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Federal government seeks power to exclude those involved with health fraud from working again with Medicare

Independent federal investigators hoping to rein in Medicare fraud are asking Congress for broad new authority to boot offending corporate executives from the insurance program. The change is designed to control Medicare claims fraud by punishing culpable owners, managers and other corporate higher-ups, and not just the convicted companies.

17 Jun 2010

SOA provides clarity regarding law's consequences on existing health insurance plans, benefits

With the approaching national implementation of The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act on July 1, 2010, members of the Society of Actuaries are providing clarity regarding the law's potential unintended consequences on consumers' existing health insurance plans and benefits. While the law is intended to provide non-discriminatory mental health coverage, members of the SOA are helping consumers and large and small employers understand what effects the law will have on current health plan offerings, and what individuals can do to help avoid higher out-of-pocket costs.

16 Jun 2010

MRSA survivors unite across the globe to raise awareness and educate public on prevention

MRSA Survivors Network with MRSA survivors, family members and other victims of healthcare-acquired infections unite across the globe and on World MRSA Day, October 2, 2010 in a grassroots movement to raise awareness and push for more mandated reporting of infections, MRSA screening laws, funds to raise awareness and educate the public on prevention, which will save lives.

15 Jun 2010

Community-based model of DOT improves HIV patient survival: Researchers

When applied to HIV care, the community-based model of directly observed therapy has no effect on virologic outcomes, but significantly improves patient survival. This is according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in collaboration with colleagues at University of Cape Town, South Africa, who conducted the first randomized controlled trial of patient-nominated treatment-supporters providing partial DOT in resource-limited settings.

11 Jun 2010

Video study shows need for new food safety-focused messages, methods targeting food handlers

How safe is the food we get from restaurants, cafeterias and other food-service providers? A new study from North Carolina State University -- the first study to place video cameras in commercial kitchens to see how precisely food handlers followed food-safety guidelines -- discovered that risky practices happen more often than previously thought.

10 Jun 2010

Telemedicine holds key to rehabilitation of people with stroke: Researcher

Telemedicine holds the key to the rehabilitation of people with stroke living in northern, rural, remote Canadian communities, rehabilitation researcher Esmé French told the Canadian Stroke Congress today.

7 Jun 2010

British PM calls for G8, G20 to reduce maternal mortality, announces new health worker training fund

In a Guardian opinion piece, published on Thursday, British Prime Minister David Cameron says G8 and G20 nations should reduce maternal mortality in developing countries and set "'an ambitious target' of saving three million more lives by 2015," the Guardian reports (Watt, 6/3).

5 Jun 2010

Same-sex partners to get long-term care benefits, federal personnel office says

Same-sex domestic partners of federal employees will next month be able to apply for long-term health insurance provided to government workers through the Office of Personnel Management, officials said Tuesday.

3 Jun 2010

Fraud roundup: LA hospital workers investigated; Guilty pleas in Texas and N.J. cases; Fla. candidate defends his actions

Los Angeles County officials are investigating allegations that Olive View-UCLA Medical Center staff accepted gifts from nursing home employees in exchange for placing Medi-Cal and Medicare patients at their facilities, a possible violation of the county's code of ethics, as well as state and federal anti-kickback laws.

3 Jun 2010

AP: Asking questions can save patients money

Doing some simple homework before receiving medical treatment may help consumers save money, The Associated Press reports. "Here are some things to consider before checking in to a hospital or outpatient surgery center for non-emergency care. Be prepared to ask your doctor or insurer questions."

3 Jun 2010

Opinions: Stopping active recruitment of developing country health care workers; MDGs at 10 years

In a Seattle Times opinion piece Amy Hagopian of the University of Washington, Eric Williams of Physicians for Human Rights and Emily deRiel of the Health Alliance International reflect on the recent adoption of a resolution "to prevent health-worker brain drain from developing countries" during the World Health Assembly last month.

