein Cares Foundation carries out its mission through financial and health care product donations that support health care professionals and community-based programs focused on prevention, wellness, and treatment; disaster preparedness and relief; and capacity building of health institutions that provide training and care. To learn more about the Henry Schein Cares Foundation, please visit: http://www.hscaresfoundation.org. The "Helping Health Happen Blog" is a platform for health care professionals to share their volunteer experiences delivering assistance to those in need globally. To read more about how Henry Schein Cares is making a difference, please visit our blog: http://helpinghealthhappen.org/.

About Henry Schein, Inc.

Henry Schein, Inc. (HSIC) is the world's largest provider of health care products and services to office-based dental, medical and animal health practitioners. The Company also serves dental laboratories, government and institutional health care clinics, and other alternate care sites. A Fortune 500 Company and a member of the NASDAQ 100 Index, Henry Schein employs nearly 15,000 Team Schein Members and serves approximately 775,000 customers.

The Company offers a comprehensive selection of products and services, including value-added solutions for operating efficient practices and delivering high-quality care. Henry Schein operates through a centralized and automated distribution network, with a selection of more than 90,000 national and Henry Schein private-brand products in stock, as well as more than 100,000 additional products available as special-order items. The Company also offers its customers exclusive, innovative technology solutions, including practice management software and e-commerce solutions, as well as a broad range of financial services.

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Henry Schein Cares Disaster Relief Hotline is Active and Ready to Support Customers Affected by Hurricane Isaac

Aug 28, 2012 3:41pm

President Obama coined a new nickname for a potential action by a hypothetical President Romney today, playing off the Obamacare nickname for health care legislation that his administration initially used, then rejected as pejorative, then re-claimed.

To a a crowd of roughly six thousand at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, the president today said, Its up to you whether we go back to a health care system that let insurance companies decide who to cover and when. Governor Romney promised that sometime between taking the oath of office and going to the inaugural ball, hed sit right down, grab a pen and kick seven million young people off their parents plan by repealing health reform, the president said, referring to Romneys pledge in June to act to repeal Obamacare on his first day if elected President of the United States.

Thats what he says hes going to do, the president said. You know, maybe we should call his plan Romney-Doesnt-Care because I do care. I do care.

WATCH:

The president said this law is here to stay. Nows not the time to refight the battles of the last four years. Nows the time for us to go ahead and move forward. And Ill work with anybody who wants to make our health care system better, but Im not going to stand by and let folks talk about how we should go back to the days when ordinary folks who were working really hard suddenly find themselves losing their homes, losing their savings just because they get sick.

Pivoting to abortion rights, the president said Republicans can choose to refight the battles that were settled 10 years ago or 20 years ago or some time in the last century. You know, I think women should be trusted to make their own health care decisions.

-Jake Tapper and Mary Bruce

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"Obamacare"? President Obama Suggests "Romney-Doesn't-Care" As a New Name

Americans haven't always paid for health care with public programs like Medicare—or even with private insurance. In fact, Americans used to pay for things like medicine almost entirely out-of-pocket, as seen in this animated graph showing changes in who pays for health care by the California Health Care Foundation.

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How Health Care Payments Have Changed Since 1960

The Supreme Court will rule in the coming weeks on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act the health care law that has been a flashpoint of partisan acrimony and debate since its beginning.

Much of that debate has been philosophical. But now that the law is under review by the country's highest court, politicians have to plan for the real implications of the court's decision. That's proving particularly difficult for congressional Republicans.

They've rallied for repeal of the plan since the day it passed in 2010. And they won a majority in the House later that fall.

But now the GOP has a problem. In the two years since the law passed, several of its parts have become very popular with voters among them, parents' ability to keep kids on their health plans until age 26 and a ban on denying insurance because of pre-existing conditions.

So it wasn't surprising when news leaked to Politico last week that Republicans were making plans to try to preserve those popular parts of the act if the Supreme Court strikes the law down.

But the political blowback for the GOP was immediate and harsh. Staffers described dozens of calls from angry conservatives. Right-wing think tanks blasted the endorsement of what they called "government meddling in business." And just a few short hours after the news was leaked, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, sent an email blast to the media, saying, "Our plan remains to repeal the law in its entirety. Anything short of that is unacceptable."

This isn't the first time GOP leaders have hinted at their support for those provisions. Right after Republicans first won the majority, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., spoke at a forum at American University in Washington.

