Month: November 2011

A Washington, D.C., man who claimed he was severely sickened by an infection caused by Triad Group alcohol pads has sued the company for more than $10 million. In the lawsuit, William Preston West Jr. said he acquired a Bacillus cereus infection while using alcohol pads that were part of his medical treatments for multiple sclerosis. (JOURNAL SENTINEL, 11/30)

The Wisconsin Hospital Association is calling for significant changes to the state's medical education and training system in order to address a physician shortfall that's expected to reach more than 2,000 by 2030. Recommendations from a report released this morning by the hospital association include building a third medical school, opening a satellite campus of one of the state's existing schools, and increasing residency spots. (WHN, 11/29)

Physicians Plus is threatening to sue UW-Madison's doctor group, saying the group might cut off members' access to UW doctors because the insurance company rejected a contract it deemed too expensive. The threat of legal action, made in a Physicians Plus news release Monday, comes less than three weeks after UW's doctor group sued Meriter Health Services, which owns Physicians Plus. (WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL, 11/29)

The number of emergency rooms here soon will triple, as a new hospital opens and the longstanding hospital opens a stand-alone ER. The health care building boom and new competition come three years after the General Motors plant shut down, ending 1,200 jobs and hundreds more at GM suppliers. (WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL, 11/28)

Gundersen Lutheran is raising its rates by 4.1 percent starting Jan. 1, its lowest annual rate change since 1998. Wisconsin health care providers average a 5.1 percent annual increase. “I really think as an organization we’ve been very focused on trying to make care as affordable as possible for the community and employers,” said Gundersen Lutheran Chief Financial Officer Gordon Edwards. (LA CROSSE TRIBUNE, 11/28)

Avoiding antibiotics when they aren't needed. Disinfecting rooms with ultraviolet light. Installing sensors to make sure workers wash their hands. Hospitals in Madison and around the country are taking action against a superbug that appears to be on the rise. The bacterium is called Clostridium difficile, or C.diff. It may not be as well known as MRSA, a drug-resistant staph infection, but it has become more of a threat. (WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL, 11/21)

A national drug shortage is forcing local doctors to reschedule surgeries. Area pharmacists said multiple drugs are in short supply. Although lives have not been threatened, elective surgeries have been rescheduled at Mercy Hospital and Trauma Center to ensure an adequate amount of needed drugs is available for emergencies, said Don Janczak, director of pharmacy at Mercy. More than 200 drugs are in short supply, Janczak said, and orders to drug wholesalers sometimes go unfilled or are filled only partially. (JANESVILLE GAZETTE, 11/21)