Modern healthcare
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As work begins to rebuild Iraq's infrastructure, hospitals and primary-care facilities are major priorities. While security concerns have prevented some U. ⋯ James Haveman, left, is senior U. S. adviser to the Iraqi Ministry of Health.
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In the wake of the devastation Sandy wreaked along the Atlantic Coast, some hospitals were forced to close. But others took on new roles, whether as makeshift phone-charging stations or dealing with healthcare needs patients usually turned to outpatient centers for. "The biggest challenge is making up for the other services that are not available in the community," says Steven Littleson, of Jersey Shore University Medical Center.
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The Supreme Court's ruling upholding Oregon's assisted-suicide law is good news for the rights of physicians, patients and states, and further reinforces the doctor-patient relationship. But physicians working in Oregon hospitals don't expect the decision to affect their operations much. "Very few assisted suicides have occurred in hospitals," says Gwen Dayton, left, of the state hospital association.
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Hospital executives have plenty of horror stories to share when the topic is their Medicare fiscal intermediaries. In fact, some facilities have lost millions because of errors by these private contractors. Nevertheless, hospitals remain wary of change. "Sometimes the devil you know is better than the one you don't," one billing consultant says.
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More than 150 hospitals have signed on to the Partnership for a Healthier America's push to ditch the deep-fat fryer in their cafeterias and bulk up on fruit and veggies. "Our focus is to ensure that if people want to make a healthy choice, they can," says Larry Soler, left, president and CEO of the partnership, which is working to reduce childhood obesity.