46
HEALTHCARE
NEWS
AAAHC.
info@aaahc.org / www.aaahc.org / (847) 853-6060
(pg. 10)
Abbott.
www.abbottpointofcare.com (pg. 47)
ASCOA.
development@ascoa.com / www.ascoa.com / (866)
982-7262 (pg. 40)
CareCredit.
www.carecredit.com / (866) 221-8654 (pg. 45)
ConMed.
conmed.com / (800) 448-6506 (pg. 41)
Cygnus Medical.
www.cygnusmedical.com / (800) 990-7489 (pg. 39)
ECA Medical Instruments.
www.ecamedical.com / (805) 376-2509 (pg. 13)
eSutures.
info@esutures.com / www.esutures.com / (888)
416-2409 (pg. 12)
gMed.
gmed.com / (954) 541-8240 (pg. 2)
Innomed.
info@innomed.net / www.innomed.net / (912) 236-
0000 (pg. 36)
Kaye/Bassman.
gnz@kbic.com / www.kbic.com / (972) 265-5290
(pg. 18)
Live Oak Bank.
liveoakbank.com/healthcare / (910) 796-1674 (pg. 15)
Medacta.
medacta.com / (312) 878-2381 (pgs. 23-26)
Meridian Surgical Partners.
www.meridiansurgicalpartners.com / (615) 301-
8140 (pg. 43)
National Medical Billing Services.
info@nationalascbilling.com / www.nationalascbill-
ing.com / (866) 948-8001 (pg. 9)
Olympus.
preowned.olympusamerica.com / (800) 373-9974
(pg. 5)
Paradigm Spine.
www.coflexsolution.com (pg. 3)
Practice Partners.
practicepartners.org / (888) 310-1311 (pg. 44)
ProAssurance.
proassurance.com / (800) 282-6242 (pg. 21)
Surgical Outcomes Information Ex-
change.
Soix.com / (877) 602-0156 (pg. 17)
VMG Health.
vmghealth.com / (214) 369-4888 (pg. 48)
ADVERTISER
ADVERTISINGINDEX
Note: Ad page number(s) given in parentheses
Cleveland Clinic Disciplines
Physician for Writing Anti-
vaccination Op-ed
By Laura Dyrda
C
leveland Clinic physician Daniel Neides, MD, penned
an op-ed titled "Make 2017 the year to avoid toxins
(good luck) and master your domain: Words on
Wellness" in which he criticized vaccinations, specifically
those given to newborns, according to a News Net 5 report.
The op-ed has since been removed from the Cleveland.com
website where it was initially posted. Dr. Neides is the medi-
cal director and COO of the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute
and has contributed blog posts to the website for two years.
Dr. Neides questioned whether vaccines can cause autism, a
controversial subject with supporters and detractors. News Net
5 reported Dr. Neides faces discipline due to his retracted blog
post, but details on the disciplinary actions were unavailable.
Cleveland Clinic issued a statement about its commitment
to evidence-based medicine as a response to the blog post,
stating, "Harmful myths and untruths about vaccinations
have been scientifically debunked in rigorous ways. We
completely support vaccinations to protect people, espe-
cially children who are particularly vulnerable."
Dr. Neides has apologized for the blog post and clarified his
support for vaccinations in a statement released yesterday,
stating "my concern was meant to be positive around the
safety of them."
n
5 Health Systems with
Strong Finances
By Ayla Ellison
H
ere are five hospitals and
health systems with strong
operational metrics and
solid financial positions according
to recent reports from Moody's In-
vestors Service, Fitch Ratings and
S&P Global Ratings.
Note: is is not an exhaustive list.
Hospital and health system names
were compiled from recent credit
rating reports and are listed in al-
phabetical order.
1. Minneapolis-based Allina
Health has an "AA-" rating and
stable outlook with Fitch and an
"Aa3" rating and stable outlook
with Moody's. e health system
has stable operating cash flow and
favorable balance sheet metrics,
according to Moody's.
2. Coral Gables-based Baptist
Health South Florida has an "AA-
" rating and stable outlook with
S&P. e system has maintained
key balance sheet metrics and
generated better-than-projected
financial results in fiscal year 2016,
according to S&P.
3. Christiana Care Health Servic-
es has an "Aa2" rating and stable
outlook with Moody's. e New-
ark, Del.-based system has solid
liquidity and a history of above
average financial performance, ac-
cording to Moody's.
4. Springfield, Ill.-based Hospi-
tal Sisters Health System has an
"AA-" rating and stable outlook
with S&P. e system success-
fully implemented a strategic plan,
which helped it maintain a strong
balance sheet while improving op-
erations, according to S&P.
5. Madison-based University of
Wisconsin Hospital and Clin-
ics has an "Aa3" rating and stable
outlook with Moody's. e system
has strong balance sheet resources
and established clinical and aca-
demic market positions, accord-
ing to Moody's.
n
