Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The cost of colonoscopies, MRIs, CT scans and mammograms can shift a lot from place to place, even as close as Allegheny and Washington counties.
It can cost up to $2,570 more to get a CT scan done at an Allegheny County hospital than one in neighboring Washington County. That's according to data from New Choice Health, a private company that encourages people to become smarter healthcare consumers. Though the average costs are about $100 apart in the two counties, the range of prices varies between $1,370 and $3,940 in Allegheny County, while the cost ranges from $1,370 and $1,900 in Washington County. Prices vary for other common procedures as well. It can cost $510 less, on average, to get a colonoscopy done in Allegheny County rather than in Washington County. And when compared to prices for procedures across Pennsylvania, the average cost of a mammogram, CT scan or MRI in …
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Sometimes, candidates' platforms force us to choose which of the many issues is most important to us.
Can you be pro-life, yet support a candidate who is cutting programs that affect the health and well-being of the poor? Can you be in favor of gay marriage when your faith says it's wrong? Can you be anti-Obamacare knowing your relative has coverage only because of the Affordable Care Act and will have no insurance if it's repealed? Can you be a hunter and own a gun for sport, yet favor gun control to keep weapons off the street? Sorting through the conflicts between values, morals and beliefs is particularly difficult this election. The same people who give to food banks might still support tax cuts that target programs that feed the hungry. Or those with a relative who is gay might oppose gay marriage for moral or religious reasons, yet …
Sunday, July 8, 2012
This campaign is full of issues but, in the end, which is most important to you?
Pittsburgh was a political hot spot on Friday when President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and two Republican vice-presidential hopefuls, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, came to town to discuss their platforms with supporters. Obama's speech centered on economic recovery, education, health care, student loan interest rates and the middle class. Pawlenty and Jindal, hoping to drum up support for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, focused their talks on job creation, energy regulation, taxes, health care and federal spending. Take our poll and let us know which of these issues is the most important to you or most likely to influence your vote. Tell us why this issue is important to you in the …
Saturday, June 30, 2012
"Affordable" health care probably is not attainable.
- OPINION
-
Saturday, June 30, 2012
The Supreme Court’s affirmation of the Affordable Patient Care Act/Obamacare virtually intact is being heralded as a great victory for the administration. I believe the triumph will be short-lived, that it will ultimately be considered a pyrrhic victory, and that inclusion of the word “affordable” within the legislation will come to be regarded as comical. The American people should be able to agree that our health care system is broken and in dire need of repair. We spend the greatest amount of money per capita on health care, yet we are one of the sickest, most drug-dependent and drug-addicted nations in the world. One would think that our elected officials would look to other nations which deliver health care efficiently and in a cost-…
Thursday, June 28, 2012
The Supreme Court announced Thursday morning that the Affordable Care Act, known to many as Obamacare, mandating every American to purchase health insurance is constitutional. How do you feel about the decision? Vote in our poll or share your thoughts in
The Supreme Court announced Thursday morning that the Affordable Care Act mandating every American to purchase health insurance is constitutional and should stand. The court decided that the government is permitted to penalize individuals who refuse to purchase health insurance, according to NBC News. The Supreme Court ruled that the federal government can levy a "tax" on individuals who do not buy into the system, according to NBC News. The individual health care mandate is the key provision in Obamacare, and some legal experts thought that it could be ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Had it been stripped from the law, many other provisions—such as covering people with pre-existing conditions and not capping insurance coverage…
Monday, January 30, 2012
What do you think of the Obama administration's requirement for church-affiliated employers to provide health care plans that cover access to contraception? Vote in our poll.
Pittsburgh Catholic Bishop David Zubik Friday joined a growing segment of religious leaders speaking out against the Obama administration’s new law that requires religious employers to offer health plans covering free contraceptives. In an open letter titled "To Hell With You," Zubik on Friday characterized some of the mandates in the administration’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as a "slap in the face" and an attack on religious freedom. Zubik specifcally refers to guidelines that require all individual and group health insurance plans, including self-insured plans, to cover FDA-approved contraception, sterilization procedures and pharmaceuticals "that even result in abortion," Zubik writes. "The Obama administration has …
Saturday, November 19, 2011
The local hospital won the award at an event sponsored by The Fine Foundation and the Jewish Healthcare Foundation.
- BUSINESS
-
Saturday, November 19, 2011
St. Clair Hospital took a Gold Award at the Fourth Annual Fine Awards for Teamwork Excellence in Health Care Thursday evening at a reception at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture in downtown Pittsburgh. Sponsored by The Fine Foundation and the Jewish Healthcare Foundation, the Fine Awards were established to reinforce the critical role teamwork plays in health care. St. Clair Hospital won for its entry, “Sustaining Excellence in Patient Flow in the Emergency Department.” The distinguished regional and national selection committee who reviewed the award applications and selected the winners noted that St. Clair has been able to sustain high emergency department patient satisfaction ratings for more than three years, grown…
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Area residents can offer their opinions on the most important services.
St. Clair Hospital is asking for the community’s help in determining what health care needs are most important to area residents and how the hospital can improve its services. The Mt. Lebanon-based hospital recently launched the new initiative on its website that will allow people to take a survey that will target the most important health care programs for the community. The survey will ask people what experiences and problems they face when trying to receive health care. “Through this process we hope to gain a broader base of views about health care needs in the communities we serve,” said Andrea Kalina, vice president of human resources and organizational advancement. “This is just one, but an important part, of a multifaceted ‘…
Thursday, May 19, 2011
All plans for the property and its development have been approved.
You've seen the tall, blue sign on Route 19 and you're wondering when, correct? This summer, St. Clair Hospital plans to break ground on a $20 million outpatient care facility. The two-story, 40,000 square foot structure will provide for more convenient patient and physician access. According to reports, the hospital has seen a 34 percent increase in the number of patients coming from Peters. The building, located at 3928 Washington Road, is set to face Route 19 with a green buffer of landscaping between the road and the building—complete with 180 spaces of parking behind, creating "a more aesthetically-pleasing" look. Also adding to the look will be landscaping and planted islands to create a campus feel. The first floor will house …
loyalbaldwinfan
6:04 pm on Sunday, November 4, 2012
What's the big deal? Nothing wrong with someone expressing their thoughts and personal feelings across different states. If you do not agree then move on.....no need to seek Robert out to see where else he posted. Kinda creepy. more ›