Health Care News and Research

RSS

Most clinicians feel systems and procedures for preventing hospital readmissions ineffective

More than nine out of ten clinicians believe that reducing readmissions is an important topic, but few have the resources at hand to tackle it, according to a new study from QuantiaMD®, the leading mobile and online physician community, and the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM).

24 Mar 2011

House small business panel takes on health law waivers

During the committee hearing, GOP panel members "demanded to know" about the process used by federal officials to approve more than 1,000 waivers for companies, labor unions and states.

24 Mar 2011

Modern healthcare: CMS priorities won't change, even if its leader does

If the Obama administration were to nominate Marilyn Tavenner, principal deputy administrator and chief operating officer of the CMS, to lead that agency instead of Dr. Donald Berwick, the current administrator who has been renominated, its priorities would not change in the coming years, she said.

24 Mar 2011

DISCUSS survey findings highlight need to prioritize GERD dialogue

According to findings from the new nationwide DISCUSS Survey, many people surveyed report that their gastroesophageal reflux disease and/or persistent heartburn symptoms significantly disrupt their lives.

24 Mar 2011

At one-year mark, political players draw lines in the sand

Politico reports on how Democrats, who find themselves under siege, are not getting as much help as they expected from big name health overhaul supporters. Meanwhile, GOP lawmakers and presidential hopefuls are using this landmark day to make clear their opposition.

24 Mar 2011

Kentucky, Minn., Florida, Texas facing tough Medicaid, budget decisions

Governor Steve Beshear of Kentucky has given lawmakers less than two weeks to approve his plan to come up with $165 million for Medicaid or he'll cut payments. The first-term Democrat, who took office in January 2008, faces a local variation on a problem vexing governors across the U.S.: when Kentucky lawmakers approved an $18 billion biennial budget last year, they overestimated federal Medicaid funding.

24 Mar 2011

Prescription Solutions launches unique online service to streamline Prior Authorization requests

Prescription Solutions, a leading pharmacy benefits management organization and UnitedHealth Group company, has launched a unique online service to streamline submission, review and approval of Prior Authorization requests.

24 Mar 2011

Checking the status of legal challenges to the health law

The multi-state challenge is on its way to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals In Atlanta. A June 6 date has been set for the hearing.

24 Mar 2011

CAGW expresses continued opposition to Obamacare and its wasteful spending

Today, on the one-year anniversary of the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Citizens Against Government Waste expressed its continued opposition to the legislation and the U.S. government's wasteful spending.

24 Mar 2011

Viewpoints: Boehner, Mcconnell, Thune, major new organizations opine on health law

We now know that lawmakers who promised that "if you like your plan, you can keep your plan" were wrong. The president likes to say Americans aren't interested in revisiting the debates of the past. No one would accept an answer like that from an electronics store manager who refused to offer a refund on a defective television.

24 Mar 2011

Doubts and potential surround health law as it turns 1

Marking the measure's first anniversary, media outlets examine the current state of the political and policy debate, as well as efforts to shape the law's future.

24 Mar 2011

SAVE THE PATIENT offers hygiene tips to prevent hospital-acquired infection

With infections contracted in hospitals rising at alarmingly high rates, patients cannot simply rely on hospital hygiene practices and protocols to protect themselves. Patients need to proactively interact with health care staff to ensure their own safety.

24 Mar 2011

Roundup: Calif. lawmakers mull bill to tighten hospital security; abortion measures continue to advance in various states

A California legislative committee gave preliminary approval Tuesday to a bill that would tighten security at hospitals and increase their requirements for reporting violent acts to the state.

24 Mar 2011

Hospitals show progress with acquisition, joint venture deals

Modern Healthcare reports on two hospital deals currently in the works.

24 Mar 2011

First Edition: March 23, 2011

Today's headlines mark the health law's official first birthday and examine where the related policies and politics now stand.

23 Mar 2011

'The Silent Treatment' research focuses on communication breakdown in hospitals

Health care professionals make calculated decisions daily to not alert their colleagues when a safety tool signals potential harm to a patient, according to a new study of 6,500 nurses and nurse managers released March 22 during a national briefing in Philadelphia.

23 Mar 2011

States advance in developing health insurance exchanges

Various states are developing strategies to build and operate their exchanges.

23 Mar 2011

Report highlights common problems in Nordic mental health care reforms

In Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden reforms within psychiatry have transformed inpatient care to the point where it has increasingly been replaced by outpatient care.

23 Mar 2011

Job prospects rosy for home health aides, visiting nurses

With the U.S. population growing grayer, job prospects for home health aides — and every worker providing health care to seniors, for that matter — are quite rosy.

23 Mar 2011

Death of parents can impact child's health

The death of parents entails an increase in their children's risk of dying. This is shown in a new study performed by Mikael Rostila, a researcher at the Center for Health Equity Studies in Sweden, and Jan Saarela, a researcher at Åbo Akademi University in Finland.

23 Mar 2011