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Exchanges: HHS official offers insights on state deadline, insurer roles

During a news briefing in Washington, D.C., Steve Larsen, deputy administrator and director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight at the CMS, discussed certain issues related to the establishment of state health exchanges.

22 Jul 2011

ICF receives HHS re-compete contract to leverage IT and health domain knowledge

ICF International, a leading provider of consulting services and technology solutions to government and commercial clients, has been awarded a re-compete contract from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of the Surgeon General, Office of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps.

22 Jul 2011

Roundup: Ore. cuts insurer's rate increase; Ga.'s effort to curb TB struggles; psychiatric care hard to get in Boston

The Oregon Insurance Division will allow the state's largest health insurer to raise rates on individual premiums an average 12.8 percent, far lower than the 22.1 percent the company had requested.

22 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: Will Gang of Six compromise work?; endorsing birth control recommendations; Minn. budget deal

Not surprisingly, the plan has drawn complaints from the left about cuts to Social Security and Medicare, and from the right about defense cuts and tax increases. But the senators are right about the need to simplify and broaden the tax code and to put entitlements on a sustainable footing without slashing aid to the most vulnerable.

22 Jul 2011

CCHIT certifies Nightingale On Demand V10.0 as Complete EHR

Nightingale announced today that Nightingale On Demand V10.0, is 2011/2012 compliant and was certified as a Complete EHR on July 19, 2011 by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®), an ONC-ATCB, in accordance with the applicable eligible provider certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

21 Jul 2011

Older Americans with low health literacy may face higher risk of death

Low health literacy in older Americans is linked to poorer health status and a higher risk of death, according to a new evidence review by researchers at RTI International-University of North Carolina Evidence-based Practice Center.

21 Jul 2011

IOM panel recommends insurance coverage for contraception

The recommendation by the Institute of Medicine advises that contraceptives for women be treated as one of the several preventive services provided free of charge under the new health law.

21 Jul 2011

FDA approves Brilinta to reduce cardiovascular death and heart attack in ACS patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the blood-thinning drug Brilinta (ticagrelor) to reduce cardiovascular death and heart attack in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS).

21 Jul 2011

State roundup: Fla. Medicaid waiver fight

Gov. Mark Dayton and lawmakers reached agreement on a new set of budget bills ... State spending for health and human services will be up from about $10.2 billion this biennium but well below the $12.3 billion projected under current law.

21 Jul 2011

CITIA-SC names Sevocity as preferred electronic health record vendor

Sevocity, a division of Conceptual MindWorks, Inc. (CMI), today announced its Sevocity EHR has been selected by CITIA-SC as a preferred electronic health record (EHR) vendor with the Regional Extension Center.

20 Jul 2011

CMS releases proposed rule for health insurance co-ops

Even though considerable doubts surround the survival prospects of these co-ops, they are envisioned as a means to give consumers better value than existing insurance companies. Start-up loans will be available to co-ops that have good odds of becoming financially viable.

20 Jul 2011

Speed and efficiency of response to outbreaks are key to tackling epidemics

In an age where the next pandemic could leap continents in the hours it takes for an international flight to take off and land, University of Utah Professor Paul Hu fears the death toll may depend on how fast and efficiently world health officials can respond to an outbreak.

20 Jul 2011

Medicare bundled-payments rules expected before 2013 deadline

Regulators will accelerate release of rules implementing bundled payments under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to a senior official at the CMS.

20 Jul 2011

FDA seeks input on proposed oversight approach for mobile medical apps

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced it is seeking input on its proposed oversight approach for certain mobile applications specific to medicine or health care called mobile medical applications that are designed for use on smartphones and other mobile computing devices.

20 Jul 2011

State roundup: Maine, Minn. GOP want insurance changes

Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) told an enthusiastic crowd at the Heritage Foundation on Monday that his Republican administration thinks "taking off the shackles" from insurers is the way to keep healthcare costs low for rural residents.

20 Jul 2011

First Edition: July 19, 2011

Kaiser Health News staff writer Christopher Weaver reports: "New consumer-controlled health insurance plans could get seed money from the government to increase competition - and maybe cut prices -- under new rules announced Monday by the Department of Health and Human Services".

19 Jul 2011

Exposure to tobacco smoke nearly doubles risk of hearing loss among adolescents

NYU School of Medicine researchers report in a new study that exposure to tobacco smoke nearly doubles the risk of hearing loss among adolescents. The study is published in the July, 2011, issue of Archives of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery.

19 Jul 2011

U.S. FDA approves 2011-2012 influenza vaccine formulation

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that it has approved the influenza vaccine formulation for the 2011-2012 vaccine that will be used by the six manufacturers licensed to produce and distribute influenza vaccine for the United States.

19 Jul 2011

Rome Statement for an HIV Cure calls for accelerated research

Members of the Advisory Board for a Global Scientific Strategy "Towards an HIV Cure" today launched the Rome Statement for an HIV Cure calling for an acceleration of HIV cure research. The announcement was made at the 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention (IAS 2011) currently being held in Rome

18 Jul 2011

Bedsharing in toddlerhood does not negatively affect children's behavior and cognition

A study led by Lauren Hale, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Preventive Medicine, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, concludes that there do not appear to be any negative associations between bedsharing in toddlerhood and children's behavior and cognition at age 5.

18 Jul 2011