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Medical waste: A rising challenge for health industry

The New York Times: The health care industry generates billions of pounds of garbage each year, and disposing of it all has become a problem. "The problem, fueled by a shift toward the use of disposables that made it simple to keep treatment practices sterile, has been an open secret for years, but getting the health care industry to change its habits has not been easy. No organization currently tracks how much medical trash the United States produces — the last known estimate, from the early 1990s, was two million tons a year."

7 Jul 2010

Emergency room visits increase in Mass., plus more hospital news

The Boston Globe: In Massachusetts, "[t]he number of people visiting hospital emergency rooms has climbed … despite the enactment of nearly universal health insurance that some hoped would reduce expensive emergency department use. According to state data released last week, emergency room visits rose by 9 percent from 2004 to 2008, to about 3 million visits a year.

7 Jul 2010

Battling medical jargon in doctor's office may improve patient health

The Wall Street Journal reports on efforts to make the language used in doctors' offices easier for patients to understand.

7 Jul 2010

Some state insurance commissioners push back on Fed premium rate reviews

Politico: Some state insurance commissioners are not happy with a proposal that would give the federal government the authority to centralize premium rate reviews of health insurance.

7 Jul 2010

Questions surround Republican leaders' level of support for health reform repeal efforts

The Hill: Some Republican leaders may not be fully embracing a Senate bill aimed at repealing the health reform overhaul despite other GOP endorsements. "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), GOP Conference Chair Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) and Conference Vice Chair Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) have all argued that the reforms — passed in March without Republican support — will hike costs and erode services, and therefore should be scrapped.

7 Jul 2010

AIDS Healthcare Foundation presses Obama Administration on PEPFAR funding

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), "[t]he largest global AIDS organization[,] accused the Obama administration and Congress on Friday of falling short on promised funding and oversight in the worldwide fight against the epidemic," The Hill's "Healthwatch" blog reports.

7 Jul 2010

Payroll woes may spread to other systems if incorporated: Auditor General’s report

There have been massive errors in the newly introduced payroll system of the Queensland health care staff since March this year. It left many workers under, over or un-paid for weeks.

6 Jul 2010

IRIS wins Premier healthcare alliance's fifth annual Pinnacle Award

IRIS International, Inc., a leading manufacturer of urinalysis systems and consumables for use in hospitals and commercial laboratories worldwide, announced today that it is the winner of the fifth annual Pinnacle Award presented by the Premier healthcare alliance.

6 Jul 2010

First Edition: July 6, 2010

Today's health policy headlines include news about GOP efforts to repeal the health reform law as well as state-related developments.

6 Jul 2010

Investment report on Imaging3

MicroStockProfit.com announces an investment report featuring Imaging3 Inc.. The report includes financial, comparative and investment analyses, and recent company news that you need to know to make an educated investment decision.

6 Jul 2010

MAXIMUS to introduce Health Insurance Exchange solutions

MAXIMUS, Inc., a leading provider of government services worldwide, announced today that it has launched its Health Insurance Exchange offerings to help states address the federal regulatory requirements under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

6 Jul 2010

AHRQ publishes new comparative effectiveness report on treatments for rotator cuff tears

Injuries to the rotator cuff are treatable, but it is unclear which treatment option - surgery or nonsurgical treatments such as exercise or medication - is best, according to a new comparative effectiveness report published by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

6 Jul 2010

World Vision launches 2-month campaign to enlist Quebecers as new child sponsors

World Vision is taking to the streets, the malls and the airwaves this summer to raise awareness about issues affecting children in developing countries and to enlist hundreds, even thousands of Quebecers as new child sponsors.

6 Jul 2010

Health Council of Canada applauds B.C. initiative for integrated primary and community care

The Health Council of Canada applauds the British Columbia Ministry of Health Services and the B.C. Medical Association on their June 24, 2010 announcement of $137 million toward integrated primary and community care that will connect every resident with a family doctor by 2015, starting with the province's most vulnerable citizens - high needs patients, frail seniors and patients with chronic diseases.

6 Jul 2010

Infoway adds diagnostic imaging, drug information systems to Certification Services

Canada Health Infoway has added diagnostic imaging and drug information systems to its pre-implementation Certification Services. Health information technology vendors can now receive certification for seven classes of technology.

6 Jul 2010

Erectile dysfunction drug user over 40 more likely to have sexually transmitted diseases

Physicians who prescribe erectile dysfunction drugs for their male patients should be sure to discuss the importance of safer sex practices, even with older patients: that is an important implication of a report in the July 6 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The analysis of insurance records of more than 1.4 million U.S. men over 40 found that those who used ED drugs were more likely to have sexually transmitted diseases than were non-users.

6 Jul 2010

AMPS, TC3 announce affiliate partnership to expand healthcare cost containment offerings

Advanced Medical Pricing Solutions and TC3 Health, Inc. recently announced an affiliate partnership to expand the healthcare cost containment offerings of both companies. TC3 is the premier provider of fraud, waste and abuse detection services for healthcare payers throughout the United States. Since 2000, TC3 has provided integrated loss control solutions to health care payers on a pre-payment and post-payment basis through its TruClaim Payment Integrity Platform.

5 Jul 2010

American College of Surgeons CoC launches national pilot study for ProvenCare Lung Cancer Collaborative

A national pilot study that will promote evidence-based evaluation and treatment standards for patients with resectable non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was launched yesterday by the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons.

3 Jul 2010

Dogs help soldiers recover from PTSD

The Army is using dogs "much more" to help soldiers recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) according to the Army Surgeon General's special assistant for mental health, Col. Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, M.D., who spoke today at the annual convention of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

3 Jul 2010

ONA credits cancellation of RN cuts at LHSC's cancer care program to community, London RNs

The Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) credits the cancellation of cuts to registered nurses at London Health Sciences Centre's cancer care program, in large part, to the determination of the community.

3 Jul 2010

Health Care News and Research

Medical waste: A rising challenge for health industry

Emergency room visits increase in Mass., plus more hospital news

Battling medical jargon in doctor's office may improve patient health

Some state insurance commissioners push back on Fed premium rate reviews

Questions surround Republican leaders' level of support for health reform repeal efforts

AIDS Healthcare Foundation presses Obama Administration on PEPFAR funding

Payroll woes may spread to other systems if incorporated: Auditor General’s report

IRIS wins Premier healthcare alliance's fifth annual Pinnacle Award

First Edition: July 6, 2010

Investment report on Imaging3

MAXIMUS to introduce Health Insurance Exchange solutions

AHRQ publishes new comparative effectiveness report on treatments for rotator cuff tears

World Vision launches 2-month campaign to enlist Quebecers as new child sponsors

Health Council of Canada applauds B.C. initiative for integrated primary and community care

Infoway adds diagnostic imaging, drug information systems to Certification Services

Erectile dysfunction drug user over 40 more likely to have sexually transmitted diseases

AMPS, TC3 announce affiliate partnership to expand healthcare cost containment offerings

American College of Surgeons CoC launches national pilot study for ProvenCare Lung Cancer Collaborative

Dogs help soldiers recover from PTSD

ONA credits cancellation of RN cuts at LHSC's cancer care program to community, London RNs

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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