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Two surveys show 'huge variation' in health costs in U.S.

The Wall Street Journal: Two studies out Monday - one is a country-by-country survey by the International Federation of Health Plans, and the second from Change: healthcare - "attempt to bring some clarity to how costs stack up, both between different countries and among U.S. providers that might be just a few blocks apart."

24 Nov 2010

UNAIDS report finds new HIV infections dropped by 20% over 10 years, deaths from AIDS-related illness dropped by 20% over 5 years

The number of new HIV infections has dropped by about one-fifth over the past decade but millions of people are still missing out on major progress in prevention and treatment, according to the annual UNAIDS report released Tuesday, Agence France-Presse reports.

23 Nov 2010

Insuring your health: Retirees can find insuring young adult children difficult

In her latest Kaiser Health News consumer column, Michelle Andrews writes: "According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the key is whether the retiree health plan is made up only of retirees and their dependents or a mix of both active and retired employees and dependents.

23 Nov 2010

'Telehealth' devices allow patients to track illnesses from home

Thousands of seriously ill patients are relying on computerized health trackers to help keep them safe at home.

23 Nov 2010

Feds recover $3 billion in health care fraud and other settlements

CNN: "Government lawyers have recovered a near-record $3 billion this year from health care fraud and other settlements, the Justice Department announced Monday." Assistant Attorney General Tony West said the funds included "a record $2.5 billion in recoveries from huge health care fraud cases against giant pharmaceutical firms. Only in 2006, when the federal government recovered $3.2 billion in total settlements, had recoveries previously hit the $3 billion mark" (Frieden, 11/22).

23 Nov 2010

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan faces new lawsuits, GOP in Florida looks to malpractice reform to help draw doctors to Medicaid program

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is facing a wave of lawsuits across the state accusing the insurance giant of pocketing millions of dollars in hidden fees from local governments and others to administer their health care plans.

23 Nov 2010

Kansas hospitals report sharp increases in uncompensated care

News outlets report on a dramatic increase in uncompensated care at Kansas hospitals because of the economic downturn and a new study that finds poor families with high-deductible plans often put off needed care.

23 Nov 2010

Government orders three Medicare advantage plans to stop marketing, enrolling new members

The U.S. government's Medicare program has ordered three health insurers Universal American Corp. (UAM), Health Net Inc. (HNT) and Arcadian Health to stop marketing to and enrolling new members in their Medicare Advantage health and prescription-drug plans, saying the companies violated regulations.

23 Nov 2010

Health on The Hill - November 22, 2010

Kaiser Health News staff writers Mary Agnes Carey and Julie Appleby talk with KFF's Jackie Judd about recent health policy developments, including the newly released Health and Human Services regulations dealing with the medical loss ratio and the status in Congress of the one-month patch to prevent physicians who see Medicare patients from having their payments reduced.

23 Nov 2010

Today's Op-Eds: HMOs, the 'fixed' middlemen; you can't keep your coverage; the (in) effectiveness of medical cost control

Wouldn't it be better to let HMOs compete to offer the cheapest most innovative plans-rather than having the plans defined by new exchanges that must follow federal rules and meanwhile allow the HMOs a generous fixed middleman share of total health pie.

23 Nov 2010

CEO Cancer Gold Standard employee wellness program highlighted in Harvard Business Review

The latest issue of Harvard Business Review highlighted the CEO Cancer Gold Standard, as an example of a high quality, signature program that can boost the overall effectiveness of a broad spectrum of workplace wellness initiatives. In an article entitled, "What's the Hard Return on Employee Wellness Programs?" it was shown that the return on investment (ROI) of effective workplace wellness programs can be as high as 6 to 1.

23 Nov 2010

Racial disparities in risk and survival among children with neuroblastoma: Study

Black, Asian, and Native American children are more likely than white and Hispanic children to die after being treated for neuroblastoma, according to new research on the pediatric cancer. The study, of more than 3,500 patients with the disease, is the largest ever to look at racial disparities in risk and survival for the most common solid cancer found in young children.

23 Nov 2010

HHS Secretary launches new application cycle for NHSC Loan Repayment Program

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the launch of the new application cycle for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program, during a visit to Total Health Care, a community health center in Baltimore.

23 Nov 2010

Implanted devices to treat cardiac dysfunction show success in real world use

Implanted devices that treat cardiac dysfunction in heart failure patients are as successful in "real world" use as they are in controlled clinical trial settings, according to a large new study reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

23 Nov 2010

Study examines nosocomial outbreak of influenza in Hong Kong hospitals

Direct contact and droplets are the primary ways influenza spreads. Under certain conditions, however, aerosol transmission is possible. In a study published in the current issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, available online, the authors examined such an outbreak in their own hospital in Hong Kong.

23 Nov 2010

Photoacoustic tomography and gold nanobeacons help researchers view blood vessel formation

See it for yourself: a new breakthrough in imaging technology using a combination of light and sound will allow health care providers to see microscopic details inside the body. Access to this level of detail potentially eliminates the need for some invasive biopsies, but it also has the potential to help health care providers make diagnoses earlier than ever before-even before symptoms arise. Details describing this advance are published online in the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org/content/early/2010/11/19/fj.10-171728.abstract).

23 Nov 2010

Researchers highlight importance of motivating people to seek HIV testing

HIV infected patients whose treatment is delayed not only become sicker than those treated earlier, but also require tens of thousands of dollars more in care over the first several years of their treatment.

23 Nov 2010

aAetna announces pilot with MCNT to improve diabetes care

Aetna today announced a pilot with the Medical Clinic of North Texas aimed at improving the care of diabetic patients of Hispanic and African American descent.

23 Nov 2010

ADA systematic review provides nutrition practice guidelines to support people with diabetes

Proper nutrition therapy is essential for the successful management of type 1 and type 2 diabetes and registered dietitians (RDs) can play a key role as part of the health care team.

23 Nov 2010

As hospital system expands, patients advocates worry

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jordan Rau, working in collaboration with KQED and NPR, reports: "Sutter Health's gleaming $618 million Mills-Peninsula Medical Center, scheduled to open here in February, is filled with doctor- and patient-friendly features.

23 Nov 2010

Health Care News and Research

Two surveys show 'huge variation' in health costs in U.S.

UNAIDS report finds new HIV infections dropped by 20% over 10 years, deaths from AIDS-related illness dropped by 20% over 5 years

Insuring your health: Retirees can find insuring young adult children difficult

'Telehealth' devices allow patients to track illnesses from home

Feds recover $3 billion in health care fraud and other settlements

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan faces new lawsuits, GOP in Florida looks to malpractice reform to help draw doctors to Medicaid program

Kansas hospitals report sharp increases in uncompensated care

Government orders three Medicare advantage plans to stop marketing, enrolling new members

Health on The Hill - November 22, 2010

Today's Op-Eds: HMOs, the 'fixed' middlemen; you can't keep your coverage; the (in) effectiveness of medical cost control

CEO Cancer Gold Standard employee wellness program highlighted in Harvard Business Review

Racial disparities in risk and survival among children with neuroblastoma: Study

HHS Secretary launches new application cycle for NHSC Loan Repayment Program

Implanted devices to treat cardiac dysfunction show success in real world use

Study examines nosocomial outbreak of influenza in Hong Kong hospitals

Photoacoustic tomography and gold nanobeacons help researchers view blood vessel formation

Researchers highlight importance of motivating people to seek HIV testing

aAetna announces pilot with MCNT to improve diabetes care

ADA systematic review provides nutrition practice guidelines to support people with diabetes

As hospital system expands, patients advocates worry

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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