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UnitedHealthcare recognizes employers for improving employees' health through wellness programs

UnitedHealthcare has announced winners of its Well Deserved Award, an annual honor given to employers who have demonstrated a strong commitment to improving their employees' health and well-being through effective worksite wellness programs.

6 Jun 2014

HHS probes data discrepancies for 2 million enrollees

Administration officials said that in most cases, those discrepancies will not affect consumers' coverage or the level of subsidies they received. Individuals are being asked to submit additional documentation to ensure they're getting the correct tax credits.

6 Jun 2014

UnitedHealthcare and IRONKIDS join forces to motivate young people to lead healthy lifestyles

UnitedHealthcare is teaming up with IRONKIDS® for the UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS Kansas Fun Run to inspire and motivate young people to lead active, positive and healthy lifestyles.

6 Jun 2014

Medicaid rolls grow by 6 million since health law rollout

The total, which includes 1.1 million people who signed up in April alone, does not indicate how many people gained coverage through the law's expansion of Medicaid, a program pursued by 26 states. That's because individuals who were eligible for Medicaid before the law's passage, but not enrolled, also signed up.

6 Jun 2014

First Edition: June 5, 2014

Today's headlines include the latest developments regarding congressional action on the veterans' health care scandal as well as reports about the latest Medicaid enrollment figures in the context of the health law.

5 Jun 2014

ASTRO issues new Model Policy for proton beam therapy

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has issued a new Model Policy for proton beam therapy (PBT) that details which cancer diagnoses meet ASTRO's evidence-based standards and should be covered by private insurers and Medicare.

5 Jun 2014

Congress supports full Medicare coverage of lung cancer screening for seniors

A large number of United States Senators and Representatives are taking the lead to support full Medicare coverage of low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening for seniors at high risk for lung cancer.

5 Jun 2014

States scramble to pay hefty tab for health exchange fixes

According to The Wall Street Journal, five states -- Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada and Oregon -- will look to their own funds, remaining federal grants and new federal funding requests to pay these costs.

5 Jun 2014

Medicare overpays advantage plans billions because of billing errors: report

An investigation by the Center for Public Integrity examines how use of a "risk score" that is supposed to help protect the private plans if they have an excess of sicker beneficiaries may have been mishandled.

5 Jun 2014

Congress wrestles with best way to solve VA problems

Lawmakers ponder whether to expand the system or just give veterans more opportunities to opt into private health care at federal expense. Some analysts say, though, that any fixes could be held up in the Senate by election year bickering.

5 Jun 2014

Democrats tout Medicaid expansion in campaigns

But House Republicans are divided over their promise to vote on a health law alternative this year as millions of Americans are now enrolled in expanded Medicaid and subsidized private coverage.

5 Jun 2014

PointRight releases PointRight Pro 30 to track and reduce rehospitalization rates

PointRight Inc., providing industry-standard analytics for healthcare providers and payers, announces the release of PointRight® Pro 30™, an upgraded version of its popular tools leveraging big data to track and reduce rehospitalization rates in long-term care (LTC) facilities.

5 Jun 2014

First Edition: June 4, 2014

Today's headlines include a story about the costs some states will face in attempting to fix their online insurance marketplace.

4 Jun 2014

Medicare data highlight variations in hospital charges, increased costs for common ailments

The data, released Monday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, include 2012 prices for the most common inpatient stays at 3,376 hospitals.

4 Jun 2014

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators improve survival among heart failure patients

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are associated with improved survival among heart failure patients whose left ventricles only pump 30 to 35 percent of blood out of the heart with each contraction, according to a study from the Duke Clinical Research Institute.

4 Jun 2014

Medicare to pay for hep C screenings for baby boomers

The decision comes amid controversy surrounding the costs of new drugs to treat the blood-borne virus. Meanwhile, two studies find that Medicare could save billions if doctors switched from an expensive eye medication to a similar, much cheaper one and, also, if Part D plans were selected based on the actual drugs patients take.

4 Jun 2014

Coordinated Health announces inaugural Athlete of the Year, awards college scholarship

Coordinated Health — the popular specialized hospital network — in partnership with The Morning Call, this evening named Catasauqua High School quarterback Zack Bradley the inaugural Coordinated Health Athlete of the Year.

4 Jun 2014

Viewpoints: No return to 'bad-old days' of mental health commitments; fighting over school lunches; doctors' role in reform

It is difficult to read stories about Elliot Rodger, the 22-year-old man who went on a murderous spree in Isla Vista, Calif., last month, without feeling some empathy for his parents. We know that his mother, alarmed by some of his misogynistic YouTube videos, made a call that resulted in the police visiting Rodger.

4 Jun 2014

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries enters into definitive agreement to acquire Labrys

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., and Labrys Biologics, Inc., a privately-held development stage biotechnology company focused on treatments for chronic migraine and episodic migraine, today announced that Teva has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Labrys, broadening Teva's array of biotechnology assets and capabilities.

3 Jun 2014

Healthcare Trust of America to acquire six MOBs for $200 million

Healthcare Trust of America, Inc. announced today that it was under contract to acquire six medical office buildings ("MOBs") located in major east coast markets, including Boston, Miami and Baltimore for a total consideration of $200 million.

3 Jun 2014

Medicare News and Research

UnitedHealthcare recognizes employers for improving employees' health through wellness programs

HHS probes data discrepancies for 2 million enrollees

UnitedHealthcare and IRONKIDS join forces to motivate young people to lead healthy lifestyles

Medicaid rolls grow by 6 million since health law rollout

First Edition: June 5, 2014

ASTRO issues new Model Policy for proton beam therapy

Congress supports full Medicare coverage of lung cancer screening for seniors

States scramble to pay hefty tab for health exchange fixes

Medicare overpays advantage plans billions because of billing errors: report

Congress wrestles with best way to solve VA problems

Democrats tout Medicaid expansion in campaigns

PointRight releases PointRight Pro 30 to track and reduce rehospitalization rates

First Edition: June 4, 2014

Medicare data highlight variations in hospital charges, increased costs for common ailments

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators improve survival among heart failure patients

Medicare to pay for hep C screenings for baby boomers

Coordinated Health announces inaugural Athlete of the Year, awards college scholarship

Viewpoints: No return to 'bad-old days' of mental health commitments; fighting over school lunches; doctors' role in reform

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries enters into definitive agreement to acquire Labrys

Healthcare Trust of America to acquire six MOBs for $200 million

Event guide: 4th Extra-Hepatic Lipid-Based Nanoparticles Delivery Summit eBook

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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