Health Care News and Research

RSS

Hewitt Associates acquires retiree medical insurance company

Hewitt Associates, a global human resources consulting and outsourcing company, today announced it has acquired Senior Educators Ltd., a trusted, Web-based retiree medical insurance exchange that provides unbiased assistance to Medicare recipients seeking high-quality, affordable supplemental insurance products.

6 Mar 2010

Former executive criticizes Catholic Charities' gay marriage backlash

A former senior executive at Catholic Charities has spoken out against the group's decision to eliminate all health coverage for new spouses in Washington D.C. in order to avoid offering the same benefits to same-sex couples. Catholic Charities decided to change its benefits policy in response to the District's legalization of same-sex marriage, "a move designed to avoid legitimizing same-sex marriage," according to The Washington Post.

6 Mar 2010

Bunny's last days: When living will isn't enough

In this Kaiser Health News story, part of a special series on end-of-life care, reporter Susan Brink details certain circumstances related to end-of-life care and living wills.

5 Mar 2010

Senators to FDA: Lift ban on gays donating blood

The Associated Press: "The time has come to change a policy that imposes a lifetime ban on donating blood for any man who has had gay sex since 1977, 18 senators said Thursday.

5 Mar 2010

Democratic division on abortion language in health overhaul jeopardizes chances for passage

"Democratic leaders in Congress are embarking on a delicate strategy to win over abortion opponents, a gambit that could determine whether the legislation becomes law." The Washington Post reports.

5 Mar 2010

American Cancer Society stresses importance of educating patients to risk of prostate screening

The Los Angeles Times: New prostate cancer screening guidelines issued Wednesday by the American Cancer Society "emphasize that physicians should better educate men about both the risks and benefits of using the PSA test for screening. They also call for cutbacks in the use of digital rectal exams to find tumors and recommend the end of mass prostate-screening programs at health fairs and other sites."

5 Mar 2010

Obama seeks to mollify Democrats on health overhaul plan, costs

President Barack Obama intensified his push for health care reform by lobbying small groups of Democratic lawmakers Thursday.

5 Mar 2010

Poll: On health reform, Americans trust Obama more than both parties in Congress

A new Gallup poll asked Americans whom they trusted to reform the nation's health care system.

5 Mar 2010

RWJF awards $480,000 grant to improve clinical care for low-weight babies

Researchers at UC Irvine and the Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU) will monitor the day-to-day health of low-birth-weight babies and their parents as part of a comprehensive initiative designed to combat chronic illnesses associated with low-weight births.

5 Mar 2010

Small health IT firms may be able to compete with GE-sized giants

Federal funding for electronic medical records will likely reshape the health IT industry, CNN reports. "There are an estimated 300 to 400 companies in the United States peddling [EMR] systems to the nation's hospitals, medical clinics and solo practitioners.

5 Mar 2010

Today's opinions and editorials

Some critics complain that the administration has slipped in its commitment to fiscal responsibility in health reform. These critics are mistaken. The president's plan represents an important step toward long-term fiscal sustainability (Peter Orszag and Nancy-Ann DeParle, 3/5).

5 Mar 2010

Advocates, opponents target about two dozen swing votes

"As President Obama pushes for a prompt up or down vote on his health initiative, lobbyists and activist groups on both sides of the issue have launched grass-roots and high-dollar advertising campaigns on the roughly two dozen members of Congress who may be the final swing votes on the controversial issue," The Los Angeles Times reports.

5 Mar 2010

MicroPhage seeks FDA clearance for MRSA/MSSA Blood Culture Test, submits clinical study data

MicroPhage announced that it has submitted human data from a pivotal clinical study of its ‘Microphage MRSA/MSSA Blood Culture Test’ to support a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) premarket notification process. The first of MicroPhage’s instrument-free, rapid tests is based on the Company’s patented Bacteriophage Amplification platform technology. MicroPhage further announced that it has already begun OUS commercial shipments of the test.

5 Mar 2010

Medical identity theft: Nearly 1.5 million Americans have been victims

Medical identity theft is an alarming and often undetected offense affecting today’s consumers, according to a recent survey conducted by The Ponemon Institute and sponsored by ProtectMyID.com™, Experian’s multilayered identity theft detection, protection and fraud resolution product. According to the study, nearly 1.5 million Americans have been victims of medical identity theft. For many, the notion of identity theft is both upsetting and daunting, but few individuals realize the specific severity and potential repercussions of medical identity fraud.

5 Mar 2010

Liberal government's radical health care restructuring plan will deny patients access to local care

Ontarians should be alarmed that the Liberal government is planning a radical restructuring of health care "premised not on quality of care and best practices, but solely on which hospital can do their surgeries most cheaply," says Michael Hurley, the president of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU) - which represents 30,000 CUPE hospital workers.

5 Mar 2010

First Edition: March 5, 2010

After a week of stepped-up health reform activity, today's headlines highlight that the White House is intensifying its final push by setting a deadline for congressional action. Meanwhile, though, the Democratic party continues to face rifts within its own caucus. Abortion coverage issues again posing challenges to securing Democratic votes.

5 Mar 2010

Cymetrix Board Member Joe Sullivan recognized as 2010 Director of the Year Honoree

Cymetrix Board Member Joe Sullivan was recognized by the Forum for Corporate Directors as a 2010 Director of the Year Honoree. He was recognized in the category of Corporate Growth and Development for playing a significant role in enhancing the growth and operations of the companies he serves.

5 Mar 2010

Congressman Levin becomes new acting Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee: Pelosi issues statement

Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement this morning on Sander Levin of Michigan becoming new acting Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee:

5 Mar 2010

CIGNA's Explanation of Benefits earns “Excellent” designation for Clarity, Content and Design

Health service company CIGNA has earned the top ranking among national health plans for the industry’s key customer communication, the Explanation of Benefits. CIGNA's Explanation of Benefits is one of only three to earn an “Excellent” designation for Clarity, Content and Design in an evaluation by DALBAR, Inc.

5 Mar 2010

America's Prostate Cancer Organizations release shared perspective on screening and treatment

America's Prostate Cancer Organizations today released the full text of written testimony to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The Committee will be holding a hearing on "Prostate Cancer: New Questions About Screening and Treatment" on March 4, 2010.

5 Mar 2010

Health Care News and Research

Hewitt Associates acquires retiree medical insurance company

Former executive criticizes Catholic Charities' gay marriage backlash

Bunny's last days: When living will isn't enough

Senators to FDA: Lift ban on gays donating blood

Democratic division on abortion language in health overhaul jeopardizes chances for passage

American Cancer Society stresses importance of educating patients to risk of prostate screening

Obama seeks to mollify Democrats on health overhaul plan, costs

Poll: On health reform, Americans trust Obama more than both parties in Congress

RWJF awards $480,000 grant to improve clinical care for low-weight babies

Small health IT firms may be able to compete with GE-sized giants

Today's opinions and editorials

Advocates, opponents target about two dozen swing votes

MicroPhage seeks FDA clearance for MRSA/MSSA Blood Culture Test, submits clinical study data

Medical identity theft: Nearly 1.5 million Americans have been victims

Liberal government's radical health care restructuring plan will deny patients access to local care

First Edition: March 5, 2010

Cymetrix Board Member Joe Sullivan recognized as 2010 Director of the Year Honoree

Congressman Levin becomes new acting Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee: Pelosi issues statement

CIGNA's Explanation of Benefits earns “Excellent” designation for Clarity, Content and Design

America's Prostate Cancer Organizations release shared perspective on screening and treatment

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

How microplastics and bacteria interact to drive antibiotic resistance

Latest News