2011-5-HW (Link to Article)   Public, patients have right to know hospitals' infection rates  Herald leader. Lexington, KY,   July 11, 2011.  The case is presented for patients right to know hospital infection rates.

2011-4-HW (Link to Article Text)  Tracking of Hospital Acquired Infections  Courier Journal, Louisville, KY,  Apr. 20, 2011  Norton Healthcare System's Award from the NQF is Outstanding.  Other Kentucky hospitals should follow its example.   Link to Archived Abstract   Link to Article Text

2011-3-HW (Link to Article)  UK Wrong To Downplay Loss of Nursing Honor  Herald Leader, Lexington, KY,  Mar. 21, 2011   It is important for hospitals to achieve the Magnet Recognition and to participate in the Leapfrog Group Survey.

2011-2-HW (Link to Article Text)  Revising Health Care Reform  Courier Journal, Louisville, KY,  Jan. 21, 2011   The healthcare system still has significant problems with increasing insurance premiums.   
 View Op-Ed References    Link to Archived Abstract   Link to Article Text

2011-1-HW (Link to Article)  State Reporting on Hospital Infections - Lax, Dangerous    Lexington Herald Leader, Lexington, KY, Jan. 21, 2011   As other states are issuing infection reports to the public.  Kentuckians are endangered buy the lack of reporting and inhibited health department oversight.  View Op-Ed References

2010-5-HW (Link to Article Text)  Health Care Strom Brewing   Courier Journal, Louisville, KY,  Dec. 8, 2010   The healthcare system is still in crisis, checks and balances on quality and costs have been weakened.  
View Op-Ed References     Link to Archived Abstract    Link to Article Text

2010-4-HW (PDF)  Hospital Acquired Infections Reporting and Kentucky's HAI Health Plan    Lexington Herald Leader, Lexington, KY,  July. 25, 2010   The State of Kentucky Needs to require hospitals to report all Hospital Acquired Infections.  

2010-3-HW (Link to Article)  Kentucky Should Award CONs so All Hospital Systems in The State Benefit, Not Just One  Medical News - The Business of Healthcare, Louisville, KY,  March. 12, 2010  The certificate of need should be abolished or placed up for bid so all facilities can benefit.

2010-2- HW (Link to Article Text)  Fight Hospital-Acquired Infections  Courier Journal, Louisville, KY,  Jan. 12, 2010   The healthcare industry can and needs to do more to prevent healthcare acquired infections.   
Link to Archived Abstract    Link to Article Text

2010-1-HW (PDF)  Poor Way to Decide Who Gets Hospitals   Lexington Herald Leader, Lexington, KY,  Jan. 11, 2010   The Certificate of Need is adversely affecting the health of residents of Jessamine County and is running up healthcare costs.   

2009-3-HW (PDF)  Keep Public Reporting in Reform Plan - Lexington Herald Leader, Lexington, KY,  Oct. 4, 2009   Public reporting of healthcare acquired infections is now supported by major national medical organizations.

2009-2-HW (PDF)   Stop Hospital Borne Infections  Courier Journal, Louisville, KY, July 9, 2009   Public reporting of healthcare acquired infections is now in the process of implementation in 27 states.    View CJ Editor's Comment on HAI

2009-1-HW (PDF) Kentucky's Certificate of Need Process Needs Overhauling- Courier Journal, Louisville, KY, January 5 2009  Kentucky's CON process for acute care facilities is frozen with decronian regulations making it impossible to build additional facilities.  The State not petitioners, should decide where CONs are needed; they should place them nationally up for bid. 

2008-3-HW (PDF) Hospitals Reckless to Leave Floors Short of Nurses- Lexington Herald Leader, Lexington Kentucky, May 28, 2008  Low levels of hospital staff has been reported by nurses and lack of facility cleanliness and responsiveness by patients.  Medicare is no longer paying for preventable adverse patient outcomes, Medicaid should follow suit.

2008-2-HW (PDF) The Case for Surveillance for MRSA - Lexington Herald Leader, Lexington Kentucky, March 21, 2008  One could argue that Medicare patient admissions in the State of Kentucky would develop 2,500 hospital acquired infections and at risk of losing between $80,000,000 to $131,000,000 in revenue.

