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UHC awards a 3-year single-source agreement to Ascent

The University HealthSystem Consortium today announced that it has awarded a 3-year single-source agreement to Ascent, a leader in health care resource sustainability. The agreement, which has 2 optional 1-year renewal periods, became effective on July 1, 2010. Under the contract, Ascent will offer single-use device reprocessing programs to UHC's 107 academic medical centers and 233 affiliated hospitals.

12 Jul 2010

MDT releases statement questioning AGD's priorities

The dentists who form Millennium Dental Technologies, Inc., and are pioneers of the patented LANAP protocol for the treatment of gum disease and the manufacturer of the PerioLase MVP-7 digital dental laser, today released a statement questioning the Academy of General Dentistry's priorities.

12 Jul 2010

UVA launches first-of-its-kind educational website focusing on Alzheimer's disease, dementia

The University of Virginia School of Medicine is launching Memory Commons, an interactive, first-of-its-kind educational website for physicians and healthcare professionals that focuses specifically on Alzheimer's Disease and dementia.

12 Jul 2010

AOL News reports on challenges of global spread of drug-resistant TB

AOL News examines health officials' concerns about the world-wide spread of drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis, focusing on the U.S. and Mexico.

12 Jul 2010

GOP questions Berwick's ties to industry

The Hill reports that Republicans are charging the Obama administration with evading questions on Dr. Donald Berwick's ties to the health care industry. President Barack Obama used a recess appointment this week to install Berwick as head of the agency that oversees Medicare and Medicaid after key Republicans had raised concerns about Berwick's views.

12 Jul 2010

Discovery of antibodies that kill more than 90% of HIV viruses gives new hope for vaccine

"An effective vaccine against the AIDS virus may have moved one step closer to reality, researchers said Thursday," the Los Angeles Times reports. "Federal researchers have identified a pair of naturally occurring antibodies that are able to kill more than 90% of all strains of the AIDS virus, a finding they say could lead to the development of new treatments for HIV infections and to the production of the first successful vaccine against the virus" (Maugh, 7/9).

12 Jul 2010

Resident nurses find tough search for jobs post-graduation

Though a national shortage of nurses is taking hold, newly minted resident nurses are having a hard time finding jobs as the economy struggles, "delaying the retirement of experienced nurses," USA Today reports.

12 Jul 2010

Axelrod defends recess appointment of Berwick to head Medicare

"This morning on ABC News' 'This Week,' Senior White House Advisor David Axelrod insisted that President Obama's recess appointment of Dr. Donald Berwick to be the administrator of The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services was simply 'too important' to wait for a Congressional hearing" (7/11).

12 Jul 2010

Multimedia talking touchscreens help end health disparities in underserved populations

Multimedia talking touchscreens, housed in computer kiosks at clinics and hospitals, are helping researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and clinicians at local health care centers enhance patient-centered care for patients with diverse language, literacy and computer skills.

12 Jul 2010

World Bank announces new head for its HIV/AIDS program

"The World Bank on Thursday named David Wilson, a Zimbabwean national who has written extensively about AIDS in the developing world, to head the poverty-fighting institution's global HIV/AIDS program," Reuters reports.

12 Jul 2010

Science special section examines HIV/AIDS in Russia, Ukraine

In a special section in advance of the International AIDS Conference, Science examines the "state of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Russia and Ukraine, which account for more than 90% of HIV infections in Eastern Europe."

12 Jul 2010

Obama announces VA will ease rules for vets to qualify for stress disorder benefits

"President Barack Obama said Saturday the country has a 'solemn responsibility' to ensure that veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder get the help they need. Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki is to announce new regulations Monday intended to make it easier for veterans with PTSD to receive government benefits. The new rules will not only apply to veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, but also those who served in previous conflicts. The regulations drop a provision requiring veterans to prove what caused their illness. Instead, veterans would have to show that the conditions surrounding the time and place of their service could have contributed to their illness" (Pace, 7/10).

