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Blue Cross of Massachusetts agrees to reduce dramatic rate increases

In Massachusetts, the state's largest health insurer has agreed to reduce dramatic rate increases for individuals and small businesses.

7 Aug 2010

Health reform provisions on abortion, IRS reporting requirements stirring up Capitol Hill

The Hill reports that Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, introduced legislation Thursday "designed to eliminate a controversial provision of the Democrats' new healthcare reform law that allows subsidized plans to offer abortion coverage if patients pay separately, and with their own money, for that portion of the coverage.

7 Aug 2010

Equatorial Guinea, ECCAS partner to form network to fight H1N1, HIV

Equatorial Guinea (Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial) and the Global Viral Forecasting Initiative, along with several Central African States, have partnered with the Economic Community of Central African States to form a network to fight H1N1 and HIV. The purpose of the network's recent forum was to share knowledge and best practices, and to collect data and prevention procedures among military health professionals in the region.

7 Aug 2010

From Florida to Oregon, Medicare Advantage's benefits – and cuts – vary

This Kaiser Health News story by David Gulliver, produced in partnership with Health News Florida, explores how the impact of changes to Medicare Advantage will differ from place to place across the country.

7 Aug 2010

College of Nursing awarded $753,817 grant to provide education in nursing leadership

The University of Colorado College of Nursing has been awarded a $753,817 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, to prepare advanced practice nurses with the expertise to provide leadership for high quality healthcare in rural and medically underserved urban areas.

7 Aug 2010

State news: Kansas facing Medicaid shortfall; Indiana to expand coverage for low-income adults; Maryland's medical home experiment

Sen. Sam Brownback, the Kansas Republican who is running for governor, "faced new questions Thursday about joining fellow congressional Republicans in opposing legislation that would prop up state budgets as his Democratic opponent in the race for governor criticized him. Brownback said he is against a plan that includes extra Medicaid dollars for states because it wasn't drafted in a fiscally responsible way. Kansas' share is $131 million, and its current $13.7 billion budget won't balance without the money, which covers health care for the poor and disabled" (Hanna, 8/5).

7 Aug 2010

Research Roundups: Expanding Medicaid; More spending doesn't reduce mortality; Colonoscopy cost effectiveness; Kids, asthma and access to care

Health Affairs: Little Evidence Of Correlation Between Growth In Health Care Spending And Reduced Mortality - This study examines differences in hospital mortality and cost between 2000 and 2004 for patients at 122 U.S. hospitals, with seven common medical diagnoses: acute myocardial infarction, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, community-acquired pneumonia, congestive heart failure, cerebrovascular accident (also called ischemic stroke), sepsis, or urinary tract infection.

7 Aug 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

According to a Lancet Comment, "alcohol remains conspicuously absent from the larger field of research and programming in HIV and substance use. ... Patterns of hazardous alcohol consumption prevail in countries with the most severe HIV epidemics, notably eastern and southern Africa." In addition, "hazardous drinking patterns also dominate in the concentrated epidemics of eastern Europe and Asia, where alcohol use by injecting drug users and other marginalised groups might be an additional barrier to effective efforts to prevent HIV infection."

7 Aug 2010

Today's OpEds: Reform battles, state challenges to law loom over elections

In its rush to blunt public opposition to the newly enacted health reform law, the Obama administration is on a collision course with Republicans as the November midterm elections loom. On behalf of his reform agenda, President Barack Obama in recent weeks bypassed the Senate to make a "recess" appointment of a new Medicare and Medicaid administrator, Donald Berwick, while Congress was adjourned for the Independence Day holiday.

7 Aug 2010

First Edition: August 6, 2010

In today's health policy headlines, news reports about the Senate's passage of a state aid package that includes an extension of Medicaid enhanced funding, and the latest report from the Medicare Trustees.

6 Aug 2010

FDA proposed rules address industry, consumer concerns

The Food and Drug Administration may tighten rules for approving medical devices that are only slightly different from already-blessed products, The Chicago Tribune reports.

6 Aug 2010

IBM-Aetna partnership launches clinical support collaboration

IBM and Aetna have teamed up to create a service that will analyze patient medical records, claims data, lab results and other information to determine the best treatments, Reuters reports.