Student Alyssa Franke, who has a chronic medical condition, asked Cantor the question that still stands today: "Will you try to preserve these two provisions as they stand or continue to push for a full repeal of the health care bill?"

At the time, Cantor said: "We too don't want to accept any insurance company's denial of someone because he or she may have a pre-existing condition. And likewise, we want to make sure that someone of your age has the ability to access affordable care, whether it's under your parents' plan or elsewhere."

That was more than a year and a half ago, long before last week's firestorm over the same Republican sentiment.

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Health Law's Downfall Could Put GOP In Odd Spot

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A Missouri judge is preparing to weigh arguments on the wording of a health care proposal on the state's November ballot. Republican Lt. Gov.

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Judge hears lawsuit over Missouri health care measure

MILWAUKEE, Wis. & FRANKLIN, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Aurora Health Care and IASIS Healthcare today announced a wide ranging partnership which includes the formation of a development joint venture, Aurora IASIS Health Partners, to pursue healthcare acquisitions, new construction, management of facilities and development of clinical services with an initial focus on new and existing markets in Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Aurora IASIS Health Partners will evaluate opportunities in other markets on a case-by-case basis.

The first project announced is a cancer care center in Kenosha, Wis. In addition to the joint venture, Aurora and IASIS are exploring a variety of other affiliations including sharing clinical practices and leveraging operational capabilities across the two organizations.

This unique collaboration positions both Aurora, one of the nations largest integrated not-for-profit systems, and IASIS, the nations largest privately held hospital company, at the forefront of organizations developing pragmatic and innovative responses to challenges presented by the changing dynamics of the U.S. healthcare industry.

This partnership advances our strategy of providing our patients and communities with value in the form of high quality, affordable, accessible healthcare, said Nick Turkal, MD, CEO of Aurora Health Care, a $4 billion integrated health system headquartered in Milwaukee. Healthcare is undergoing rapid and fundamental change and leading edge systems are finding ways to manage these changes. We believe, and national trends support this fact, that partnerships will be critical to meeting the challenges of the future. In IASIS, we have found a strong organization like ours, with a compatible purpose and culture that brings complementary strengths to our organization.

This groundbreaking joint venture brings together two organizations nationally recognized for clinical quality, operational excellence and a commitment to patient-centered care, said Carl Whitmer, President and CEO of IASIS Healthcare, a $2.6 billion system headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee and operating healthcare facilities in seven states. Our combination of two large healthcare organizations, with complementary areas of expertise, creates new development and affiliation opportunities, access to financial and human resources to achieve strategic growth initiatives, and a unique ability for us to respond to hospitals and healthcare systems looking for a strong strategic partner.

The first project of Aurora IASIS Health Partners is the development of a cancer care center on property just west of Aurora Medical Center-Kenosha. The new 11,000 square foot facility will expand patient access to outpatient radiological oncology services in southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois, which are now limited by space and technological constraints at Aurora Medical Center-Kenosha. Other clinical service offerings also may be part of the campus where the cancer center will be built. These plans will be announced at a later date.

This project exemplifies one of the ultimate goals of our partnership: to enhance access and care for patients in ways that are cost-effective and will combine the expertise and capabilities of Aurora and IASIS, Turkal said.

Whitmer added, Like Aurora, IASIS has a strong record of providing high-quality services at exceptional value for our patients and payors, and this collaboration signals another major step forward for each of our organizations. This partnership can capitalize on value-added pay-for-performance initiatives in this new era of healthcare delivery which will benefit each of our organizations and the patients we so proudly serve.

Aurora and IASIS also may engage in various areas of clinical affiliation, including transplant programs, clinical research projects, physician practice management collaboration, managed care initiatives for Aurora patients covered by Medicaid, medical management programs and shared clinical protocols. The organizations anticipate making future announcements about these initiatives and other development opportunities to be pursued by this partnership.

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Aurora Health Care & IASIS Healthcare Announce Partnership

INDIANAPOLIS Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Gregg said Monday he favors a hybrid health care exchange model.

Running mate Vi Simpson noted that Republican opponent Mike Pence failed to make a decision on the matter, instead throwing Hoosiers under the federal bureaucratic bus.

The comments from the Democratic ticket came after a meeting with Gov. Mitch Daniels, who had sought input from all governor hopefuls.

Health care exchanges are new entities being set up under the federal health care act to create an organized and competitive market for buying health insurance.

