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IAS, NIDA announce recipients of third annual joint research fellowships

The International AIDS Society (IAS) and the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) today announced the recipients of their third annual joint research fellowships. Recipients of the prestigious awards will receive US$75,000 each to advance scientific understanding of the linkages between drug use and HIV while fostering multinational research.

13 Jul 2011

Obama administration rolls out rule for health exchanges

In a big step to carry out the new health care law, the Obama administration unveiled standards on Monday for insurance marketplaces that will allow individuals, families and small businesses in every state to shop for insurance, compare prices and benefits and buy coverage.

13 Jul 2011

HHS unveils much-anticipated health exchange proposed rule

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the release of proposed regulations that will govern how states are to set up and run new marketplaces where individuals and small businesses can shop for health insurance.

12 Jul 2011

Sevocity's EHR v11.1 achieves CCHIT 2011 certification

Sevocity, the leader in cloud-based Electronic Health Records, today announced that Sevocity v11.1 has achieved full certification through the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) and is a CCHIT Certified 2011 Ambulatory EHR.

12 Jul 2011

NIAID awards $14 million a year for new HIV research

Three research teams focused on developing strategies that could help to rid the body of HIV are receiving grants totaling more than $14 million a year, for up to five years, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health announced today.

11 Jul 2011

Governors oppose Medicaid cuts in debt-ceiling efforts

One approach being discussed would lower federal payments to states for Medicaid and the CHIP program — which as analysis says would lead to even more budget burdens for already cash-strapped states.

11 Jul 2011

GlaxoSmithKline's Boostrix receives FDA approval to prevent tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Boostrix vaccine to prevent tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough) in people ages 65 and older.

11 Jul 2011

New initiatives to improve quality of care and lower costs for Medicaid

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today announced three new initiatives to help states improve the quality and lower the cost of care for the approximately nine million Americans who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.

11 Jul 2011

Panel formed by Mondale and Carlson offers plan to end Minnesota shutdown

A political stalemate between Minnesota's Democratic governor and Republican legislators shows little signs of abating after seven days.

8 Jul 2011

Calif. hospital system pays $865,500 to settle celebrity allegations of privacy breaches

The complaints were generated between 2005 to 2009, a time during which hospital employees were, in various instances, caught and fired for sneaking looks at celebrity medical records.

8 Jul 2011

Researchers to evaluate long-term health effects of oil spills

An NIH-funded network of researchers will evaluate potential harmful effects of the Deepwater Horizon disaster on reproduction and birth outcomes, the cardiorespiratory system, and behavior and mental health.

8 Jul 2011

New technique may help scientists probe mysteries of many different stem cells

Researchers at the Salk Institute have been able to genetically incorporate "unnatural" amino acids, such as those emitting green fluorescence, into neural stem cells, which then differentiate into brain neurons with the incandescent "tag" intact.

8 Jul 2011

Health law provisions draw compliments, complaints

Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is urging young voters to support the measure during the upcoming presidential campaign and former President Bill Clinton said Democrats should have done better defending it in the mid-term election season.

8 Jul 2011

Some states slow in implementing health insurance exchanges

The Hill reports that the delays taking place in many states could put their legislatures at risk of handing over this aspect of the health overhaul to the federal government. Meanwhile, in a pair of articles, Politico revisits key political messages of the reform debate — "repeal and replace" as well as "death panels."

7 Jul 2011

Medicaid expands access to care, improves health for low-income adults

Researchers from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), and Providence Health & Services have found that expanding low income adults' access to Medicaid substantially increases health care use, reduces financial strain on covered individuals, and improves their self-reported health and well-being.

7 Jul 2011

Medicare could owe billions to state Medicaid programs

Governors are pushing the Department of Health and Human Services to reimburse their states money that was spent on providing health care services to people with disabilities who were mistakenly denied Medicare benefits. The error is attributed to the Social Security Administration and cost state Medicaid programs an estimated $4 billion.

7 Jul 2011

Global research initiative to improve health care for people with MNS disorders

Mental health experts are calling for a greater world focus on improving access to care and treatment for mental, neurological, and substance use (MNS) disorders, as well as increasing discoveries in research that will enable this goal to be met.

7 Jul 2011

First Edition: July 6, 2011

In today's headlines, reports about how budget pressures and the deficit reduction negotiations are having an impact on Medicare and Medicaid.

6 Jul 2011

EIM collects data on frozen oocyte retrieval cycles for the first time

Other important data the European IVF Monitoring group (EIM) on 2008 cycles and the International Committee Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ICMART) on 2007 cycles highlighted were Sweden's low rate of multiple births - the lowest in the world - and Spain's 30 % share of egg donations in Europe.

6 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: 'Imaginary' mandates, premium hikes, Medicare leadership

Liberals are taking a victory lap since a federal appeals court upheld President Obama's health care plan last week, but not so fast. This is an idiosyncratic and flawed opinion, and we trust the Supreme Court, however it rules, will hold itself to a higher standard of jurisprudential reasoning.

6 Jul 2011