6 Aug 2010

State Department employees face 'stigma' for seeking mental health help

The State Department is attempting to change how it handles mental health services for employees with high-stress jobs, "but there's still a great deal of stigma attached to seeking this kind of help," an internal report says.

6 Aug 2010

Poor countries need assistance developing sustainable agricultural systems, USDA Undersecretary says

Governments and aid groups must do more to help the world's hungry develop sustainable agricultural systems, U.S. Agriculture Department Undersecretary James Miller said during an address Wednesday on the final day of the International Food Aid and Development Conference, the Associated Press reports (Hollingsworth, 8/4).

6 Aug 2010

VA commits last of its Recovery Act funds to increase access to health care, services to Veterans

The Department of Veterans Affairs committed the last of its $1.8 billion in Recovery Act funds July 31, one of the first federal agencies to achieve that milestone. Projects at more than 1,200 sites in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico will increase access to health care and services to Veterans, while creating jobs and stimulating the economy.

6 Aug 2010

Select Medical teams up with Baylor, joint venture to provide quality health care

Baylor Health Care System and Select Medical Corporation announced today a proposed partnership between Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Select that is designed to create a regional rehabilitation network to serve the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. This joint venture is subject to governmental approvals and it is anticipated that the joint venture will be approved and finalized within the normal process for governmental review.

6 Aug 2010

Recession pushes cancer patients to forego treatment

In 2009 and 2010, as the economic collapse shuddered across the globe, oncologists in California noticed a troubling trend: Three patients who had had serious tumors under control for as long as eight years reappeared in the clinic with massive cancer regrowth which, in one case, required emergency surgery.

6 Aug 2010

Ingenix CareTracker practice management, EHR system available to Federally Qualified Health Centers

Ingenix, a leading health information technology and services company, today announced it is making a specially-designed version of its Ingenix CareTracker practice management and electronic health record system available to Federally Qualified Health Centers. Ingenix CareTracker, which provides all of the capabilities physicians need to demonstrate "Meaningful Use," will offer these community health centers a cost-effective, Web-based, practice management and EHR option that will help them improve operational efficiency and patient care, and qualify for incentives offered by the federal government for demonstrating Meaningful Use of health IT.

6 Aug 2010

Kaiser Family Foundation/CSIS forum reviews AIDS 2010, looks ahead to AIDS 2012

Last month's 18th International AIDS Conference-AIDS 2010 in Vienna, Austria, will be remembered as the first since the global economic downturn, the growing recognition of treatment as part of prevention and a focus on the importance of human rights, HIV/AIDS experts said Thursday during a panel discussion in Washington, D.C. A webcast of the event is available online.

6 Aug 2010

Search for meaning in Missouri's rejection of health law provision

Republicans are holding up a Missouri ballot measure, which voters approved with 71% support, to reject a key health overhaul provision as evidence that the public does not like the law, The Washington Post reports.

6 Aug 2010

Health Care News and Research

Blue Cross of Massachusetts agrees to reduce dramatic rate increases

Health reform provisions on abortion, IRS reporting requirements stirring up Capitol Hill

Equatorial Guinea, ECCAS partner to form network to fight H1N1, HIV

From Florida to Oregon, Medicare Advantage's benefits – and cuts – vary

College of Nursing awarded $753,817 grant to provide education in nursing leadership

State news: Kansas facing Medicaid shortfall; Indiana to expand coverage for low-income adults; Maryland's medical home experiment

Research Roundups: Expanding Medicaid; More spending doesn't reduce mortality; Colonoscopy cost effectiveness; Kids, asthma and access to care

Recent releases in Global Health

Today's OpEds: Reform battles, state challenges to law loom over elections

First Edition: August 6, 2010

FDA proposed rules address industry, consumer concerns

IBM-Aetna partnership launches clinical support collaboration

State Department employees face 'stigma' for seeking mental health help

Poor countries need assistance developing sustainable agricultural systems, USDA Undersecretary says

VA commits last of its Recovery Act funds to increase access to health care, services to Veterans

Select Medical teams up with Baylor, joint venture to provide quality health care

Recession pushes cancer patients to forego treatment

Ingenix CareTracker practice management, EHR system available to Federally Qualified Health Centers

Kaiser Family Foundation/CSIS forum reviews AIDS 2010, looks ahead to AIDS 2012

Search for meaning in Missouri's rejection of health law provision

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement 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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