News Topic - University of Southern California
Articles 1 - 8 of most recent articles
USC in Hot Water Over Alleged Payments to Athletes
The University of Southern California could face NCAA sanctions over alleged, illegal payments to college athletes. Plus, why aren't major league baseball players hitting as many homeruns this season? For more, NPR's Tony Cox talks with New York Times columnist Bill Rhoden.
NPR.org – May 15, 2008 1:00 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Sports
The University of Southern California could face NCAA sanctions over alleged, illegal payments to college athletes. Plus, why aren't major league baseball players hitting as many homeruns this season? For more, NPR's Tony Cox talks with New York Times columnist Bill Rhoden.
NPR.org – May 15, 2008 1:00 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Sports
USC Creates Virtual Environments For Hollywood, MilitaryThe University of Southern California is working to make true artificial intelligence, KNBC's Patrick Healy reports.
KNBC TV – May 13, 2008 8:19 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: California: Los Angeles
Trojan war erupts over use of school colors, mascot
Imitation is often called the sincerest form of flattery. But the University of Southern California in Los Angeles isn't flattered by the way a small private school in Murray has conflated its name into the "USC" moniker, adopted colors similar to USC's cardinal and gold, and
Salt Lake Tribune – May 10, 2008 06:59 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Utah: Salt Lake City
Imitation is often called the sincerest form of flattery. But the University of Southern California in Los Angeles isn't flattered by the way a small private school in Murray has conflated its name into the "USC" moniker, adopted colors similar to USC's cardinal and gold, and
Salt Lake Tribune – May 10, 2008 06:59 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Utah: Salt Lake City
Ahmed Abdel-Ghaffar - engineer specialized in design of bridges
Ahmed Abdel-Ghaffar, a professor of engineering at the University of Southern California whose pioneering work in the design and monitoring of bridges led to the development of more efficient and reliable ways to build them, has died. He was 60. Professor...
SFGate.com – May 5, 2008 07:51 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: California: San Francisco
Ahmed Abdel-Ghaffar, a professor of engineering at the University of Southern California whose pioneering work in the design and monitoring of bridges led to the development of more efficient and reliable ways to build them, has died. He was 60. Professor...
SFGate.com – May 5, 2008 07:51 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: California: San Francisco
Can Deep Green help a combat commander?
University of Southern California (USC) researchers are developing several parts of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Deep Green program. Their efforts are intended to help commanders on the battlefield to anticipate enemy moves. 'The system interweaves anticipatory planning with adaptive execution to help the commander think ahead, identify...
ZDNet – May 1, 2008 5:08 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Technology: Software
University of Southern California (USC) researchers are developing several parts of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Deep Green program. Their efforts are intended to help commanders on the battlefield to anticipate enemy moves. 'The system interweaves anticipatory planning with adaptive execution to help the commander think ahead, identify...
ZDNet – May 1, 2008 5:08 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Technology: Software
USC researcher reveals new model for embryonic limb development
A study led by a researcher at the University of Southern California has found a new model to explain how signals between cells in the embryo control limb development.
EurekAlert! – Apr 30, 2008 6:02 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Technology: Science
A study led by a researcher at the University of Southern California has found a new model to explain how signals between cells in the embryo control limb development.
EurekAlert! – Apr 30, 2008 6:02 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Technology: Science
USC School of Dentistry researchers uncover link between osteoporosis drugs and jaw infection
A group of University of Southern California School of Dentistry researchers says it has identified the slimy culprits killing the jawbones of some people taking drugs that treat osteoporosis.
EurekAlert! – Apr 30, 2008 1:02 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Technology: Science
A group of University of Southern California School of Dentistry researchers says it has identified the slimy culprits killing the jawbones of some people taking drugs that treat osteoporosis.
