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Longer looks: Conservatives vs. liberals on Medicare - who's winning?

What you really need to know is that Tuesday was a great day in court for supporters of the Care Act and a very tough one for its opponents. That dynamic could easily change within the next six weeks or so when the 11th Circuit, the 6th Circuit, and the 3rd Circuit also hold their oral arguments on Care Act appeals. Either way, we are one step closer to the end of all of this, and you can bet that the justices were paying attention up the road a bit from Richmond.

13 May 2011

Insurer rates spark attention

In Connecticut, Aetna is proposing rate cuts for this year, a move that reflects, at least partially, the impact of the federal health law. Meanwhile, The Hill reports that consumer groups are anxiously awaiting regulations that will allow the Department of Health and Human Services to review rates. These regs are likely to be out by the end of the month.

12 May 2011

Florida's largest insurer enters Medicaid system; Texas may ask feds for block grant

In a potentially huge change, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida plans to enter the Medicaid program and compete in what likely will become a statewide managed-care system. Blue Cross, the state's largest health insurer, has stayed out of Medicaid in the past. But its new stance comes as Florida lawmakers seek to enroll almost all Medicaid beneficiaries in managed-care plans -- and as last year's federal health law prepares to funnel more people into the system.

12 May 2011

Study finds link between high prenatal BPA levels and infant's neurobehavioral abnormalities

A new case study examining an infant's neurobehavioral abnormalities and extremely high bisphenol A concentration of the baby's mother suggests a link between the two.

12 May 2011

HHS announces new initiatives to improve patient care and reduce Medicaid costs

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today announced a series of initiatives to work with states to save money and better coordinate care for the 9 million Americans enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid.

12 May 2011

USA Today: Uninsured hospitalizations result in a hefty unpaid tab

Uninsured Americans — including those with incomes well above the poverty line — leave hospitals with unpaid tabs of up to $49 billion a year, according to a government study released today. On average, uninsured families pay only about 12 percent of their hospital bills in full.

11 May 2011

Govt. audit finds antipsychotic drugs often overused in nursing homes

More than half of the antipsychotics paid for by Medicare in the first half of 2007 were "erroneous," the audit found, costing the program $116 million during those six months.

11 May 2011

3M introduces Clean-Trace Hygiene Management System for healthcare facilities

As part of its effort to offer a wide range of environmental hygiene solutions for healthcare facilities, 3M Infection Prevention today announced its 3M™ Clean-Trace™ Hygiene Management System. This solution is designed to help hospitals assess the cleanliness of a surface and validate the efficacy of cleaning protocols and worker performance in less than one minute

11 May 2011

HHS: Few families without health insurance have financial assets to pay hospital bills

A new report released today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows that few families without health insurance have the financial assets to pay potential hospital bills.

10 May 2011

First, free EHR vendor earns complete ONC-ATCB meaningful use certification

Mitochon Systems, provider of a free EHR to physician practices, announced today it has earned complete ambulatory EHR certification (ONC-ATCB 2011/2012) from the Drummond Group, Inc.

9 May 2011

Novavax first quarter net loss decreases to $7.5 million

Novavax, Inc. today announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2011.

9 May 2011

State roundup: Concerns about state employee retirement boom

Plummeting stock portfolios and home values prompted many Baby Boomers to keep working long after retirement age. ... "What was once a planned exit is no longer a planned exit," says Daniel Hackler, Indiana's state personnel director.

9 May 2011

Calif. health exchange effort slows; Sebelius: Health law is state friendly

"We want to be the lead car," California Health and Human Services Secretary Diana Dooley told POLITICO in January, shortly after the state became the first in the nation to pass legislation allowing it to set up a health exchange. But four months later, it's hard not to question whether California's lead is slipping. Gov. Jerry Brown is more focused on filling a $25 billion hole in California's budget than setting up the health reform's new programs (Kliff, 5/9).

9 May 2011

CMS outlines two different ways to revise Medicare payment system for skilled nursing care

In conjunction with a hearing today before the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce in which Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified about the "Policies and Priorities of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services," the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care underscored the importance of provider - Department collaboration in recalibrating the recently implemented Medicare payment system for skilled nursing facility care.

9 May 2011

IPAB claims a friend within the GOP

During a break in a Thursday House subcommittee hearing on elements of the health law, Mark McClellan offered positive views of IPAB. Also during the hearing, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius commented on how the reform law assists entitlement reform and gave her views on the measure's pre-existing condition program.

7 May 2011

Report: 76% of U.S. hospitals meet performance measures program

More than 76 percent of hospitals participating in the National Hospital Preparedness Program met 90 percent or more of all program measures for all-hazards preparedness in 2009, according to a report released today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response.

7 May 2011

FDA approves expanded access to RX Acculink stent for clogged neck artery treatment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved an expanded indication that will allow a new group of patients at risk of stroke due to clogged neck arteries to be treated with the RX Acculink carotid stent.

7 May 2011

Regenstrief Institute, Indiana University partner to enhance health IT workforce

Specialized one- and two-year Indiana University graduate certificate and master's programs designed to increase the number of health information technology specialists in Indiana and nationwide will expand enrollment by 50 percent, thanks in part to Recovery Act funding.

7 May 2011

MicroPhage receives FDA clearance for KeyPath MRSA/MSSA Blood Culture Test

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today cleared the first test for Staphylococcus aureus infections that is able to quickly identify whether the bacteria are methicillin resistant or methicillin susceptible.

7 May 2011

Roundup: Fla. lawmakers to vote today on Medicaid changes; Calif. court expands deadline for tobacco suits

With a sponsor calling it the "most significant transformational change" since Florida's Medicaid program started, lawmakers will vote Friday on a long-awaited proposal to shift almost all beneficiaries into managed-care plans.

7 May 2011

Health and Human Services News and Research

Longer looks: Conservatives vs. liberals on Medicare - who's winning?

Insurer rates spark attention

Florida's largest insurer enters Medicaid system; Texas may ask feds for block grant

Study finds link between high prenatal BPA levels and infant's neurobehavioral abnormalities

HHS announces new initiatives to improve patient care and reduce Medicaid costs

USA Today: Uninsured hospitalizations result in a hefty unpaid tab

Govt. audit finds antipsychotic drugs often overused in nursing homes

3M introduces Clean-Trace Hygiene Management System for healthcare facilities

HHS: Few families without health insurance have financial assets to pay hospital bills

First, free EHR vendor earns complete ONC-ATCB meaningful use certification

Novavax first quarter net loss decreases to $7.5 million

State roundup: Concerns about state employee retirement boom

Calif. health exchange effort slows; Sebelius: Health law is state friendly

CMS outlines two different ways to revise Medicare payment system for skilled nursing care

IPAB claims a friend within the GOP

Report: 76% of U.S. hospitals meet performance measures program

FDA approves expanded access to RX Acculink stent for clogged neck artery treatment

Regenstrief Institute, Indiana University partner to enhance health IT workforce

MicroPhage receives FDA clearance for KeyPath MRSA/MSSA Blood Culture Test

Roundup: Fla. lawmakers to vote today on Medicaid changes; Calif. court expands deadline for tobacco suits

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