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Overhaul will bring changes, improve quality for Medicare Advantage plans

The Wall Street Journal: "Over the next 10 years, the new health-care law will divert some $132 billion from Medicare Advantage, according to a recent report by George Washington University's Department of Health Policy. This has sparked concern that these plans may reduce benefits, raise premiums, or both. But the impact is likely to vary from plan to plan.

11 May 2010

Consumers, officials work to sort out new health law

For at least one state, implementing health reform is starting to appear easier said than done. The Daily Record, a Baltimore legal newspaper, reports, "Maryland's new Health Care Reform Coordinating Council held its first meeting last week, resolving to find the best way to implement provisions of the landmark federal health care overhaul.

11 May 2010

NIAMS, NINDS announce 5-year, $7.5M natural history study of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) are launching a five-year, $7.5 million natural history study of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Duchenne), a degenerative genetically-linked neuromuscular disease. The study aims to validate non-invasive approaches to monitor the progression and treatment of Duchenne, and holds potential to facilitate the development of promising new therapies for people with the disease.

10 May 2010

Zilver PTX Drug-Eluting Peripheral Stent safe and effective for treating SFA lesions

Patients treated with the Zilver® PTX™ Drug-Eluting Peripheral Stent maintained clinical improvement at two years, according to interim results from the Zilver® PTX™ Global Registry presented today as a late-breaking clinical trial at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) 33rd Annual Scientific Sessions.

10 May 2010

AARP and coalition group urge Governor to enact legislation

Legislation that will bring a sweeping reform to the way in which for-profit nursing homes operate in Illinois and that will greatly improve the quality of care and safety for institutionalized residents passed the State Senate today, and is on its way to the Governor's desk.

10 May 2010

Texas CHIP program faces budget uncertainties while Arizona Governor restores funds for health care programs for the poor

Seven years ago, state leaders working to close a $9.9 billion budget gap took a hatchet to government health insurance for children of the working poor. Thousands of children paid the price when officials tightened eligibility rules and whacked dental, vision and mental health benefits. Gradually, benefits were restored to the Children's Health Insurance Program and, this month, enrollment reached roughly the same level as in 2003.

7 May 2010

New documentary film reveals effective alternative therapies for health problems

Soft Touch Chiropractic and Acupuncture will be hosting the following free movie screenings at their wellness center located at 19474 Rinaldi St. Northridge, CA 91326.

7 May 2010

The doctor pay fix: Medicare's Groundhog Day

NPR reports on the delayed fix for Medicare physician payments, "Medicare's version of Groundhog Day."

7 May 2010

WWP applauds President Obama for signing new law to care for wounded warriors

Wounded Warrior Project applauds President Obama for signing into law a measure that, for the first time, will ensure that families of veterans severely wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan receive comprehensive, coordinated financial and other support that will enable them to provide these warriors with needed home-care.

6 May 2010

$Seniors who consume high dietary protein are less likely to suffer hip fractures$

Seniors who consume high dietary protein are less likely to suffer hip fractures

Seniors who consume a higher level of dietary protein are less likely to suffer hip fractures than seniors whose daily dietary protein intake is less, according to a new study by the Institute for Aging Research of Hebrew SeniorLife in Boston, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School.

5 May 2010

Roche announces Health Canada approval for ACTEMRA to treat RA

Roche today announced that Health Canada has approved ACTEMRA(TM) (tocilizumab) to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic, progressive inflammatory disease of the joints and surrounding tissues that is associated with intense pain, irreversible joint destruction and systemic complications, such as fatigue and anemia.

4 May 2010

ACTS Retirement-Life Communities announces affiliation with PUMH, Heron Point

ACTS Retirement-Life Communities, one of the nation's largest not-for-profit senior living organizations, today announced that it has completed an affiliation with the Peninsula United Methodist Homes, Inc. (PUMH) and Heron Point of Chestertown (Heron Point), and will assume management and operation of four continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) in Delaware and Maryland.

3 May 2010

California community health centers face potentially crippling budget cuts

North Bay (Santa Rosa, Calif.) Business Journal: "While community health centers are widely seen as winners with the passage of a sweeping health bill in late March, such centers in California face potentially crippling state budget cuts, which could offset potential gains that won't take effect until 2014, according to clinic directors throughout the North Bay.

3 May 2010

Officials face challenges in writing new health law regulations

Obama administration officials face a "monumental task" in writing new regulations to the health care law while keeping one eye on public perception ahead of November's midterm elections.

30 Apr 2010

Florida Congress members introduce bill to stiffen Medicare fraud laws

Two members of Congress from Florida, emphasizing that "criminal penalties for Medicare fraud must be updated," have introduced legislation that would "double fines, increase background checks and even study how biometric technology could help ensure the appropriate use of program services." Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., and Ron Klein, D-Fla., said the bill "will help crack down on Medicare fraud, protecting seniors and taxpayers alike.

30 Apr 2010

Registration for 2010 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology opens

Starting today, aspiring scientists and mathematicians nationwide can register for the 2010 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology, the premiere original research competition for high school students in the United States. In just six months, submitted projects will be judged and the countdown to the national finals in Washington, D.C. will begin.

30 Apr 2010

Gaps in delivering publicly-funded physiotherapy across Canada

From Prince Edward Island, to Ontario, to British Columbia; it is getting harder for many Canadians to access publicly funded physiotherapy services. Health care reform initiatives have shifted outpatient physiotherapy into the community, decreasing or eliminating public funding.

30 Apr 2010

Seniors often don't choose best quality Medicare Advantage plans, study finds

The Associated Press: "Millions of seniors signed up for popular Medicare Advantage insurance plans don't get the best quality, an independent study found. How the private plans score on a quality rating system set up by the government is about to have a direct impact on insurers' finances — not to mention seniors' benefits and premiums.

30 Apr 2010

First Edition: April 29, 2010

This week, as yet another major health insurer reports quarterly gains, the industry says it will stop the practice of rescissions earlier than required by the new reform law. Meanwhile, other headlines examine key provisions of the measure, such as its high risk pools.

29 Apr 2010

New MDC tool provides alternative choices to user's current prescription drugs

Healthcare reform legislation has enacted changes that will significantly affect the Medicare Part D prescription drug program. The most immediate impact of the reform aims to close the "donut hole", a component of the benefit design in which seniors must pay the full cost for their drugs themselves.

29 Apr 2010