Health and Human Services News and Research

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HHS approves hundreds more local Gov'ts, businesses, unions for early retiree health program

The federal Department of Health and Human Services is still accepting applications for the $5 billion program to help cover the cost of retiree health care, the National Journal reports. The agency says 700 more employers have joined the program, raising the total to 3,600.

30 Oct 2010

Practice Fusion receives ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification for EHR system

Practice Fusion, the fastest growing Electronic Health Record (EHR) community in the country, announced today that it is ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 compliant and is certified as an EHR Module in accordance with the applicable certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).

29 Oct 2010

Hospital group and physicians looking at ACOs; Harvard to open primary care education center

In an Oct. 27 letter to the CMS, the Federal Trade Commission and HHS inspector general's office, the Federation of American Hospitals offered comments on accountable care organizations.

29 Oct 2010

More details of the health law revealed as implementation unfolds

The law imposes stringent restrictions on physician-owned hospitals, which critics say cherry pick the lucrative specialty patients community hospitals depend on to stay afloat, Kaiser Health News/USA Today report.

29 Oct 2010

Health law only small part of insurance rate increases

The Seattle Post Intelligencer reports on a 16.3 percent premium hike this year by Regence BlueShield, Washington state's largest health insurer, which was the "the forth year in a row of double-digit increases." After the increase, "company reserves grew and executive salaries mostly increased, a seattlepi.com review of state documents has found.

29 Oct 2010

MRI awarded $31M NIH contract to provide chemistry support for National Toxicology Program

Midwest Research Institute (MRI), one of the nation's leading independent research organizations, with more than 65-years of experience in scientific research, has been awarded a $31 million contract from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Under the 5-year contract, MRI scientists will provide chemical procurement, handling, and analytical chemistry services requested by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) for toxicology studies in progress throughout the U.S.

28 Oct 2010

SAMHSA awards funds to assist new Project LAUNCH for children's health issues

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today announced it is awarding up to $1.9 million over three years for the National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention a technical assistance center. The funds will be used by the center to assist new Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children's Health) grantees to establish programs to address children's health issues.

28 Oct 2010

1000 Genomes Project publishes comprehensive map of genetic variations in Nature journal

Small genetic differences between individuals help explain why some people have a higher risk than others for developing illnesses such as diabetes or cancer. Today in the journal Nature, the 1000 Genomes Project, an international public-private consortium, published the most comprehensive map of these genetic differences, called variations, estimated to contain approximately 95 percent of the genetic variation of any person on Earth.

28 Oct 2010

Consumer groups still concerned as insurance rules are considered by HHS

The Wall Street Journal Health Blog: Consumer groups are already concerned that insurers might lobby HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to weaken the medical-loss ratio rules suggested by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners last week. "Today, consumer representatives sent a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to urge her not to tinker too much with what the NAIC came up with." The medical-loss ratio rules will determine "how much insurers pay out in health care compared with the total premiums they collect.

28 Oct 2010

Mass. hospitals turn away mentally ill kids, Anthem braces for rate hearings, other state news

The Boston Globe reports that children with mental illnesses are "increasingly being turned away from some Massachusetts hospitals' psychiatric wards, a problem the hospital industry acknowledges and blames on insufficient insurance payments to cover treatment of such sick children. … Dr. JudyAnn Bigby, the state's health and human services secretary, said yesterday that hospitals licensed to treat mentally ill children must provide that care if they have sufficient staffing and beds, regardless of the reimbursement rates" (Lazar, 10/27).

28 Oct 2010

Health IT Roundup: Digital divide, a VA contract, the open data movement

Computerworld: The digital divide is alive and well when it comes to health care technology. Although President Barack Obama has made it a priority to have medical facilities deploy electronic health records (EHR) over the next four years, the people most likely to benefit -- those in poor and minority communities -- are unlikely to see them anytime soon.

28 Oct 2010

Specific factors affect smoking patterns in diverse populations

Asian-American youth are one of the fastest growing populations in the United States. Although Asian Americans begin smoking later in life, they are more likely to smoke regularly and at a higher rate than other ethnic or racial groups, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Now, a University of Missouri researcher is examining the unique differences in adolescent tobacco use among Asians and other groups to provide specific recommendations for prevention and treatment.

