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Kent, Women & Infants hospitals unveil FAST rapid response programs

Kent and Women & Infants hospitals, both members of the Care New England health care system, recently unveiled programs designed to empower patients and families to call for immediate action if they have concerns about the care being given to a patient.

19 Nov 2010

Americans' confidence in health care system lower than other industrialized counties, study finds

"Despite having the most expensive healthcare system in the industrialized world, Americans tend to have the least confidence that their system will provide them the most-effective care compared to residents of 10 other industrialized nations, a Commonwealth Fund survey has found. A survey of nearly 20,000 people in the U.S. and 10 other industrialized nations has found that U.S. consumers reported the highest level of confusing complexity of their health insurance plans, and the highest level of concern that they would not be able to afford their healthcare coverage" (Carlson, 11/18).

19 Nov 2010

Eisai signs statement of intent with WHO to supply medicine for treatment of lymphatic filariasis

Eisai Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo, President & CEO: Haruo Naito) announced today that it has signed a statement of intent with the World Health Organization to supply free of charge a primary medicine for the treatment of lymphatic filariasis.

19 Nov 2010

KHN column – The Medicare doc fix: Physicians again are staring into the abyss

What used to be an annual exercise -- waiting to see whether and by how much Congress would increase payments to physicians under Medicare -- has now become a more frequent and even more frustrating activity for physicians.

19 Nov 2010

Today's Op-Eds: The ObamaCare suit; Fixing physician pay; A federal takeover of Medicaid; Cues from Britain

The voters showed their loathing for the law on November 2, and a large, united legal front of states would increase the chances that the courts find it unconstitutional and preserve our federal system (11/18).

19 Nov 2010

57 million Americans have prediabetes: Study

Prediabetes is a warning sign that type 2 diabetes is around the corner. People with prediabetes have blood sugar levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Approximately 24 million Americans have type 2 diabetes, but an even more staggering 57 million people in the United States have prediabetes, meaning they are at grave risk of developing this disease. And once a prediabetic person becomes diabetic, there is no turning back.

18 Nov 2010

Urgent action needed to address urban health inequities

A new report published today by WHO and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) shows for the first time how ill-health is linked to poverty in cities, and not just among the poorest urban populations. It calls for policymakers to take action targeting health inequities.

18 Nov 2010

Despite progress in testing Americans for HIV, lack of federal/private insurance impedes expansion

With projections that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection rates are increasing in some populations, former Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop -- who charted the nation's policies on HIV/AIDS following the first deaths from AIDS in 1981 -- today issued a stern warning to the public health community: HIV/AIDS continues to be a major epidemic and requires a national mobilization to identify and provide immediate care for many Americans with HIV who remain undiagnosed -- an estimated 200,000 people.

18 Nov 2010

MFA reports that senior and Medicaid markets drive health enrollment gains

The nation's leading health insurers saw an aggregate increase of 363,000 members for the first six months of 2010. Declining commercial enrollment was offset primarily by gains in products offered to seniors and growth in Medicaid business. Administrative Services Only (ASO) enrollment gained 1.4 million members from December 2009 to June 2010. All of the leading health plans saw year-over-year profitability improvement.

18 Nov 2010

The Court upheld valid claims of two KCI patents

Kinetic Concepts, Inc. today announced that the Court of Appeal of England and Wales has upheld the validity of important claims of two KCI patents relating to negative pressure wound therapy. The Court also found that NPWT products marketed by Smith & Nephew plc infringe one of the patents.

18 Nov 2010

BayCare receives SAMHSA grant to develop VFCN network

BayCare Behavioral Health today announced that it has been awarded a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the amount of $200,000 to develop the Veteran, Family and Community Network (VFCN).

18 Nov 2010

Colo. nurse practitioners struggle for recognition, reimbursement; Mass. struggles with health care access

The Denver Post: "When nurse practitioner Mary Lou Hendrix opened her own high-risk-pregnancy practice in Evergreen and Cherry Creek last spring after more than 25 years of providing such care in physicians' offices, she was well-prepared for the medical challenges she would face. But she was not ready for the still-unresolved nightmare of trying to get recognized and reimbursed by insurance companies.

18 Nov 2010

CDC data: Adults remain unvaccinated against preventable infectious illnesses

New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that adults remain largely unvaccinated against preventable infectious illnesses.

