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Tips to redress health insurance plan problems

If you have a problem with your health insurance plan, there are steps you can take to get the service you need. California's Office of the Patient Advocate encourages Californians to speak up if they are having problems with their health plan and report any complaints. Start by explaining your problem to your doctor and your health insurance plan.

24 Nov 2009

Medicare cuts in cardiovascular services will lead to reduced access to imaging tests, reveals survey

The American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (www.asnc.org) released preliminary results from a survey of its membership today, which show that the impending cuts to cardiovascular services outlined in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule will force widespread layoffs, office closures, and limited imaging services. These actions will ultimately lead to reduced access to imaging tests and more expensive care for America's seniors.

24 Nov 2009

Geisinger Health System is one among six healthcare organizations in U.S. invited to join Med-IC

Geisinger Health System is one of only six healthcare organizations in the United States invited by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins University to participate in a new pilot program, Medicare Innovations Collaborative (Med-IC). Med-IC is a national effort to change healthcare policy and improve healthcare for older adults by putting the leading models of geriatric best practices to work in hospital settings.

24 Nov 2009

DTCA linked with increased Medicaid pharmacy expenditures

Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for a commonly prescribed antiplatelet drug does not appear associated with increased use, but may be associated with increased drug costs and Medicaid pharmacy expenditures, according to a report in the November 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

24 Nov 2009

Press Ganey releases 'Patient Perspectives on American Health Care' report

Press Ganey Associates, Inc. released today the 2009 Hospital Pulse Report: Patient Perspectives on American Health Care. The report examines patient satisfaction across the country; trends in overall patient perceptions; and variations based on metropolitan areas, services provided within the hospital, hospital size, and patient age.

24 Nov 2009

Diabetics should keep blood pressure under control to protect kidneys from disease, says nephrologist

What’s good for your heart is also good for your kidneys, according to recommendations from the Texas Campaign for Kidney Health, a collaborative of health care stakeholders seeking to prevent kidney disease in the Lone Star State.

23 Nov 2009

Lobbying is up as health industry examines impact of reform proposals

"Companies and groups hiring lobbying firms on health issues nearly doubled this year as special interests rushed to shape the massive revamp of the nation's health care system now in its final stretch before Congress." As many as 1,000 groups "have hired lobbyists since January, compared with 505 during the same period in 2008, according to a USA TODAY analysis of congressional records compiled by the nonpartisan CQ MoneyLine."

23 Nov 2009

Administration seeks to distance reform effort from cancer screening fallout

As the intense debate continues over new cancer test guidelines, the Obama administration is trying to protect health care reform from the controversy's fallout.

23 Nov 2009

Urodynamix Technologies announces the publication of AMA's 2010 Current Procedural Terminology

Urodynamix Technologies Ltd. today announced that the American Medical Association (AMA) has published its 2010 Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes with additions, changes and deletions of billing codes for all medical specialities including urology.

23 Nov 2009

Digital divide appears between hospitals that treat the rich and poor

"Hospitals that disproportionately care for poor patients are less likely than other hospitals to have adopted health information technology," according to an October study published in Health Affairs, American Medical News reports. The economic stimulus legislation in February directed $19 billion in federal investments to help all types of hospitals adopt electronic records, but some researchers are concerned the money may not close that divide.

23 Nov 2009

AMCP awards Health Net Federal Services for its education and communication materials

Health Net Federal Services, LLC, the government operations division of Health Net, Inc., today announced it recently received multiple MarCom Awards for its education and communication materials from the Association of Marketing & Communication Professionals (AMCP). AMCP is an international organization of thousands of creative professionals, recognizing the best materials and resources in the business through its MarCom Awards.

23 Nov 2009

AARP hosts educational forum to address nation's health care system

With the U.S. House of Representatives passing the landmark Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962), and the Senate moving key health reform legislation forward, Congress has taken decisive steps to fix our nation's broken health care system.

23 Nov 2009

On the health bill, Senate Democratic leaders finally hit number 60

The Washington Post: "Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) declared Saturday she will support a key procedural step to advance President Obama's health-care legislation." During a Senate floor speech earlier this afternoon, Landrieu said she would support the motion to begin debate on the health bill, "ending days of silence on the matter" (Kane, 11/21).

22 Nov 2009

Despite Senate health care victory, Democrats face bumpy road ahead

Sunday news talk programs were full of lawmakers looking ahead to the next few weeks of Senate debate on a sweeping health care bill.

22 Nov 2009

Finance is the main cause for Puget Sound-area residents to delay their retirement

More than 60 percent of Puget Sound-area residents say they have delayed or plan to delay their retirement beyond their ideal age, according to a recent survey commissioned by Symetra Financial, Gallagher Benefit Services, Inc., and Senior Services.

21 Nov 2009

AANS and CNS oppose the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”

The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) announced their opposition to the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” released this week by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

21 Nov 2009

Three health care organizations implement interconnected EHR system

Three of the largest Front Range health care organizations are taking an unprecedented leap forward in health care reform by improving care for more than a million Coloradans with an interconnected electronic patient record exchange system.

21 Nov 2009

New health-reform bill violates Americans' health-insurance choices and privacy, says IHF

The Senate's newly released health-reform bill ("Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act") infringes on Americans' health-insurance choices and medical privacy, says Sue Blevins, president of the Institute for Health Freedom (IHF) -- a patients' rights group in Washington, D.C.

21 Nov 2009

Delaware Physicians Care selected as one of the top 25 Medicaid Plans for the second consecutive year

For the second year in a row, Delaware Physicians Care has been selected as one of the top 25 Medicaid Plans out of hundreds in the nation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and U.S. News & World Report magazine. The ranking is based on clinical quality, member satisfaction and NCQA accreditation scores.

21 Nov 2009

MCHCP offers Mercy Health Plans options to its members

Missouri state employees in the Southwest and South Central Missouri regions will now have the option to choose Mercy Health Plans thanks to an agreement reached Tuesday between Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan (MCHCP) and Mercy Health Plans.

21 Nov 2009

Medicare News and Research

Tips to redress health insurance plan problems

Medicare cuts in cardiovascular services will lead to reduced access to imaging tests, reveals survey

Geisinger Health System is one among six healthcare organizations in U.S. invited to join Med-IC

DTCA linked with increased Medicaid pharmacy expenditures

Press Ganey releases 'Patient Perspectives on American Health Care' report

Diabetics should keep blood pressure under control to protect kidneys from disease, says nephrologist

Lobbying is up as health industry examines impact of reform proposals

Administration seeks to distance reform effort from cancer screening fallout

Urodynamix Technologies announces the publication of AMA's 2010 Current Procedural Terminology

Digital divide appears between hospitals that treat the rich and poor

AMCP awards Health Net Federal Services for its education and communication materials

AARP hosts educational forum to address nation's health care system

On the health bill, Senate Democratic leaders finally hit number 60

Despite Senate health care victory, Democrats face bumpy road ahead

Finance is the main cause for Puget Sound-area residents to delay their retirement

AANS and CNS oppose the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”

Three health care organizations implement interconnected EHR system

New health-reform bill violates Americans' health-insurance choices and privacy, says IHF

Delaware Physicians Care selected as one of the top 25 Medicaid Plans for the second consecutive year

MCHCP offers Mercy Health Plans options to its members

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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