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Obama administration nominates former Clinton adviser to lead UNICEF

The Obama administration has nominated former Clinton administration adviser Anthony Lake to lead UNICEF, Bloomberg/BusinessWeek reports. He would succeed Ann Veneman, who will step down at the end of her five-year term on April 30 (Varner, 2/18).

19 Feb 2010

Community health centers providing return on investment

Kaiser Health News staff writer Andrew Villegas writes about a hefty infusion of cash for community health centers in last year's federal stimulus package.

19 Feb 2010

Physicians look toward profitable Medicare services; Former Virginia official tapped for a position at CMS

A study finds physicians veer toward more profitable services amid lower Medicare fees. Meanwhile, Humana tests a patient-centered medical home program in Florida and a former Virginia official is chosen to take on a top position at the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services.

19 Feb 2010

Some Dems say single health reform bill is close, GOP settles on summit strategy

News outlets report on party politics in advance of the president's health care summit.

19 Feb 2010

University of Missouri to offer health literacy courses for health professionals

The cost of low health literacy - the difference between patients' abilities to understand health information and providers' abilities to effectively communicate complex medical information - is $106 billion to $238 billion annually, according to Pfizer, a leading biopharmaceutical company. To improve the health literacy of professionals and patients, the University of Missouri will offer a health literacy study emphasis beginning this fall.

19 Feb 2010

WHO recommends H1N1 be added to next year's seasonal flu virus

The WHO is recommending the H1N1 (swine flu) virus be added to the regular flu vaccine for the Northern Hemisphere's 2010-2011 regular flu season, the Associated Press reports (2/18).

19 Feb 2010

HHS report scolds insurers for rate hikes, points to increases as reason for reform

According to an Obama Administration report released Thursday, double-digit insurance premium increases such as the proposed 39 percent one by Anthem Blue Cross in California are a "worrisome sign of the times," The Associated Press reports.

19 Feb 2010

GOP, Democrats staking out reform positions, strategies in advance of health summit

The Associated Press: The White House is preparing a bill "designed to win passage without Republican support if GOP lawmakers fail to embrace bipartisan compromises" during next weeek's White House health summit.

18 Feb 2010

Michigan sends letters to 500,000 warning COBRA expiration

Michigan's state unemployment insurance agency has sent letters to 500,000 residents warning them that their benefits could expire starting in March if Congress fails to act on extending jobless benefits including a federal subsidy for COBRA health insurance, The Detroit News reports.

18 Feb 2010

Dartmouth Atlas analyses of hospital spending called 'flawed'

The New York Times reports that certain hospitals, including the Mayo Clinic, are lauded "for delivering high-quality care at low costs" based on "a widely cited analysis called the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care."

18 Feb 2010

Obama admin. to redouble campaign against insurers' rate hikes

After criticizing California insurer Anthem for raising premiums 10 days ago, Obama administration officials are preparing for more, The Washington Post reports. "Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has scheduled a late-morning news conference, at which she is to cite half a dozen examples," where insurers have sought big rate hikes for individual coverage.

18 Feb 2010

A selection of today's opinions and editorials

The epic of health care evolution is complex and is worth reviewing over the last five decades. Having practiced medicine in the same community in Southeast Missouri for more than 30 years, I have seen changes in health care beyond the scope of imagination (Dr. S.D. Madduri, 2/18).

18 Feb 2010

Humana schedules layoffs as insurers struggle to cut costs

Dow Jones Newswires/Wall Street Journal reports that Humana, one of the nation's largest health insurers, "said it will shed nearly 1,400 jobs, or 5% of its work force, this year" because of declines in enrollment. The company will cut a total of 2,500 jobs, but plans to hire 1,100 new employees to help with such issues as controlling medical costs and managing pharmacy benefits.

18 Feb 2010

States' retiree benefits underfunded by at least $1 trillion

State governments' retiree pension and health plans are severely underfunded, according to a new report from the Pew Center on States.