18 Nov 2010

National leaders to formulate recommendations for high-value health care system

With the 2010 election over and new Capitol Hill leadership arriving in 2011, it is important to continue the discussion about patient-centered health care. In a sustained effort to seek consensus-driven policies that would build a high-value health care system, the Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center will host a symposium Dec. 5 entitled Achieving the Vision: Advancing High-Value Health Care.

18 Nov 2010

Health Net partners with DoD for Major Depression Disease Management Program

Health Net Federal Services, LLC, part of the Government Contracts segment of Health Net, Inc. (NYSE:HNT), today announced its Major Depression Disease Management Program established in partnership with the Department of Defense (DoD) for TRICARE beneficiaries, ages 18-64. TRICARE is the DoD's health care plan for active duty and retired service members and their families.

18 Nov 2010

US has highest out-of-pocket costs and most complex health insurance

A new 11-country survey from The Commonwealth Fund finds that adults in the United States are far more likely than those in 10 other industrialized nations to go without health care because of costs, have trouble paying medical bills, encounter high medical bills even when insured, and have disputes with their insurers or discover insurance wouldn't pay as they expected. According to the report, the findings highlight the need for Affordable Care Act reforms that will ensure access to health care, protect people from medical debt, and simplify health insurance.

18 Nov 2010

Report plus Great American Smokeout offer reasons to quit, renew tobacco prevention efforts

A new report issued by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross) shows that each year, smoking is responsible for 5,135 deaths in Minnesota and $2.87 billion in excess medical costs to treat diseases caused by smoking. The report, titled "Health Care Costs and Smoking in Minnesota," was completed by Jeffrey Fellows, Ph.D., and a nationally known health economist from the Center for Health Research at Kaiser Permanente Northwest.

18 Nov 2010

First Global Symposium on Health Systems Research kicks off in Switzerland

The First Global Symposium on Health Systems Research bringing together researchers, policymakers and donors kicked off in Montreux, Switzerland, on Tuesday, with some conference attendees calling for African leaders to do more to promote health progress in their countries, PANA/Afrique en ligne reports.

18 Nov 2010

Cholera case confirmed in Dominican Republic; Haitian protestors blame U.N. peacekeeping troops for cholera outbreak

Officials on Tuesday said they had confirmed the first case of cholera in Haiti's neighbor, the Dominican Republic, the Associated Press/Forbes reports

18 Nov 2010

FAO report highlights 'alarmingly' high food price increases, forecasts food import bills could exceed $1T in 2010

International food import bills could exceed $1 trillion in 2010, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said Wednesday in its Food Outlook report, which found that wheat and other food staple prices have increased alarmingly over the past year, the Associated Press reports.

18 Nov 2010

Health Care News and Research

Kent, Women & Infants hospitals unveil FAST rapid response programs

Americans' confidence in health care system lower than other industrialized counties, study finds

Eisai signs statement of intent with WHO to supply medicine for treatment of lymphatic filariasis

KHN column – The Medicare doc fix: Physicians again are staring into the abyss

Today's Op-Eds: The ObamaCare suit; Fixing physician pay; A federal takeover of Medicaid; Cues from Britain

57 million Americans have prediabetes: Study

Urgent action needed to address urban health inequities

Despite progress in testing Americans for HIV, lack of federal/private insurance impedes expansion

MFA reports that senior and Medicaid markets drive health enrollment gains

The Court upheld valid claims of two KCI patents

BayCare receives SAMHSA grant to develop VFCN network

Colo. nurse practitioners struggle for recognition, reimbursement; Mass. struggles with health care access

CDC data: Adults remain unvaccinated against preventable infectious illnesses

National leaders to formulate recommendations for high-value health care system

Health Net partners with DoD for Major Depression Disease Management Program

US has highest out-of-pocket costs and most complex health insurance

Report plus Great American Smokeout offer reasons to quit, renew tobacco prevention efforts

First Global Symposium on Health Systems Research kicks off in Switzerland

Cholera case confirmed in Dominican Republic; Haitian protestors blame U.N. peacekeeping troops for cholera outbreak

FAO report highlights 'alarmingly' high food price increases, forecasts food import bills could exceed $1T in 2010

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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