Health Care News and Research

RSS

CMS: Insurers need to create plans for dual eligibles

Medicare Advantage insurers that cover some of the most expensive patients must develop individualized plans to coordinate care for each one, according to a final CMS rule issued Friday. The agency also formalized language in the Affordable Care Act requiring these so-called Special Needs Plans, which handle the costly population covered by both Medicare and Medicaid, to implement quality improvement programs and be certified in 2012 by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

29 Aug 2011

Kassebaum reflects on HIPAA's impact

[Nancy Landon] Kassebaum [Baker], the name she went by in the Senate as a three-term Republican from Kansas and before her marriage to former Sen. Howard Baker (R-Tenn.), was a co-sponsor along with Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Kassebaum, now 79, is living with her husband in Huntsville, Baker's hometown in the Cumberlands of northeastern Tennessee.

29 Aug 2011

Disappearance of mosquitoes from some parts of Africa puzzles researchers

"Malaria-carrying mosquitoes are disappearing in some parts of Africa, ... indicat[ing] controls such as anti-mosquito bed nets are having a significant impact on the incidence of malaria in some sub-Saharan countries," researchers report in a paper published in Malaria Journal, according to BBC News. But the team of Danish and Tanzanian "researchers say mosquitoes are also disappearing from areas with few controls," and "[t]hey are uncertain if mosquitoes are being eradicated or whether they will return with renewed vigor," the news agency writes.

29 Aug 2011

European infusion therapy device market to reach €533 million by 2017: New report

According to a new report by iData Research, the leading global authority in medical device market research, the European infusion therapy device market, which includes needleless connectors, infusion pumps and intravenous (IV) sets, was valued at an estimated €443 million in 2010.

29 Aug 2011

U-M's minimally invasive revascularization procedure can treat peripheral arterial disease

Henry Gibbs, 58, is a ballroom dance instructor, but he was forced to hang up his dancing shoes when a circulation condition, common among older adults, caused severe leg pain and cramping.

29 Aug 2011

First Edition: August 29, 2011

Kaiser Health News staff writer Christopher Weaver, working in collaboration with The Washington Post, writes: "The federal health law calls for a huge expansion of the Medicaid program in 2014 - a potential bonanza for insurers if the law survives court challenges and opposition by Republican contenders for the White House. The expansion will add 16 million enrollees, mostly in private plans, bringing the total nationwide to about 65 million and raising the stakes for controlling costs. As budgetary pressure rises, states are increasingly passing it on to private plans".

29 Aug 2011

Philips to launch first sleep apnea mobile app at ESC 2011 congress

Royal Philips Electronics will provide clinicians from across the globe with a glimpse of future innovations designed to advance cardiac care, including the current management of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and associated cardiac conditions, during the 2011 Congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), which opens today in Paris.

From Philips Healthcare 29 Aug 2011

Leucine may help people burn fat during periods of food restriction

Research on Mt. Everest climbers is adding to the evidence that an amino acid called leucine - found in foods, dietary supplements, energy bars and other products - may help people burn fat during periods of food restriction, such as climbing at high altitude, while keeping their muscle tissue.

29 Aug 2011

AF AWARE campaign launches Atrial Fibrillation in Primary Care tool

The AF AWARE campaign today, at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2011 in Paris, announces the launch of the Atrial Fibrillation in Primary Care (AFIP) tool, developed to help primary care physicians (PCPs) with early diagnosis and optimal management of patients with atrial fibrillation.

29 Aug 2011

Sutureless method for reconnecting blood vessels

Reconnecting severed blood vessels is mostly done the same way today - with sutures - as it was 100 years ago, when the French surgeon Alexis Carrel won a Nobel Prize for advancing the technique.

29 Aug 2011

People with lower socioeconomic status more likely to develop heart disease

People with lower socioeconomic status are much more likely to develop heart disease than those who are wealthier or better educated, according to a recent UC Davis study.

29 Aug 2011

First Dental Health's new discount plan now available nationwide

New Dental Choice, a comprehensive and affordable discount dental plan provided by First Dental Health, is now available nationwide. In addition, the plan now offers its members access to discount vision, hearing and prescription drug programs.

29 Aug 2011

Low-cost device to help physicians detect and diagnose cancer

An engineering researcher and a global health expert from Michigan State University are working on bringing a low-cost, hand-held device to nations with limited resources to help physicians detect and diagnose cancer.

29 Aug 2011

States experimenting with Medicaid managed care

Some states are seeing managed care as a way to save money on their Medicaid programs, according to news coverage.

29 Aug 2011

GOP trying to turn Medicare, health reform law into political gain

"Republicans are accusing Democrats of using 'scare tactics' to convince Americans the GOP wants an end to Medicare and Social Security. In the party's weekly radio address, Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada says both parties should come together to fix those programs ... 'Let's stop the lies about who wants to end Medicare or eliminate Social Security and fix both programs now,' Heller says".

29 Aug 2011

Health information exchanges improve provider efficiencies and save health plan costs

A new study conducted by Humana and the Wisconsin Health Information Exchange (WHIE) found that health information exchanges (HIE), when used in emergency departments, resulted in improved provider efficiencies and health plan cost savings.

26 Aug 2011

Rotavirus vaccine still effective in reducing diarrhea-related deaths in Mexico, researchers say

"The rotavirus vaccine introduced in Mexico in 2007 still appears to be preventing diarrhea-related deaths in children, despite speculation that years later the vaccine may not be as effective," according to the Los Angeles Times' "Booster Shots" blog.

26 Aug 2011

Flooding in Pakistan kills at least 16, affects 'dozens' of homes

"In what appears to be a repeat -- on a limited scale -- of the 2010 flood disaster in Pakistan with northern areas affected mainly by flash floods sweeping down from the mountains after heavy rain, at least 16 people have died in the remote Kohistan District of Khyber Pakhtookhwa Province (KP)," IRIN reports.

26 Aug 2011

South African HIV cases fall slightly to 5.4M, but new infections continue to outpace prevention efforts

"The number of people living with HIV in South Africa has dropped slightly to 5.38 million, and the number of AIDS deaths is finally starting to fall, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe said Thursday ... in a written reply to a question from parliament, where lawmakers had asked for an update on the success of the anti-AIDS fight," Agence France-Presse reports.

26 Aug 2011

Viewpoints: Drug shortages = rationing; Changing forces in health marketplace; Birth control mandate

A widespread shortage of prescription drugs is hampering the treatment of patients who have cancer, severe infections and other serious illnesses. While some Republican politicians have railed against the imaginary threat of rationing under health care reform, Congress has done nothing to alleviate the all-too-real rationing of lifesaving drugs caused by this crisis.

26 Aug 2011