Health and Human Services News and Research

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Viewpoints: NY Times on high-risk pools; GOP on Medicaid 'flexibility;' health workers' rights

As part of the new health care reform, the federal government and 27 state governments are establishing temporary high-risk pools to offer coverage for people with pre-existing conditions until the law takes full effect in 2014.

17 Feb 2011

Senate finance leaders push for permanent Medicare 'doc fix'

Both Committee Chair Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Ranking Member Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, are pushing for an overhaul of Medicare's physician payment formula. Meanwhile, Baucus is not "ready to commit" to hold confirmation hearings for the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services who has been re-nominated.

17 Feb 2011

AHRQ lists SVS as Patient Safety Organization

The Society for Vascular Surgery is now listed as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO) by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, on behalf of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

17 Feb 2011

States grapple with new ways to cut state Medicaid costs

Among the strategies being used are efforts to change rules, revise definitions, tighten anti-fraud efforts and cut services.

17 Feb 2011

HHS unveils new National Vaccine Plan to enhance coordination of immunization activities

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today unveiled a new National Vaccine Plan to enhance coordination of all aspects of federal vaccine and immunization activities. Its goal is to ensure that all Americans can access the preventive benefits of vaccines.

17 Feb 2011

3M, Nuance partner to deliver ICD-10-ready clinical documentation, coding solutions

Nuance Communications, Inc. and 3M Health Information Systems, two leaders in healthcare IT, today announced a broad, strategic partnership in which the companies are working together to deliver a suite of next generation, ICD-10-ready clinical documentation and coding solutions.

16 Feb 2011

Arrests made in major Medicare fraud case

But CQ HealthBeat reports that the administration's top Medicare and Medicaid fraud buster told a Senate panel that the current-year spending plan being advanced by House Republicans could undermine the fed's efforts to reduce waste, fraud and abuse in the health care system.

16 Feb 2011

Gov. Brewer: Feds say Arizona can cut Medicaid rolls

In a letter to the governor, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius wrote that a federal waiver is not necessary to proceed with the state's plan. Sebelius did not approve of the waiver request.

16 Feb 2011

New research: Children of working mothers more likely to experience health problems

Children of working mothers are significantly more likely to experience health problems, including asthma and accidents, than children of mothers who don't work, according to new research from North Carolina State University.

16 Feb 2011

Flu vaccine update

This new vaccine which could become available in the United States in the next few years, is made by growing the influenza virus in cultures of animal cells rather than in the chicken eggs that have been used for more than five decades. This shortens the process by six months. Using animal cells, which are grown in enclosed steel tanks, also reduces the risk of bacterial contamination, which has led to shortages of seasonal vaccines in some years. The study was reported in The Lancet this Tuesday.

16 Feb 2011

New whitepaper explores key components of data segmentation in health information

A new whitepaper recently released by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, authored by faculty and researchers at The George Washington University's Department of Health Policy and researchers at AcademyHealth, explores key components of data segmentation, circumstances for its use, associated benefits and challenges, various applied approaches, and the current legal environment surrounding data segmentation in the area of health information exchange.

16 Feb 2011

BARDA awards contracts for development of drugs to treat injuries associated with acute radiation syndrome

Two contracts for advanced development of drugs to treat skin and lung injuries associated with acute radiation syndrome (ARS) were awarded this week by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). These contracts are the first by BARDA to address the skin and lung injuries that arise from acute exposure to high levels of ionizing radiation - the type of radiation that results from a nuclear blast.

16 Feb 2011

NQF converts endorsed measures from paper-based format to electronic 'eMeasures'

The National Quality Forum announces the conversion of 113 NQF-endorsed measures from a paper-based format to an electronic "eMeasure" format.

16 Feb 2011

Viewpoints: Budget disappointment; supporting CLASS Act; health law's Medicaid 'mess'

If fiscal sanity is to be restored, Americans need to be told the hard facts — not just that the national debt is out of control and that deficits can't go on and on, but that getting the nation's finances in order will require going everywhere in the budget: domestic programs, defense spending and the big entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid that already consume three of every five dollars the government spends.

16 Feb 2011

Medicare pay cut for docs already drawing fire

Critics said the method used in the budget blueprint would cause serious problems. But some news reports indicate the inclusion of this Medicare "doc fix" would help build support within the physician community for the president's health care agenda.

16 Feb 2011

New report examines impact of Affordable Care Act on national immunization policy

A new report issued by the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services and funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services analyzes the impact of Affordable Care Act on national immunization policy. The report examines a wide range of reforms that are aimed at strengthening immunization policy and practice.

16 Feb 2011

Obama budget draws GOP criticism for not taking on entitlements

Although reports indicate President Barack Obama's proposed budget would reduce the deficit by more than $1 trillion over 10 years, it did not offer major changes to Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security — which total about 40 percent of federal spending.

16 Feb 2011

Aeolus receives BARDA contract for AEOL 10150 drug development against ARS

Aeolus Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of broad spectrum catalytic antioxidant compounds that reduce oxidative stress, inflammation, and subsequent tissue damage-signaling cascades resulting from radiation exposure, today announced that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, has awarded Aeolus a contract for the advanced development of AEOL 10150 as a medical countermeasure against the pulmonary sub-syndrome of acute radiation syndrome.

16 Feb 2011

Budget pushes health law implementation, provides some limited — but not easy — increases

However, news outlets report that funding gains within the Department of Health and Human Services come at a steep price.

16 Feb 2011

Roundup: States grapple with high health costs, Medicaid squeeze

Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair bill would give his administration sweeping powers to reshape state health programs covering more than 1 million state residents. Under the bill, the administration's rewrite of the Medicaid program would be reviewed only by the Legislature's budget committee, which has a broader margin of control for majority Republican lawmakers than any other legislative committee.

16 Feb 2011

Health and Human Services News and Research

Viewpoints: NY Times on high-risk pools; GOP on Medicaid 'flexibility;' health workers' rights

Senate finance leaders push for permanent Medicare 'doc fix'

AHRQ lists SVS as Patient Safety Organization

States grapple with new ways to cut state Medicaid costs

HHS unveils new National Vaccine Plan to enhance coordination of immunization activities

3M, Nuance partner to deliver ICD-10-ready clinical documentation, coding solutions

Arrests made in major Medicare fraud case

Gov. Brewer: Feds say Arizona can cut Medicaid rolls

New research: Children of working mothers more likely to experience health problems

Flu vaccine update

New whitepaper explores key components of data segmentation in health information

BARDA awards contracts for development of drugs to treat injuries associated with acute radiation syndrome

NQF converts endorsed measures from paper-based format to electronic 'eMeasures'

Viewpoints: Budget disappointment; supporting CLASS Act; health law's Medicaid 'mess'

Medicare pay cut for docs already drawing fire

New report examines impact of Affordable Care Act on national immunization policy

Obama budget draws GOP criticism for not taking on entitlements

Aeolus receives BARDA contract for AEOL 10150 drug development against ARS

Budget pushes health law implementation, provides some limited — but not easy — increases

Roundup: States grapple with high health costs, Medicaid squeeze

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