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First Edition: April 8, 2014

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jay Hancock reports: "Under intense, bipartisan political pressure, the Obama administration backed down for the second year in a row on proposed payment cuts for insurance companies that offer private plans to Medicare members.

8 Apr 2014

Virginia Mason wins Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award for second consecutive year

Virginia Mason was today named a recipient of Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award for the second consecutive year. This distinction places it among the top 10 percent of hospitals in the nation for patient experience.

8 Apr 2014

SU2C and Farrah Fawcett announce formation of research team dedicated to HPV-related cancers

Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) and the Farrah Fawcett Foundation, along with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), SU2C's Scientific Partner, announced the formation of a research team dedicated to HPV-related cancers during a press event today at the AACR Annual Meeting 2014, held here April 5-9.

8 Apr 2014

Support grows in Missouri for 'mini' Medicaid expansion

Some Missouri Republicans have remained adamantly opposed to expanding Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of adults by tapping into billions of federal dollars available under President Barack Obama's health-care law. Yet support has been quietly growing among some of those same Republicans for a mini Medicaid expansion (Lieb, 4/7).

8 Apr 2014

Viewpoints: Despite enrollment success, health law has internal problems; burdens for both parties

For the foreseeable future, the health care debate probably isn't going to get any less intense. Instead, what we've watched unfold since 2009 is what we should expect for years, decades, a generation: a grinding, exhausting argument over how to pay for health care in a society that's growing older, consuming more care, and (especially if current secularizing trends persist) becoming more and more invested in postponing death.

8 Apr 2014

New analysis shows signs of emerging middle way toward reducing ranks of uninsured

With the political divide over health care reform still strong going into this year's elections, a new analysis of state-level decisions shows signs of an emerging middle way toward reducing the ranks of the uninsured.

8 Apr 2014

Minnesota state lawmakers will decide if online insurance marketplace needs top-to-bottom audit

The decision regarding a further investigation of MNsure's troubles is expected this week. A state legislative commission decides this week whether the state's new online health insurance marketplace, MNsure, should get a major, top to bottom audit. MNsure has received more than $150 million in federal grants and external reviews found poor management and serious software failures.

8 Apr 2014

State highlights: 'Balance billing' protection in N.Y.; L.A. nursing home complaint backlog

Hospital patients in New York are the latest in the nation to gain legal protection against unexpected bills from doctors who won't accept their insurance.

8 Apr 2014

Despite hitting 7M, Obamacare faces plenty of challenges

Big tests await the health law, including whether premiums and other consumer costs can be held down in the face of pent up demand and also the GOP's continuing efforts to sabotage or repeal it heading into the midterm elections.

8 Apr 2014

Study finds upward trend in more severe forms of obesity in children

A new study led by a University of North Carolina School of Medicine researcher finds little to cheer about in the fight against childhood obesity, despite a recent report to the contrary.

8 Apr 2014

SLU researcher receives NIH grant to study on type of opioids that lead to depression

After finding a link between chronic use of prescription-based painkillers and increase in risk of depression, Saint Louis University researcher Jeffrey Scherrer, Ph.D., has received a $391,706 NIH grant to further investigate the pattern in a wider patient base, and study the type of opioids that lead to depression.

8 Apr 2014

ASA chooses Premier to develop perioperative surgical home model of care

The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) today announced it has chosen Premier, Inc., a leading health care improvement company, to develop a first-of-its-kind learning collaborative for the ASA's Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH) model of care.

8 Apr 2014

Medicaid enrollment increases by 3 million since health law enrollment began

The number is not yet complete because some states have not reported their numbers and it doesn't include March sign-ups.

8 Apr 2014

UIC receives grant to improve wellness and preventive care for adults with developmental disabilities

The University of Illinois at Chicago has received a five-year, $4.4 million federal grant to find ways to improve wellness and preventive care for adults with developmental disabilities.

8 Apr 2014

Survey: Number of uninsured Americans hits new low

A national survey by Gallup-Healthways finds the share of Americans without health insurance has dropped to the lowest level since before President Barack Obama took office.

8 Apr 2014

Medicare advantage cuts pose political threat

The cuts to Medicare Advantage, expected to be included in planned 2015 payments to be unveiled Monday, end what proponents call a windfall to insurers. But they have drawn protests not just from insurers but from Democrats who fear the GOP will use them as political fodder in the midterm elections.

8 Apr 2014

Added benefit of antiviral drug combination in treatment of HIV-1 patients is not proven

The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) reassessed the antiviral drug combination rilpivirine/emtricitabine/tenofovir. In early 2012, the combination was approved for the treatment of adults infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) who have not received previous antiretroviral treatment.

8 Apr 2014

Health Care News and Research

First Edition: April 8, 2014

Virginia Mason wins Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award for second consecutive year

SU2C and Farrah Fawcett announce formation of research team dedicated to HPV-related cancers

Support grows in Missouri for 'mini' Medicaid expansion

Viewpoints: Despite enrollment success, health law has internal problems; burdens for both parties

New analysis shows signs of emerging middle way toward reducing ranks of uninsured

Minnesota state lawmakers will decide if online insurance marketplace needs top-to-bottom audit

State highlights: 'Balance billing' protection in N.Y.; L.A. nursing home complaint backlog

Despite hitting 7M, Obamacare faces plenty of challenges

Study finds upward trend in more severe forms of obesity in children

SLU researcher receives NIH grant to study on type of opioids that lead to depression

ASA chooses Premier to develop perioperative surgical home model of care

Medicaid enrollment increases by 3 million since health law enrollment began

UIC receives grant to improve wellness and preventive care for adults with developmental disabilities

Survey: Number of uninsured Americans hits new low

Medicare advantage cuts pose political threat

Added benefit of antiviral drug combination in treatment of HIV-1 patients is not proven

New treatments to help patients with chronic illnesses have become big business

Republicans secure health law coverage change

First Edition: April 7, 2014

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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