Health Care News and Research

RSS

New book on hospitalist recruitment and retention

Recruitment and retention of physicians in all specialties is a national challenge, and it is expected to become even more difficult due to an impending physician shortage. As relative newcomers to the long line of medical specialists, hospitalists pose special challenges. What will convince a hospitalist to join one organization over another? What might prevent a hospitalist from considering a certain assignment?

12 Feb 2010

Rate of seasonal flu vaccination doubles national average at Johns Hopkins East Baltimore medical campus

A campaign that makes seasonal flu vaccinations for hospital staff free, convenient, ubiquitous and hard to ignore succeeds fairly well in moving care providers closer to a state of "herd" immunity and protecting patients from possible infection transmitted by health care workers, according to results of a survey at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

12 Feb 2010

First Edition: February 12, 2010

Today's headlines highlight the continuing flap over Anthem Blue Cross' planned rate hike as well as GOP and Democratic responses to President Obama's proposed health summit.

12 Feb 2010

MSNJ participates in multi-payer health care common portal project

Health plans today launched a landmark initiative to make delivering and getting health care easier for patients and their physicians by reducing the time, effort, and expense for the "paperwork" required for each patient office visit. The initiative, which will simplify information flow between health plans and doctors' offices, and between health plans and hospitals, is comparable to what ATMs did for banks and consumers.

12 Feb 2010

Global health and public health are indistinguishable: Lancet

Global health and public health are indistinguishable, according to a commentary published by a working group of the Association of Schools of Public Health's Global Health Committee in the February 13, 2010 issue of Lancet.

12 Feb 2010

ISMPP announces opening of registration for 6th annual meeting on medical publications

The International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP) is pleased to announce the opening of registration for its 6th annual meeting, "Delivering Value and Driving Advocacy in Medical Publications." The meeting will run from April 19 to 21, 2010, in Arlington, VA, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott.

12 Feb 2010

Healthcare thought leaders and experts to meet in MCEG 2010 Annual Forum

The Managed Care Executive Group has gathered some of healthcare's most distinguished thought leaders and experts on healthcare reform to meet March 21-24 in Fort Lauderdale Florida for their Annual Forum entitled "Reform + Evolution = Revolution".

12 Feb 2010

Harris Interactive poll: Half of U.S. adults want major reform in healthcare system

A new Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll finds that reducing unemployment and creating new jobs are clearly considered the top immediate priorities for President Obama and Congress, but healthcare reform is still important. Half of U.S. adults say it will be a “bad thing” if there is no major reform of the healthcare system in the next two years.

12 Feb 2010

HHS Secretary issues statement after receiving letter from WellPoint

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius issued the following statement after receiving a letter from WellPoint Incorporated. The letter came after Sebelius called on Anthem Blue Cross to publicly justify its decision to raise premiums for its California customers by as much as 39 percent. WellPoint Incorporated is the parent company of Anthem Blue Cross and earned $2.7 billion in the last quarter of 2009.

12 Feb 2010

Cuts to Texas Medicaid payment rates will hurt nursing home care providers

In testimony at a Health and Human Service Commission (HHSC) hearing on possible budget reduction options, the President of the Texas Health Care Association (THCA) warned that any cuts now to Texas Medicaid payment rates for nursing home care will confront the nursing home profession with dire financial consequences.

12 Feb 2010

AHA survey: Heart disease and stroke patients fare poorly under current health care system

A new American Heart Association survey substantiates that the need for health care reform has not gone away. Many heart disease and stroke patients are faring poorly under the current health care system, with nearly two-thirds citing affordability as the top concern of those suffering from cardiovascular disease.

12 Feb 2010

Embark Health launches Advance Directive Solution to improve healthcare practices

The huge gap between current healthcare practices and patients' wishes for end of life care is finally resolved, as Embark Health today launches the Advance Directive Solution: the first easy, affordable and comprehensive system to make advance directives work the way they were intended.

12 Feb 2010

Survivors of medical malpractice oppose additional "tort reforms" in health insurance reform bill

A group of medical malpractice survivors, many with family members who have died or were severely injured as a result of medical negligence, today sent letters to President Obama and the Congressional leadership urging them to keep additional "tort reforms" out of the health insurance reform bill. They said that responding to pressure from the insurance and medical lobbies to limit patients' legal rights would be a "tragic mistake."