27 Oct 2010

HHS announces $3.9 million in funding to support Family-to-Family Health Information Centers

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced $3.9 million in funding to continue support for Family-to-Family Health Information Centers, non-profit organizations run by families and for families with children with special health care needs. Funding for the centers was extended through 2012 by the Affordable Care Act.

27 Oct 2010

NIH awards $12M over 3 years to promote diversity in scientific workforce

The National Institutes of Health has awarded six grants totaling approximately $12 million over three years through a new initiative aimed at fostering a diverse scientific workforce. The initiative, called the NIH Director's ARRA Funded Pathfinder Award to Promote Diversity in the Scientific Workforce, is funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and administered by NIH's National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

27 Oct 2010

Vical to present preclinical results of HSV-2 vaccine program at Keystone Symposium

Vical Incorporated today announced that the company's Vice President of Clinical Development, Richard T. Kenney, M.D., is presenting preclinical results from the company's herpes simplex type 2 (HSV-2) vaccine program in a poster session Friday morning at the Keystone Symposium on Immunological Mechanisms of Vaccination (Seattle, October 27 – November 1).

27 Oct 2010

Tips to maintain healthy weight through Halloween and holidays

For many people, the scariest part of every Halloween is not a visit from ghouls and ghosts, but the chocolaty temptation of crunchy candy bars and sweet treats that surround us in stores, at work - even in our own homes. And sometimes it can be just too hard to resist. In fact, the average American will spend more than $20 on candy treats this Halloween, according to the National Retail Federation's 2010 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey.

27 Oct 2010

Preventive health programs reduce employee health risks

With employers and individuals continuing to struggle with rising health care costs, a new study shows there is one strategy that is proven to slow the pace of this ever increasing burden: preventive health. Published today in Population Health Management, "The Impact of The Prevention Plan on Employee Health Risk Reduction" reveals that prevention programs based on the clinical practice of preventive medicine are able to achieve measurable health risk reduction in just one year.

27 Oct 2010

Study: lncRNA are involved in host response to viral infection

Scientists have demonstrated for the first time that a certain class of RNA (known as long non-protein-coding RNA [lncRNA]) are involved in the host response to viral infection. These findings, published today in the online journal mBio-, could greatly change the way scientists look at the body's response to viral infection.

27 Oct 2010

Elan 2010 third quarter total revenue decreases 2% to $281.4 million

Elan Corporation, plc today reported its third quarter and first nine months 2010 financial results.

27 Oct 2010

335M available under HHS Expanded Services initiative for community health centers

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the availability of up to $335 million for existing community health centers across the country under the Expanded Services (ES) initiative. These funds are made possible by the Affordable Care Act and will increase access to preventive and primary health care, including dental health, behavioral health, pharmacy, vision, and/or enabling services, at existing health center sites.

27 Oct 2010

Health and Human Services News and Research

HHS approves hundreds more local Gov'ts, businesses, unions for early retiree health program

Practice Fusion receives ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification for EHR system

Hospital group and physicians looking at ACOs; Harvard to open primary care education center

More details of the health law revealed as implementation unfolds

Health law only small part of insurance rate increases

MRI awarded $31M NIH contract to provide chemistry support for National Toxicology Program

SAMHSA awards funds to assist new Project LAUNCH for children's health issues

1000 Genomes Project publishes comprehensive map of genetic variations in Nature journal

Consumer groups still concerned as insurance rules are considered by HHS

Mass. hospitals turn away mentally ill kids, Anthem braces for rate hearings, other state news

Health IT Roundup: Digital divide, a VA contract, the open data movement

Specific factors affect smoking patterns in diverse populations

HHS announces $3.9 million in funding to support Family-to-Family Health Information Centers

NIH awards $12M over 3 years to promote diversity in scientific workforce

Vical to present preclinical results of HSV-2 vaccine program at Keystone Symposium

Tips to maintain healthy weight through Halloween and holidays

Preventive health programs reduce employee health risks

Study: lncRNA are involved in host response to viral infection

Elan 2010 third quarter total revenue decreases 2% to $281.4 million

335M available under HHS Expanded Services initiative for community health centers

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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