2008-1-HW (PDF) Mandatory Reporting of MRSA and HAIs - Lexington Herald Leader, Lexington Kentucky, Feb. 4, 2008  HAIs are more common than any other reportable disease and deaths exceed several of the causes listed in the top 10 causes of death in the US vital statistics.

2007-7-HW (PDF) Health Care Crisis Unites Disparate Groups, Interests - Lexington Herald Leader, Lexington Kentucky, Oct. 15, 2007  Problems in Kentucky's health care system are discussed in a statewide conference.

2007-6-HW (PDF) Too Much to Expect From Too Few Nurses - Lexington Herald Leader, Lexington Kentucky, April 16, 2007  Frontline Caregivers get little support in protecting patients.

2007-5-HW (PDF) The CON Steals Jessamine's Health Care Access - Jessamine Journal, Nicholasville Kentucky, April 12, 2007  As long as hospitals exist in Lexington, the CON is preventing Jessamine County from building a hospital.

2007-4-HW (PDF) The Fletcher Administration & Oakwood, a Sordid Affair - Lexington Herald Leader, Lexington Kentucky, Feb 26, 2007  Reason for outrage, scrutiny -- Fletcher aides, donors hurt Oakwood, State.

2007-4-BG (PDF) CON Law Shrinks Health-Cares Iron Triangle - Bluegrass Institute, Kentucky, Jan 8, 2007 The CON fails to lower prices or improve quality or access.

2007-3-HW (PDF)  Give Public Info About Health Care Facilities - Lexington Herald Leader, Lexington Kentucky Jan 29, 2007 A call to increase the transparency of health care quality.

2007-2-HW (PDF)  Medical Tourism or Creative Destruction - Courier Journal Online, Jan 18, 2007 Foreign countries are competing and trying to attract patients from the United States.

2007-1-BG (PDF)  Prognosis for Ailing Health Care System Will Improve Only With Competition, Transparency - Bluegrass Institute, Kentucky, Jan 8, 2007  The high cost and low quality of the United States healthcare system

2007-1-HW (PDF)  Quality Not Rising With Cost of Health Care - Herald Leader, Lexington KY, Jan 2, 2007  The high cost and low quality of the US healthcare system

2006-8-HW (PDF)  Certificate of Need Unneeded - Herald Leader, Lexington KY, November 13, 2006  

2006-45-BG (PDF)  Eliminate CON, Embrace Competition - Bluegrass Institute, Kentucky, OCT 23, 2006

2006-7-HW (PDF) State Blocking Medical Competition - Herald Leader, Lexington KY, July 31, 2006

2006-6-HW (PDF)  Health Care in Crisis: What is Wrong With Frankfort? - Jessamine Journal, Nicholasville KY July 27, 2006

2006-5-HW (PDF)  Frankfort Didn't Tell Whole Story on CON Details - Commonwealth Journal, Somerset KY July 5, 2006

2006-4-HW (PDF) Certificate of Monopoly - Courier Journal, Louisville KY, June 22, 2006

2006-3-HW (PDF)  Second Hospital Now Out of Reach ? - Commonwealth Journal, Somerset KY, April 26, 2006

2006-2-HW (PDF)  Nursing Shortage Argument Doesn't Hold Water - Commonwealth Journal, Somerset KY, January 8, 2006

2006-1-HW (PDF)  Kentucky's New Healthcare Plan - Courier Journal, Louisville KY January 3, 2006

2005-3-HW (PDF)  Let Consumer Demand Ensure Adequate Nursing Staff  - Herald Leader, Lexington KY November 21, 2005

2005-2-HW (PDF)  Health Savings Accounts a Possible Solution for the Kentucky Health Care Crisis - Herald Leader, Lexington, KY February 26, 2005

2005-1-HW (PDF)  Marriage of Managed Care, Medicaid Can Be Saved - Herald Leader, Lexington, KY January 24, 2005

2004-1-HW (PDF)  RX For High Drug Costs - Herald Leader, Lexington, KY October 21, 2004

The picture on the right is a photomicrograph of
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA).