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Leapfrog names UMHHC a top hospital for safety and quality

The University of Michigan hospitals are among the safest and most effective hospitals in the country, according to a new national ranking from the respected independent health care quality rating organization, The Leapfrog Group. This is the second year in a row, and third year overall, that Leapfrog named the U-M Hospitals and Health Centers a top hospital.

7 Dec 2011

Kenyans affected by flooding in need of humanitarian, medical aid

Heavy rains and flooding in Kenya, which have affected more than 40,000 people and caused at least a dozen deaths, are "complicating efforts to reach thousands of people made homeless by the flooding, an official of the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) told IRIN."

7 Dec 2011

Public sector employees retire sooner to protect health benefits, pensions

As states and cities struggle to resolve paralyzing budget shortfalls by sending workers on unpaid furloughs, freezing salaries and extracting larger contributions for health benefits and pensions, a growing number of public-sector workers are finding fewer reasons to stay.

7 Dec 2011

Addressing sexual violence in the context of conflict, disasters

In this post in USAID's "IMPACTblog," Anita Malley, internal displacement and protection adviser at the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, examines the importance of addressing sexual violence in conflicts and disasters, recapping a trip she took to Cote d'Ivoire with her colleagues in June.

7 Dec 2011

A changing of the guard at CMS

CQ HealthBeat reports on the new head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, while other news outlets report on the outgoing administrator's thoughts on the job and the system.

7 Dec 2011

Comparative-effectiveness research takes center stage

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute attracted a larger-then-expected volume of applications for its pilot projects grants program. Meanwhile, the institute, which was created by the health law, will release its draft agenda next month.

7 Dec 2011

Survey finds high level of physician unhappiness with insurance companies

More than 10,000 physicians across the nation participated in Medscape's Insurer Ratings Report 2011. Feelings of outrage, resignation, and powerlessness dominated the comments that we received. In more than 4,700 physician remarks, the vitriol jumped off the page about physicians' perceptions of unjustified denials of claims, needless preauthorization demands, and requests for documentation that seem designed to stall payment for as long as possible.

7 Dec 2011

Health law's insurance exchanges studied, demonstrated

According to data from Connecticut insurers, the majority of health plans sold to individuals and small businesses provide less generous coverage -- most likely, at a lower cost -- than plans sold on the exchange will be required to provide. The analysis suggests that people buying insurance through the exchange could get plans that offer more coverage with lower out-of-pocket costs, but they would likely have to pay more for them.

7 Dec 2011

UH Case Medical Center designated as 'Top Hospital' and leader in quality patient care

University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio is among 65 hospitals nationwide to be designated as a "Top Hospital" and leader in quality patient care by The Leapfrog Group.

7 Dec 2011

Legislative update: A range of congressional health measures draw attention

New legislation was introduced to make drug price gouging a federal crime. Also, a measure is pending that seeks to make the upcoming Supreme Court term "must-see TV." The abortion battle will heat up again in a hearing scheduled today over the Prenatal NonDiscrimination Act.

7 Dec 2011

Study: Number of young people choosing nursing jumps

An increasing number of young men and women are opting for nursing as a career, says a study released Monday by the RAND Corporation. The study may serve to allay fears about a nursing shortage as the health care law is implemented and millions of people without insurance sign up for medical plans. It predicts that if the growth continues, there will be enough nurses to meet national health care needs by 2030.

7 Dec 2011

Multiple-employer health plans will be subject to quick enforcement procedures

Under a proposed rule stemming from the health law, the secretary of labor will have enforcement tools designed to protect employers, providers and workers from mismanaged or fraudulent multiple-employer welfare arrangements.

7 Dec 2011

Medicare enrollment deadline is tomorrow

Seniors enrolled in Medicare have until Wednesday to select a medical and prescription-drug plan for 2012. Medicare moved up its enrollment deadline to Wednesday from the traditional Dec. 31 deadline. Consumers who have Medicare and have not selected a plan have until Wednesday to switch plans. Even those who decide to stick with existing plans are encouraged to review their options because plans can change from year to year.

7 Dec 2011

Still on the Capitol Hill to-do list: Payroll tax holiday extension, Medicare doc fix

Reuters terms the tasks as "issues affecting Americans' pocketbook." The outstanding questions include how to pay for the payroll tax break extension - could Medicare offer some ideas? Also, could the doc fix fight spill over into January? One area where there appears to finally be a truce, though, is the fight over Tricare, the health insurance plan for the military. Meanwhile, Politico looks ahead to health policy issues in 2012.

7 Dec 2011

Combination of cannabinoids and opiates could help reduce chronic pain

A UCSF study suggests patients with chronic pain may experience greater relief if their doctors add cannabinoids - the main ingredient in cannabis or medical marijuana - to an opiates-only treatment. The findings, from a small-scale study, also suggest that a combined therapy could result in reduced opiate dosages.

7 Dec 2011

Business of Health: Iowa companies merging, 'rapid' growth for Mass. for-profit chain

In Iowa, two nonprofit nursing services are joining, and in Mass., Steward Health Care System's growth is worrying community hospitals.

7 Dec 2011

Family planning spending cuts will lead to 'more unwanted' pregnancies, 'unsafe abortions'

"Unwanted babies and unsafe abortion are major problems in the developing world, yet funding for contraception is limited because of attitudes to sex and abortion in donor countries," the Guardian's Sarah Boseley writes in her "Global Health Blog."

7 Dec 2011

Vietnam should shut compulsory rehab centers for drug users, sex workers, U.N. expert says

A U.N. expert on Monday "urged Vietnam ... to close down its compulsory rehabilitation centers for sex workers and drug users, stressing that detention and forced treatment violate their right to health and perpetuate stigmatization and discrimination of those groups in the society," the U.N. News Centre reports.

7 Dec 2011

Fake, poor-quality drugs boosting malaria drug resistance in Southeast Asia, U.S. experts say

"Fake or poor quality malaria drugs are boosting resistance in parts of southeast Asia, a problem that is likely to worsen unless tighter regulations are adopted, U.S. experts said Monday" at a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights, Agence France-Presse reports.

7 Dec 2011

New global map shows difficult-to-treat malaria strain remains prevalent in Asia, Latin America

"Declining malaria deaths in Africa and progress toward an effective malaria vaccine are raising hopes the disease will soon be eradicated worldwide," but "researchers at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, [on Monday] unveiled a new global malaria map that raises new concerns about the disease," VOA News writes.

7 Dec 2011