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The article highlights the 2006 Verispan Top 100 best-performing integrated healthcare networks in the U.S. It reveals that the number one in the ranking is Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica Health System. There were 17 new entrants on the list and two new entrants among the top 10. Overall, systems continued to more fully integrate. It explains the evaluation process taken by the company. INSET: Battered Ochsner stays on ranking, for now.

Discusses the use of certificates of public advantage by several hospitals to avail of antitrust immunity in the U.S. Memorial Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina; Palmetto Health Alliance in Columbia, South Carolina; Benefits Healthcare in Great Falls, Montana.

Discusses the healthcare issues that constitute state ballot measures in the U.S. in 2004. Statement issued by the American Hospital Association regarding some of the measures; Views of fiscal analyst Arturo Perez on a bill passed by the Colorado Legislature that would alter the effect of a referendum increasing cigarette and other tobacco product taxes; Medical malpractice reform initiatives that received support from voters in Wyoming.

Reports on the medical practice of physicians and the revenue they bring to hospitals. Discussion on the quality of care given to patients; Details of the abuse of license by physicians and their move to perform unnecessary procedures to earn; Information on a civil lawsuit settled by Tenet in August 2003.

Reports on actions taken by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice to resolve antitrust issues in healthcare including the formation of a section primarily dedicated to reviewing hospital mergers. Other functions of the section; Enforcement actions taken by the Department of Justice; Findings of a study by the Center for Studying Health System Change on the role of hospital consolidation in healthcare inflation.

Reports on the efforts of the U.S. government in fighting healthcare fraud. Statement issued by Richard Wade, spokesman for the American Hospital Association; Details on the Health Care Authority (HCA) settlement terms; Position of HCA on healthcare fraud whistleblowers.

Focuses on the efforts of health insurers in preventing fraud in healthcare billing transactions in the U.S. Passage of prompt-payment law; Introduction of antiquated fraud-detection systems; Development of antifraud software products.

Deals with the competition regarding the establishment of heart hospitals in Indianapolis, Indiana. Actions taken by several proprietary hospitals; Discussion on the growing trend in health care service providers.

Deals with healthcare fraud in the Northeastern United States (US). Questions to ponder; Evidence that statistics on fraud prosecutions by jurisdiction are sketchy; Geographic patterns of healthcare fraud; Accomplishments of James Sheehan, head of the civil division of the Philadelphia US attorney's office, in healthcare fraud prosecutions.

The article examines the prison healthcare system in the U.S. It says that judges across the U.S. are intervening on behalf of prisoners by ordering jails and prisons to boost staffing, increase pay and hire physicians and nurses in response to complaints and lawsuits from advocacy organizations and government agencies. Vice president R. Scott Chavez of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care has suggested to the U.S. Congress to have a unified clearinghouse of centralized surveillance for the prison healthcare.

The article profiles U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras. The family and educational background of Majoras are described. As FTC chairman she oversees an agency with a fiscal 2006 budget of $211 million that employs more than 1,000 staffers charged with policing competition in a number of industries, including healthcare providers as well as suppliers, medical-device makers and pharmaceutical companies.

This article profiles U.S. Health and Human Services Inspector General Daniel Levinson. Levinson is a well-respected legal scholar as well who edited the American Criminal Law Review and remains editor in chief of the Journal of Public Inquiry, a journal written mostly by and for government inspectors general on issues of ethics and government improvement published by the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency.

Presents information on issues related to the settlement of uninsured billing for hospital lawsuits by North Mississippi Health Services. Background of the company; Terms of the agreement; Remarks from consumer health care groups regarding the settlement.

Reveals that U.S Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General Janet Rehnquist decides to use civil monetary penalties against providers that engage in Medicare kickback schemes. Details of the federal False Claims Act; Number of settlements signed by the inspector general's office since the law's implementation in August 1997; History of health care kickback laws.