They will offer a choice of health plans and largely serve individuals or small businesses buying insurance.

States have the choice of setting up their own exchange, joining a regional exchange, taking a hybrid approach or doing nothing.

If they decide to do nothing, the federal government steps in and makes all the decisions.

Indiana has taken some preparatory steps, but Daniels has not officially moved forward with a plan.

States are required to decide by Nov. 16, only a few days after a new governor will have been elected but before he will have taken office. Daniels said he will honor the recommendation of whoever is elected.

Gregg said he supports the hybrid state/federal option because the state retains control while receiving reimbursement from the federal government.

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Gregg pushes hybrid care option

The rising cost of health care continues to be the top problem facing small business owners, according to a new study.

The report by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) revealed that more than 50 percent of small business employers view the cost of insurance as their most critical problem.

According to the research, health insurance costs for small firms have risen 103 percent in the last decade, an increase outpacing wages and inflation.

"Fears over increasing health insurance costs continue to dominate the list of concerns for small businesses," said Holly Wade, senior policy analyst for the NFIB and the survey author, noting that it has been the top problem facing small businesses each of the eight times the study has been conducted over the past 25 years.

[5 Ways to Make Health Care Reform Work For Your Company]

Among the other top 10 problems facing small business owners are:

New to the rankings were uncertainties over economic conditions and government actions, which the report says have been a major hurdle to small business recovery and growth.

"This year's survey was conducted on the heels of the worst U.S. recession since the 1930s," Wade said. "The high level of uncertainty cited by small employers helps to explain the sector's inability to recover and expand."

The least severe problems for small business owners include exporting products and services, undocumented workers and access to high-speed Internet. The largest decline in the ranking was in regards to interest rates, which dropped 30 positions to No. 62. Also declining in importance and severity were finding and keeping skilled employees and employee turnover, both of which fell 21 positions.

The study was based on surveys of more than 3,800 small business owners.

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Health-Care Costs Continue to Worry Small Business Owners

Looking today at week-over-week shares outstanding changes among the universe of ETFs covered at ETF Channel, one standout is the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (AMEX: XLV) where we have detected an approximate $219.0 million dollar outflow -- that's a 4.5% decrease week over week (from 125,515,324 to 119,865,324). Among the largest underlying components of XLV, in trading today Abbott ...

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Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund Experiences Big Outflow

OAKLAND, Calif., Aug. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- To help reduce health care disparities and increase language access in health care, Kaiser Permanente recently convened with 14 nonprofit health care organizations and community providers from across the country in Atlanta for its award-winning Qualified Bilingual Staff training.

The five-day, 40-hour facilitator training, which was offered at no charge to participating organizations, provides bilingual employees specialized education to maximize their diverse linguistic skills with the goal of improving the overall patient care experience. Following the training, attendees return to their organizations armed with the tools and skills to implement the QBS Model in their organizations, with support from Kaiser Permanente.

Kaiser Permanente created the QBS Model in 2003 in response to demand for language services and a shortage of qualified and trained interpreters. Since its inception, the QBS Program has trained nearly 10,000 health care professionals across the country representing 48 languages.

Kaiser Permanente employs a large contingent of bilingual staff to assist in delivering high-quality, equitable health care for its racially, ethnically and linguistically diverse members. Employees and physicians speak more than 130 languages. In 2006, the Kaiser Permanente QBS Model and Program was awarded the National Committee for Quality Assurance "Recognizing Innovation in Multicultural Health Care Award."

"Kaiser Permanente has experienced a high degree of success from developing our bilingual staff through the QBS Model and Program. Sharing what we've learned externally demonstrates how health care organizations can work together to address health equity in a meaningful way," said Gayle Tang, senior director of national linguistic and diversity infrastructure management at Kaiser Permanente. "Training our external partners furthers the reach of this great work and our mission to better serve diverse linguistic populations and ensure health care equity for all."

Success Story

Early adopter Adventist HealthCare, a faith-based, not-for-profit health care system based in Rockville, Md., saw the need for such a program as it, too, faced a shortage of health care interpreters to serve its increasingly diverse population. Since it adopted the QBS Model in 2007, the organization has seen many measurable successes, including a reduced wait time for an interpreter, which has been especially important in emergency cases, says Marcos Pesquera, executive director, Adventist HealthCare Center on Health Disparities.

Adventist HealthCare has been further disseminating the QBS model, training more than 400 employees in 12 of the mostly widely spoken languages in the region, including Spanish, Mandarin, Russian and Arabic.

