Month: April 2013

After more than a year of negotiations, Dean Health System announced this week it had entered an agreement to be bought by St. Louis-based SSM Health Care, one of the largest Catholic health systems in the country. While the two organizations already jointly own Dean Health Plan and partner on a number of clinics, Dean Health System CEO Dr. Craig Samitt said Dean seriously considered other bidders. He wouldn't confirm the names of those other organizations, or disclose any financial terms. In the end, he said, SSM was the best fit. Wisconsin Health News caught up with Samitt and SSM CEO Bill Thompson to learn more. (WHN, 4/19)

More than 40 health care and business organizations - including the Wisconsin Medical Society, the Wisconsin Hospital Association, Aurora Health Care and the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce - are urging state lawmakers to accept the federal health reform law's enhanced Medicaid dollars. Governor Scott Walker is opposed. (WHN, 4/18)

Drug and alcohol addiction programs could be overwhelmed when the federal health care overhaul goes into effect, some Wisconsin health officials say. More than 30,000 uninsured Wisconsin residents with drug and alcohol addictions will become eligible for insurance in January, but persistent staff shortages and a lack of beds means those patients still might not get the help they need. (LA CROSSE TRIBUNE, 4/17)

Dean Health System has signed an agreement with SSM Health Care to become part of the St. Louis-based Catholic health system. Dean's shareholders and the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance still need to sign off. The transaction could close as soon as this summer. Dean and SSM are not disclosing the terms. (WHN, 4/16)

The Department of Health and Human Services is allocating $830,000 worth of grants to Wisconsin community groups who want to help consumers navigate the state's federally-run health insurance exchange. It's part of $54 million that HHS is providing to 33 states for navigators. (WHN, 4/11)

Providers expressed concern Tuesday with a proposed fee schedule for treating workers' compensation patients. Management representatives on the Workers' Compensation Advisory Council have suggested a medical fee schedule that would pay providers 175 percent of the current Medicare rate. (WHN, 4/10)