The 83rd Texas Legislative Session

11/16/2012

The 83rd Texas Legislative Session for Texas convenes at noon on January 8, 2013. We thank our legislators for their public service to the State of Texas and hope for a constructive, collaborative bipartisan session regarding our state issues. Many priorities relating to the budget, public education, transportation, labor and workforce and the state’s environment will be discussed and reviewed. … Read More

Charting the Course for a Healthy Future

10/30/2012

Obesity is one of the most challenging health crises the United States has ever faced. Two-thirds of adults and nearly one-third of our nation’s children and adolescents are currently obese or overweight, putting them at increased risk for more than 20 major diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer. But the effects of obesity … Read More

AHA, THA and DFWHC present Rep. Sessions with healthcare award

10/26/2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Marie Watteau, AHA, 202-626-2351 Lance Lunsford, THA, 512-465-1052 Chris Wilson, DFWHC, 972-719-4900 Irving, Texas (October 26, 2012) – The American Hospital Association (AHA), the Texas Hospital Association (THA) and the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council (DFWHC) today presented Rep. Pete Sessions, (R-Texas) the AHA Health Care Champion Award for his outstanding contributions to health care public policy. … Read More

Can we build good wings?

10/25/2012

Ray Bradbury once said “living at risk is jumping off the cliff and building your wings on the way down.” Admittedly, he was referring to a sense of adventure and embracing boldness in life. His quote might also describe the financial cliff we are facing at the beginning of 2013. This cliff includes tax increases due to the expiration of … Read More

Patient safety indicators require a comprehensive approach

10/15/2012

The North Texas hospitals support sharing data regarding hospital performance with the public in a transparent manner as long as the information is complete, accurate and limitations are fully disclosed. An example of the complexity related to data analysis is the computer error revealed recently impacting the financial penalties against hospitals on Medicare readmissions within 30 days. The Centers for … Read More

Love interviewed by CBS Evening News

10/02/2012

With part of the Affordable Care Act going into effect, the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council’s President and CEO Steve Love offered his insight for CBS Evening News Monday evening, October 1. Love was interviewed for Anna Werner‘s segment involving Medicare reimbursement penalties. As detailed, hospitals now face big fines if too many patients have to be readmitted because of complications. … Read More

Readmissions – A Complex Issue

10/01/2012

In October each year we enjoy the State Fair of Texas, fall festivals, carving pumpkins and Texas football at all levels. This year a new event begins Oct. 1, 2012 resulting from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). A readmissions provision imposes financial penalties on hospitals for “excess” readmissions when compared to “expected” levels of readmission. Generally, hospitals … Read More

Looking beyond November

09/14/2012

Signed into law by U.S. President Barack Obama in 2011, the Budget Control Act created a potential 2013 sequestration, a procedure where automatic spending cuts are triggered within the government. The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction had to find these cuts by November, 2011 to prevent this sequestration from happening on Jan. 2, 2013. Due to rigid bipartisan politics, … Read More

Uninsured Trends – Behind the Numbers

09/12/2012

The U.S. Census Bureau released numbers today reflecting an estimated 48.6 million uninsured population for medical care in the United States. This estimate represents a 1.4 million decrease from an estimated 50 million uninsured in 2010, or 16.3-15.7 percent during the same period. This sounds encouraging. So what created this slight decrease? Young adults accounted for the largest drop in … Read More

Tickets & Tables now available to Oct. 18 Annual Awards Luncheon

09/07/2012

strong>Tickets now available to Oct. 18 Annual Awards Luncheon Tickets to the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council’s (DFWHC) 64th Annual Awards Luncheon are now on sale. The annual luncheon is scheduled for noon on Thursday, October 18 at The Arlington Convention Center. A reception begins in the atrium area in front of the ballroom at 11:00 a.m. This year, DFWHC will present … Read More