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Life insurance company introduces Productivity Solutions program for disability, healthcare management

Greater Georgia Life Insurance Company is pleased to introduce Productivity Solutions – an innovative program that integrates health care programs with short-term disability programs for employer groups with 51 or more employees. Productivity Solutions leverages all of the integration points across health, absence and disability management programs to help improve employee health and productivity, as well as the organization's bottom-line.

3 Aug 2010

Hospitals participate in CMS "pay-for-reporting" program

Beginning next year, consumers across the country will be able to find out how their hospital stacks up when it comes to preventing certain infections under new hospital acquired infection reporting regulations adopted by the Department of Health & Human Services.

3 Aug 2010

Pennsylvania to open high-risk insurance program for uninsured individuals with pre-existing medical conditions

As part of the national health insurance reform, Pennsylvania this week will open a high-risk insurance program for uninsured individuals who have pre-existing medical conditions, Insurance Commissioner Joel Ario said today.

3 Aug 2010

White House report predicts immediate health law benefits for Medicare's solvency; GOP lawmaker reacts

In a report released Monday, the Obama administration said "[t]he new health overhaul law will start producing savings for Medicare right away, and over time add 12 years of solvency to the program's giant trust fund for inpatient care." According to the report, Medicare savings by the end of next year will tally about $8 billion. Savings for rest of the decade would be an estimated $575 billion.

3 Aug 2010

Republicans plan to block health law by withholding implementation funds

Republicans may not have the numbers to repeal the health overhaul, even after the election, but they are increasingly likely to try to "deny the Obama administration the money it needs to implement the law," Politico reports.

3 Aug 2010

Sebelius tries to soothe state worries about health reform

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is trying to soothe the fiscal and administrative concerns of officials in states who have considerable power in implementing the nation's attempt at health reform, The Wall Street Journal reports. "The law puts heavy demands on Ms. Sebelius — it has more than 1,000 references to actions that the 'secretary shall' take. But much of the responsibility for actually implementing the changes falls to states, so the Obama administration's top health official has been working to guide them."

3 Aug 2010

Federal judge says Virginia challenge to health reform law may proceed

USA Today On Deadline Blog: "A federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the state of Virginia that challenges the new health care reform act, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports." The suit, filed by Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia's state attorney general, "challenged a provision of the health care act that requires individuals to buy health insurance or pay a penalty" (Stanglin, 8/2).

3 Aug 2010

NCI awards LSUHSC-NOLA Louisiana Tumor Registry $12 million SEER contract

The Louisiana Tumor Registry (LTR) at the LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Public Health has been awarded a $12 million contract over seven years by the National Cancer Institute to continue its work as a SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results) Program-designated cancer registry. There are 18 competitively awarded SEER cancer registries in the United States.

3 Aug 2010

Vanguard signs definitive agreement to acquire Arizona Heart Institute

Vanguard Health Systems and Arizona Heart Institute (AHI) announced today that they have signed a definitive agreement for Vanguard to acquire Arizona Heart Institute, one of the world's leading providers of cardiovascular care. Through this agreement, AHI will align with Abrazo Health Care, a Phoenix-based subsidiary of Vanguard, to become part of its distributive cardiovascular network of community-based physicians, providing future opportunities to greatly expand cardiovascular services and patient base throughout the region.

3 Aug 2010

Percutaneous heart valve replacement may be an alternative for open heart surgery

A newer, less invasive method of heart valve replacement shows promise and may be appropriate for patients who cannot tolerate traditional open heart surgery, but research is needed to understand its potential risks and benefits, according to a new study funded by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

3 Aug 2010

'Medical homes' bolster primary care and cut emergency costs

Several news outlets look at efforts to manage care for Medicaid patients and the uninsured better.

3 Aug 2010

Researchers develop techniques to identify evolution of drug resistance strains of malaria

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University developed techniques to quickly identify evolution of drug resistance in strains of malaria. Their goal is to enable the medical community to react quickly to inevitable resistance and thereby save lives while increasing the lifespan of drugs used against the disease.Currently, disease monitoring requires months of clinical trials. The new methods can provide more information in just days, and far cheaper.

3 Aug 2010

Tips for caregivers to better manage their loved one's health care

According to the National Alliance for Caregiving, more than 65 million people in the United States serve as informal caregivers, typically for family members. This equates to more than one out of every four people serving as unpaid caregivers.

