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Employers worry they'll pay bill for those exempt from contraceptive mandate

Businesses are concerned that non-religious employers will end up covering the bill for religious groups that refuse to pay for contraception for their employees. Meanwhile, church leaders continue their push to broaden the exemption from the contraception coverage rule.

4 Jul 2013

Pergamum: LL-37 Phase I/II trial meets primary end-point in patients with venous leg ulcers

Pergamum AB, a portfolio company of Karolinska Development AB, announced today that the primary safety and tolerability end-point was met in the randomized Phase I/II trial of LL-37 for treatment of venous leg ulcers.

4 Jul 2013

Texas abortion bill sent to full chamber

A Texas House committee approved sweeping abortion legislation early Wednesday, setting up a new fight on the proposal that would, along with other restrictions, ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The full chamber will take up the proposal early next week.

4 Jul 2013

Employers get extra year to carry out health law coverage mandate

The Obama administration's surprise announcement will delay penalties for one year -- until after the mid-term elections -- and raises doubts about the implementation process at a crucial moment. Officials said the extension was a response to business requests for more time to navigate complex regulations.

4 Jul 2013

Research shows lower daily dose of HIV drug therapy suppresses virus

Millions more people could get access to life-saving HIV drug therapy, following a landmark study led by Australian researchers based at the Kirby Institute at the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

4 Jul 2013

Political responses swirl around administration's announcement

As GOP lawmakers and health law critics gloat, administration officials say they are listening to concerns from business and being flexible.

4 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: Dems' abortion policies on the wrong side of public opinion; Doctors need to be more accurate in death reports

Last week saw two major developments in the legal and political battle over the Obama administration's sound decision to require most employers to provide free insurance coverage of contraceptives for women under the new health care law - one of them positive and the other a blow to the mandate and to religious liberty (7/1).

3 Jul 2013

MAXIMUS customer contact centers achieve Center of Excellence distinction

MAXIMUS, a leading provider of government services worldwide, announced today that its New York Physician Profile and New Jersey Health Care Profile operations have been recognized as "Certified Centers of Excellence" by BenchmarkPortal.

3 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 3, 2013

Today's headlines detail the Obama administration announcement that it would delay the health law rule requiring businesses provide insurance to workers.

3 Jul 2013

Telemonitoring with pharmacist management improves and maintains BP control

An intervention that consisted of home blood pressure (BP) telemonitoring with pharmacist management resulted in improvements in BP control and decreases in BP during 12 months, compared with usual care, and improvement in BP that was maintained for 6 months following the intervention, according to a study in the July 3 issue of JAMA.

3 Jul 2013

NHS productivity in England increases by 3.2%, new study reveals

A new study by researchers at the Centre for Health Economics, University of York, reveals the productivity of the NHS in England increased by 3.2 per cent in the first year of the Coalition administration.

3 Jul 2013

IG report: $543 million in Medicare overpayments remain uncollected

USA Today reports that the inspector general's report noted that one of the factors keeping the government from recouping these funds was problems with a new accounting system. Meanwhile, Modern Healthcare reports that these types of overpayments are some of the most difficult to collect.

3 Jul 2013

UnitedHealth to leave California's individual market at year's end

UnitedHealth is the second major company to announce its exit in advance of the changes that will take effect as a result of the health law. Meanwhile, Blues plans in Iowa and South Dakota announced plans to skip participation in those two states' health exchanges in 2014.

3 Jul 2013

Data on side effects of fidaxomicin not analysed appropriately

The antibiotic fidaxomicin (trade name: Dificlir) has been approved in Germany since December 2011 for the treatment of adults who have diarrhoea caused by Clostridium difficile.

3 Jul 2013

Endoscopic imaging: an interview with Len Farris, Vice President of Marketing, Americas, PENTAX Medical

The impact of endoscopic imaging on patient care has been enormous since the first fiber optic systems were introduced more than 50 years ago. Today, high resolution and high definition systems are used to provide clinicians and patients unprecedented images from inside the body.

From PENTAX Medical Company 3 Jul 2013

State highlights: Dartmouth joins N.H. Medicaid managed care

New Hampshire's largest health care provider signed contracts Monday with three health care plans to join the state's managed care network for Medicaid -- a key to getting the network operating. Dartmouth-Hitchcock announced it will work with Well Sense Health Plan, Granite State Health Plan and Meridian Health Plan of New Hampshire to provide coordinated care for eligible Medicaid beneficiaries (Love, 7/1).

3 Jul 2013

Wake Forest Baptist to extend innovation in geriatrics education with new GPS program

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center will maintain its position as a leader in geriatric medicine and medical training with continued grant funding from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.

3 Jul 2013

Long-term care insurance: Industry is shrinking; Premiums are rising

The Wall Street Journal: Long-Term-Care Insurance Leaves Customers Groping Rob and Katherine Deane thought they were being responsible by buying insurance policies to provide for care in their later years. Instead, the Michigan couple are encountering a growing gap in health-care coverage that the government overhaul will do nothing to fix

3 Jul 2013

Study suggests shape of knee can determine need for ACL reconstruction after ACL tear

A study by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery has provided the first evidence that the shape of a person's knee could be a factor in the decision of whether a patient should undergo anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction after an ACL tear.

3 Jul 2013

Weekly yoga class provides similar lower back pain relief as twice weekly classes for low-income patients

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center have found that a weekly yoga class provided similar lower back pain relief and reduced the need for pain medication as twice weekly classes in lower income minority patients.

3 Jul 2013