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HHS takes first steps in outreach effort to enroll consumers in health exchanges

CQ HealthBeat reports that the Department of Health and Human Services is now collecting contact information for consumers so the agency can provide updates. Meanwhile, Illinois opened a competitive grant process to award funds to community groups to help with the state's consumer education effort.

8 May 2013

Addressing sleep hygiene prior to CPAP initiation may help improve adherence

A new study suggests that regularity of bedtime prior to initiation of continuous positive airway pressure therapy is an important factor that may influence treatment compliance in adults with obstructive sleep apnea.

8 May 2013

Harkin lifts hold on Tavenner nomination

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said Tuesday that he would allow the nomination of Marilyn Tavenner to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to go forward.

8 May 2013

PCNL procedure to remove kidney stones in women has risen in recent years, study reveals

While the number of people - especially women - who have a minimally invasive procedure to remove kidney stones has risen in recent years, so has the rate of complications related to the surgery, according to a published study by Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

8 May 2013

Medicare studies: Payment cuts don't mean insurers pay more

Medicare payment cuts to hospitals don't necessarily mean private insurers end up paying more, one study finds. Another reports that unifying Medicare's benefits into a single plan could save the program $180 billion over 10 years, while lowering seniors' out-of-pocket costs.

8 May 2013

For health law backers, part of challenge is managing expectations

Some Democrats worry they will face political repercussions if there are snags that can be exploited by Republicans.

8 May 2013

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics encourages people to learn about celiac disease

Celiac disease is estimated to affect one out of 141 of Americans, or just under 1 percent of the population.

8 May 2013

HHS launches probe into unusual billing patterns for inpatient hospice care

HHS' inspector general's office is launching an in-depth investigation into cases where Medicare hospice beneficiaries get inpatient care, following unusual billing patterns that surfaced during recent research on the $1.1 billion industry.

8 May 2013

Health care issues at center of Capitol Hill questions about 'political intelligence'

On the same morning a congressional staffer told investors in a private call that odds were improving for a government decision that would help medical insurers, trading spiked in a major health-care company.

8 May 2013

State roundup: Medicaid contractor sues La. over canceled deal

A Maryland-based company whose nearly $200 million Medicaid contract was canceled amid an ongoing federal investigation sued Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration Monday for terminating the deal (5/6).

8 May 2013

Feds move to tighten oversight of tanning beds

Federal health regulators moved to tighten oversight of tanning beds and said people younger than age 18 shouldn't use the beds at all.

8 May 2013

Survey shows rising rates of treated disease prevalence increase health care costs in U.S

The increasing proportion of the population that received treatment for a specific medical condition - called "treated disease prevalence" -- along with higher spending per treated case accounted for most of the rise in health care spending in the U.S. between 1987 and 2009, according to a recent analysis.

7 May 2013

FDA: Migraine prevention medicines taken during pregnancy can impact children’s IQ

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting health care providers and patients that medications including and related to valproate sodium can cause decreased IQ scores in children whose mothers took the medication during pregnancy.

7 May 2013

Primary health care for patients with urinary tract infections can save nearly $4 billion in ER visits

Giving patients better access to primary health care could save nearly $4 billion a year in unnecessary emergency room visits for a single common complaint - urinary tract infections - according to a study by the Vattikuti Urology Institute at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

7 May 2013

First Edition: May 7, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about two new studies exploring whether the slowdown in the nation's health spending growth rates is, in fact, due more to structural changes in the health ystem than to the economy.

7 May 2013

American Pain Society to host Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans from May 8 to 11

The 32ed Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society will convene May 8-11 at the New Orleans Convention Center.

7 May 2013

CDC papers discuss approaches to reduce use of indoor tanning devices, prevent skin cancer

Preventing skin cancer by reducing use of indoor tanning devices requires a coordinated approach at the national, state, and local levels suggests a pair of papers by CDC authors in a special theme issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Evidence has shown that use of indoor tanning devices increases the risk of developing skin cancer, including melanoma, and these papers discuss approaches that could help reduce use of indoor tanning devices and prevent future incidence of skin cancers.

7 May 2013

Health exchange marketing, consumer assistance efforts take center stage

News outlets report on the steps being taken by state governments, as well as by insurers, to raise awareness and market plans that will be available from the new online health insurance marketplaces.

7 May 2013

Do children's health concerns fall through the health law's cracks?

The final implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) could be bad news for re-authorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), a congressional staffer said. … Authorization for the program, which provides health coverage to families who make too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford costly health insurance, expires at the end of September 2013.

7 May 2013

Viewpoints: Assessing the Oregon Medicaid experiment; health insurance hysteria; in Florida, 'toxic politics' beats out common sense

The people who got Medicaid used more health care, and seem to have done so smartly - they got preventive care, they got their diabetes diagnosed and began managing it.

7 May 2013

Health Care News and Research

HHS takes first steps in outreach effort to enroll consumers in health exchanges

Addressing sleep hygiene prior to CPAP initiation may help improve adherence

Harkin lifts hold on Tavenner nomination

PCNL procedure to remove kidney stones in women has risen in recent years, study reveals

Medicare studies: Payment cuts don't mean insurers pay more

For health law backers, part of challenge is managing expectations

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics encourages people to learn about celiac disease

HHS launches probe into unusual billing patterns for inpatient hospice care

Health care issues at center of Capitol Hill questions about 'political intelligence'

State roundup: Medicaid contractor sues La. over canceled deal

Feds move to tighten oversight of tanning beds

Survey shows rising rates of treated disease prevalence increase health care costs in U.S

FDA: Migraine prevention medicines taken during pregnancy can impact children’s IQ

Primary health care for patients with urinary tract infections can save nearly $4 billion in ER visits

First Edition: May 7, 2013

American Pain Society to host Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans from May 8 to 11

CDC papers discuss approaches to reduce use of indoor tanning devices, prevent skin cancer

Health exchange marketing, consumer assistance efforts take center stage

Do children's health concerns fall through the health law's cracks?

Viewpoints: Assessing the Oregon Medicaid experiment; health insurance hysteria; in Florida, 'toxic politics' beats out common sense

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