Former Tenet Healthcare Regional Compliance Director Lea Fourkiller has been appointed as the new Chief Complaince Officer for Conifer Health Solutions, Inc. Fourkiller was with Tenet for several years where she was assigned to oversee compliance programs of at least 13 hospitals. Before Tenet, Fourkiller was already a compliance officer for other hospitals in areas such as Cherokee, N.C., and Dallas, Texas. Her Alma Matter is the University of Tulsa/College of law and she was part of the 1988 Oklahoma Bar.
In Conifer, Fourkiller will lead compliance programs for both Conifer Patient Communications, Inc., and Conifer Revenue Cycle Solutions, Inc. Stephen M. Mooney, President of Conifer Revenue Cycle Solutions, states that Fourkiller’s expertise in the compliance area will be integral to the company’s operations, citing her “robust” and “comprehensive” compliance program.
April 14, 2009
New Chief Compliance Officer Appointed at Conifer Health Solutions
George Lopez: The Next Conan O’Brien?
TBS has recently announced that they will be airing a late night show starting next fall and that it will be hosted by comic George Lopez. The show will be on at 11 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays but currently does not have a title yet.
The move is seen as TBS’s reaction to NBC’s changes in the talk show genre which saw Jay Leno moving to prime time and Conan O’Brien taking over as the host of the “Tonight” show this coming June. Former Saturday Night Live comedian Jimmy Fallon has recently replaced O’Brien time slot.
Lopez and his producers provided TBS with a copy of a pilot episode which did not comply with the usual talk show format. The show was taped outdoors and Lopez encouraged audience members to ask questions. The show’s first guests were Dane Cook, Eva Longoria and Samuel L. Jackson.
April 13, 2009
Tenet Confirms Deal with Aetna
Texas-based hospital operating company Tenet Healthcare has struck a deal with health care benefits organization Aetna, Inc. The contract stipulates that at least 400 Tenet-employed doctors will be used by Aetna for their various health plan networks. Tenet confirmed Aetna’s intentions to use these doctors in the health care insurance company’s provider networks. The doctors are mostly part of Tenet’s Physician business but have a wide range of specialties such as internal medicine, family practice, and surgical specialties.
Although the deal seems to be beneficial for both parties, the US stock exchange does not seem to agree. Tenet’s shares rose 3.9 percent, or 4 cents, to $1.06 while Aetna’s stock fell 2.5%, or 61 cents, to $23.75. We will all just have to wait and see how this deal will affect both companies in the long run.
HBO’s Special Relationship
HBO has recently confirmed rumours that they are currently working on a new movie that portrays the relationship between former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and former United States President Bill Clinton. The movie is entitled “The Special Relationship” and Dennis Quaid is set to play Clinton while Julianne Moore will be taking the role of his spouse and current United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Michael Sheen will be portraying the character of Tony Blair for a third time after playing the British politician previously in “The Deal” and “The Queen.” Sheen was also part of the Academy Award-nominated film “Frost/Nixon” which was written by Peter Morgan. The English screenwriter who wrote all three of the previously mentioned films will also be writing “The Special Relationship.”
April 12, 2009
Lionsgate to Lay Off More People
Lionsgate Entertainment Corporation is currently one of, if not the most successful distributor of films and television programs in North America. The firm hit the big time in 2000 with the box office success of the film “American Psycho” and was followed by other profitable ventures such as “Affliction,” “Dogma,” Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11,” and the gory “Saw” series.
News that it intends to lay off 42 or around 8% of its 500-strong workforce is testament to the fact that even the movie industry has been hit by the financial crisis. This downsizing is the latest of a series of layoffs done by the company since last summer which totalled to 41 employees losing their jobs in 2008. Combined, these layoffs will amount to around $15 million to $20 million in savings for the company.
Top 10 Idols Go Motown
After the shocking exit of Alexis Grace in last week’s episode of American Idol we are now down to the top 10. This week the hopefuls were asked to perform Motown hits. With the help of Motown legend Smokey Robinson, the contestants worked on their own versions of chart-toppers from the 70s and 60s.
The night was opened by two excellent performances by Matt Giraud who sang “Let’s Get It On,” and succeeded by Kris Allen’s take of another Marvin Gaye classic “How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You.” The judges loved Adam Lambert’s rendition of the Smokey Robinson hit “The Tracks of My Tears” and was deemed by Simon Cowell as the performance of the night.
All of the songs performed on the night, as well as contestants singing over original instrumental tracks from the 60s, will be available for download in iTunes.
April 11, 2009
NASDAQ OMX Europe to Give Participants Slice in Success
New York-based public company NASDAQ OMX Group, which also owns and runs several European stock exchanges in the Baltic and Nordic regions, have publicized their desire to launch a new equity investment program that will benefit their participants. NASDAQ OMX Europe has experienced considerable growth over the past few years and the company says that this program is their way of sharing their success with their participants.
The equity investment program, which has an initial period between June 1 to August 31, 2009, has been created to allow participants to acquire over a million shares of the NASDAQ OMX Groups’ common stock. Participants are considered eligible if they are able to achieve pre set market share thresholds.
Google to Lay Off 200 More Employees
Everyday hundreds, if not thousands, of Americans are losing their jobs and even powerhouse corporations such as Google fall victim to the global financial crisis. The internet company recently confirmed rumours regarding the layoffs and stated that they intend to let 200 staff members from the sales and marketing group go.
Although this is only a fraction of Google’s 20,000-strong workforce it is still a worrying fact as this is the largest layoff done by the corporation to date. Google got rid of 40 people in February when it closed its radio group after letting go of 100 recruiters last January. This just goes to show us that no one, not even Google, is invincible and that everyone seems to be suffering from the recession.
April 10, 2009
Apollo Medical Holdings Appoint New Executive Vice President
Kyle W.D. Francis has been appointed as the new Executive Vice President of Business Development and Strategy for Apollo Medical Holdings, Inc., a principal player in the medical group management services industry. Francis has a Commerce degree, with a major in finance and accounting from his Alma Matter of McGill University. Before moving to Apollo, Francis worked for Oppenheimer & Co. and CIBC World Markets for nearly a decade. In both companies he held positions involved in investment banking and he will look to bring his experience to his new job.
At his new company, Francis will be tasked to identify potential growth opportunities as well as handle some fund raising projects, to name a few. Francis has a reputable track record and it seems that everyone in Apollo is excited to see what he can bring to the table.
Founders of Broadway Outfit Livent Face Time Behind Bars For Fraud
Myron Gottlieb and Garth Drabinsky, who co-founded Broadway theatre company Livent in the 90s are facing criminal charges for accounting fraud. The Tony award-winning duo established the Broadway theatre company which produced successful shows such as “Show Boat” and “Ragtime.” The Toronto-based organization was once the most successful theatre company in North America as it controlled theatres in Chicago, New York, Vancouver and Toronto.
The row dates back to 1999 when the two were indicted for allegedly submitting false financial statements that helped increase the corporation’s shareholder value by over $100 million. After nearly a decade the two ex-producers finally received their sentence as the judge gave them a maximum of 14 years behind bars. Turns out, even Broadway has its share of fraud and corruption.