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HHS seeking suggestions for online inventory of comparative effectiveness research

The Department of Health and Human Services is seeking suggestions on what to include in a national database of comparative effectiveness research that will be available to the public online, the Kansas Health Institute News Service reports. "The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published notice [Monday] in the Federal Register that it seeks suggestions on the sources of information to include in the inventory, how to categorize them, and ways to encourage use of the inventory once it is established.

21 Jul 2010

Insuring your health: Out of network ER visits won't cost more under new health law

In her latest Kaiser Health News consumer column, Michelle Andrews writes: "In the middle of a medical emergency, you don't have time to wonder whether the doctor who is reading your X-rays is in your insurance network.

21 Jul 2010

Health experts and Republicans push for biosimilar drug clinical trials

The Hill: On Monday, experts warned during a Capitol Hill discussion hosted by the Congressional Health Care Caucus that "the absence of mandatory clinical trials for biosimilar drugs could compromise their safety and effectiveness." The recently passed health reform law "outlined a pathway for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve next-generation biopharmaceuticals modeled on original breakthrough drugs.

21 Jul 2010

Health reform law faces political, implementation challenges

Politico: States with "the most progressive health policies" are having a hard time implementing their part of a $5 billion series of high-risk insurance pools because their states offer a more generous guarantee of coverage. "Five states — Vermont, Maine, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts — have 'guaranteed issue' of insurance: individual subscribers cannot be turned away because of a health condition.

21 Jul 2010

Doctor, nurse roles considered as shortages take hold

"The private doctor's practice — long considered a mainstay of American medicine — could be going the way of the independent bookstore and locally owned pharmacy," The Detroit News reports. "Crushed by mounting economic pressures, more midcareer physicians in Michigan and across the country are giving up their solo practices and joining large and better-financed hospital systems as salaried employees.

21 Jul 2010

Overweight and obese women at greater risk of preterm births

A new study by researchers at McMaster University shows overweight and obese women face greater risks of preterm births. Their babies may suffer serious health problems from being born too soon, especially earlier than 32 weeks.

21 Jul 2010

JHM, All Children's Hospital sign letter of intent to integrate

Johns Hopkins Medicine and All Children's Hospital & Health System of St. Petersburg, Fla., have signed a letter of intent to integrate. After appropriate due diligence is completed sometime later this year, ACH will join the Johns Hopkins Health System (JHHS) as a fully integrated member of JHM.

21 Jul 2010

Doctors criticize insurers over rankings

Doctor groups are slamming insurers for increasingly using rankings "to steer patients toward certain physicians based on cost or quality," The Wall Street Journal reports.

21 Jul 2010

TeleHealth Services announces dates, keynote speakers for TIGRCon10

TeleHealth Services, the nation's leading provider of healthcare grade televisions and on-demand interactive patient education solutions, announced today the dates and keynote speakers for TIGRCon10, the company's annual patient education user conference. The conference, which will be focused on learning to deliver an optimal patient recovery process and improve clinical workflow, will enable hospital leadership and staff members to share best practices, discuss the role of technology in shaping the patient experience, gain new ideas and perspectives through a power user panel, and network with colleagues in the industry.

20 Jul 2010

First Edition: July 20, 2010

Today's headlines reflect more analysis and debate regarding continuing health reform implementation efforts.

20 Jul 2010

Nontargeted opt-out screening associated with newly identified HIV-infected patients: Study

The use of routine HIV screening in a hospital emergency department, which patients had the option to decline, was associated with only a modest increase in the number of patients with newly diagnosed HIV infection, compared to physician-directed diagnostic rapid HIV testing, according to a study in the July 21 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on HIV/AIDS.

20 Jul 2010

UnitedHealth Group second-quarter consolidated revenues increase 7% to $23.3 billion

UnitedHealth Group today reported second quarter results, including better-than-projected growth in Health Benefits and Health Services. Key performance metrics and costs were in line with or better than Company expectations.

