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Virginia Senate candidates face tough issues beyond Medicare, while key California House races are shaped by it

For most campaigns, the equation is simple: Seniors care about Medicare and Social Security - and often vote - so candidates vow loudly and frequently to protect the programs. But for U.S. Senate contenders Timothy M. Kaine (D) and George Allen (R), this year's election is a bit more complicated, as they learned while courting older Virginia voters last week.

16 Oct 2012

Roundup: Health care construction boom in Texas; Some Ga. schools, state authorities weigh leaving employee health plan

The Dallas-Fort Worth area is in the midst of an unprecedented health care building boom. You can see the most visible evidence in the Dallas medical district. There, several blocks apart, construction cranes signal more than $2 billion worth of new hospitals - the $1.27 billion replacement for Parkland Memorial Hospital and an $800 million replacement hospital at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

16 Oct 2012

Saint Raphael Campus of Yale New Haven Hospital honored for achievements in eliminating HAIs

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) today recognized the Saint Raphael Campus of Yale New Haven Hospital with the 2012 Partnership in Prevention Award for achieving the greatest sustainable improvements towards eliminating healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).

16 Oct 2012

Exercise and healthy eating reduce body fat and preserve muscle in adults

Exercise and healthy eating reduce body fat and preserve muscle in adults better than diet alone, according to a study funded and conducted by National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health.

16 Oct 2012

NIH to accelerate development and application of single cell analysis across various fields

The National Institutes of Health plans to invest more than $90 million over five years, contingent upon the availability of funds, to accelerate the development and application of single cell analysis across a variety of fields.

16 Oct 2012

Language disparities impact Hispanic women during labor

A study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2012 annual meeting found the role of women's primary language impacts whether or not they receive an epidural for pain relief during labor.

15 Oct 2012

More Medicare Advantage Plans get top ratings

Privately-run health insurance companies that contract with Medicare are scoring higher in a government-backed quality rating system designed to guide seniors to better medical care choices and service, the Obama administration announced Friday. The so-called "Medicare Advantage Plans" are performing better with more of them hitting four- and five-star ratings on the five-star scale, said U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and officials from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

15 Oct 2012

Database of drug-induced liver injury now available from NIH

A free source of evidence-based information for health care professionals and for researchers studying liver injury associated with prescription and over-the-counter drugs, herbals, and dietary supplements is now available from the National Institutes of Health. Researchers and health care professionals can use the LiverTox database to identify basic and clinical research questions to be answered and to chart optimal ways to diagnose and control drug-induced liver injury.

15 Oct 2012

Capitol Hill fights over health law, EHR doc payments continue

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill sound off on the Obama administration's "meaningful use" payments to doctors as the fight over parts of the health law -- its oversight and D.C's insurance exchange -- continue.

15 Oct 2012

Roundup: N.J.'s Medicaid decision; Women short on care if Texas dumps Planned Parenthood; La. hospitals seek care gap agreement

WNYC's Fred Mogul, working in partnership with Kaiser Health News and NPR, writes: "As a way to reduce the number of uninsured, states are being encouraged to set more generous income limits for Medicaid as part of the Affordable Care Act. If states comply, they can get 100 percent federal funding in the first three years, declining to 90 percent funding over time. Typically, states and the federal government share the burden at a ratio that's closer to 50-50."

13 Oct 2012

LSUHSC receives HRSA grant to help students pursue practice primary care nursing degrees

The School of Nursing at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans has been awarded a $700,000 grant over two years by the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) of the US Department of Health and Human Services to help students pursuing advanced practice primary care nursing degrees meet educational expenses.

11 Oct 2012

State roundup: Filling the health care void in NYC's Greenwich Village

The demise of St. Vincent's Hospital in Greenwich Village two years ago has led to a struggle for health care supremacy in some of New York's most distinctive neighborhoods, offering a glimpse, in the process, at what might be the future of urban medicine.

11 Oct 2012

Report: Health law will benefit many employers, but mid-size firms would see costs rise

According to an Urban Institute study, the health-coverage costs carried by small businesses will likely fall if the 2010 health law is completely implemented, but companies with 101 - 1,000 employees could experience a jump in their costs.

10 Oct 2012

Progress, obstacles and lawsuits affecting health law implementation

Roadblocks confront federal officials implementing parts of the health law including insurance exchanges, a free contraception coverage rule and the board designed to slow Medicare spending growth.

9 Oct 2012

Feisty campaign ads, debates in congressional races take on health policy themes

News outlets also report on how health policies are playing in specific contests, such as Senate campaigns in Connecticut, Arizona and Wisconsin, as well as the Bilbray-Peters House race in California.

9 Oct 2012

Medicaid news: Florida program caught between feds and state efforts; Ark. begins new payment plans for doctors

The Department of Health and Human Services and Florida officials negotiate changes to the state's Medicaid plan. In the meantime, Arkansas doctors offer a cautious endorsement as the state tries "episodic" payments for some common conditions.

9 Oct 2012

NCI awards Cellerant SBIR contract to develop Megakaryocyte Progenitor Cell therapy for thrombocytopenia

Cellerant Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company developing novel hematopoietic stem cell-based cellular and antibody therapies for blood disorders and cancer, announced today that it has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 1 contract and a Phase 2 option from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) valued up to $1,683,503.

8 Oct 2012

Romney's debate health care claims facing continued challenges

News outlets continue to examine statements made in the presidential debate as they look ahead to Thursday nights vice-presidential debate.

8 Oct 2012

HHS honors Children's Hospital Los Angeles for excellence in organ donation

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is honoring Children's Hospital Los Angeles for its commitment to saving lives through organ and tissue donation. The hospital will receive the Silver Medal of Honor today for excellence in organ donation at the 7th National Learning Congress for the Donation and Transplantation Community of Practice in Grapevine, Tex.

6 Oct 2012

Oral medication as effective as Botox injections for treating incontinence in women

Oral medication for treating a type of incontinence in women is roughly as effective as Botox injections to the bladder, reported researchers who conducted a National Institutes of Health clinical trials network study, with each form of treatment having benefits and limitations.

6 Oct 2012

Health and Human Services News and Research

Virginia Senate candidates face tough issues beyond Medicare, while key California House races are shaped by it

Roundup: Health care construction boom in Texas; Some Ga. schools, state authorities weigh leaving employee health plan

Saint Raphael Campus of Yale New Haven Hospital honored for achievements in eliminating HAIs

Exercise and healthy eating reduce body fat and preserve muscle in adults

NIH to accelerate development and application of single cell analysis across various fields

Language disparities impact Hispanic women during labor

More Medicare Advantage Plans get top ratings

Database of drug-induced liver injury now available from NIH

Capitol Hill fights over health law, EHR doc payments continue

Roundup: N.J.'s Medicaid decision; Women short on care if Texas dumps Planned Parenthood; La. hospitals seek care gap agreement

LSUHSC receives HRSA grant to help students pursue practice primary care nursing degrees

State roundup: Filling the health care void in NYC's Greenwich Village

Report: Health law will benefit many employers, but mid-size firms would see costs rise

Progress, obstacles and lawsuits affecting health law implementation

Feisty campaign ads, debates in congressional races take on health policy themes

Medicaid news: Florida program caught between feds and state efforts; Ark. begins new payment plans for doctors

NCI awards Cellerant SBIR contract to develop Megakaryocyte Progenitor Cell therapy for thrombocytopenia

Romney's debate health care claims facing continued challenges

HHS honors Children's Hospital Los Angeles for excellence in organ donation

Oral medication as effective as Botox injections for treating incontinence in women

Event guide: 6th Operationalize Expanded Access Programs Summit East eBook

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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