Long term care costs in Washington continue to rise at a rate outpacing inflation in much of the state, putting significant financial pressure on those in or near retirement. As a leader in the long term care insurance industry, Genworth offers a suite of insurance products to help people proactively plan for their future. Now, AARP® members that reside in Washington can take advantage of a new program designed to simplify the process of purchasing affordable long term care insurance. [More]

Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., won an upset election last month that has reshaped the health debate and that new dynamic could be a boon for lobbying firms, The Philadelphia Inquirer's Law Review columnist writes. "The thousands of lobbyists on and off Capitol Hill who labor on behalf of health-industry clients can now count on at least a few more monthly retainers. [More]

MedeAnalytics, a leading provider of healthcare performance management solutions, announced that Orlando Health has added Quality and Compliance Analytics (QCA) to their suite of MedeAnalytics solutions. [More]

PriceDoc.com, a free, transparent healthcare pricing service and Web site, announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued PriceDoc patent #7,657,479 for its online system of healthcare service acquisition and negotiation, making PriceDoc.com the only online site where patients can "make an offer" for healthcare services with verified providers. [More]

In a new survey of 178 companies in Minnesota and western Wisconsin, employers identify affordable health care as the greatest obstacle to business expansion. Other barriers to growth were government regulations, weak investment markets and taxes. [More]

A new assessment tool, reported recently by the Journal of Hospital Medicine, may help hospitals avoid under- or over-treating patients who are admitted through hospital emergency departments (EDs). [More]

LiveData and KARL STORZ Endoscopy- America, Inc. today announced that East Cooper Medical Center will install the companies' Patient-Aware OR solution in the eight operating rooms in East Cooper's new hospital to be opened this quarter. KARL STORZ is a global leader in minimally invasive endoscopic technologies and operating room integration. LiveData is a leader in real-time data integration and display technology. [More]

The Risk Management and Patient Safety Institute (RM&PSI), a national leader in clinical risk management practice and patient safety programs for health care institutions and providers, today announced the dates and focus for its 2010 national risk management seminar. [More]

Rapid developments in the pharmaceutical industry have led to a steady increase in the use and cost of "specialty" medications to treat chronic conditions such as arthritis and psoriasis. [More]

Today's headlines reveal more reactions to President Obama's bi-partisan health care summit. Chief among them are low expectations. [More]

Fewer than half of individuals who have "non-specific" chest pain (not explained by a well-known condition) experience relief from symptoms following standard medical care, according to a report in the February 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. In addition, one-tenth of those with persistent chest pain undergo potentially unnecessary diagnostic testing. [More]

Picis today announced the immediate availability of an enhancement to its Picis LYNX C/Point® revenue management solution designed specifically for hospital-owned chemotherapy clinics. [More]

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today sent a letter to Anthem Blue Cross and called on the company to publicly justify its decision to raise premiums for its California customers by as much as 39 percent. In her letter, Sebelius notes that the parent company of Anthem Blue Cross, WellPoint Incorporated earned $2.7 billion in the last quarter of 2009. [More]

Although the idea of pay-for-performance (P4P) is popular among healthcare policy makers and private insurers, the results do not necessarily translate to the patient. [More]

The Health Care Public Relations Association (HCPRA) is pleased to announce this year's Call for Entries for The Hollobon Award. [More]