20 Jul 2010

Tradeline's 4th Annual Academic Medical & Health Science Centers Conference to be held on Nov 15-16th

Planning and operational management teams from medical schools, university affiliated hospitals, and academic health science centers across the country will meet at Tradeline's 4th Annual Academic Medical & Health Science Centers Conference November 15-16th at the Hyatt Regency in Scottsdale, Arizona, to chart out strategies for the changing health care model. A special pre-conference tour of the new Phoenix Biomedical Campus, including a unique demonstration of telemedicine, will be conducted on November 14th.

20 Jul 2010

More than half of parents interested in using at-home personal genetic testing for their children: Poll

The latest results from the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health show more than half of parents are interested in having their children checked for disease risks using at-home personal genetic testing kits.

20 Jul 2010

Obesity, chronic pain linked to family history, mood disorders: Study

Though it is well known obese individuals have a high incidence of persistent pain problems, a new study in The Journal of Pain, published by the American Pain Society, reports that comorbid obesity and pain also are linked to family history and mood disorders.

20 Jul 2010

AIDS 2010 studies, releases: Treating HIV-positive patients with ARVs drove down number of new HIV infections, study finds

"Treating HIV patients with cocktails of AIDS drugs helps to stop them spreading the infection further and more than halved the number of new HIV diagnoses in a study in Canada, scientists said on Sunday," Reuters reports.

20 Jul 2010

Low radiation CT scans now at Saint Francis Hospital

Patients requiring a CT scan at Saint Francis Hospital will now be exposed to up to 40 percent less radiation than traditional CT scans. The hospital has acquired state-of-the-art GE™ scanning equipment featuring Adaptive Statistical Iterative Reconstruction (ASiR) that uses an advanced image reconstruction technique that makes it possible to dramatically reduce radiation dose without compromising image quality.

20 Jul 2010

Advocat enters into lease agreement for skilled nursing facility in Milton, West Virginia

Advocat Inc. today announced that it has entered into a lease agreement with a real estate developer pursuant to which the developer will construct, furnish, and equip a 90 bed skilled nursing facility in Milton, West Virginia which the Company will then lease. This facility will utilize a Certificate of Need the Company obtained in the acquisition of a nursing center in Milton, West Virginia in June 2009.

20 Jul 2010

Kagan would consider health law recusal on a case-by-case basis

The Associated Press: "Responding to a final GOP challenge, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan said Monday that she would weigh recusing herself from matters related to the new health care law on a case-by-case basis." The issue was raised as part of questions from Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans regarding "her involvement as solicitor general in defending the health law."

20 Jul 2010

Hospital jobs hurt in some places, expand in others, as recession pinches

Although some hospitals are feeling the pinch of the recession on their budgets, 400 low-income and unemployed residents are receiving job-training and placement at local hospitals to tap into the need for workers. "The Youth Policy Institute, a local nonprofit managing the program, opened its doors to applicants in March and has already enrolled about 400 trainees.

20 Jul 2010

Health Care News and Research

HHS seeking suggestions for online inventory of comparative effectiveness research

Insuring your health: Out of network ER visits won't cost more under new health law

Health experts and Republicans push for biosimilar drug clinical trials

Health reform law faces political, implementation challenges

Doctor, nurse roles considered as shortages take hold

Overweight and obese women at greater risk of preterm births

JHM, All Children's Hospital sign letter of intent to integrate

Doctors criticize insurers over rankings

TeleHealth Services announces dates, keynote speakers for TIGRCon10

First Edition: July 20, 2010

Nontargeted opt-out screening associated with newly identified HIV-infected patients: Study

UnitedHealth Group second-quarter consolidated revenues increase 7% to $23.3 billion

Tradeline's 4th Annual Academic Medical & Health Science Centers Conference to be held on Nov 15-16th

More than half of parents interested in using at-home personal genetic testing for their children: Poll

Obesity, chronic pain linked to family history, mood disorders: Study

AIDS 2010 studies, releases: Treating HIV-positive patients with ARVs drove down number of new HIV infections, study finds

Low radiation CT scans now at Saint Francis Hospital

Advocat enters into lease agreement for skilled nursing facility in Milton, West Virginia

Kagan would consider health law recusal on a case-by-case basis

Hospital jobs hurt in some places, expand in others, as recession pinches

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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

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