2 Aug 2010

Senate may vote today on extending extra Medicaid funds

"The Senate votes tonight on a cloture motion on a $26.1 billion domestic spending package that includes $10 billion in funding to avert teacher layoffs and $16.1 billion in Medicaid aid by extending Federal Medical Assistance Percentage reimbursements. That vote is a nod to House Democrats who are irked that senators stripped the funding from other bills and to governors who are lobbying for the funds" (Friedman, 8/2).

2 Aug 2010

OHSU acquires BSD-500 Hyperthermia System

BSD Medical Corporation is pleased to announce that Oregon Health & Science University has acquired a BSD-500 Hyperthermia System. OHSU is a leading university that provides world-class treatment for the most complex health care needs. OHSU has been ranked in U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings as one of America's Best Hospitals for 15 consecutive years and has been recognized in the medical specialties of cancer and endocrinology.

2 Aug 2010

Today's OpEds: Medicaid and the safety net; Health reform law's impact on long-term care and health costs

Late last week, the federal government provided a road map [for how to help those with little access to care] by extending an existing agreement that allows up to $25 million in Medicaid payments to hospitals to be diverted instead to clinics that serve the uninsured. You might think that would be a hard sell for hospitals; after all, they're experiencing sharp growth in the number of uninsured patients they serve. But St. Louis-area hospitals willingly have been sharing those payments with clinics for a decade. Without them, there simply wouldn't be a health care safety net to meet the region's needs (8/1).

2 Aug 2010

Take Care Health Systems applauds US Senate for declaration of National Convenient Care Clinic Week

Take Care Health Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walgreens and the nation's largest and most comprehensive manager of convenient care clinics and worksite health and wellness centers, today praised the US Senate for its declaration of August 2-8 as "National Convenient Care Clinic Week". The resolution was introduced by Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI) and Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS) and passed the Senate by unanimous consent.

2 Aug 2010

KHN column: Why the health reform repealers are wrong

"The effort to repeal health care reform, all in one fell swoop, seems to be stalling. Instead, the opponents of reform are trying to dismantle it piece by piece. The latest effort came last week, when a group of Republicans in the Senate proposed abolishing the Independent Payment Advisory Board. And therein lies a lesson about the future of American health care--and the two different shapes it could take" (8/2).

2 Aug 2010

Verizon Business to help courts, prison health care systems with new technology solutions

Courts grappling with jammed dockets and prisons struggling to handle inmate health care issues can now put the power of video collaboration to work, with a new, tailored set of technology solutions and professional consulting services from Verizon Business.

2 Aug 2010

First Edition: August 2, 2010

Today's headlines include news about a pre-recess Senate push to pass a state aid measure as well as a preview of a White House report to be issued today that predicts savings in the Medicare program.

2 Aug 2010

Health Care News and Research

Life insurance company introduces Productivity Solutions program for disability, healthcare management

Hospitals participate in CMS "pay-for-reporting" program

Pennsylvania to open high-risk insurance program for uninsured individuals with pre-existing medical conditions

White House report predicts immediate health law benefits for Medicare's solvency; GOP lawmaker reacts

Republicans plan to block health law by withholding implementation funds

Sebelius tries to soothe state worries about health reform

Federal judge says Virginia challenge to health reform law may proceed

NCI awards LSUHSC-NOLA Louisiana Tumor Registry $12 million SEER contract

Vanguard signs definitive agreement to acquire Arizona Heart Institute

Percutaneous heart valve replacement may be an alternative for open heart surgery

'Medical homes' bolster primary care and cut emergency costs

Researchers develop techniques to identify evolution of drug resistance strains of malaria

Tips for caregivers to better manage their loved one's health care

Senate may vote today on extending extra Medicaid funds

OHSU acquires BSD-500 Hyperthermia System

Today's OpEds: Medicaid and the safety net; Health reform law's impact on long-term care and health costs

Take Care Health Systems applauds US Senate for declaration of National Convenient Care Clinic Week

KHN column: Why the health reform repealers are wrong

Verizon Business to help courts, prison health care systems with new technology solutions

First Edition: August 2, 2010

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Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

Changing the landscape of R&D to build clinical success from the ground up

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