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One in five Americans visited ER in 2007

The New York Times: One in five Americans visited the emergency room in 2007 whether they were insured or not, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics. "Among the uninsured, 7.4 percent made two or more visits to an E.R., but so did 5.1 percent of people with private insurance. Medicaid recipients were the heaviest users of E.R.'s, with 15.3 percent of them making two or more visits during the year.

11 Aug 2010

State News: Ex-Anthem Blue Cross president speaks out; Clinics to fill in N.M. primary care gap

The Los Angeles Times: "The abrupt resignation last month of Anthem Blue Cross' president is offering a glimpse of an internal struggle that has roiled California's largest for-profit health insurer for months. Leslie Margolin was the public face of Anthem this year when it sought to raise individual insurance rates as much as 39%.

11 Aug 2010

Today's Opinions and Editorials: Bringing down health care costs; More on the Medicare trustees report

Short of transforming the medical payment system, can we bring down health care costs by feasible fixes? Yes, by reducing the number of services that must be covered by every insurance policy and requiring higher copayments for patients using the highest cost providers (Robert Pozen, 8/10).

11 Aug 2010

CADTH Review Panel releases recommendations for Biologic Response Modifier Agents for Adults with RA

The Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health's (CADTH) Therapeutic Review Panel released last week their recommendations for Biologic Response Modifier Agents for Adults with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).

10 Aug 2010

Henry Schein announces new $400 million private placement shelf facilities

Henry Schein, Inc., the largest provider of health care products and services to office-based practitioners, today announced that it has entered into new $400 million private placement shelf facilities with two insurance companies.

10 Aug 2010

NeuroMetrix second-quarter total revenues decrease to $3.9 million

NeuroMetrix, Inc., a health care company transforming patient care through neurotechnology, today announced its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2010.

10 Aug 2010

First Edition: August 10, 2010

In today's news, the House is back in town... though just for a day. Lawmakers will consider a state aid package that includes $16 billion in federal Medicaid assistance.

10 Aug 2010

UHC awards 3-year single-source agreement for support services to Sodexo

The University HealthSystem Consortium today announced that it has awarded a 3-year single-source agreement for support services to Sodexo, Inc., based in Gaithersburg, Md. The contract became effective on August 1, 2010, and includes two 1-year renewal periods.

10 Aug 2010

Vanguard adds Arizona Heart Hospital to Abrazo Health Care system

Vanguard Health Systems announced today it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of the Arizona Heart Hospital from a venture that includes MedCath and local physicians.

10 Aug 2010

Study: Training reduces occupational injuries among home health aides

Training can alleviate some of the pain that occupational injuries bring to the long-term care industry, according to Penn State researchers. The study looked at injuries among home health aides.

10 Aug 2010

DSS research survey reveals relationship between engagements, health literacy

DSS Research, the leader in market research for the health insurance industry, developed a proprietary set of metrics that gauge the level of engagement in health care on the part of the consumer. This quarter we added extra questions to further test the relationship between different literacy measures and the level of engagement amongst commercial and Medicare populations and the uninsured.

10 Aug 2010

CGI receive contract for chronic disease management system

eHealth Ontario and Infrastructure Ontario announced today that with the awarding of a contract to CGI Information Systems and Management Consultants Inc., a subsidiary of CGI Group Inc., work can begin on a chronic disease management system (CDMS) that will be used initially as a Diabetes Registry to manage diabetes care.

10 Aug 2010

Calif. considers reduction in funding for home care aides; Ill. union workers strike over health issues at uranium conversion plant

California, facing a $19.1 billion budget gap, is considering a reduction in funding that pays for home care aides for the disabled. It already cut funds last year. … Last month, the nation celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act … Now, though, gains made under the ADA are running into recession-battered state budgets.

10 Aug 2010

HHS: $250 million in grants available for New Access Points for delivery of primary health care services

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today the availability of up to $250 million in grants for New Access Points for the delivery of primary health care services for underserved and vulnerable populations under the Health Center Program. The funds, made available by the Affordable Care Act, will be awarded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

10 Aug 2010

CareView files patent for innovative technology to prevent decubitus ulcers

CareView Communications, Inc. ("CareView" or the "Company"), an information technology provider to the healthcare industry, announced that it has filed a new patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to cover an innovative technology that will assist hospitals and other medical facilities in their efforts to prevent decubitus ulcers or "bed sores" experienced by patients. CareView's new product covered by the pending patent uses the CareView System monitoring system to ensure timely patient movement which assists caregivers in the prevention and treatment of bed sores.

10 Aug 2010

Study on ethnic disparities in pediatric asthma in Latino and non-Latino children

A new study by researchers at the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center and the University of Puerto Rico may help explain some of the well-documented ethnic disparities in pediatric asthma.

10 Aug 2010

Nat'l Health Services Corps spending more to increase primary care docs in underserved areas

The Washington Post reports on the Obama administration's efforts "to bring thousands of young primary care doctors to underserved areas … and keep them there. The administration recently invested more than $1 billion from the stimulus and the health-care law into the National Health Services Corps to beef up doctor recruitment.

10 Aug 2010

Researchers find disparities among children suffering from repeated ear infections

Research has documented that ethnic and socioeconomic disparities exist among patients with conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Now, a new study by researchers from UCLA and Harvard University has found disparities among children suffering from repeated ear infections. The findings, published in the August edition of the journal Laryngoscope, show that frequent ear infections plague white children and children living below the poverty level more than children of other racial or ethnic backrounds or income levels.

10 Aug 2010

Virginia Attorney General, Governor talk health reform mandate; Missouri vote still reverberating

NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday interviewed Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli about the state's challenge to the federal government's health law requiring people to purchase health insurance. Cuccinelli said a judge that refused to throw out his case "did not say it's unconstitutional. But he did say that this legislation goes farther than anything that has been held constitutional under the Commerce Clause and it goes farther than anything that has been held constitutional under the taxing power before.

10 Aug 2010

Hemodialysis with AVF depends on patient’s health insurance: Study

Kidney disease patients insured by some federally sponsored national health care organizations are more likely to undergo an important predialysis procedure than patients with other types of insurance, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The results may provide insights into ways to improve kidney-related care for patients before they go on dialysis.

10 Aug 2010

Health Care News and Research

One in five Americans visited ER in 2007

State News: Ex-Anthem Blue Cross president speaks out; Clinics to fill in N.M. primary care gap

Today's Opinions and Editorials: Bringing down health care costs; More on the Medicare trustees report

CADTH Review Panel releases recommendations for Biologic Response Modifier Agents for Adults with RA

Henry Schein announces new $400 million private placement shelf facilities

NeuroMetrix second-quarter total revenues decrease to $3.9 million

First Edition: August 10, 2010

UHC awards 3-year single-source agreement for support services to Sodexo

Vanguard adds Arizona Heart Hospital to Abrazo Health Care system

Study: Training reduces occupational injuries among home health aides

DSS research survey reveals relationship between engagements, health literacy

CGI receive contract for chronic disease management system

Calif. considers reduction in funding for home care aides; Ill. union workers strike over health issues at uranium conversion plant

HHS: $250 million in grants available for New Access Points for delivery of primary health care services

CareView files patent for innovative technology to prevent decubitus ulcers

Study on ethnic disparities in pediatric asthma in Latino and non-Latino children

Nat'l Health Services Corps spending more to increase primary care docs in underserved areas

Researchers find disparities among children suffering from repeated ear infections

Virginia Attorney General, Governor talk health reform mandate; Missouri vote still reverberating

Hemodialysis with AVF depends on patient’s health insurance: Study

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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