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House passes bill to stop some Medicare premium increases

The House voted overwhelmingly to stop premium increases in Medicare Part B— which covers doctor visits — from taking effect next year.

25 Sep 2009

Labor chief asks for probe into health insurance lobbying

The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones reports: "AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on Thursday urged some state insurance commissioners to investigate how the costs of insurers' lobbying to defeat health-insurance reform are affecting premiums."

25 Sep 2009

Schumer's amendment to the health bill will benefit people with disabilities: United Spinal Association

United Spinal Association praised New York Senator Charles Schumer for introducing an amendment to the Senate Finance Committee health care reform bill to enact the Community Choice Act benefiting people with disabilities.

25 Sep 2009

Free online guide for health care organizations to improve patient care

Lilly USA and the National Committee for Quality Assurance have collaborated to release a free online guide and resource library for health care organizations that wish to undertake quality improvement initiatives to improve culturally and linguistically appropriate services and reduce disparities in care.

25 Sep 2009

10th Annual Clinical Team Conference to focus on clinical care

More than 1,400 hospice and palliative care professionals and researchers have gathered in Denver for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization's 10th Annual Clinical Team Conference that begins today at the Hyatt Regency Denver.

25 Sep 2009

G20 countries could tax foreign exchange to help achieve U.N. MDGs, opinion piece says

The G20 countries "could help both the poor and the global economy by fully financing lagging efforts to fight poverty and disease worldwide, and the best way to do this would be to impose a very small tax on the prosperous foreign exchange industry," Philippe Douste-Blazy, a former French foreign minister who is a special adviser to the U.N. secretary general on innovative financing, writes in a New York Times opinion piece.

25 Sep 2009

First Edition: September 25, 2009

Today's headlines reflect the continuing action in the Senate Finance Committee and around Congress, focusing on legislative strife related to the White House deal with drug companies and the debate over the public plan.

25 Sep 2009

UHP's electronic health record system recognized

Urban Health Plan in the South Bronx is revolutionizing the way patients are identified and tracked at their network of community health centers. From identifying patients through an iris recognition scan to managing their patients' health through a fully electronic system, UHP is able to provide state-of-the-art, quality and comprehensive care to thousands of New York's neediest residents. This week, their efforts were recognized by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society who awarded them the 2009 HIMSS Davies Award of Excellence. Urban Health Plan uses eClinicalWorks (ECW) as its electronic health record (EHR) system.

25 Sep 2009

Baylor Health Care receives $20 million donation from Sammons Enterprises

Today the Baylor Health Care System Foundation announced gifts exceeding $20 million for what will be North Texas' largest outpatient cancer center and first dedicated hospital focusing on cancer patients.

25 Sep 2009

Awards dedicated to those working to fight against depression

The Welcome Back Awards is now accepting nominations to honor those who work in the depression community. The Welcome Back Awards is a program established by Eli Lilly and Company to recognize outstanding achievements in the fight against depression and the stigma often associated with the illness.

25 Sep 2009

Cardiovascular disease: Major cause of death in Europe

Despite the decline of heart disease mortality registered in the past 30 years, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the N.1 killer in Europe and in the World. In the EU, experts reveal that striking disparities still exist between countries not only in terms of CVD incidence, but also with regard to national prevention policies.

25 Sep 2009

Vermont Information Technology Leaders to collaborate with Allscripts

Vermont Information Technology Leaders, Inc., the non-profit organization facilitating the expanded use of health information technology in Vermont, and Allscripts, the leading U.S. health information technology provider with a major facility located in South Burlington, Vermont, today announced their intention to enter into a strategic alliance.

25 Sep 2009

House passes bill to eliminate Medicare premium hike

"The House voted overwhelmingly Thursday to eliminate monthly premium increases for millions of Medicare patients next year," The Associated Press reports. "It voted 406 to 18 to send the bill to the Senate, which is expected to act soon. Lawmakers said older Americans shouldn't have to pay higher Medicare Part B premiums because they are not expected to get a cost of living increase from Social Security."

25 Sep 2009

Democrats face high stakes, GOP seeks advantage

As Democrats struggle with the health reform proposal from Sen. Max Baucus, the GOP is hoping to seize the advantage.

25 Sep 2009

Students live with elder residents as part of the Learning by Living project

A geriatric training method pioneered by Marilyn R. Gugliucci, PhD, president of the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (the educational branch of The Gerontological Society of America) has proved successful enough that she plans to implement it on a national level.

25 Sep 2009

Kerry, Lugar letter calls for Obama to appoint USAID leader quickly

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., and the ranking Republican Senator Richard Lugar, R-Ind., have sent a letter to President Barack Obama "urging" him to nominate a candidate - who has already been screened - for the vacant USAID administrator position "as quickly as possible," CQ reports. According to the senators, the "leadership vacuum" is impeding USAID's efforts in foreign, development and humanitarian aid, and it is the "last major agency in the U.S. government to remain unfilled," CQ writes.

25 Sep 2009

Profile of Grady Memorial Hospital highlights the difficulties faced by safety net facilities

The New York Times: Illegal immigrants say an effort to close the dialysis center at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta could synch their only source of care. The closure may foreshadow broader problems "safety-net" hospitals could face under the health care overhaul.

25 Sep 2009

Senators fight over Medicare spending cuts, what it would mean for beneficiaries

Senators on the Senate Finance Committee spent much of Wednesday duking it out over proposed Medicare cuts that would fund part of a Democratic push at health care reform. The intensity of the debate highlights the political importance of the senior citizen demographic.

25 Sep 2009

Mayo Clinic's views on how to get high-value health care

Mayo Clinic's perspective about how to get high-value health care is the focus of a Perspectives article in the New England Journal of Medicine, published online on Sept. 23, 2009, and in the print issue on Oct. 1, 2009.

25 Sep 2009

Senate Finance Panel rejects amendment to squeeze drug makers

"Senators rebuffed an attempt to squeeze more money from the drug industry Thursday after two Democrats warned it would undermine the fragile political coalition pushing a sweeping health care overhaul," The Associated Press reports.

25 Sep 2009