Some feared health insurance premiums would skyrocket under the Affordable Care Act. But the two insurers selling plans to Maine consumers want to raise rates just modestly in 2015, well below the double-digit hikes seen in previous years. The proposed rates offer a tentative first look at how much insurers seek to charge during the second year […]
More than 40,000 Mainers have signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Most of them chose a plan through Maine Community Health Options, a new member-run insurer that captured 80 percent of the market here despite competition from the much larger and well-established Anthem. New figures released by MCHO reveal the startup made […]
Eastern Maine Medical Center plans to discontinue a program that connects nurses treating intensive care patients throughout the region to specialists in Bangor. The Critical Care Connection service, established in 2008, will cease effective June 20, the hospital announced in a Tuesday news release. Insurers don’t reimburse hospitals for the service, limiting the number of medical centers that could […]
A national hospital safety group is asking Americans to imagine this: The populations of Miami or Atlanta are simply wiped out. That’s how many Americans die every year from preventable hospital errors – up to 440,000 patients, making such errors the third-leading cause of death in the country. The Leapfrog Group, an employer-led hospital watchdog organization, ranks how well hospitals prevent medical errors, assigning letter […]
Health care prices remain hidden from patients in all but five states, preventing consumers from fully understanding their medical expenses, according to a new national report card. Maine, however, earned a B grade. Only Massachusetts earned the same distinction, while Colorado, Vermont, and Virginia were awarded Cs. No state got an A. The rest of the country flunked. […]
When patients enjoy a good experience at the doctor’s office, it shows in their health, a growing body of research indicates. If you can get an appointment promptly and visit a provider who really listens and understands your medical history, you’re more likely to follow your doctor’s instructions, take change of your own health, and get a better […]
Dr. Rafael Grossmann, a surgeon at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, is about as passionate an advocate for telemedicine as you’ll find in Maine. On his personal blog and at various conferences, he extolls the benefits of marrying medicine with technology to improve care and save lives. Last June, he made high-tech history by […]
Less than a week after Bangor’s Eastern Maine Medical Center announced a $7 million shortfall, its parent organization is touting a healthy balance sheet and strong financial future. How can that be? Here’s a closer look. Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems issued a press release Wednesday announcing that Standard & Poor’s issued a “positive outlook” for the […]
Maine parents pushing to schedule an early delivery date for their new baby have to take a few deep breaths and wait. Maine has one of the lowest rates of early elective deliveries in the country, according to a report released Monday by nonprofit hospital quality watchdog The Leapfrog Group. In 2013, 1.9 percent of all […]
Next time you visit the doctor, ask her to wash her hands AND her stethoscope. Hand washing has gotten plenty of well-deserved attention as a tool against the spread of infection in doctor’s offices, hospitals, and other health-care settings. But the trusty stethoscope, which touches patients almost as often as doctors’ hands but gets washed […]
