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Cigna's quarterly earnings up

Gains driven largely by global benefits operation after Cigna reported earlier that its business on the health law marketplaces was soft. News outlets also examine Humana and WellPoint's earnings.

31 Jul 2014

Household income plays key role in avoidable hospital visits across New Jersey

The household income of its residents is the most important factor in whether a community has high or low rates of avoidable hospital visits - conditions that could be better managed in a doctor's office or other health care settings if treated at an early stage, according to a report released today by the Rutgers Center for State Health Policy (CSHP).

31 Jul 2014

Findings underscore the importance of prenatal health care, postnatal breastfeeding

Young adults who were breastfed for three months or more as babies have a significantly lower risk of chronic inflammation associated with cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, according to research from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

31 Jul 2014

State highlights: New York state faces $1.3B Medicaid payback problem while Mayor De Blasio advances plan to reduce city employees' health costs

When Mayor Bill de Blasio announced his first labor agreements with New York City unions this spring, he was sharply criticized for granting long-awaited wage increases in exchange for promises of unspecified though sizable savings on health care expenses (Greenhouse and Stewart, 7/29).

31 Jul 2014

First Edition: July 31, 2014

Today's headlines include reports about the possible hazards that the future might hold for healthcare.gov.

31 Jul 2014

Viewpoints: Narrow networks 'here to stay;' gun owners challenge doctor privileges in Fla.

The federal government will begin tightening its rules to make sure that narrow networks don't get too narrow. There is some precedent for the reaction: In the 1990s, cheaper narrow-network H.M.O. plans proliferated in the employer market, but they disappeared after mass public outcry.

31 Jul 2014

Arches Health chooses TruClinic as telemedicine solution

Arches Health Plan announced today that it has chosen TruClinic as the telemedicine solution for its provider network, and will become one of the first independent US insurance payers to reimburse providers for home-based telemedicine visits.

31 Jul 2014

Report: Females and younger service members have highest incidence rates of sunburn diagnoses

Females, white non-Hispanic, and younger service members had the highest incidence rates of sunburn diagnoses among active component service members, according to a new health surveillance report released today.

31 Jul 2014

Several insurers report lower profits

WellPoint Inc. on Wednesday said its second-quarter profit slipped as the health insurer recorded higher expenses, masking a boost in revenue and enrollment.

31 Jul 2014

New research may provide better treatment options for children with cerebral palsy

Of cerebral palsy, caregivers and patients know this is an understatement: it's not easy. The permanently debilitating condition, which occurs in babies from the prenatal stage to toddlers, comes with more than its fair share of lifelong challenges - from mobility problems to developmental setbacks.

31 Jul 2014

Advocates press Fla. lawmakers on Medicaid expansion to help working poor

About 800,000 residents of the state are stuck in a "coverage gap" because they earn too much to qualify for Medicaid since the state did not expand its program under the health law but they don't earn enough to qualify for federal tax credits.

31 Jul 2014

Study sheds new light on the importance of implementing best practices in hospitals

New research from the Baylor Institute for Health Care Research and Improvement showed that a hospital's commitment to implementing best practices significantly improves the quality of care it provides its patients.

31 Jul 2014

Survey offers progress report on California's insurance enrollment efforts

The survey of uninsured people within the state, conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, found that nearly six of 10 gained insurance during the first open enrollment period -- but reaching the remaining holdouts will become more difficult.

31 Jul 2014

Study reveals impact of new onset postoperative AFib on patient mortality rates

New onset postoperative atrial fibrillation (AFib, or abnormal heartbeat) occurs in one-out-of-five heart surgery patients and is associated with an increased risk of additional complications, including double the risk of death, according to a study in the August 2014 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

31 Jul 2014

Statin therapy may speed up wound healing following cardiac surgery

Statin therapy may help to improve wound healing in patients following cardiac surgery and reduce overall recovery time, especially in patients who are prone to healing complications, according to a review article in the August 2014 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

31 Jul 2014

IOM study finds U.S. medical training may not be meeting needs for care

The comprehensive report calls for major changes in doctor training and points out that it is difficult to track how the $15 billion spent by the federal government is being used.

31 Jul 2014

UK researcher working to develop online tool to help patients navigate lung cancer screening decision

The phrase "we caught it early" is possibly the best news a patient can hear in the midst of a cancer diagnosis. Combating cancer in its earliest stages, when the disease is localized to a certain part of the body, gives patients the best chances of survival.

31 Jul 2014

Nearly 1 in every 20 elderly American adults faces financial exploitation

Nearly one in every twenty elderly American adults is being financially exploited - often by their own family members. This burgeoning public health crisis especially affects poor and black people. It merits the scrutiny of clinicians, policy makers, researchers, and any citizen who cares about the dignity and well-being of older Americans, says Dr. Janey Peterson of Weill Cornell Medical College in the US.

31 Jul 2014

Senate unanimously approves McDonald to lead Department of Veterans Affairs

Robert A. McDonald, the 61-year-old former chief executive of Procter & Gamble and graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, will take over the embattled VA after a scandal related to wait-time data led to the resignation of Eric Shinseki.

31 Jul 2014

Legal challenge to health law taxes rejected by appeals court

The lawsuit brought by the Pacific Legal Foundation and a small business owner argued that the overhaul was in violation of the Constitution's Origination Clause.

31 Jul 2014

Health Care News and Research

Cigna's quarterly earnings up

Household income plays key role in avoidable hospital visits across New Jersey

Findings underscore the importance of prenatal health care, postnatal breastfeeding

State highlights: New York state faces $1.3B Medicaid payback problem while Mayor De Blasio advances plan to reduce city employees' health costs

First Edition: July 31, 2014

Viewpoints: Narrow networks 'here to stay;' gun owners challenge doctor privileges in Fla.

Arches Health chooses TruClinic as telemedicine solution

Report: Females and younger service members have highest incidence rates of sunburn diagnoses

Several insurers report lower profits

New research may provide better treatment options for children with cerebral palsy

Advocates press Fla. lawmakers on Medicaid expansion to help working poor

Study sheds new light on the importance of implementing best practices in hospitals

Survey offers progress report on California's insurance enrollment efforts

Study reveals impact of new onset postoperative AFib on patient mortality rates

Statin therapy may speed up wound healing following cardiac surgery

IOM study finds U.S. medical training may not be meeting needs for care

UK researcher working to develop online tool to help patients navigate lung cancer screening decision

Nearly 1 in every 20 elderly American adults faces financial exploitation

Senate unanimously approves McDonald to lead Department of Veterans Affairs

Legal challenge to health law taxes rejected by appeals court

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

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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