Health care

Latest hospital financials look healthy

Treating sick patients is a healthy business, or at least it was in 2008, the most recent year for which audited hospital financials are available. BizSense has the profits and margins at area hospitals, plus a brief salary list of some of the higher paid employees at Bon Secours.

Richmond leads country in one slice of job growth

Health-care and education jobs in Richmond have increased by 10 percent, the highest percentage growth in the country. The region added 8,000 jobs in those sectors since last year.

Study: VCU high death rate for heart attacks

VCU Health System has the third highest death rate for heart attack victims in Virginia and a higher mortality rate than the national average, according to a recent study.

Death rate high for heart attack victims at VCU

A study by the government’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid did a survey of 4,200 hospitals nationwide. The study showed that VCU Medical Center had 19.8 percent death rate for people who are admitted with heart attacks

Dominion Resources gives $1 million to free clinics

Dominion Resources gave more than $1 million to local free health clinics at a ceremony at Fan Free Clinic Tuesday. And the timing is right — patient volume at the free clinics in Richmond is up 25 percent compared to last year, on account of the economy.

Prognosis good for Richmond hospitals

Both non profit hospitals in Richmond are still very much operating in the black, but large investment losses are dragging down their financial performance, and that could clog the pipeline for new buildings and potentially increase the cost of borrowing in the future. And both say more patients are postponing certain care and having more trouble paying.

VCU Medical Center already paperless

VCU Medical Center has gone almost completely paperless, putting the local hospital at the fore of a federal push to digitize records.