PA hospital rating system highlighted in Wall Street Journal

October 6th, 2009

The newspaper lauds the state for publishing “medical outcomes” — death and complication rates — from more than 50 types of treatments and surgery at hospitals.

Times-Tribune: PA hospitals are getting better at preventing infections, but still have a long way to go

September 28th, 2009

38.2 percent of all hospital readmissions last year were for treatment of hospital-acquired infections, reports PHC4.

Bills on the move: 6/1 -> 6/12

June 12th, 2009

This week the Gov. signed 4 bills into law — expanding Pennsylvanians access to health insurance, reauthorizing PHC4, and hopefully providing the financial motivation for hospitals to crack down on hospital-acquired infections.

House passes bill to reauthorize PHC4

June 2nd, 2009

Their bill would extend the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council for another five years.

Bills on the Move: 5/4 -> 5/8

May 8th, 2009

While most of the week’s focus was on the Senate Republican’s budget proposal, bills dealing with mini-COBRA, payment for serious adverse events, and reauthorization of the Pennsylvania Healthcare Cost Containment Council had some movement this week.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The four pieces of healthcare legislation that should be approved now

April 27th, 2009

The laws the Post-Gazette urges legislators to adopt concern the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council, expansion of COBRA coverage, extension of parents’ health insurance plans for their children, and reimbursements to hospitals for “never events.”

PHC4 on its way to being reauthorized

March 25th, 2009

Yesterday the Senate passed a bill to reauthorize the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council.

House & Senate committees each pass through bills to reauthorize PHC4

March 18th, 2009

The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council has been operating under executive order since its authorization expired last summer.

Rendell reauthorizes PHC4 through June

November 21st, 2008

Gov. Rendell signed an executive order yesterday to extend the life of Pennsylvania Health Care Containment Council (PHC4), a health wathdog agency, through June 30th.

Sen. Vance pushes to reauthorize health watchdog agency

October 15th, 2008

Sen. Pat Vance (R-Cumberland) says she will be introducing a bill next session to reauthorize PHC4, an agency that compiles data on healthcare facilities across the state. The agency and its 35 employees will be out of work at the end of November, since the Legislature did not reauthorize it’s funding before the Senate ended session last week.