April 28, 2009
The San Francisco Chronicle quoted Professor Glenn Melnick about America's preparedness for a potential swine flu outbreak. "There's been a lot more planning, so we're better prepared than we've ever been," said Melnick, holder of the Blue Cross of California Chair in Health Care Finance. "We haven't really seen the budget cuts hit yet," he added. "Next year, we might have a problem." In case of a pandemic, health care workers have been trained to report to work, he added. "There's been a lot more planning and training within health care organizations so people understand the risks and they don't panic unnecessarily and they will report for work."
April 23, 2009
The The Riverside Press-Enterprise quoted Professor Glenn Melnick about hospitals' dependence on Medicare reimbursements. On average, about 55 percent of a hospital's revenue comes from federal reimbursements, Melnick said. A hospital that loses Medicare funding is also likely to lose private insurance contracts, the other main source of hospital revenue, the story noted. "That is usually a death knell for a hospital," he said.
April 17, 2009
The St. Petersburg Times highlighted a presentation that Professor Glenn Melnick delivered at the Association of Health Care Journalists conference in Seattle. Total United States health spending in 2007 was $2.24 trillion, Melnick noted.
March 6, 2009
La Opinion quoted Professor Glenn Melnick about Los Angeles' Pacific Hospital reportedly seeking bankruptcy protection. If the hospital closes, 80 percent of patients who receive care under public assistance programs like MediCal would have to move elsewhere in the San Fernando Valley for services, Melnick said.
January 26, 2009
The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development marked its 80th anniversary by hosting a special colloquium Jan. 16 at the Davidson Conference Center. During the conference, Dean Jack H. Knott noted that SPPD remains dedicated to advancing academic theory and making a vital impact in the world.
January 25, 2009
The Monterey County Herald quoted Professor Glenn Melnick about the fiscal state of a medical center in Salinas, Calif. It's unclear whether the hospital can continue its newfound financial viability or is doomed to slip back into critical condition, the story stated. "The question is, 'Are they going to find themselves in the same situation five years from now,'" Melnick said. Melnick is director of the Center for Health Policy and Management at USC, the story noted.
December 22, 2008
The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development signed a formal agreement to participate in Fellows/USA, the Peace Corps' graduate fellowship program. This agreement will enable former volunteers to pursue a graduate education in public administration, public policy, urban planning, health administration and real estate development.
This past summer, more than 40 master's students representing all programs of study with the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development took part in the school's international lab program, doing research in Foshan, China, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
July 30,2008
A Los Angeles Times column cited an op-ed by Robert Tranquada, professor emeritus of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development and the Keck School of Medicine. Los Angeles County has lost 12 hospital-based emergency rooms in the last decade, and 11 of 23 trauma centers have closed in the last 20 years, Tranquada wrote. Capacity for emergency medical care has been shrinking, and the recent earthquake should be a wake-up call for many who are not prepared.
March 23, 2009