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Calif. exchange enrolls 7,100 a day, but Latinos lag

More than 156,000 have selected plans in California's online health insurance exchange, officials said, but some enrollees have not gotten confirmation from insurers, which means their policies may not start Jan. 1.

14 Dec 2013

Budget deal, with 3-month 'doc fix' moves to Senate

As the the House approved a budget deal, Republicans included a provision to prevent a scheduled pay cut for doctors who treat Medicare patients.

13 Dec 2013

Many health law exchange plans have 'narrow networks'

Some new health insurance plans sold through the health law's online insurance exchanges -- in an effort to keep premiums down -- severely limit where new enrollees can get care.

13 Dec 2013

First Edition: December 13, 2013

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about a set of steps taken by the Obama administration in an effort to help consumers avoid coverage lapses as the health law takes effect.

13 Dec 2013

CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation awarded to Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the largest U.S. subsidiary of Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation, based in Ridgefield, CT, is leading by example when it comes to promoting workplace wellness and encouraging healthier behavior.

13 Dec 2013

Despite lower socioeconomic status, immigrants often in better health than their naturalized counterparts

Health disparities research has frequently focused on the "health immigration paradox", which finds that recent Latino immigrants are often in better health than their naturalized counterparts, despite lower socioeconomic status. Little previous research has focused on the health status of foreign-born people over the age of 50, who make up over a third of all immigrants.

13 Dec 2013

Bioethics Commission releases ethical recommendations to manage incidental and secondary findings

Researchers conduct a memory study, scan a participant's brain, and find more than they bargain for: a tumor. What do the researchers owe the participant? What does the participant want to know?

13 Dec 2013

Massachusetts residents have broader health insurance coverage, greater access to primary care

In 2006, Massachusetts was on the same brink that the entire nation is on today: the brink of expanding health insurance to cover far more people than before, through government-driven, market-based reform.

13 Dec 2013

Health Law Op-Eds: Obama must 'fire some people'; the law's many possible futures; Obamacare 'is a disaster'

Though the site is working vastly better today than it was two months ago, the debut of HealthCare.gov was a genuine disaster. Specifically, it was a management disaster. CMS's information technology department botched its job as systems integrator for HealthCare.gov. CMS management botched the job of recognizing that CMS's IT department was botching its job.

13 Dec 2013

Viewpoints: Problems with the 'doc fix;' a lame budget deal; concerns about changes in doctor training

Imagine if a provision in ObamaCare allowed Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to dictate directly to doctors which services they could and could not provide their patients - what individual tests they could conduct, which treatments they could offer, and medicines they could prescribe.

13 Dec 2013

Sebelius: Enrollment numbers going up and website getting better, but a review will be launched over healthcare.gov launch problems

Just as the November enrollment figures were released, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified Wednesday before the health subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee where she was again grilled on the difficulties that have plagued the website's launch and other related issues.

13 Dec 2013

JHI released epic3 guidelines on infection prevention and control for range of healthcare professionals

The Journal of Hospital Infection (JHI) has just released the awaited epic3 guidelines on infection prevention and control for a range of healthcare professionals. They are freely available online on ScienceDirect and on the journal's website.

13 Dec 2013

State highlights: States scramble to change newborn screening programs; obesity rate flat; New York hospital charges vary considerably

States across the country are making significant changes to their newborn screening programs after a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation found that thousands of hospitals were sending babies' blood samples late to state labs that test for rare yet deadly genetic disorders. From keeping labs open on weekends to identifying problem hospitals and providing them with regular performance reports, dozens of health officials are reviewing and retooling their state-run programs (Gabler, 12/11).

13 Dec 2013

Frustration with Minn. insurance exchange mounts as officials race to remedy problems

Problems with Minnesota's online health insurance exchange -- long wait times, technology problems and security issues -- are getting extra scrutiny as officials push to fix the website ahead of the new year when coverage is slated to begin for many.

13 Dec 2013

Unnecessary cesarean section rates rising at both rural and urban hospitals

Rates of unnecessary cesarean section and other potentially risky obstetric procedures show some significant differences between rural and urban hospitals in the United States, reports a study in the January issue of Medical Care. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

13 Dec 2013

ACS, BCBSIL and Northwestern Medicine join to improve quality of surgical care in Illinois

The Illinois chapters of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL), and Northwestern Medicine- have come together to offer selected hospitals across Illinois the opportunity to join the Illinois Surgical Quality Improvement Collaborative (ISQIC), a three-year effort to improve the safety and quality of surgical care in Illinois.

13 Dec 2013

Psychiatrists increasingly refuse to accept private insurance as payment

Access to mental health care has become a prominent issue in Congress following mass shootings around the country. But a new study in JAMA Psychiatry, led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College, suggests that unless those in need of help have deep pockets, they might have a hard time finding a psychiatrist that will provide the needed services.

13 Dec 2013

Michigan to require separate abortion coverage on public and private policies

Michigan will join more conservative states in requiring residents who want health insurance coverage for abortions to buy an extra policy, after Republican legislators passed the law Wednesday over the objections of Democrats who pleaded for them to take the issue to voters instead.

13 Dec 2013

Study: Almost half of psychiatrists don't accept health insurance

The findings were published yesterday in JAMA Psychiatry.

13 Dec 2013

NY frustrated by long wait for Medicaid waiver

Gov. Cuomo says he wants to help struggling hospitals. In Florida, Gov. Scott wouldn't say if he still supports expanding Medicaid eligibility to poor Floridians.

13 Dec 2013

Health Care News and Research

Calif. exchange enrolls 7,100 a day, but Latinos lag

Budget deal, with 3-month 'doc fix' moves to Senate

Many health law exchange plans have 'narrow networks'

First Edition: December 13, 2013

CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation awarded to Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals

Despite lower socioeconomic status, immigrants often in better health than their naturalized counterparts

Bioethics Commission releases ethical recommendations to manage incidental and secondary findings

Massachusetts residents have broader health insurance coverage, greater access to primary care

Health Law Op-Eds: Obama must 'fire some people'; the law's many possible futures; Obamacare 'is a disaster'

Viewpoints: Problems with the 'doc fix;' a lame budget deal; concerns about changes in doctor training

Sebelius: Enrollment numbers going up and website getting better, but a review will be launched over healthcare.gov launch problems

JHI released epic3 guidelines on infection prevention and control for range of healthcare professionals

State highlights: States scramble to change newborn screening programs; obesity rate flat; New York hospital charges vary considerably

Frustration with Minn. insurance exchange mounts as officials race to remedy problems

Unnecessary cesarean section rates rising at both rural and urban hospitals

ACS, BCBSIL and Northwestern Medicine join to improve quality of surgical care in Illinois

Psychiatrists increasingly refuse to accept private insurance as payment

Michigan to require separate abortion coverage on public and private policies

Study: Almost half of psychiatrists don't accept health insurance

NY frustrated by long wait for Medicaid waiver

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

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Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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