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In White House meeting, Obama and GOP discuss partisan divide

The Washington Post: "Obama outlined issues that could bridge the divide, including job creation, health-care reform, energy and trade. But he extracted few concrete commitments from his GOP visitors." In the meantime, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll reports that 57 percent of Americans view the loss of Senate Democrats' filibuster-proof majority in the upper chamber as a good thing.

11 Feb 2010

Lawmakers in Kansas, Idaho prepare measures to pre-empt any national mandate to purchase insurance

"Kansas lawmakers have heard testimony on a proposed amendment to the state Constitution asserting Kansans' right to refuse to buy health insurance. Proponents of the measure call it a response to Democratic proposals in Congress that they say would force people to buy health insurance or face penalties for failing to do so." Supporters of the amendment believe the mandate in the national legislation is unconstitutional (2/9).

11 Feb 2010

LUHS nurses earn professional certifications

Several Loyola University Health System (LUHS) nurses have earned professional certifications in their clinical areas of expertise. This indicates that LUHS nurses meet strong professional development standards and competencies.

11 Feb 2010

FDA to take closer look at medical radiation, devices

The Food and Drug Administration will step up oversight of three forms of medical radiation, including CT scans, in an effort to reduce patients' exposure to unnecessary radiation, The New York Times reports.

11 Feb 2010

India puts indefinite 'moratorium' on release of country's first GM vegetable

"India has postponed the launch of its first genetically modified (GM) vegetable, saying it would adopt a cautious approach and wait for more scientific studies on the impact of the new variety of eggplant," Reuters reports (Majumdar, 2/9).

11 Feb 2010

Exeter Hospital designated as 'Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement'

Citing clinical expertise and quality of care, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in New Hampshire has designated Exeter Hospital as a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement(SM).

11 Feb 2010

Mental health 'bible' starts revamp with new terminology, diagnoses

The Wall Street Journal: "Mental-health experts wrestling with how to fit temper tantrums, hoarding and even Internet addiction into the current understanding of mental illness are proposing changes to the field's primary reference for diagnoses for the first time in 16 years. The draft revisions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—the bible for mental health clinicians and researchers—unveiled Wednesday could have effects that ripple through mental health care."

11 Feb 2010

Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center receives Amerigroup Foundation grant

The Amerigroup Foundation has awarded a grant of $15,000 to the Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center. Given in recognition of the center's commitment to helping create and maintain healthy, safe communities, the grant will support the Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center's continued efforts to improve the lives of the people it serves on a daily basis.

11 Feb 2010

Medicaid and budget issues: California, Nevada officials outline dire scenarios for health services

"California is going to have to pay a $51.8 billion bill for health and dental benefits for state retirees, says state Controller John Chiang in a report to the Legislature Tuesday. 'Even as we try to claw our way out of the recession and provide needed cash to the state's coffers, we cannot ignore the promise that we made to pay health and dental benefits for current state employees and retirees,' says Mr. Chiang" (2/9).

11 Feb 2010

Feeding tube use more likely at big, for-profit hospitals

Larger, for-profit hospitals may be using too many feeding tubes on patients with advanced dementia without improving the quality of their care, a study finds, according to HealthDay News/Business Week. "Our results suggest that decisions about feeding tubes are more about which hospital you go to than a decision-making process that really elicits and supports patient choice," said the physician who led the study, which appears in today's Journal of the American Medical Association.

11 Feb 2010

Drug used to treat parasites in animals may offer new treatment for river blindness, study finds

"Closantel, an older drug used to treat a parasitic liver disease in animals, may prove effective at combating river blindness in humans, a major cause of infection-related blindness, U.S. researchers said on Monday," Reuters reports (Steenhuysen, 2/8).

10 Feb 2010

Doctor, executive who pled guilty to Medicare fraud leave ailing practices behind them

Health care providers with employees who committed Medicare fraud also face consequences.

