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DaVita wins 2014 Immunization Excellence Awards in "Healthcare Personnel Campaign" category

DaVita Kidney Care, a division of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc. (NYSE: DVA) and a leading provider of kidney care services, was recognized at the National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit (NAIIS) as the national winner in the "Healthcare Personnel Campaign" category of the 2014 Immunization Excellence Awards.

14 May 2014

First Edition: May 14, 2014

Today's headlines include stories about consumer frustrations about cost and coverage issues that are emerging with the health law's implementation.

14 May 2014

Highlights: Mass. death rate drops after universal coverage; Calif. immigrant licensing; Calif. offenders mental health treatment

The mortality rate in Massachusetts declined substantially in the four years after the state enacted a law in 2006 mandating universal health care coverage, providing the model for the Affordable Care Act.

13 May 2014

Obama's pick to head HHS draws praise from Democrats and Republicans during first confirmation hearing

Sylvia Mathews Burwell, who has been nominated by the White House to become the next Health and Human Services secretary, also faced tough questions about the health law's implementation and the trouble-plagued healthcare.gov. Her answers revealed some policy positions and what her priorities will be if she wins the Senate's OK.

12 May 2014

Hagan defends Medicaid expansion, criticizes GOP rival in Burwell hearing

During a nomination hearing Thursday for Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Sen. Kay Hagan -- a North Carolina Democrat in a tough re-election battle -- criticized North Carolina Republicans for declining to expand the Medicaid program under the health law. Her GOP opponent, Thom Tillis, is the state House speaker.

12 May 2014

People with longevity gene have improved brain skills

Scientists showed that people who have a variant of a longevity gene, called KLOTHO, have improved brain skills such as thinking, learning and memory regardless of their age, sex, or whether they have a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.

12 May 2014

First Edition: May 9, 2014

Today's headlines include highlights from the first Senate confirmation hearing for Sylvia Mathews Burwell, President Barack Obama's pick for Health and Human Services Secretary.

9 May 2014

'Face of campaign' initially unable to get coverage

It took a reporter's intervention to obtain coverage for a Chicago resident who had touted the law's benefits at a news conference last year but who had been mired in computer and other problems. Other reports look at how free preventive services may reduce health disparities and whether insurers can charge higher premiums to those who smoke e-cigarettes.

9 May 2014

New Aspen Dental office to open in Murfreesboro, TN on June 5

A new Aspen Dental office is opening in Murfreesboro, TN on Thursday, June 5. Located at 2711 Medical Center Parkway, the conveniently located practice will provide dental services that range from dentures and preventive care to general dentistry and restoration.

9 May 2014

Axial Exchange launches new Spanish-language version of mobile application

Axial Exchange, Inc., a pioneer in using mobile applications to deepen the patient's role in improving outcomes, launched a new Spanish-language version of its mobile application, making the company's innovative patient engagement tools available to a greater population.

9 May 2014

Senate confirmation hearings begin for Obama's pick to head HHS

Today the first of two scheduled hearings will take place for Sylvia Mathews Burwell. Though she is expected to be confirmed as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, she is also expected to face some tough questions about the health law.

9 May 2014

HHS finds hospitals getting safer

The administration credited the improvements at least partially to the Affordable Care Act.

9 May 2014

New Aspen Dental office to open in St. Augustine, FL

A new Aspen Dental office is opening in St. Augustine, FL on Thursday, June 5. Located at 1747 US Highway 1 South, the conveniently located practice will provide dental services that range from dentures and preventive care to general dentistry and restoration.

8 May 2014

First Edition: May 8, 2014

Today's headlines include reports from a Capitol Hill hearing featuring health insurers' testimony about their experiences with new enrollment under the health law.

8 May 2014

MAXIMUS revenue increases 35% to $439.0 million in second quarter fiscal 2014

MAXIMUS, a leading provider of government services worldwide, today reported financial results for the three and six months ended March 31, 2014.

8 May 2014

NIH-funded study in tanzanian infants tracked risk of severe malaria over time

Although malaria kills some 600,000 African children each year, most cases of the mosquito-borne parasitic disease in children are mild.

8 May 2014

WHI: Combined hormone therapy clinical trial yields massive economic return

Economic findings were released today on the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), estrogen plus progestin (E+P) trial.

8 May 2014

State highlights: SEIU, hospital strike deal in Calif.; N.Y. Medicaid audit; dental therapists

A selection of health policy stories from California, New York, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana and North Carolina.

8 May 2014

Research may have "major implications" for treatment of urinary tract infections in children

A major new pediatric research study led by a Wayne State University researcher, funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), has "major implications" for the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in millions of American children.

8 May 2014

Viewpoints: Obamacare a 'Hispanic success story'; another day in court for health law challengers

It makes obvious sense to attribute the surge to the Affordable Care Act, which kicked into full gear in the January-March period measured by the Bureau of Economic Analysis figures.

7 May 2014