EurekAlert! – Apr 30, 2008 1:02 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Technology: Science
Aggressive price hikes at JPS hurt many
By YAMIL BERARD Third in a six-part seriesDelbert Cantrell, a 61-year-old diabetic, was flown by helicopter to John Peter Smith Hospital after he fell off a forklift. For a little pill that retails at 60 cents, Cantrell was charged $5. And for a blood-glucose test, he was charged $65 - enough for several boxes of strips had he bought them at a local pharmacy.It stunned his wife to see the bill. "Believe me, honey, they're gonna charge a fortune," Dee Cantrell said.Since 2001, JPS has aggressively pushed up its retail prices, outpacing the rate of increases at eight other Texas hospitals that the Star-Telegram examined. Seven years ago, the hospital's retail price was $1 for every 73 cents in costs, according to reports that JPS filed with the federal government. By 2006, JPS was charging $1 for about every 28 cents in costs - a markup of 257 percent.JPS officials say most patients don't feel the sting of the price increases because they're covered by government or private insurance or the JPS discount program, Connection.But the higher prices can sock a growing number of people: uninsured people who don't qualify for indigent programs, underinsured people and anyone who pays some undiscounted portion of his or her bill. That's troubling to many people because JPS, as a safety-net hospital, receives hundreds of millions of tax dollars to subsidize healthcare."It's predatory pricing," said Kim Ross, a former 16-year lobbyist for the Texas Medical Association.If JPS doesn't collect its full charges for most patients, why spike the price? Because charges play a role in almost every computation of government reimbursement. The higher the charge, the more money a hospital may be able to collect.JPS officials are frank about saying that the increases were driven by the opportunity to maximize Medicaid revenue, and they don't apologize for that. As JPS' burden of charity care has grown, and as the federal government has clamped down on rates Medicaid pays, administrators say they have had to strategize ways to draw more money from supplemental government funds.Chief Financial Officer Gale Pileggi says that she is aware the higher charges hurt some people and that the hospital is trying to deal with the dilemma.The JPS board, she says, understands that "it has to find a way to help the working poor who still cannot afford the hospital charges."Pileggi also said that the hospital will make adjustments to bills if it receives a complaint that a charge "doesn't make any sense." But she says JPS is limited in what it can do because discounts can be given only based on patients' financial need. However, the federal government has told hospitals they can discount bills for anyone who might suffer a financial hardship.JPS board Chairman Steve Montgomery said hospital officials have told him that few people charged at the full rate actually pay the entire bill."It's what truly helps me sleep at night," Montgomery said.But at many hospitals, some patients do get slapped with the highly inflated retail rate, said Glenn Melnick, a hospital pricing expert at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. About 5 to 10 percent of all hospital patients are asked to pay the full retail price, he said."One of the biggest implications of these rising charges is that while they were driven by hospitals trying to increase their revenue from Medicare and Medicaid, they have this very nasty effect of generating highly excessive prices for the uninsured," Melnick said.In addition, the high charges undermine people's faith in hospitals and healthcare, he said."When you got billed for two nights in a hospital and it's $45,000 and then it says at the bottom [that your] insurance only paid $2,400, that makes people say, 'What's going on here?'"People are going to say that this pricing is fraudulent," Melnick said.Dramatic markups
Star-Telegram.com – Apr 29, 2008 10:57 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Texas: Dallas-Fort Worth
By YAMIL BERARD Third in a six-part seriesDelbert Cantrell, a 61-year-old diabetic, was flown by helicopter to John Peter Smith Hospital after he fell off a forklift. For a little pill that retails at 60 cents, Cantrell was charged $5. And for a blood-glucose test, he was charged $65 - enough for several boxes of strips had he bought them at a local pharmacy.It stunned his wife to see the bill. "Believe me, honey, they're gonna charge a fortune," Dee Cantrell said.Since 2001, JPS has aggressively pushed up its retail prices, outpacing the rate of increases at eight other Texas hospitals that the Star-Telegram examined. Seven years ago, the hospital's retail price was $1 for every 73 cents in costs, according to reports that JPS filed with the federal government. By 2006, JPS was charging $1 for about every 28 cents in costs - a markup of 257 percent.JPS officials say most patients don't feel the sting of the price increases because they're covered by government or private insurance or the JPS discount program, Connection.But the higher prices can sock a growing number of people: uninsured people who don't qualify for indigent programs, underinsured people and anyone who pays some undiscounted portion of his or her bill. That's troubling to many people because JPS, as a safety-net hospital, receives hundreds of millions of tax dollars to subsidize healthcare."It's predatory pricing," said Kim Ross, a former 16-year lobbyist for the Texas Medical Association.If JPS doesn't collect its full charges for most patients, why spike the price? Because charges play a role in almost every computation of government reimbursement. The higher the charge, the more money a hospital may be able to collect.JPS officials are frank about saying that the increases were driven by the opportunity to maximize Medicaid revenue, and they don't apologize for that. As JPS' burden of charity care has grown, and as the federal government has clamped down on rates Medicaid pays, administrators say they have had to strategize ways to draw more money from supplemental government funds.Chief Financial Officer Gale Pileggi says that she is aware the higher charges hurt some people and that the hospital is trying to deal with the dilemma.The JPS board, she says, understands that "it has to find a way to help the working poor who still cannot afford the hospital charges."Pileggi also said that the hospital will make adjustments to bills if it receives a complaint that a charge "doesn't make any sense." But she says JPS is limited in what it can do because discounts can be given only based on patients' financial need. However, the federal government has told hospitals they can discount bills for anyone who might suffer a financial hardship.JPS board Chairman Steve Montgomery said hospital officials have told him that few people charged at the full rate actually pay the entire bill."It's what truly helps me sleep at night," Montgomery said.But at many hospitals, some patients do get slapped with the highly inflated retail rate, said Glenn Melnick, a hospital pricing expert at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. About 5 to 10 percent of all hospital patients are asked to pay the full retail price, he said."One of the biggest implications of these rising charges is that while they were driven by hospitals trying to increase their revenue from Medicare and Medicaid, they have this very nasty effect of generating highly excessive prices for the uninsured," Melnick said.In addition, the high charges undermine people's faith in hospitals and healthcare, he said."When you got billed for two nights in a hospital and it's $45,000 and then it says at the bottom [that your] insurance only paid $2,400, that makes people say, 'What's going on here?'"People are going to say that this pricing is fraudulent," Melnick said.Dramatic markups
Star-Telegram.com – Apr 29, 2008 10:57 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Local: Texas: Dallas-Fort Worth
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