Displaying items by tag: patients
Hospitals take more heat from Treasurer, calls for change in billing practices
RALEIGH — State Treasurer Dale Folwell is once again sounding the alarm on some nonprofit hospitals in the state, with a new report that shows low-income patients are being billed when they were eligible for charity care. This comes on the heels of a similar report released in October by Folwell, who oversees the State Health Plan for government employees, the largest health insurance plan in the state.
Red Cross: National blood crisis may put patients at risk
CHARLOTTE — The American Red Cross is facing a national blood crisis – its worst blood shortage in more than a decade. Dangerously low blood supply levels are posing a concerning risk to patient care and forcing doctors to make difficult decisions about who receives blood transfusions and who will need to wait until more products become available.
Officials encourage boosters as COVID-19 hospitalizations rise in N.C.
RALEIGH — With hospitalizations due to COVID-19 rising, getting a booster of the COVID-19 vaccine remains the most important thing North Carolinians can do to keep themselves and their loved ones out of the hospital, officials with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced.
FirstHealth: Know where to go for COVID-19 testing
PINEHURST — With the increase in COVID-19 cases and the rapid emergence of the Omicron variant, the demand for testing is on the rise. FirstHealth emergency departments are seeing an increase in patients coming to the emergency department for COVID-19 testing.
Physician assistant joins FirstHealth Gynecologic Oncology
PINEHURST — Certified Physician Assistant Kristen Burton has joined Michael Sundborg, M.D., the area’s first gynecologic oncologist, Brian Burgess, D.O., Ph.D., and Adara Maness, PA-C, at FirstHealth Gynecologic Oncology. The practice offers a full scope of gynecologic cancer care including diagnosis, surgery, medical oncology, surveillance and supportive care.
OPINION: CON laws are too risky
I’ve long thought the North Carolina General Assembly should reform our state’s archaic and anti-competitive requirement for certificates-of-need. In the post-COVID world we are entering, however, CON reform is no longer just a good idea. It’s an imperative.
Red Cross, partners commit to building equitable blood supply for patients
CHARLOTTE — Today, the American Red Cross of Greater Carolinas will launch a virtual, three-part series happening throughout the month to raise awareness around blood transfusion needs for patients living with sickle cell disease. Blood transfusion is one of the few treatments to help alleviate the pain of this disease. For these patients, the blood donor match is more specific.
FirstHealth ranked N.C.’s best for patient satisfaction and No. 4 among top hospitals
ROCKINGHAM — FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital, including its Richmond and Hoke campuses, has been named one of the state’s top hospitals and as the best in North Carolina in patient satisfaction by Business North Carolina magazine.
CON laws ‘holding back North Carolinians,’ health policy expert says
RALIEGH — Dr. Bruce Schroeder couldn’t give the best treatment to women with breast cancer. State regulations blocked him from buying up-to-date mammogram machines.
FirstHealth Home Care earns second top 5-star rating in a row for patient satisfaction
PINEHURST — FirstHealth Home Care has again achieved the highest possible five-star rating for patient satisfaction from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Home Health Care Survey. For the second consecutive year, FirstHealth’s rankings in the patient satisfaction measures of the survey are above the state and national average for Medicare-certified home care agencies.