18 Feb 2010

'Cadillac' tax would have non-union impact, analysis finds

"A proposed tax on high-cost ['Cadillac'] health insurance plans, an element of Democratic health-care legislation that has been strongly opposed by organized labor, would actually fall equally on nonunion plans, according to a new analysis. ... at least 80 percent of the workers whose plans would be subject to the tax in 2019 would be in nonunion jobs," according to Ken Jacobs of the University of California at Berkeley Labor Center and William H. Dow, professor of health economics at Berkeley and a member of President George W. Bush's Council of Economic Advisers.

18 Feb 2010

Centene to acquire Columbia-based Carolina Crescent Health Plan

Centene Corporation today announced that its South Carolina subsidiary, Absolute Total Care, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Columbia-based Carolina Crescent Health Plan (CCHP), the state's largest non-profit Medicaid managed care organization, from University Health Services, Inc. (UHS). CCHP serves more than 40,000 Medicaid members in 46 counties across the state.

18 Feb 2010

BIOGUARD wound dressings with Quick-Med’s NIMBUS antimicrobial technology to be sold by Medline Industries

Quick-Med Technologies, Inc. announced today that its licensee, Derma Sciences, Inc., has entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with Medline Industries whereby Medline will market and sell BIOGUARD™ wound dressings with Quick-Med’s proprietary NIMBUS antimicrobial technology. The agreement covers the acute care segment of the health care market, which includes nearly 6,000 hospitals in the United States plus surgery centers, wound care centers, and other associated health care facilities. Sales under this new agreement are expected to start later this month.

18 Feb 2010

Gentiva Health Services announces fourth-quarter and fiscal year 2009 results

Gentiva Health Services, Inc., a leading provider of home health and hospice services, today reported fourth quarter and full year fiscal 2009 results.

18 Feb 2010

International Merchant Advisors announces development of new line of Wellness Centers and medical marijuana treatment centers

International Merchant Advisors, Inc. announced today that the company intends to develop a new line of Wellness Centers and medical marijuana treatment centers. CEO Mel Roseman stated, "Wellness Centers and medical marijuana are promising new treatment areas, but will require stringent systems and controls to engender the confidence of both patients and the regulatory community.

18 Feb 2010

Dartmouth Atlas hospital ratings could be misleading, says former CMS Senior Policy Advisor

A "Perspective" piece in today's New England Journal of Medicine by Peter B. Bach, MD, MAPP, points out that policy makers are relying on hospital ratings from the Dartmouth Atlas that could be misleading.

18 Feb 2010

Health Care News and Research

Obama administration nominates former Clinton adviser to lead UNICEF

Community health centers providing return on investment

Physicians look toward profitable Medicare services; Former Virginia official tapped for a position at CMS

Some Dems say single health reform bill is close, GOP settles on summit strategy

University of Missouri to offer health literacy courses for health professionals

WHO recommends H1N1 be added to next year's seasonal flu virus

HHS report scolds insurers for rate hikes, points to increases as reason for reform

GOP, Democrats staking out reform positions, strategies in advance of health summit

Michigan sends letters to 500,000 warning COBRA expiration

Dartmouth Atlas analyses of hospital spending called 'flawed'

Obama admin. to redouble campaign against insurers' rate hikes

A selection of today's opinions and editorials

Humana schedules layoffs as insurers struggle to cut costs

States' retiree benefits underfunded by at least $1 trillion

'Cadillac' tax would have non-union impact, analysis finds

Centene to acquire Columbia-based Carolina Crescent Health Plan

BIOGUARD wound dressings with Quick-Med’s NIMBUS antimicrobial technology to be sold by Medline Industries

Gentiva Health Services announces fourth-quarter and fiscal year 2009 results

International Merchant Advisors announces development of new line of Wellness Centers and medical marijuana treatment centers

Dartmouth Atlas hospital ratings could be misleading, says former CMS Senior Policy Advisor

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

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