| INSIDE THE CURRENT ISSUE | |
| 30th Anniversary |
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Making headlines along the way HPN highlights some notable story titles from past years A s Healthcare Purchasing News continues its 30th Anniversary celebration we sifted through the stacks of more than 300 editions of the magazine during the last three decades to see whether what we covered back then would seem odd today.What we learned was rather intriguing. While some elicited gasps, laughter or raised eyebrows, others were uncannily prophetic, and then others took aim on problems that are still current today and that we find hard to believe only happened in the last 30 years. We recalled the dawning of such concepts and terms as just-in-time, stockless distribution, DRGs, outpatient surgery centers and electronic data interchange going back to the 1970s and 1980s; minimally invasive surgery, healthcare reform, integrated delivery networks, TQM/CQI, managed competition, capitated purchasing and clinical pathways in the 1990s; followed by Internet-based electronic commerce, data synchronization, physician-owned hospitals, Six Sigma and lean manufacturing principles in the 2000s to date, just to name a few. One story early on in HPN’s illustrious history sported this headline: "Nicotine Gives Hospitals Fits." The story placed a hospital receptionist sitting at her desk smoking a cigarette and minding her own business. Suffice it to say, an enterprising doctor on his rounds said, "that woman shouldn’t be smoking here." And before the receptionist had a chance to look up, her cigarette was suddenly doused by a dose of disinfectant. She sued the hospital saying she was zapped in the face, but the doctor was acquitted for heroically snuffing out a fire hazard. The story continues by outlining areas that a hospital might look at as far as smoking policies (maternity wards, double rooms – only if both patients agree, etc.) in their facility. Check out some of these that might bring back memories… March/April 1977 CT scanners no help to patient, scientist says May/June 1977 the problem of controlling salesman access September 1977 Senate panel probes alleged kickbacks January 1978 June 1978 Cost containment bill likely June 1978 Public says give voluntary cost containment a chance April 1979 November/December 1979 Caring for royalty is a king-size order January 1980 Paper pirates trying to stage comeback November 1981 HCA’s computer "Genie" aids equipment buying September 1982 October 1983 Buyers find gold in paper forms January 1984 February 1984 November 1985 Beleaguered small groups search for lasting niche April 1987 July 1990 March 1993 April 1993 June 1993 April 1994 May 1994 September 1994 March 1995 April 1995 May 1995 June 1995 September 1995 April 1998 February 1999 July 1999 June 2000 September 2000 January 2001 October 2001 December 2001 April 2002 October 2002 October 2003 March 2004 Facts on Fakes: Crackdown commences as counterfeiting migrates from drugs to medical devices October 2004 November 2004 June 2005 January 2006 April 2006 
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