Discusses the implications of a court ruling regarding the tax exemption of Saint David's Health Care System in Austin, Texas for deals of investor-owned health systems with not-for-profit partners. Historical background of the case; Reaction to the ruling; Information on Neal Kocurek, the company's president and chief executive officer.

Presents an update on medical care in the United States as of August 20, 2001. Information on a report by the Health and Human Services' inspector general on Medicare investigations on peer review organizations; Details of the appointment of Janet Rehnquist.

The article discusses expansions in fraud revisions that cover health care organizations in the U.S. With the passage of the health reform law, hospitals are expected to improve their compliance programs, resources and personnel. It is stated that the federal government is actively pursuing cases involving hospital relationships with physicians and third parties. INSET: What Should You Do Now?.

The article discusses the development of accountable care organizations (ACOs) in the U.S. health care industry. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act health care reform law approved by U.S. President Barack Obama requires the implementation of the ACO concept throughout the country. The medical care payment and quality benefits of ACOs are described. The collaboration between health care systems for the testing and demonstration of ACOs is also reported.

The article states that healthcare ballot initiatives in the 2006 elections are attracting record amounts of money and media attention in the nine states where they are offered. Hospitals and healthcare providers in Arizona, California, Florida, Missouri and South Dakota are counting on smokers and increased tobacco taxes to support multibillion-dollar expansions in health insurance and prescription drug coverage, smoking education and treatment programs and trauma care.

Deals with the outsourcing settlement of the overbilling allegations against Adventist Health System Sunbelt Healthcare Corp. Cost of the settlement; Background on the accusations against Adventist; Lessons learned by Adventist from its mistakes.

Reports on a settlement agreement signed by HealthSouth Corp. to resolve criminal cases filed against the company in 2004. Amount of money that will be paid by the company to settle five of the six civil whistle-blower lawsuits filed against them; Information on a five-year corporate integrity agreement signed by HealthSouth with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services inspector general; Other allegations that was also resolved in the settlement.

Reports on the impact of hospital disputes on the health care industry in the U.S. as of August 2004. Resignation of executives of the Arnett Health System; Reason behind the resignation; Information on a public relations campaign conducted by Greater Lafayette Health Services to finance the project.

Announces the resignation of Timothy Muris as chairman of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to return to teaching at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Nomination of former U.S. Justice Department official Deborah Majoras to succeed Muris; Contributions of Muris to the health care industry of the U.S.; Purpose of the hospital mergers' group formed by Muris in April 2001.

Reports on the expected growth of community hospitals in Chicago, Illinois. Estimated amount of grants provided for hospitals; List of hospital systems that ask permission for construction; Opposition to the proposed Edward Hospital and Health Services.

Reports that founders of healthcare companies Doctors Community Healthcare Corp. and PhyAmerica Physician Group bought back the companies' assets from bankruptcy auctions. Bid of Doctors Community for several hospitals at an auction in Washington; Court approval on the bid for PhyAmerica assets; Information on the filing of bankruptcy protection by the companies; List of other bidders to the Doctors Community assets; Opinion of Thomas Barry of investment firm Cain Bros. and Boston lawyer Thomas Reardon on the auction.

Reports on a moratorium passed by the Ohio House of Representatives on the construction of profit, physician-owned specialty hospitals. Possible impact of the increase in specialty hospitals on healthcare services; Reason behind the filing of a notice of intent by the clients of lawyer Frank Sossi of Brennan Manna & Diamond; Views of Ken Hanover, president and CEO of the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, on the specialty hospital trend.

Features hospital executive David Felsenthal from Chicago, Illinois. Comments from lawyer Robert Baudino about Felsenthal; Personal background; Contributions to healthcare industry and Medicare in the U.S.

Focuses on a report from the Health Care Advisory Board that advises hospitals in the U.S. how to win bigger reimbursements for medical procedures that use expensive advanced technology. Number of community hospital members of the Advisory Board; Level of usage of the report among hospitals; Response of health insurers to the report.