The Road to Implementation

Since attending the recent training, Gabriela Flores, director of the office of equity and diversity at Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas and Missouri, has begun laying the foundation to implement the QBS Model within her organization, including engaging human resources and mid-level managers to help emphasize the need for this initiative.

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Kaiser Permanente Trains Nonprofit Health Care Providers to Provide Bilingual Services

DALLAS, Aug. 28, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CenseoHealth, a leading provider of risk adjustment evaluation and analytic services for health care plans, today announced the status of recent growth initiatives, highlighted by a 50% increase in headcount since May of this year, with an additional 25% growth in the employee base expected over the next several months. Much of this represents recent investments in scheduling, physician compliance, and quality assurance -- areas that are core to CenseoHealth's differentiated service offering.

In addition to these broad-based investments in talent, CenseoHealth has welcomed three seasoned Senior Executives over the past six months. These include:

"The health care landscape is evolving rapidly towards a model that rewards accountable, quality care and risk adjustment strategies that efficiently allocate health care dollars," commented Jack McCallum, MD, PhD, CenseoHealth's Chief Executive Officer. "At CenseoHealth, these skills have been integral to our business model since Day One, and our related expertise will provide us with a strong competitive position in the marketplace. We are delighted to welcome all of our new additions to the team as we move forward in pursuit of growth and new opportunities."

About CenseoHealth

CenseoHealth leverages a dynamic, data-driven evaluation platform combined with physician-led member engagement sessions to achieve a critical goal in today's health care economy: aligning health plan payments and premiums with the actual health of plan members. CenseoHealth delivers on this promise through a suite of integrated services, including the Advanced Evaluation(TM), a face-to-face health risk assessment conducted by one of the Company's 3,000 licensed physicians. CenseoHealth's CareCurrent(TM) and CareConnect(TM) services further allow health plans and medical groups to close gaps in care through 100% documentation and proactive claims tracking and direct outreach. The common thread is greatly enhanced connection for clients and their members which, in turn, positively impacts member engagement and health outcomes. For more information please visit http://www.censeohealth.com.

Contact: Nicole Terranella Director of Marketing, CenseoHealth 972-715-3817 nterranella@censeohealth.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://www.cisionwire.com http://www.cisionwire.com/censeohealth/r/censeohealth-provides-update-on-corporate-growth-initiatives,c9296642

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CenseoHealth Provides Update on Corporate Growth Initiatives

By Ginger Gibson and Darren Samuelsohn, POLITICO Ginger GibsonDarren SamuelsohnTampa Bay Times In Print: Monday, August 27, 2012

On the eve of the Republican convention in Tampa, Mitt Romney abruptly embraced his Massachusetts health care law Sunday in response to President Barack Obama's attacks that Republicans have declared a 'war on women.' "

"I'm the guy who was able to get all the health care for all the women and men for my state," Romney said in an interview aired on Fox News Sunday. "They were talking about it at the federal level. We actually did something and we did it without cutting Medicare and without raising taxes."

Romney added that he was "very proud" of his signature on the 2006 law when he was governor of Massachusetts while charging that Obama would cut more than $700 million from Medicare to pay for his health care overhaul. During the Republican primary and for much of the general election, Romney has all but ignored his health care bill and has instead emphasized that he would repeal the Affordable Care Act if he were elected.

But as the November election approaches, Romney and senior campaign aides have begun mentioning his Massachusetts reforms with more frequency and enthusiasm.

"Romney has a Hobson's choice: Obama will hit him if he distances himself on the Massachusetts plan, or, Obama will play up the plan as the basis for Obamacare if Romney owns it," GOP strategist Keith Appell said.

"What's important for Romney to do is maintain what he has promised conservatives: that he will repeal Obamacare on Day One of his presidency. And all conservatives in Congress and at the grass roots level need to hold his feet to the fire on that. If he wins and the Republicans control Congress, he has to repeal Obamacare immediately if he wants things to go smoothly from that point forward."

On Thursday, Romney also mentioned the health care law in an interview with a Denver television station. He pointed out that his plan didn't raise taxes.

On Aug. 8, spokeswoman Andrea Saul evoked the law in a Fox News appearance, saying "if people had been in Massachusetts, under Gov. Romney's health care plan, they would have had health care." There was a backlash from conservative pundits who saw their fears that he was moving to center realized.

