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New state-of-the-art SmileBest Dental & Orthodontics office opens in Hurst

Soumava Sen, D.D.S. is pleased to announce the opening of his state-of-the-art SmileBest Dental & Orthodontics office in Hurst. Dr. Sen is proud to be supported by SmileBest Dental Services, L.L.C., a provider of business and administrative support services and systems to dental practices, including low-exposure digital X-rays, electronic dental records, digital intra-oral cameras and much more.

15 Jun 2013

Research roundup: Studying states' readiness for insurance exchanges

Unauthorized immigrants' options for health care generally consist of hospital emergency rooms and community health centers. Using nationally representative survey data from 2000 to 2009, researchers compared medical spending for unauthorized immigrants, legal residents, naturalized citizens, and natives of the United States and found that "unauthorized immigrants have lower health care spending overall but higher rates of receiving uncompensated care than legal immigrants and US natives."

15 Jun 2013

Hospitalized patients do not receive blood thinners to prevent blood clots, researchers report

Researchers at Johns Hopkins report that hospitalized patients do not receive more than one in 10 doses of doctor-ordered blood thinners prescribed to prevent potentially lethal or disabling blood clots, a decision they say may be fueled by misguided concern by patients and their caregivers.

15 Jun 2013

Arizona legislature approves Medicaid expansion

After a months-long, high-stakes political battle, Arizona lawmakers endorsed a Medicaid expansion plan backed by Gov. Jan Brewer.

15 Jun 2013

House lawmakers appear closer on Medicare pay overhaul, Medicaid pay increase

House lawmakers move closer to proposing a plan to overhaul how Medicare pays doctors and wonder how they can increase doctors' Medicaid pay -- typically the purview of states.

15 Jun 2013

Accenture: Boom ahead for retail health clinics

According to the consulting firm Accenture, the number of retail clinics will likely double by the end of 2015 -- a trend fueled by the demand for care by consumers who will become insured under the health law. Meanwhile, the Fiscal Times examines why some physicians are choosing not to accept any health insurance.

14 Jun 2013

End-of-life care: Study finds quality improving but costs increasing

A brief by the Dartmouth Institute finds that Medicare spending for chronically ill patients at the end of life went up more than 15 percent from 2007 to 2010.

14 Jun 2013

First Edition: June 14, 2013

Today's headlines includes reports about how, after months of battle, Arizona lawmakers endorsed a Medicaid expansion plan backed by Gov. Jan Brewer.

14 Jun 2013

Alere Analytics' Fauzia Khan to present keynote address at ACO Summit

Alere Analytics, an Alere subsidiary specializing in analytics and clinical decision support technology, today announced that Chief Medical Officer and Co-founder, Dr. Fauzia Khan will be presenting a keynote on Analytics and Health IT for the Population Health Management track at the fourth national Accountable Care Organization Summit on Friday, June 14 at 9 a.m.

14 Jun 2013

Surgeon General to step down

Politico: Surgeon General To Step Down Surgeon General Regina Benjamin announced today that she plans to step down from her post, which she has held since 2009. "I loved serving as #SGReginaBenjamin, putting prevention in all we do. I leave next month confident we created a more healthy & fit nation," she posted on her Twitter account (Haberkorn, 6/12).

14 Jun 2013

Supreme Court invalidates patents held by Myriad Genetics

The College of American Pathologists applauds today's unanimous Supreme Court decision invalidating the patents held by Myriad Genetics on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. It is a victory for patients and for science.

14 Jun 2013

Society of Interventional Radiology adds 18 Fellows to its roster

The Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) announced the addition of 18 Fellows to the Fairfax, Virginia-based, national organization's roster during SIR's 38th Annual Scientific Meeting, held April 13 in New Orleans.

14 Jun 2013

Viewpoints: 'Tyranny' over insurers; Obama's promises; Rep. Franks's abortion claim

Many of us wish that Obamacare were a simpler system, one that directly provided health insurance. Political reality, unfortunately, ensured that many people will receive coverage from private insurers, selling policies - often with subsidies - on the "exchanges". And naturally enough, the Obama administration is teaming up with the insurers and other parts of the health industry to help inform Americans of the benefits to which they will be legally entitled, starting Jan. 1 (Paul Krugman, 6/12).

14 Jun 2013

Britain's National Health Service visits D.C. for some pointers

In the contentious debate over health care in this country, the United Kingdom's single-payer, government-funded National Health Service has been held up by both sides as a system to be either emulated as an ideal or avoided as an abomination.

14 Jun 2013

Survey finds employers 'pessimistic' about health law's costs

The Wall Street Journal reports on a survey that finds companies are increasingly "pessimistic" they can avoid health care cost increases they believe will stem from the overhaul. Politico reports that insurers are showing little interest in small business exchanges.

14 Jun 2013

State highlights: Budgets reflect 'modest' Medicaid increases; Calif. health care companies deal with data breaches; Nevada faces 'patient dumping' lawsuit

In addition, while states are budgeting for modest increases in Medicaid spending next year, those expenditures are poised to increase in future years, he said. Health care costs are rising at a slower rate than in the past, but it is unclear how long that will last (Fletcher, 6/12).

14 Jun 2013

SLU professor to study treatment services offered to young mothers and children

Through a $300,000 grant from Administration of Children and Families, part of Department of Health and Human Services, Debra Zand, Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics at Saint Louis University, will study treatment services offered by a local community provider to St. Louis area women who abuse illegal substances, and for their infants and toddlers.

14 Jun 2013

Nonsurgical abortions to resume in Wis. as lawmakers there pass pre-abortion ultrasound bill

In Wisconsin, a judge's ruling is allowing nonsurgical abortions there to resume. In the state Senate, lawmakers passed a bill requiring women get an ultrasound before they get an abortion.

14 Jun 2013

Judge OKs administration plan on 'morning after' pill

A federal judge Wednesday accepted the Obama administration's plan to make the Plan B One-Step "morning after pill" available over the counter to buyers of all ages, winding down a decade-long fight over the pill.

14 Jun 2013

Researchers report on the use of GIS as public health research tool

The current special issue of Technology and Innovation - Proceedings of the National Academy of Inventors-, is devoted to public health research using Geographic Information Systems to help provide beneficial data for public health researchers focusing on health risks and food access in rural Alaska; racial disparities in health care and resources in Fort Worth, Texas; and pathways for health care development in remote areas of Nepal.

14 Jun 2013