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MAXIMUS operates health care appeal programs for state regulatory agencies

The United States Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and the Treasury announced yesterday a new internal claims and appeals and external review process for group health plans under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

23 Jul 2010

First Edition: July 23, 2010

Today's news coverage includes more details about the Obama administration's new rule on appealing rejections of health insurance claims and a new law to reign in improper government payments.

23 Jul 2010

New data on health insurance to be included in AHRQ's 2009 State Snapshots

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's annual release of state-by-state quality data has been expanded to include new data on health insurance, including data on health care quality categorized by source of payment, including private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and those without insurance.

23 Jul 2010

News outlets report on medical intellectual property developments, drug access issues

Inter Press Service reports on a recent symposium on access to medicine, "jointly hosted by the WHO, the World Trade Organization and the World Intellectual Property Organisation."

23 Jul 2010

New appeal regulations empower consumers to better control their health care decisions

Today, the Obama Administration is announcing both new regulations to empower consumers to appeal decisions made by their health plans or insurance companies and the availability of resources that will be used to help give consumers more control of their health care decisions. These provisions of the Affordable Care Act will help support and protect consumers and help end some of the worst insurance company abuses.

23 Jul 2010

Senior Smart introduces online tool for seniors looking for quality assisted living facilities

In response to the "graying of America" phenomena, Senior Smart announced today the inception of http://www.assisted-living-info.org, an online tool that provides the perfect match between families and seniors actively looking for assisted living and quality assisted living facilities nationwide.

23 Jul 2010

Emotional barriers, structural barriers can prevent PLWHA from seeking care, treatment: Survey

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today presented results from a national survey which found that emotional barriers, such as stigma, fear, denial and shame, and structural barriers, such as lack of knowledge, transportation, and insurance coverage, can prevent people living with HIV/AIDS from seeking care and treatment.

23 Jul 2010

New rules Thursday on appealing insurance claims, states take lead in health reform implementation

Kaiser Health News /The Washington Post obtained a summary of new rules to be released Thursday by the Obama administration that will make it easier for consumers to appeal the denials of their health insurance claims as the White House tries to "boost political support" for the new health law.

23 Jul 2010

Choice between late-term abortion or keeping an unhealthy foetus

Most pregnant women whose foetus is proven to have a genetic abnormality choose to have an abortion, but reaching that decision is a painful, exhausting process for most of them. "The women's doubt, pain and sorrow make abortion more moral - in the eyes of society as well as her own," says Sølvi Marie Risøy, a researcher at the Stein Rokkan Centre for Social Studies, University of Bergen.

23 Jul 2010

Organizations highlight plight of HIV-positive Haitians, call for donors to support 'whole of society' health system strengthening

Organizations attending the International AIDS Conference-AIDS 2010 highlighted the plight of HIV-positive earthquake survivors in Haiti who are "still waiting for aid promised to them before" the quake as rebuilding efforts slowly move along, Agence France-Presse reports.

23 Jul 2010

Premier awards Press Ganey contract to measure, improve patient satisfaction across member organizations

Press Ganey Associates, Inc. announced today that it has been awarded contracts by Premier Purchasing Partners, L.P., Inc., the group purchasing unit of Premier, Inc., to help measure and improve satisfaction and engagement among patients, employees, and physicians at its member organizations.

23 Jul 2010

New model for scaling up treatment, prevention of HIV amongst IDUs

Against the backdrop of some of the globe's fastest growing HIV epidemics in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, a report launched today at the XVIII International AIDS conference in Vienna makes the case for a new model for scaling up treatment and prevention of HIV amongst Injecting Drug Users.

23 Jul 2010

Health bodies to discuss steps to further reduce mother to child HIV transmission

Transmission of HIV to children before or at birth has dropped dramatically around the country in the last decade since the advent of powerful new therapies. That certainly is true for Florida, where each year, fewer than 10 babies are born with the disease despite the fact that more than 600 HIV-positive women each year, on average, give birth.