12 Feb 2010

MITA endorses eight key principles to reduce unnecessary radiation exposure and medical errors

The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA), the leading association representing the manufacturers, innovators and developers of medical imaging and radiation therapy systems, today endorsed eight key principles to reduce exposure to unnecessary medical radiation, further minimize medical errors and improve reporting of adverse events.

12 Feb 2010

MSMS and MOA call $300M tax on Michigan's health care system 'bad policy'

With reports that Gov. Jennifer Granholm will include a $300 million tax on Michigan's health care system as part of her fiscal year 2010-11 state budget proposal, the 15,000-member Michigan State Medical Society (MSMS) and 5,500-member Michigan Osteopathic Association (MOA) urged lawmakers to reject the new taxing scheme, just as they did less than six months ago.

12 Feb 2010

Study shows benefits of stent grafts over balloon angioplasty for patients who undergo dialysis

A randomized multicenter study of 190 patients at 13 medical centers shows-- for the first time-- the "superior" benefit of stent grafts over balloon angioplasty for maintaining function of dialysis access grafts in kidney failure patients who undergo dialysis. Until now, no other therapy has proven more effective than angioplasty.

12 Feb 2010

Also in Global Health News: China's health care system; Breastfeeding practices in Pakistan; HIV transmission in MSM; Abu Dhabi joins malaria fight

The Los Angeles Times examines China's transition to "Western-style privatized medicine" through the government's "$124-billion overhaul, chiefly to improve service in rural areas." The article details the efforts of a woman from Inner Mongolia to get care in Beijing for her ailing father and looks at climbing health care costs and the growing "black market for medical care" (Pierson, 2/11).

12 Feb 2010

MCEG and HTMS report examines potential impact of reform on regional health plans

The Managed Care Executive Group and HTMS, with the help of Health Dialog, have jointly released a new report which examines strategic and operational priorities for 2010, as well as the potential impact of reform on regional health plans which composes the majority of the MCEG membership.

12 Feb 2010

Kaiser Permanente approves 500 grants and donations totaling $90M in fourth-quarter of 2009

Kaiser Permanente, one of America's leading health care providers and nonprofit health plans, announced today it approved 500 grants and donations nationwide totaling $90 million in the fourth quarter of 2009. In total, Kaiser Permanente approved $170 million in grants and donations to support efforts to keep people healthy during these tough economic times.

12 Feb 2010

KHN column -- Don't stop now: Lawmakers should pass the Senate bill

In her latest column for Kaiser Health News, Judy Feder writes: "Veterans of health reform battles know all too well that enacting health reform is as challenging to the nation's political system as it is important to the nation's well-being.

12 Feb 2010

Health Care News and Research

New book on hospitalist recruitment and retention

Rate of seasonal flu vaccination doubles national average at Johns Hopkins East Baltimore medical campus

First Edition: February 12, 2010

MSNJ participates in multi-payer health care common portal project

Global health and public health are indistinguishable: Lancet

ISMPP announces opening of registration for 6th annual meeting on medical publications

Healthcare thought leaders and experts to meet in MCEG 2010 Annual Forum

Harris Interactive poll: Half of U.S. adults want major reform in healthcare system

HHS Secretary issues statement after receiving letter from WellPoint

Cuts to Texas Medicaid payment rates will hurt nursing home care providers

AHA survey: Heart disease and stroke patients fare poorly under current health care system

Embark Health launches Advance Directive Solution to improve healthcare practices

Survivors of medical malpractice oppose additional "tort reforms" in health insurance reform bill

MITA endorses eight key principles to reduce unnecessary radiation exposure and medical errors

MSMS and MOA call $300M tax on Michigan's health care system 'bad policy'

Study shows benefits of stent grafts over balloon angioplasty for patients who undergo dialysis

Also in Global Health News: China's health care system; Breastfeeding practices in Pakistan; HIV transmission in MSM; Abu Dhabi joins malaria fight

MCEG and HTMS report examines potential impact of reform on regional health plans

Kaiser Permanente approves 500 grants and donations totaling $90M in fourth-quarter of 2009

KHN column -- Don't stop now: Lawmakers should pass the Senate bill

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