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Health exchange's one-year mark: Looking forward, looking back

As of Oct. 1, the health law's online marketplaces have been up and running for a year. News outlets offer status reports on what appears to have gone well, what problems remain as the second open enrollment period approaches and how these factors are playing politically.

3 Oct 2014

Early review: Open payments database not so open

The new federal website, which was created to provide information about financial links between physicians and the drug industry, is not user-friendly, notes The Associated Press. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal digs into the data to see what it shows about the ties between medical professionals and the drug industry.

3 Oct 2014

Open payments database debuts, detailing financial connections between physicians and drug makers

Consumer advocates have pushed for years for this kind of government database in an effort to protect against physicians' conflicts of interest, to safeguard patient care and to prevent unnecessary costs to public health programs.

1 Oct 2014

N.J. gets new insurer; Oregon shifts to HealthCare.gov

One year in, separating fact and political fiction about the Obamacare marketplaces remains difficult, reports CBS News.

1 Oct 2014

American Cancer Society, Lane Bryant team up to support breast cancer awareness

Lane Bryant, the nation's leading women's specialty size apparel retailer, has announced that they will partner with the American Cancer Society to support Breast Cancer Awareness through a synergistic campaign during the month of October.

30 Sep 2014

Virginia Tech scientists plan to use social media to develop new approach to addiction recovery

Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientists plan to use social media to develop a new approach to addiction recovery, one that takes advantage of people's instinct for social connectedness.

30 Sep 2014

Website launches today showing drugmakers' payments to doctors

The so-called Open Payments program is intended to shine a light on potential ethical conflicts and allow patients to look up their doctors online. The first batch of data, however, will be incomplete, covering only a few months at the end of 2013. Journalism website ProPublica says it has tracked 3.4 million payments to health professionals since 2009, totaling more than $4 billion.

30 Sep 2014

Report: Finding care is difficult for some new Medicaid enrollees

State standards for access to care for Medicaid recipients vary widely and are rarely enforced, says a soon-to-be released report by the Health and Human Services Department's inspector general. Meanwhile, Tennessee's governor pursues Medicaid expansion talks, and confusion continues in Pennsylvania about what benefits will be available to enrollees in that state's expansion plan.

30 Sep 2014

Specific nurse-to-patient staffing standards lower job-related injuries, illnesses for nurses

A 2004 California law mandating specific nurse-to-patient staffing standards in acute care hospitals significantly lowered job-related injuries and illnesses for both registered nurses and licensed practical nurses, according to UC Davis research published online in the International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health.

30 Sep 2014

Christiana Care Health System wins 2014 Health Devices Achievement Award

ECRI Institute is pleased to announce Christiana Care Health System, Wilmington, DE, as the winner of its 9th Annual Health Devices Achievement Award.

29 Sep 2014

Avanir Pharmaceuticals closes public offering of 20,930,000 shares of common stock

Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the closing of its previously announced public offering of 20,930,000 shares of its common stock, including 2,730,000 shares sold pursuant to the underwriters' full exercise of their option to purchase additional shares, at a price to the public of $11.00 per share, before underwriting discounts.

29 Sep 2014

HealthCare.com launches new health insurance comparison website

HealthCare.com announces the launch of its new health insurance comparison website that gives consumers more choices to research, shop and buy healthcare plans, which could lead to lowering insurance costs for millions of Americans.

29 Sep 2014

Raritan Bay Medical Center accepts customer service inquiries via Twitter

Raritan Bay Medical Center announces it will begin to accept customer service inquiries via Twitter, the social media website.

29 Sep 2014

Viewpoints: Hospitals helped by Medicaid expansion; why GOP candidates back OTC contraceptives

Now the Department of Health and Human Services has issued a report showing that ... thanks to the Affordable Care Act, hospitals across the country will save $5.7 billion in uncompensated care costs in 2014.

29 Sep 2014

Cantel Medical achieves record revenue growth in fourth quarter 2014

CANTEL MEDICAL CORP. reported net income of $10,705,000, or $0.26 per diluted share, on a 15% increase in sales to a record $131,377,000 for the fourth quarter ended July 31, 2014, inclusive of $0.02 for charges related to acquisition and CFO retirement costs.

29 Sep 2014

Bigger challenges forecast for health law's second enrollment drive

Enrolling new customers will be more complicated this time around because potential enrollees may be harder to reach, reports The Wall Street Journal.

29 Sep 2014

Lpath closes $12.5 million registered direct offering

Lpath, Inc., the industry leader in bioactive lipid-targeted therapeutics, announced today the closing of its previously announced $12.5 million registered direct offering.

29 Sep 2014

AAPA welcomes NGA’s report that highlights role of PAs in the U.S. healthcare

The American Academy of Physician Assistants welcomes a new report from the National Governors Association (NGA) that highlights the important—and rapidly growing—role of physician assistants (PAs) in the U.S. healthcare workforce.

27 Sep 2014

Study: Healthcare.gov costs top $2B

The finding by a Bloomberg Government analysis exceeds the cost estimates provided by the Obama administration. Meanwhile, an administration official says efforts are "continuing, step by step" to improve the health insurance website, but also steers clear of specific pledges.

25 Sep 2014

Administration: Health law brings down hospitals' uncompensated care costs

As part of a report released Wednesday, Obama administration officials cited evidence that hospitals are projected to save $5.7 billion in uncompensated care costs as previously uninsured patients gain coverage through the health law. The savings are most significant in states that expanded their Medicaid programs.

25 Sep 2014