2 Jun 2010

St. Jude Garden provides fresh produce to patients, staff

Harvesting fruits, vegetables and herbs at the peak of freshness is a recipe for good taste, but it also offers higher nutritional value which is important to the patients and staff at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

29 May 2010

Social care home workers need training in basic clinical nursing skills to care for older people: Research

Carers working in residential homes need funding and support to upskill to ensure more older people have a home for life instead of being transferred to hospitals and nursing homes, according to a new report.

25 May 2010

Researchers call for changes to the UK residential home care system

Researchers from the University of the West England, Bristol and the University of Warwick are calling for changes to the UK residential home care system to ensure older people have a 'home for life' and are not pushed out to hospitals or nursing homes unnecessarily.

24 May 2010

Delegates at the World Health Assembly adopt resolutions on variety of global health issues

The 63rd World Health Assembly, which brought together Health Ministers and senior health officials from the World Health Organization's Member States, concluded business and closed Friday evening.

24 May 2010

Eli Lilly to honor individuals with Welcome Back Award for improving lives of others

Despite years of debilitating depression, multiple psychiatric hospitalizations and episodes of homelessness, Joseph Rogers refused to let mental illness and an unlucky adolescence blot out his potential imprint on the world. Despite once being branded unemployable, Joseph relishes his role as advocate, embracing the challenges of being a change agent in mental health legislation, and pioneering the peer-run services movement.

21 May 2010

Employer-provided health insurance to remain dominant under health law

News outlets report on employer-provided health insurance and suggest that the overall number of Americans who are insured through their workplace is unlikely to change substantially under the health law.

18 May 2010

Fraud, waste, and abuse

The Congressional Budget Office announcement May 11, 2010, that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) would cost, over the next ten years, $115 Billion more, brings the total cost over $1 Trillion. Imagine—Congress and the President spent a whole year jamming a 2,309 page monster down our throats on the pretense of “eliminating fraud, waste and abuse (in the delivery of medical care) at a lower cost”. This same Congressional Budget Office, using the contrived numbers given by Congress, had previously said Obamacare would REDUCE federal deficits by $143 Billion. I smell FRAUD.

17 May 2010

Anti-abortion groups use health law in efforts to restrict insurance coverage

Abortion opponents fought passage of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul to the bitter end, and now that it's the law, they're using it to limit coverage by private insurers. An obscure part of the law allows states to restrict abortion coverage by private plans operating in new insurance markets.

17 May 2010

United Spinal Association and ICS co-sponsor first annual conference to empower women with disabilities

United Spinal Association and Independence Care System (ICS), are co-sponsoring the first annual conference to improve the lives, health, and well-being of women with disabilities.

15 May 2010

Worker News and Research

Federal government seeks power to exclude those involved with health fraud from working again with Medicare

SOA provides clarity regarding law's consequences on existing health insurance plans, benefits

MRSA survivors unite across the globe to raise awareness and educate public on prevention

Community-based model of DOT improves HIV patient survival: Researchers

Video study shows need for new food safety-focused messages, methods targeting food handlers

Telemedicine holds key to rehabilitation of people with stroke: Researcher

British PM calls for G8, G20 to reduce maternal mortality, announces new health worker training fund

Same-sex partners to get long-term care benefits, federal personnel office says

Fraud roundup: LA hospital workers investigated; Guilty pleas in Texas and N.J. cases; Fla. candidate defends his actions

AP: Asking questions can save patients money

Opinions: Stopping active recruitment of developing country health care workers; MDGs at 10 years

St. Jude Garden provides fresh produce to patients, staff

Social care home workers need training in basic clinical nursing skills to care for older people: Research

Researchers call for changes to the UK residential home care system

Delegates at the World Health Assembly adopt resolutions on variety of global health issues

Eli Lilly to honor individuals with Welcome Back Award for improving lives of others

Employer-provided health insurance to remain dominant under health law

Fraud, waste, and abuse

Anti-abortion groups use health law in efforts to restrict insurance coverage

United Spinal Association and ICS co-sponsor first annual conference to empower women with disabilities

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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