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Short on funds, HHS failed to investigate 1,200 fraud cases last year

HHS was unable to investigate 1,200 cases of suspected Medicare or Medicaid fraud last year because the watchdog agency inside the department is stretched so thin.

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

Scientists uncover easy strategies to prevent harmful side-effects of antibiotics responses

A team of scientists at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University has discovered why long-term treatment with many common antibiotics can cause harmful side effects-and they have uncovered two easy strategies that could help prevent these dangerous responses.

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

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

States consider new mental health care services, parity for seniors, prisoners

State leaders in Oregon, North Carolina and California consider new legislation or studies on what better mental health care for their residents could mean for quality of life and health care costs.

3 Jul 2013

Parents, children should leave fireworks displays to experts, say Vanderbilt specialists

Vanderbilt specialists are urging parents and children to leave the fireworks displays to the experts this Fourth of July.

2 Jul 2013

Research shows DHA found in fish oil can reduce inflammation

Bethesda, MD-Chronic inflammation is a major factor in a wide range of problems from arthritis to cardiovascular disease, and DHA (found in fish oil) is known to temper this problem. A new research report appearing in the July 2013 issue of The FASEB Journal, helps explain why DHA is important in reducing inflammation, and provides an important lead to finding new drugs that will help bring people back to optimal health.

2 Jul 2013

Mayo Clinic provides tips to stay safe this summer

A backyard fireworks display may look pretty and get family and friends excited, but when it comes to lighting fireworks, leave it to the professionals, Mayo Clinic physicians are advising. Each year, Mayo Clinic doctors see dozens of patients who have lost fingers and limbs, gotten severe burns and suffered hearing loss as a direct result of using fireworks. Even seemingly harmless fireworks - such as sparklers - can cause severe burns and even blindness.

2 Jul 2013

Researchers find fear can increase or decrease ability to discriminate among sounds depending on context

Anyone who's ever heard a Beethoven sonata or a Beatles song knows how powerfully sound can affect our emotions. But it can work the other way as well - our emotions can actually affect how we hear and process sound.

1 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: The entitlement crisis is not over; VA needs to deal more effectively with mental health issues; Iowa gives governor new abortion duty

Americans are used to hearing that health care will bust the budget. The Congressional Budget Office projected last year that Medicare, Medicaid and other government health programs would eat up 9.6 percent to 10.4 percent of the nation's gross domestic product by 2037, crowding out many other vital programs. But a new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development suggests that the United States is not the only country that will struggle to contain public spending on medical care (Eduardo Porter, 6/27).

29 Jun 2013

State highlights: Maine to permit Rx drugs from Canada; Ore. to levy hospital, nursing home assessment tax

For the first time in several years, a state has acted to allow its citizens to purchase prescription drugs by mail from other countries. The idea is to take advantage of those nations' lower prices, which can be half the cost of those at American pharmacies (Rovner, 6/27).

29 Jun 2013

High court moves tentatively toward hearing case on abortion-inducing drugs

The Supreme Court asked Oklahoma's Supreme Court to clarify a law that state judges had struck down as an unwarranted curb on medical practice and the right to abortion.

29 Jun 2013

Study shows infants can recognize each other's emotions

Although it may seem difficult for adults to understand what an infant is feeling, a new study from Brigham Young University finds that it's so easy a baby could do it.

28 Jun 2013

First Edition: June 28, 2013

Today's headlines include reports that the high court sent a tentative signal Thursday that it was moving toward hearing a case on the regulation of abortion-inducing drugs.

28 Jun 2013

Wellcome Trust-funded study could point to new therapies for glue ear

Important new insights into how the brain compensates for temporary hearing loss during infancy, such as that commonly experienced by children with glue ear, are revealed in a research study in ferrets.

28 Jun 2013

Former CMS head: Tie doc payment reforms to patient outcomes

A former Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator told the Senate Finance Committee Wednesday that Medicare should focus on fewer quality measures in their assessments, letting patient outcomes dictate what constitutes quality care instead.

28 Jun 2013

State highlights: Ore. targets waste with uniform credentialing; Managed care lessons from Calif.

The Oregon House passed a bill with unanimous support Monday that supporters say could save the economy $150 million in administrative waste by crafting a single credentialing process that all insurers, hospitals and coordinated care organizations can share for thousands of health care providers. If Gov. Kitzhaber signs Senate Bill 604 into law, Oregon will also be the first state to have a uniform, electronic credentialing database where each provider can be quickly accessed.

27 Jun 2013

Cruz says immigration plan would affect workers' benefits under health law; Senate panel hears concerns about Medicare audits

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, criticizes the pending immigration bill and health law while Medicare observation care and audits are hot topics during a Senate Finance Committee hearing. Also in the news, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, talks about hospital CEO pay. In addition, he and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., push to open the Medicare claims payment database.

27 Jun 2013

First Edition: June 26, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about the latest developments in the health care marketplace.

26 Jun 2013

Hearing News and Research

Short on funds, HHS failed to investigate 1,200 fraud cases last year

Texas abortion bill sent to full chamber

Scientists uncover easy strategies to prevent harmful side-effects of antibiotics responses

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

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

States consider new mental health care services, parity for seniors, prisoners

Parents, children should leave fireworks displays to experts, say Vanderbilt specialists

Research shows DHA found in fish oil can reduce inflammation

Mayo Clinic provides tips to stay safe this summer

Researchers find fear can increase or decrease ability to discriminate among sounds depending on context

Viewpoints: The entitlement crisis is not over; VA needs to deal more effectively with mental health issues; Iowa gives governor new abortion duty

State highlights: Maine to permit Rx drugs from Canada; Ore. to levy hospital, nursing home assessment tax

High court moves tentatively toward hearing case on abortion-inducing drugs

Study shows infants can recognize each other's emotions

First Edition: June 28, 2013

Wellcome Trust-funded study could point to new therapies for glue ear

Former CMS head: Tie doc payment reforms to patient outcomes

State highlights: Ore. targets waste with uniform credentialing; Managed care lessons from Calif.

Cruz says immigration plan would affect workers' benefits under health law; Senate panel hears concerns about Medicare audits

First Edition: June 26, 2013

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

Managing vibration in IVF laboratories

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

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