Reports the agreement signed by U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan and Keystone Health Plan East that would create legal standard for credentialing by managed-care plans and hospitals in 2003. Advantage of the agreement to Keystone; Benefits to patients; Reaction to the agreement.

Provides an overview of the Primary Care Network plan of the state of Utah. Services covered by the program; Percentage of uninsured that the program is aiming to cover; Background on the plan.

Reports on the decision of the U.S. Justice Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Health & Human Services (HHS) to resume their healthcare staffing levels and refocus on healthcare fraud as of May 2002. Focus of the office of HSS Inspector General; National outreach program planned by the Office of HSS Inspector General.

Reports on the approval of a Medicaid waiver demonstration project intended for Utah hospitals. Benefits of the project to the residents of Utah; Qualifications to be a recipient of the program; Coverage of the program.

Features the South Florida Health Care Fraud Center. Rationale for having the health care fraud unit; Uniqueness of the facility; Overview of health care fraud cases investigated and prosecuted through the center.

Offers a look at the collaboration of health care, business and academic leaders to investigate the implications of an aging population on the quality of health care services in the United States. Goals of the collaboration; Information on panel members; Impact of the aging population on health care staffing.

Focuses on the concern of health care providers about the reauthorization of legal advisory programs issued by the United States Health and Human Services' office of the inspector general. Importance of these advisory programs to health care providers; Reason behind the office's opposition to issuing advisory opinions; Status of these advisory programs in the Congress.

Deals with the pattern of healthcare fraud in the United States. Migration patterns to fraud that are akin to disease transmission; Statements issued by Lewis Morris, Department of Health and Human Services' assistant inspector general for legal affairs; Involvement of immigrant groups and ethnic communities in fraudulent schemes.

Provides updates on the health care industry in the United States as of March 20, 2000. Information on the joint venture formed by Detroit Medical Center and the Barbara Karmanos Cancer Institute research facility; Plans of MetroHealth Medical Center to cut jobs from its workforce; Health coverage to be provided by Baltimore County to its uninsured residents.

Presents news briefs on several healthcare companies in the United States as of August 2, 1999. Information on the antitrust lawsuit filed by the Wuesthoff Health Systems against Health First; Acquisition of assisted-living facilities of HCR Manor Care by Alterra Healthcare Corp.; Purchase of the North Houston Medical Center in Houston, Texas owned by Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp. by HealthPlus Corp.

Focuses on the prevalence of health care fraud in the United States. Actions taken by the federal government to minimize the problem; Impact of fraud to the industry.

Presents update on the health care sector in the United States as of May 31, 1999. Solicitation issues faced by the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital; Four Saint Louis hospitals renamed by Tenet Healthcare Corp.; Information on the study conducted by the University of California Los Angeles Center for Health Policy Research on health insurance among ethnic minorities.

Reports that an attempt by the Mesa County Physicians Independent Practice Association (IPA) to control an `independent' third-party contracting service led to a revision of an agreement settling price-fixing charges against them. Information on the lawsuit filed against the group; Background on IPA.

Announces that Orlando Regional Health System, a not-for-profit hospital chain has settled the fraudulent charges against a hospital it handles. How the alleged fraud was committed; Problems with the billing system of the company; Comments from spokesman Joe Brown.

The article deals with issues concerning the country club dues paid by not-for-profit healthcare systems in the U.S. for their senior executives. Only four of the 10 not-for-profit healthcare systems queried by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) paid country club dues for their senior executives during the period questioned by Grassley. The findings were included in the results of the survey released by Grassley's office on the eve of his September 13, 2006 hearing on charity care and community benefits provided by not-for-profit systems.

The article focuses on new rules launched by Ohio and Wisconsin in July 2006 for the tax treatment of charity care. In Ohio, state Attorney General Jim Petro changed his proposal to regulate how hospitals and other tax-exempt organizations report their charity-care law compliance. The Wisconsin Hospital Association recommended changes in the way that Milwaukee County hospitals treating patients served by the county's General Assistance Medical Program report charity care.