23 Jul 2010

Fla. doctors consider cutting ties to AMA; Indiana seeks to get more uninsured covered; LA continues to seek leader for troubled health department

The House of Delegates of the Florida Medical Association is scheduled to consider a resolution severing ties with the American Medical Association because of its support for the healthcare reform law. The Florida group will consider the move at its annual meeting next month. The scathing resolution takes the AMA to task for having 'failed to achieve one single concession' in the healthcare reform bill.

23 Jul 2010

NVCI, CSN and Workforce CONNECTIONS partner to launch ARRA funded nursing internship program

Nevada Cancer Institute (NVCI) is launching its Plus One Program, a paid nursing internship initiative to equip nursing graduates with advanced training to give them an edge in today's competitive nursing job market. After completing a paid one-year internship at NVCI, participants will become oncology nurses, a highly sought-after specialty. These specialized jobs have the potential to pay increased wages, provide excellent benefits and support articulated career ladders within the field of oncology.

23 Jul 2010

Businesses prepare for health IT push; AMA worries small practices might struggle

In expectation of expansive new federal spending on electronic medical records, technology firms are expanding their health care businesses, Politico reports. "Now that the Obama administration has finalized the rules by which health care providers can be reimbursed for the systems with billions in stimulus dollars, they're making serious plans to transition from paper to digital records — an expensive process that information technology and telecom companies are eager to help with."

23 Jul 2010

Annual premium for employer sponsored family health plan costs 54% more in 2009 than in 2000: AHRQ

The annual premium for a family health plan sponsored by an employer cost about 54 percent more in 2009 than it did in 2000, $13,027 and $8,437 (adjusted for inflation), respectively, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

23 Jul 2010

Kaiser Permanente's Total Joint Replacement Registry enhances patient safety, quality of care

A total joint replacement registry based on carefully designed and integrated technology can enhance patient safety, quality of care, cost-effectiveness and research, according to a paper published in the online and print editions of Clinical Orthopedics and Related Research, a journal of the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons.

23 Jul 2010

African Americans at increased risk of kidney failure caused by hypertension

Regardless of demographics, African American patients with hypertensive nephrosclerosis have a higher rate of developing end stage renal disease than dying prematurely, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.Earlier studies showed patients of all races with Chronic Kidney Disease were at greater risk of dying prematurely from cardiovascular disease than reaching ESRD.

23 Jul 2010

European countries squeeze drug prices to stop health care spending growth

Reuters: More European countries are trying to limit what they pay for drugs in an attempt to control "runaway" health spending. "Concerns about the European pharmaceuticals market are increasing just as anxieties over U.S. healthcare reforms have abated, casting a shadow over Big Pharma's results season."

23 Jul 2010

Health Care News and Research

MAXIMUS operates health care appeal programs for state regulatory agencies

First Edition: July 23, 2010

New data on health insurance to be included in AHRQ's 2009 State Snapshots

News outlets report on medical intellectual property developments, drug access issues

New appeal regulations empower consumers to better control their health care decisions

Senior Smart introduces online tool for seniors looking for quality assisted living facilities

Emotional barriers, structural barriers can prevent PLWHA from seeking care, treatment: Survey

New rules Thursday on appealing insurance claims, states take lead in health reform implementation

Choice between late-term abortion or keeping an unhealthy foetus

Organizations highlight plight of HIV-positive Haitians, call for donors to support 'whole of society' health system strengthening

Premier awards Press Ganey contract to measure, improve patient satisfaction across member organizations

New model for scaling up treatment, prevention of HIV amongst IDUs

Health bodies to discuss steps to further reduce mother to child HIV transmission

Fla. doctors consider cutting ties to AMA; Indiana seeks to get more uninsured covered; LA continues to seek leader for troubled health department

NVCI, CSN and Workforce CONNECTIONS partner to launch ARRA funded nursing internship program

Businesses prepare for health IT push; AMA worries small practices might struggle

Annual premium for employer sponsored family health plan costs 54% more in 2009 than in 2000: AHRQ

Kaiser Permanente's Total Joint Replacement Registry enhances patient safety, quality of care

African Americans at increased risk of kidney failure caused by hypertension

European countries squeeze drug prices to stop health care spending growth

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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