12 Jul 2010

Medicaid: Generic drugs save money, dental care not always accessible

"When blockbuster drugs lose their patent protection, state Medicaid programs can save millions of dollars by switching patients to cheaper, generic versions of the medications." But, while some states have policies to shift people quickly to generics, others require permission from patients. "A new study tracking these policies concludes that some states, including Massachusetts, are quicker than others to bring down the costs of prescription drugs once alternatives are available. The difference has implications for expanding Medicaid coverage to more people after the national health care overhaul takes effect" (Cooney, 7/8).

12 Jul 2010

Sebelius pushing insurance companies to help get more Americans covered

In an interview with Reuters, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius "said she is pushing [insurance] companies to help people gain insurance in the gap between now and 2014. That is when the healthcare law President Barack Obama signed in March mandates extensive changes. Sebelius struck a cooperative tone after publicly chastising insurers for high rate hikes ... and after repeatedly calling them to the White House for highly publicized talks. A more congenial relationship with insurers could help keep the major overhaul of the healthcare system on track and loosen strained relations between Democrats and big business ahead of the November midterm elections" (Richwine, 7/8).

9 Jul 2010

News roundup: NYC program to help poor, elderly with insurance gets cut; Colo. promotes wellness programs for small businesses

A program that for a decade helped New York City's poor and elderly navigate their way through insurance problems — and that became a model for a similar federal program — has become a casualty of city budget cuts, an administrator of the program said on Thursday. The $4 million program sent ombudsmen to 25 social service agencies across the city.

9 Jul 2010

HHS proposes stricter patient privacy rules

New rules have been proposed by the Department of Health and Human Services to stregthen patient privacy protections.

9 Jul 2010

Maryland raises hospital rates; D.C. may reenter hospital business

"Maryland patients will pay hundreds of dollars more for hospital stays under price hikes made final Wednesday by the state agency that sets rates for the medical institutions," The Baltimore Sun reports.

9 Jul 2010

Research roundup: Improving hospital processes can improve care; E-mailing the doctor; Medicaid savings with generic drugs

Public Reporting On Hospital Process Improvements Is Linked To Better Patient Outcomes - This study analyzed "data from 3,476 acute care, nonfederal U.S. hospitals that publicly reported quality information on the CMS Hospital Compare Web site from 2004 through 2006" and "evaluated the hospitals' performance every six months during the study period, using the ten original measures from Hospital Compare."

9 Jul 2010

Seven health care changes you might have missed

Kaiser Health News staff writers Mary Agnes Carey and Andrew Villegas explore some lesser-known provisions of the new health overhaul that will take effect in coming months.

9 Jul 2010

Today's OpEds: More commentary on the Berwick appointment, the financial and political costs of health reform, thoughts on hospital consolidation

President Obama got serious this week about the ticking time bomb in his new health-care legislation -- the lack of any clear plan to reduce costs and improve quality. What he did was install someone who can use our behemoth Medicare and Medicaid programs as laboratories for change -- so that reform doesn't bankrupt the country (David Ignatius, 7/9).

9 Jul 2010

Health Care News and Research

UHC awards a 3-year single-source agreement to Ascent

MDT releases statement questioning AGD's priorities

UVA launches first-of-its-kind educational website focusing on Alzheimer's disease, dementia

AOL News reports on challenges of global spread of drug-resistant TB

GOP questions Berwick's ties to industry

Discovery of antibodies that kill more than 90% of HIV viruses gives new hope for vaccine

Resident nurses find tough search for jobs post-graduation

Axelrod defends recess appointment of Berwick to head Medicare

Multimedia talking touchscreens help end health disparities in underserved populations

World Bank announces new head for its HIV/AIDS program

Science special section examines HIV/AIDS in Russia, Ukraine

Obama announces VA will ease rules for vets to qualify for stress disorder benefits

Medicaid: Generic drugs save money, dental care not always accessible

Sebelius pushing insurance companies to help get more Americans covered

News roundup: NYC program to help poor, elderly with insurance gets cut; Colo. promotes wellness programs for small businesses

HHS proposes stricter patient privacy rules

Maryland raises hospital rates; D.C. may reenter hospital business

Research roundup: Improving hospital processes can improve care; E-mailing the doctor; Medicaid savings with generic drugs

Seven health care changes you might have missed

Today's OpEds: More commentary on the Berwick appointment, the financial and political costs of health reform, thoughts on hospital consolidation

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

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