Saul used the law as a defense to a blistering ad aired by an Obama-allied super PAC accusing Romney for being responsible for the death of a man's wife who died after he lost his job at a Bain-controlled company. Saul said if the couple had lived in Massachusetts, they would have had health care coverage.

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Mitt Romney embraces his Massachusetts health care law

BOSTONHealth care officials, financial industry executives and labor unions are pumping hundreds of thousands of dollars into a political action committee that Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick set up to pay for his travels on behalf of President Barack Obama's re-election campaign.

Patrick's Together PAC raised $455,500 from April 1 through the end of June, according to a campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

That brings the PAC's fundraising total to nearly $1.3 million since Patrick formed it last year. The committee ended June with $674,700 left in its account, having already spent $609,900.

The goal of the PAC was to raise money to pay for Patrick's travels and other activities for Obama and the national Democratic Party.

Among those contributing to Patrick's PAC during the most recent reporting period were former U.S. Attorney Wayne Budd and his wife, Jacqueline ($6,000); Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce President Paul Guzzi ($3,000); Stacey Lucchino, wife of Red Sox President Larry Lucchino ($5,000); and Boston attorney Thomas Kiley ($500), whose clients include former House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi.

Also donating to Patrick's PAC was Cape Wind President James Gordon, who gave $5,000. Patrick has been a vocal advocate for both land-based and offshore wind power including Cape Wind, which aims to be the nation's first offshore wind farm.

Patrick also received contributions from the 1199 Service Employees International Union PAC ($5,000) and the Laborers' International Union of North America ($5,000).

Alex Goldstein, the Together PAC's executive director, said Patrick's political activities are separate from his day job as governor.

"Contributions have absolutely no bearing whatsoever on administration policies," Goldstein said.

Patrick also received $5,000 contributions from top executives at health care organizations like Steward Health Care, Partners Health Care, Shields Health Care Group and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

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Travel fundraising for Mass. Gov. Patrick tops $1M

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A Glitch in Health Care Reform

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Prescription 'donut hole' closing for many on Medicare

24-08-2012 12:35 Wayne Keathley, President, Mount Sinai Medical Center, weighs in on improving hospital capacity & patient flow with GE Healthcare. Excerpt: "With all the talk about the rise in health care costs and the expense, associated with health care, the reality is, for most hospitals in most parts of the country, even those that are considered the most successful, they operate with very thin operating margins. So, in fact, we have to be even more efficient and more effective in managing our capacity than ever before. And that's not gonna change."

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Brave New Healthcare World - Video

The conventional wisdom long has been that health jobs always are going to be in demand because people always are going to get sick.

Through the recession, the health care industry fared better than many others both nationally and in the Central Valley. In Stanislaus County, the number of health care jobs has grown every year since 2009.

While hiring has slowed, especially in the past year, many in the field see it poised to continue to grow and possibly thrive as President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act begins to take effect.

"We have seen a slowdown, we have seen some students have to go outside of acute-care facilities," said Lisa Riggs, director of the associate degree nursing program at Modesto Junior College. "But there are jobs. Jobs in long-term care, in clinics, some of them go to the jails or the prisons. People are getting jobs in a variety of areas, not simply in the larger hospitals."

Riggs said that before the recession, it took about four to five months for all the students from the program to find employment after graduation. Now it takes about a year for all of the graduating class to find work.

Modesto resident E.C. Mitchell made a career switch to health care recently after 20-plus years as an auto mechanic. Since graduating in April, the 41-year-old was hired as a registered nurse at Doctors Medical Center, his first choice.

"I was sure hoping I would find something, but I know it's not as easy to find work as it was even two years ago," said Mitchell, who started work in July. "Sometimes you do have to go a little further out or do something else from what you ideally have in mind. But there are jobs out there."

Mitchell, who was his class representative at MJC, said of the 63 who graduated with him, only a handful still are searching for work. Others found jobs at Doctors, Memorial Medical Center and nursing facilities like Casa de Modesto and Evergreen Nursing & Rehabilitation Care Center.

In the past four years, the health care industry had added almost 2,000 jobs in Stanislaus County. A lot of the growth came from the opening of the Kaiser Modesto Medical Center in October 2008.

Corwin Harper, senior vice president and area manager for Kaiser Permanente Central Valley Service Area, said the new hospital has added more than 600 staff and more than 100 doctors since opening, bringing the total number of employees close to 1,000.

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Those in health care industry say valley jobs are still growing