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GOP's Ryan prepares Medicare 'premium assistance,' Medicaid block grants in budget proposal

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., gave a preview Sunday of the budget proposal he is expected to unveil on Tuesday. In an appearance on "Fox News Sunday," Ryan outlined what to expect from the House GOP proposal and how the plan would affect Medicaid and Medicare.

5 Apr 2011

CORHIO, five Boulder County organizations sign deal to share patient data through HIE

Five Boulder County health care organizations have signed agreements to share patient data through the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization's Health Information Exchange, CORHIO officials announced today.

5 Apr 2011

New York Times examines nonprofits that close for mission-related reasons

"A few nonprofit groups have recently announced plans to wind down, not over financial problems but because their missions are nearly finished," the New York Times reports, noting that though the number of organizations closing shop "for mission-related reasons is too small to call a trend. ... the novelty of organizations going out of business once their work is done has attracted attention."

5 Apr 2011

More physicians opting for salaries, other health care industry news

Even as a girl, Dr. Kate Dewar seemed destined to inherit the small-town medical practice of her grandfather and father. ... But when she finishes residency this summer, Dr. Dewar, 31, will not be going home. Instead, she will take a job as a salaried emergency room doctor at a hospital in Elmira, N.Y., two hours away.

5 Apr 2011

South Asian Conference on Sanitation kicks off in Sri Lanka

The fourth South Asian Conference on Sanitation kicked off Monday in the Sri Lankan capital city of Colombo, to raise awareness about the "sanitation crisis in the region," Xinhua reports.

5 Apr 2011

U.S. files appeal seeking to overturn Vinson ruling

The Obama administration filed its appellate brief to the 11th Circuit Friday, arguing that the appeals court should overturn the ruling of federal Judge Roger Vinson that found the individual mandate -- and therefore the entire health law -- unconstitutional.

5 Apr 2011

Asymmetrical flattening of the skull increasing in infants and young children

The prevalence of plagiocephaly, a condition marked by an asymmetrical, flattening of the skull, appears to be increasing in infants and young children, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the August issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

5 Apr 2011

Research: Unemployment increases risk of premature mortality by 63%

Research by McGill Sociology Professor Eran Shor, working in collaboration with researchers from Stony Brook University, has revealed that unemployment increases the risk of premature mortality by 63 per cent.

5 Apr 2011

Health plans cut out expensive doctors and hospitals

The Los Angeles Times reports that thousands of California employers are cutting back on insurance expenses by restricting access to expensive doctors and hospitals. Also, Bloomberg looks at which companies are getting money from the new federal health law for retiree expenses includes some major US corporations.

5 Apr 2011

Opinions: Africa's agricultural sector; foreign aid funding

"There is no doubt that Africa is on the move … But if African countries are to achieve the new future within their grasp, then there needs to be a new focus on the daunting obstacles still to be overcome. … High among these challenges is the need to transform the continent's agriculture," former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan writes in a BusinessDay opinion piece reflecting on the challenges facing Africa's agricultural system and the opportunities to respond to the growing food demands.

5 Apr 2011

Health Care REIT acquires $2.4 billion Genesis real estate assets

Health Care REIT, Inc. announced today that it has completed the $2.4 billion acquisition of substantially all of the real estate assets of privately-owned Genesis HealthCare, which was previously announced on February 28, 2011.

5 Apr 2011

All Children's Hospital joins Johns Hopkins Medicine

All Children's Hospital, in St. Petersburg, Fla., is now a part of the Johns Hopkins Health System (JHHS) and a fully integrated member of Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM). All Children's is the first U.S. hospital outside of the Baltimore/Washington, D.C., region to become integrated with JHM, which includes the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System.

4 Apr 2011

Data on hospital-acquired conditions now available

The CMS has published an electronic file of raw data on its website containing facility-specific information on eight hospital-acquired conditions, including blood incompatibility, air embolisms and two types of healthcare-associated infections.

4 Apr 2011

International Isotopes 2010 net loss increases 49% to $6,802,014

International Isotopes Inc. announces the financial results for fiscal year ended December 31, 2010.

4 Apr 2011

VA's electronic health record system to be updated

The Veterans Affairs Department, which operates one of the largest medical systems in the world, is moving ahead with plans to modernize its electronic health- records using open-source software. ... U.S. hospitals and medical practices are preparing to digitize their health records, often using commercial products. ...

4 Apr 2011

Lack of specialists accepting Medicaid hampers care

Eight-year-old Draven Smith was expelled from school last year for disruptive behavior, and he is being expelled again this year. But his mother and his pediatrician cannot find a mental health specialist to treat him because he is on Medicaid, and the program, which provides health coverage for the poor, pays doctors so little that many refuse to take its patients.

4 Apr 2011