Month: January 2012

In arguably the most significant change to Marshfield Clinic's governance structure in its 96-year history, the health system plans to add community members to its board of directors. (MARSHFIELD NEWS HERALD, 1/23)

The new neonatal intensive care unit opening at St. Mary's Hospital Jan. 31 is a big change from the existing unit, where most babies stay in a big, bright room with steady activity. In the new unit, "we're trying to make the environment as much like the womb as possible — dark, warm and quiet," said Diane Buss, NICU director. (WISCONSIN STAT E JOURNAL, 1/20)

There has been a great deal of concern and speculation about the future of Aurora Sinai Medical Center, and rightly so. As the last downtown Milwaukee hospital, it is a critical access point for many types of care, and it provides care for some of the most vulnerable citizens of our state. Last year, Aurora Sinai lost $20 million, and if we make no changes this year, the losses will be closer to $30 million. Aurora Health Care, or any health care organization, cannot bear such losses at any one site. Change is needed. (JOURNAL SENTINEL, 1/20)

Governor Scott Walker is turning down nearly $50 million in federal funding the state could have received to implement a health insurance exchange and is closing the Office of Free Market Health Care. (WHN, 1/19)

After six years and three terms as president and CEO of Marshfield Clinic, Dr. Karl Ulrich has reached the Clinic's maximum term limit and will step down at the end of this month. Under Ulrich, the Clinic has expanded into more cities, begun planning a dental school in Marshfield, saved millions for Medicare and taxpayers and changed its governance structure for the first time in the Clinic's history. (MARSHFIELD NEWS HERALD, 1/19)

A Hartland medical products maker faces another wrongful death lawsuit, this one alleging that defective lubricating jelly caused an infection that killed an Arizona man. Judy Bennett, of Tucson, Ariz., has alleged that lube jelly from Triad Group and its sister company, H&P Industries, caused the death of her husband, John Bennett, when he developed an infection during self-catheterizations. (JOURNAL SENTINEL, 1/19)

The Winnebago County Board Tuesday approved creating two new positions to manage a program that provides health services to uninsured women in a four county area, including Winnebago, Fond du Lac, Outagamie and Sheboygan counties. Under a plan approved by the board, Winnebago County will manage the Wisconsin Well Woman Program following a change in funding and providers announced by the state in December. (THE NORTHWESTERN, 1/18)

It’s a political game of chicken Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker hopes he can win. Walker – a tea party favorite who has changed his state’s bright blue health policy trajectory — is the lone Republican governor keeping an Early Innovator grant awarded early last year under the health reform law. He isn’t using the $37 million federal grant. He isn’t giving it up. And it may stay that way. (POLITICO, 1/17)