Health care executives dissolve organization amid investigation

[Judi Lynn]

Health care executives dissolve organization amid investigation
The Associated Press
Published: January 25, 2007

HARTFORD, Connecticut: A national organization of health care executives has agreed to disband amid an investigation into whether it showed favoritism to some vendors who joined the group, possibly leading to higher health care costs.

State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal announced an antitrust settlement Thursday with Healthcare Research and Development Institute LLC. Blumenthal had alleged that HRDI members showed favoritism to certain vendors, who paid $40,000 (€30,821) for membership privileges and received direct access to chief executives of hospitals and other health care institutions.

Some executives were paid $20,000 (€15,410) to $25,000 (€19,263) a year to attend conferences with luxury accommodations and provide consulting services to companies that supply pharmaceuticals, medical devices and other goods and services to hospitals and other facilities, Blumenthal said.

The investigation also found evidence that some vendors' sales to certain hospitals increased significantly after they attended "confidential" panel sessions with chief executives of those hospitals during HRDI's semiannual meetings, Blumenthal said.

"These practices threatened to inflate health care costs to patients and taxpayers — stifling competition in almost every health care supply and services market," he said.
(snip/...)

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/25/america/NA-FIN-US-Health-Executives-Investigation.php

[acmavm]

1. Health care - the best system money (and lots of it) can buy.

[Cleita]

2. This is why the for profits have to be cut out of health care reform.

They can't help trying to make money off of the misery of sick and elderly. We need single payer universal health care for all and we need it yesterday.

http://www.pnhp.org

[sutz12]

3. And the key term is health care....not insurance. nt

[Megahurtz]

5. Exactly. n/t

[aquart]

6. The health of Americans is a national security issue.

It is too vital for our military and economic well-being to be abandoned to greedy profiteers.

[bobbolink]

7. Can you imagine if there were profits in fire protection?

Can you imagine if, when you called to report a fire, you had to first prove you had paid your "dues"?

People would completely mess their britches!

Enough of the profits in essential services!

[aggiesal]

4. The Health Care Bastards (HSB's) n/t