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Cymetrix announces a partnership with Montefiore Medical Center

Cymetrix, a leader in providing hospitals and healthcare networks with revenue cycle management solutions, today announced a partnership with Montefiore Medical Center to provide a unique service to reduce ambulatory charity and bad-debt write-offs.

18 Nov 2009

First Edition: November 18, 2009

Mary Agnes Carey writes about what might become of the Children's Health Insurance Program. One of it's staunchest backers, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D- W.Va., isn't ready to see it swallowed up by a new health insurance marketplace designed by Congress (Kaiser Health News).

18 Nov 2009

Homecare, an important part of the solution to nation's healthcare crisis

During November -- National Homecare Month -- the American Association for Homecare celebrates the thousands of dedicated professionals who provide cost-effective and consumer-preferred homecare.

18 Nov 2009

In home evaluation trials for GeckoSystems' home care robot begins

GeckoSystems Intl. Corp. (http://www.geckosystems.com/) announced today that they have started limited in home evaluation trials for their first product, a fully autonomous personal companion home care robot, the CareBot™.

18 Nov 2009

NCQA to revise landmark evaluation of medical practices to improve care quality

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) today announced plans to revise its landmark evaluation of medical practices through the Physician Practice Connections®-Patient-Centered Medical Home™ (PPC®-PCMH™) to reflect the growing interest in this promising approach to improving care quality.

18 Nov 2009

Leading advocates join together to call for passage of legislation in the House

Today, leading advocates for seniors, military families and physicians joined together to call for passage of legislation in the House that will preserve access to care for seniors, baby boomers and military families through repeal of the broken Medicare physician payment formula.

18 Nov 2009

Abbott and BG Medicine announce a development and commercialization agreement for galectin-3 biomarker

Abbott and BG Medicine, Inc. today announced a development and commercialization agreement for galectin-3, a novel biomarker that may play a role in detecting the development and progression of heart failure. The assay will be developed for Abbott's ARCHITECT immunochemistry instrument platform, specifically the company's i1000SR and i2000SR instruments. The agreement grants Abbott a license to BG Medicine's intellectual property related to galectin-3.

17 Nov 2009

Medicare doctor payment "fix" could slip, jeopardizing AMA support for health reform

The American Medical Association backed the House Democrats' reform bill earlier this month, at a time when it appeared likely lawmakers would move to permanently end looming cuts to doctors' Medicare payments that Congress defers from year to year, Politico reports.

17 Nov 2009

White House deal with drug makers may be unraveling

"Congressional Democrats' intensifying efforts to pay for their healthcare overhaul and provide more relief for consumers are threatening to unravel a White House deal with the pharmaceutical industry and turn one of Washington's most powerful lobbies against the legislation," the Los Angeles Times reports.

17 Nov 2009

Business opponents of health overhaul ramp up advertising

"Business foes of health care overhaul legislation are outspending supporters at a rate of 2-to-1 for TV ads as they grow increasingly nervous over a final bill," The Associated Press reports.

17 Nov 2009

Startling new mammogram guidelines incite debate about risk, cost

The Washington Post: "Women in their 40s should stop routinely having annual mammograms and older women should cut back to one scheduled exam every other year, an influential federal task force has concluded, challenging the use of one of the most common medical tests" (Stein, 11/17).

17 Nov 2009

As Senate debate approaches, partisans step up political high jinks

Volleys of rhetoric, attack advertisements and procedural parries are echoing through Congress's health care debate. Here's a look at some of the latest political jabs.

17 Nov 2009

Wisconsin town has highest rate of living wills, lowest cost of care

NPR reports on a town in Wisconsin with the highest rates of living wills in the country.

17 Nov 2009

Liberals push Reid to stand by public option in health bill

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is trying to hold together members of his caucus to vote for a government-run public option for health insurance that would allow states to opt-out of the plan — a plan that is getting an icy reception, even among Democrats, Bloomberg reports. Reid's "version … probably won't require employers to cover workers and will be funded through a tax on high-end insurance plans, which would put him at odds with House Democrats.

17 Nov 2009

Omega Healthcare Investors signs securities purchase agreement with CapitalSource

Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. (NYSE: OHI) today announced that it has entered into a securities purchase agreement with CapitalSource Inc. and several of its affiliates to purchase entities owning 80 long term care facilities (“Facilities”) for approximately $565 million. The purchase price includes a purchase option (“Option”) to acquire entities owning an additional 63 Facilities for approximately $295 million.

17 Nov 2009

Health Net’s MA product portfolio offers budget-friendly health plan choices to beneficiaries for 2010

With the kick-off of the Medicare Annual Election Period (AEP) this week, Health Net, Inc. reminds those eligible for Medicare that Health Net’s Medicare Advantage (MA) product portfolio offers a comprehensive range of budget-friendly health plan choices to beneficiaries for 2010.

17 Nov 2009

CMS policy changes to drive the sleep management devices market

According to Millennium Research Group (MRG), the global authority on medical technology market intelligence, policy changes made by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will cause a surge in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) diagnostic testing and treatment. MRG's new US Market Opportunities for Respiratory and Sleep Management Devices 2010 report finds that increasing reimbursement opportunities for OSA diagnosis and treatment will drive the OSA market to $1.5 billion by 2014.

17 Nov 2009

Illinois AARP members support health care reform plan

A new poll of Illinois AARP members released today finds strong support across party and ideological lines for elements of health care reform included in the Affordable Health Care for America Act, which recently passed the House of Representatives.

17 Nov 2009

Employers have serious concerns about healthcare reform, indicates PSG survey

Pharmaceutical Strategies Group (PSG), the nation's largest independent pharmacy benefit consulting firm, released today the results of a national survey of companies focused on their views of proposed healthcare reform legislation.

17 Nov 2009

USPSTF recommendations against regular mammography screening can result in unnecessary breast cancer deaths

If cost-cutting U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) mammography recommendations are adopted as policy, two decades of decline in breast cancer mortality could be reversed and countless American women may die needlessly from breast cancer each year.

17 Nov 2009