WH

In a January 23 post, Beth Kutscher and Adam Rubenfire from Modern Healthcare report:

HCA, the largest hospital chain by revenue, had a strong 2014 that raised its share price more than 50%. And now it appears that performance was enough to earn it a spot on the elite Standard & Poor's 500. The Nashville-based chain will replace supermarket chain Safeway on the index after the close of trading Monday, January 26, 2015. HCA shares closed Friday at $68.64, giving the company a market capitalization of $29.6 billion. Shares gained another 4% in after-hours trading to top $71.The chain earlier this month raised its earnings guidance for 2014. It was the third consecutive quarter when the company bested expectations.

WIM

Governor Rick Scott's old company is having quite a run. Although not commonly talked about, one of the ACA's goals is to facilitate consolidation. The theory being scale lowers cost. Meanwhile the government is confident that regulators can control any attempts at pricing abuse by providers who have gained market share. HCA's entry into the S$P 500 is a milestone for progressive healthcare reformers.

WH

In a January 21 post to Fierce Healthcare by Leslie Small:

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) announced Tuesday that since last April, it has offered relief to a total of 25 whistleblowers who faced retaliation for exposing wrongdoing at VA facilities. The malfeasance exposed by these whistleblowers and by lengthy investigations included extreme, deadly delays in care at some facilities that VA officials covered up through the use of secret waitlists.

WIM

Though a new year has begun, the scandal that rocked the Department of Veterans Affairs through much of 2014 has yet to fade from the headlines.

WH

Five years ago, Florida was labeled the prescription drug capital of the U.S. Seven people died every day from overdoses - until the Florida Legislature started a crackdown.

The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program made opiate pills more expensive on the street, and left many addicts with a choice: Get treatment, or find a substitute.

WIM

But there's a downside in the drop in prescription drug use. Overdoses and deaths from heroin are on the rise in Florida. In 2010, 48 people died from heroin overdoses. By 2013, that number had quadrupled.