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Vaccinating infants against rotavirus decreases health care use and treatment costs

Vaccinating infants against rotavirus has resulted in dramatic decreases in health care use and treatment costs for diarrhea-related illness in U.S. infants and young children, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study is published in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

22 Sep 2011

First ever domino liver transplant

For the first time ever, a surgical team led by Alan Hemming, MD, has successfully performed a domino transplant using a liver with a rare genetic disorder called methylmalonic acidemia.

22 Sep 2011

USA Today: Seniors key to fighting Medicare fraud

Officials believe that if older Americans - including the growing crop of eligible Baby Boomers - know how to spot errors and fraud, "more criminals will be put in jail where they belong," Barbara Dieker told a group of volunteers recently. Dieker directs the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Elder Rights, which oversees the Senior Medicare Patrols.

22 Sep 2011

States get grants to aid rate-review efforts

On Tuesday, the Obama administration announced $109 million in grants to states to help them improve insurance industry oversight, especially regarding their scrutiny of premium increases.

22 Sep 2011

HHS spending bill stalled by House impasse

The Senate Appropriations Committee's consideration of the spending measure will likely be largely symbolic and the actual spending it covers will be handled later this year. The appropriations process, however, has been used by Republicans to attack the health law's funding.

22 Sep 2011

State roundup: Consumer advocates oppose Ga. request to ease rules on insurers' profits

The state's request to ease new federal restrictions on health insurer spending would cost Georgia insurance policyholders an estimated $34 million in rebates, consumer advocacy groups say.

22 Sep 2011

SAMHSA selects 11 organizations to receive 2011 Science and Service Awards

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has selected 11 organizations to receive the agency's 2011 Science and Service Awards. These awards recognize exemplary implementation of evidence-based interventions shown to prevent and/or treat mental illnesses and substance abuse.

22 Sep 2011

New initiative for effective two-way communication between patients and clinicians

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) today launched an initiative with the Ad Council to encourage clinicians and patients to engage in effective two-way communication to ensure safer care and better health outcomes.

22 Sep 2011

NIDA announces winners of Avant-Garde Awards for Innovative Medication Development Research

Scientists proposing to develop vaccines against methamphetamine and nicotine have been selected to receive NIDA's second Avant-Garde Awards for Innovative Medication Development Research.

22 Sep 2011

NIH to honor IGB faculty member with innovator award

Douglas A. Mitchell, IGB faculty member in the Mining Microbial Genomes for Novel Antibiotics research theme and assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry, is a recipient of the 2011 National Institutes of Health Director's New Innovator Award. The award recognizes bold ideas from some of the nation's most promising new scientists.

22 Sep 2011

First Edition: September 21, 2011

For Kaiser Health News, Jackie Judd talks with PBS NewsHour's David Chalian about the GOP presidential candidates' health law repeal rhetoric, the varying level of nuance among their viewpoints and how each is attacking the President's – and each other's – stances.

21 Sep 2011

MedPAC offers possible offsets for Medicare physician pay fix

Still, Obama's deficit-reduction plan, released yesterday, includes no funding for the doc fix. Some are eyeing a Medicaid adjustment that will garner $13 billion in savings as a possible cash cow - but competition is stiff for these funds.

21 Sep 2011

Global health experts discuss curbing rise of NCDs at Washington Post live event

The Washington Post reports on an event hosted last week by Washington Post Live, the division of the newspaper that organizes forums and debates, which brought together a number of attendees of the U.N. summit on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) wrapping up today in New York, as well as other key thinkers on global health, to discuss curbing the rise of NCDs.

21 Sep 2011

UIC wins HRSA-MCHB grant to expand disabilities training program

A successful University of Illinois at Chicago-based interdisciplinary effort to train leaders in programs that help children with developmental disabilities and autism has won a $3.3 million five-year grant from the Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration-Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

21 Sep 2011

Autopsy study reveals earliest 1918 pandemic influenza cases

Examination of lung tissue and other autopsy material from 68 American soldiers who died of respiratory infections in 1918 has revealed that the influenza virus that eventually killed 50 million people worldwide was circulating in the United States at least four months before the 1918 influenza reached pandemic levels that fall.

20 Sep 2011

Independent panel calls for stronger financial safeguards for Global Fund

After a six-month review of the financial systems at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a seven-member independent panel "recommended a substantial overhaul Monday in the grant organization's practices," the Wall Street Journal reports.

20 Sep 2011

Feds OK Mich. request to reduce premium costs for state's pre-existing condition insurance plan

Other news reports related to health law implementation include the latest on a push by the Department of Health and Human Services for state insurance exchange partnerships, speculation about the measure's essential benefits rule and efforts on Capitol Hill to block the law's funding.

19 Sep 2011

Propublica: Docs appear to avoid penalties, sanctions in suits against medical drug and device companies

This report notes that despite payments by drug and device companies, none of the more than 75 doctors named as participants were sanctioned.

19 Sep 2011

SuccessEHS acquires MediaDent EDR and Dental Imaging solution

SuccessEHS has announced the acquisition of MediaDent, a Practice Management, Electronic Dental Record and Dental Imaging solution. MediaDent is the flagship product of Georgia-based MMD Systems Inc., which will operate as a new division of SuccessEHS.

19 Sep 2011

LTCFP: Long-term care insurance could be cheaper than do-it-yourself caregiving

If one of your aging parents suddenly needs help with the tasks of daily living, who will provide it? You? "If that's your default plan," says Craig Smith, President of LTC Financial Partners LLC (LTCFP), "be prepared for sticker shock. Your services don't come free." LTCFP is one of the nation's largest and most experienced long-term care insurance agencies.

19 Sep 2011

Health and Human Services News and Research

Vaccinating infants against rotavirus decreases health care use and treatment costs

First ever domino liver transplant

USA Today: Seniors key to fighting Medicare fraud

States get grants to aid rate-review efforts

HHS spending bill stalled by House impasse

State roundup: Consumer advocates oppose Ga. request to ease rules on insurers' profits

SAMHSA selects 11 organizations to receive 2011 Science and Service Awards

New initiative for effective two-way communication between patients and clinicians

NIDA announces winners of Avant-Garde Awards for Innovative Medication Development Research

NIH to honor IGB faculty member with innovator award

First Edition: September 21, 2011

MedPAC offers possible offsets for Medicare physician pay fix

Global health experts discuss curbing rise of NCDs at Washington Post live event

UIC wins HRSA-MCHB grant to expand disabilities training program

Autopsy study reveals earliest 1918 pandemic influenza cases

Independent panel calls for stronger financial safeguards for Global Fund

Feds OK Mich. request to reduce premium costs for state's pre-existing condition insurance plan

Propublica: Docs appear to avoid penalties, sanctions in suits against medical drug and device companies

SuccessEHS acquires MediaDent EDR and Dental Imaging solution

LTCFP: Long-term care insurance could be cheaper than do-it-yourself caregiving

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