10 Feb 2010

Draft of Senate jobs bill extends COBRA subsidy

Business Insurance: "Federal COBRA health insurance premium subsidies would be extended and expanded under a draft jobs bill being put together by top Senate Democrats, sources say." The bill "would extend the current COBRA premium subsidy provided to involuntarily terminated employees another three months so employees laid off in March, April and May of this year would be eligible for the 65% subsidy for up to 15 months.

10 Feb 2010

Congress to investigate 39 percent premium hike by California's Anthem Blue Cross

San Francisco Chronicle: "Angry lawmakers turned up the heat on Anthem Blue Cross on Tuesday, calling for federal and state investigations into the California health insurer's decision to increase rates by as much as 39 percent for thousands of policyholders statewide."

10 Feb 2010

'A troubling picture' of long-term care hospitals

"Lawsuits, state inspections and federal statistics paint a troubling picture of the care offered at some hospitals," writes The New York Times in an investigation of long-term care hospitals that dominates the front page.

10 Feb 2010

Allscripts clinical and practice management IT solutions to be implemented at NuHealth

Allscripts announced today that NuHealth will implement Allscripts clinical and practice management IT solutions across its network of hospitals and employed physicians, enhancing the quality of care, improving patient communications, and better managing the cost of care delivery. The agreement, valued in excess of $5 million, is the central component of NuHealth's connected healthcare strategy, enabling health information exchange and collaboration among all the members of a patient's care team, inside and outside the health system.

10 Feb 2010

STDUniversity.org launches interactive, personalized STD test recommendation

STDUniversity.org is the first website to provide an interactive, personalized STD test recommendation developed by academic and medical experts. This expert-based tool incorporates screening guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force (USPSTF).

10 Feb 2010

sanofi-aventis reports 2009 fourth-quarter and full-year net earnings

Commenting on the Group's 2009 performance, sanofi-aventis Chief Executive Officer Christopher A. Viehbacher said, "2009 was the first year of implementation of our new strategy. Major steps have already been achieved in strengthening our growth platforms and reinforcing our R&D pipeline while delivering a double-digit EPS(1) growth".

10 Feb 2010

NeuroMetrix announces 2009 fourth quarter financial results

NeuroMetrix, Inc., a health care company transforming patient care through neurotechnology, today announced its financial results for the three months and year ended December 31, 2009.

10 Feb 2010

MEDecision completes latest round of interoperability tests with other leading EHR vendors

MEDecision, Inc., a leading provider of collaborative healthcare management solutions, today announced the successful completion of its latest round of interoperability tests with other leading electronic health record (EHR) vendors at the 11th Annual Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) North America Connectathon recently held in Chicago.

10 Feb 2010

Health Care News and Research

In White House meeting, Obama and GOP discuss partisan divide

Lawmakers in Kansas, Idaho prepare measures to pre-empt any national mandate to purchase insurance

LUHS nurses earn professional certifications

FDA to take closer look at medical radiation, devices

India puts indefinite 'moratorium' on release of country's first GM vegetable

Exeter Hospital designated as 'Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement'

Mental health 'bible' starts revamp with new terminology, diagnoses

Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center receives Amerigroup Foundation grant

Medicaid and budget issues: California, Nevada officials outline dire scenarios for health services

Feeding tube use more likely at big, for-profit hospitals

Drug used to treat parasites in animals may offer new treatment for river blindness, study finds

Doctor, executive who pled guilty to Medicare fraud leave ailing practices behind them

Draft of Senate jobs bill extends COBRA subsidy

Congress to investigate 39 percent premium hike by California's Anthem Blue Cross

'A troubling picture' of long-term care hospitals

Allscripts clinical and practice management IT solutions to be implemented at NuHealth

STDUniversity.org launches interactive, personalized STD test recommendation

sanofi-aventis reports 2009 fourth-quarter and full-year net earnings

NeuroMetrix announces 2009 fourth quarter financial results

MEDecision completes latest round of interoperability tests with other leading EHR vendors

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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