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Obamacare partisan fights affecting public opinion, Capitol Hill, health coverage for poor

News outlets report that as the health law comes closer to full implementation in 2014, the political parties are far apart and likely to stay there, which could affect who gets coverage and how.

28 May 2013

Nephrologists rarely discuss estimates of life-expectancy with patients, study finds

Seriously ill patients undergoing hemodialysis are more optimistic about their prognosis and prospects for transplants than their nephrologists, according to a study published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.

28 May 2013

Study: Patients' desire to participate in medical decisions affects use of health care resources

Since the 1980s, doctors and patients have been encouraged to share decision making. Proponents argue that this approach promotes doctor-patient communication, enhances patient satisfaction, improves health outcomes, and even may lower cost.

28 May 2013

Tensions, threats emerge in Ariz. Medicaid expansion debate

In addition, the legislative debate continues in Texas while in Florida there's speculation about what's to become of the state's uninsured population now that the legislature didn't take action.

27 May 2013

Children who miss well-child visits have twice the risk of hospitalization

Young children who missed more than half of recommended well-child visits had up to twice the risk of hospitalization compared to children who attended most of their visits, according to a study published today in the American Journal of Managed Care. The study included more than 20,000 children enrolled at Group Health Cooperative.

27 May 2013

Viewpoints: We need more 'socialism'; The IRS's 'unwelcome role'; 'Fog of Obamacare'

So this is what socialism looks like: Private companies competing for people's business in an open marketplace. Californians got their first glimpse Thursday of what insurers plan to charge for coverage to be offered next year to about 5 million state residents who don't receive health insurance from employers (David Lazarus, 5/23).

27 May 2013

State highlights: La. grand jury to examine $200M Medicaid contract

More than half of the states that applied to participate in a controversial CMS pilot for dual-eligible beneficiaries have either dropped out or delayed implementation of their programs, according to health policy experts. Among the 26 states that applied to participate in the CMS Financial Alignment Initiative, which stems from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, six have dropped out or opted for different "customized" plans and nine have delayed their start dates (Daly, 5/23).

27 May 2013

Research roundup: Getting a critical care doc at night; Poverty among seniors

Researchers analyzed 121,084 firearms deaths in the U.S., using 2007 to 2010 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "The outcome measures were state-level firearm-related fatalities per 100 000 individuals per year overall, for suicide, and for homicide.

27 May 2013

Health law politics swirl around scandal reports, implementation frustrations

Some of the political ebb and flow is exactly as expected, with news reports noting that Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., a staunch opponent of the overhaul, is focused on linking the Internal Revenue Scandal with the health law.

27 May 2013

Calif. unveils tentative price tags for health plans on the exchange

The monthly cost for policies sold on the state-run exchange came in lower than the 30 percent rate increases some had anticipated, though some consumers will still experience sharply higher premiums. Blue Shield of California estimated that current customers would see rate increases of about 13 percent.

27 May 2013

House panel considers measure that would ban abortions after 20 weeks

The bill, which is national in scope, is a response to the conviction of abortion provider Kermit Gosnell as well as a range of new state laws.

26 May 2013

Health care issues become hurdle for immigration reform measure

The key question that seems to have stalled progress for House lawmakers is how to handle immigrants who do not have health insurance.

26 May 2013

FDA recommends health care providers not to administer steroid injections from Main Street

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Tennessee Board of Pharmacy to investigate reports of seven adverse events associated with steroid injections compounded by Main Street Family Pharmacy, LLC (Main Street) of Newbern, Tenn.

26 May 2013

First Edition: May 24, 2013

Today's headlines include details on California's new health insurance exchange rates, whether consumers will experience "rate shock" and what these numbers say about the health law's implementation.

24 May 2013

New evidence shows intensive insulin therapy does not provide substantial benefits

High blood glucose is associated with poor outcomes in hospitalized patients, and use of intensive insulin therapy (IIT) to control hyperglycemia is a common practice in hospitals. But the recent evidence does not show a consistent benefit and even shows harms associated with the use of IIT, according to the American College of Physicians' (ACP) Clinical Guidelines Committee in a new evidence-based paper published today online in the American Journal of Medical Quality.

24 May 2013

Regenstrief Institute, Indiana University receive PCORI award to enhance health care access for underinsured

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute has approved a three-year research award of more than $2 million to the Indiana University Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research and the Regenstrief Institute Inc. to study ways to improve health care access for the underinsured.

24 May 2013

Highlights: Geography's role in elective surgeries in Calif.; Conn. Democrats eye shifting $400M in Medicaid money; HHS says Cedars-Sinai has $2.2M in billing errors

Geography plays a role in whether patients in California have elective operations such as joint replacement, weight loss surgery and gallbladder removal, according to a new study. The California HealthCare Foundation study showed wide variations in patient surgeries across the state (Gorman, 5/22).

24 May 2013

Researchers reveal new insights about the process of axon amputation

As the human body fine-tunes its neurological wiring, nerve cells often must fix a faulty connection by amputating an axon - the "business end" of the neuron that sends electrical impulses to tissues or other neurons. It is a dance with death, however, because the molecular poison the neuron deploys to sever an axon could, if uncontained, kill the entire cell.

24 May 2013

Senate immigration bill would ease restrictions on foreign health workers; Measure advances to increase scrutiny on compounding pharmacies

On Capitol Hill, several legislative efforts are moving forward on health issues. Among them is an effort by the Massachusetts delegation to keep bonus Medicare payments for the state's hospitals, while House Republicans are looking for another way to deal with a bill to fund high-risk insurance pools.

24 May 2013

Weekend reading: Mental illness stigma, health insurance mazes and female libido

Linneah sat at a desk at the Center for Sexual Medicine at Sheppard Pratt in the suburbs of Baltimore and filled out a questionnaire. She read briskly, making swift checks beside her selected answers, and when she was finished, she handed the pages across the desk to Martina Miller, who gave her a round of pills.

24 May 2013

Health Care News and Research

Obamacare partisan fights affecting public opinion, Capitol Hill, health coverage for poor

Nephrologists rarely discuss estimates of life-expectancy with patients, study finds

Study: Patients' desire to participate in medical decisions affects use of health care resources

Tensions, threats emerge in Ariz. Medicaid expansion debate

Children who miss well-child visits have twice the risk of hospitalization

Viewpoints: We need more 'socialism'; The IRS's 'unwelcome role'; 'Fog of Obamacare'

State highlights: La. grand jury to examine $200M Medicaid contract

Research roundup: Getting a critical care doc at night; Poverty among seniors

Health law politics swirl around scandal reports, implementation frustrations

Calif. unveils tentative price tags for health plans on the exchange

House panel considers measure that would ban abortions after 20 weeks

Health care issues become hurdle for immigration reform measure

FDA recommends health care providers not to administer steroid injections from Main Street

First Edition: May 24, 2013

New evidence shows intensive insulin therapy does not provide substantial benefits

Regenstrief Institute, Indiana University receive PCORI award to enhance health care access for underinsured

Highlights: Geography's role in elective surgeries in Calif.; Conn. Democrats eye shifting $400M in Medicaid money; HHS says Cedars-Sinai has $2.2M in billing errors

Researchers reveal new insights about the process of axon amputation

Senate immigration bill would ease restrictions on foreign health workers; Measure advances to increase scrutiny on compounding pharmacies

Weekend reading: Mental illness stigma, health insurance mazes and female libido

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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