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Women & Infants Hospital to receive Health Care Innovation award

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced that Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island is among the first batch of organizations selected for Health Care Innovation awards. Made possible by the health care law - the Affordable Care Act - the awards will support 26 innovative projects nationwide that will save money, deliver high quality medical care, and enhance the health care workforce. The preliminary awardees announced today expect to reduce health spending by $254 million over the next three years.

9 May 2012

CardioNet first quarter revenue decreases 20.5% to $27.0 million

CardioNet, Inc., a leading wireless medical technology company with a current focus on the diagnosis and monitoring of cardiac arrhythmias, today reported results for the first quarter-ended March 31, 2012.

9 May 2012

Ads for “affordable care act” claim to protect Medicare: Really?

Proponents of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act have a very costly, tax-payer funded national advertising campaign--- posing as “protectors” of Medicare—even as the massively unpopular law cut $500-$800 billion from Medicare to fund expansion of Medicaid, shifting more medical care services to younger voters.

8 May 2012

First Edition: May 8, 2012

Today's headlines include highlights of how congressional action surrounding the budget and the student loan program could impact health policy.

8 May 2012

Obama on the stump: Don't turn back the clock on health reform (video)

Kaiser Health News has video clips of a pair of speeches Saturday by President Barack Obama, in which he fired up Democratic party faithful in Ohio and Virginia. He spoke about his plans for -- and record on -- Medicare, health insurance and birth control. And he vowed that the country "will not go back to the days when insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your policy."

8 May 2012

Virginia Premier, Envision announce multi-year PBM agreement

Virginia Premier Health Plan and Envision Pharmaceutical Services, Inc., today announced a multi-year agreement that establishes Envision as the exclusive provider of pharmacy benefit management (PBM) services for Virginia Premier's 150,000 managed Medicaid members starting 7/1/2012. The agreement is based on the pillars of pass-through pricing, transparency and service that will allow Virginia Premier unprecedented plan access and customization while achieving lower net costs.

8 May 2012

Capsules: Ain't no Sunshine yet for docs; Rivlin on Medicare and the debt: 'we know what to do'

Now on Kaiser Health News' blog, Jenny Gold reports on a new timelime for implementation of the Physician Payments Sunshine Act: "CMS has announced that the agency will not require companies to collect transparency data before January 1, 2013.

8 May 2012

Viewpoints: Diabetes, future health ills & the GOP; Debate on FDA OTC plan; Sen. Brown's daughter's health insurance

A study of diabetes in overweight and obese youngsters bears an ominous warning about future health care trends in this country. It found that Type 2 diabetes, a new scourge among young people, progresses faster and is harder to treat in youngsters than in adults. ... Congressional Republicans, meanwhile, are bent on dismantling health care reforms that could greatly assist in curbing the obesity epidemic.

8 May 2012

Over $300 million set aside in the budget for dental assistance

The move was announced by federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek at the weekend. It is claimed to provide $345.9m over three years to reduce the long waiting lists for public dental treatment. This could benefit 400,000 people. Ms Plibersek also announced that the Voluntary Dental Graduate Year Program will be increased from 50 to 100 placements per year by 2016 at a cost of $35.7 million over three years. “This funding boost will provide practice experience and professional development opportunities, including in under-serviced areas, to additional dental graduates,” she said.

8 May 2012

Salix first quarter total product revenue increases 62% to $171.1M

Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. today announced financial and operating results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012 and other business updates.

8 May 2012

Clinverse closes $3.8 million Series B round of funding

Clinverse, Inc., the global cloud-based ecommerce platform provider for clinical trials, announced today that it has closed a $3.8 million Series B round of funding led by Hatteras Venture Partners of Durham, NC. Vital Financial of Bethesda, MD, also participated in this funding round.

8 May 2012

People continue to make unhealthy choices despite best intentions

Humana Inc., one of the nation's leading health and well-being companies, and Reader's Digest, one of America's most recognized brands, today announced results of a nationwide survey that highlights an intriguing fact about health in America - despite our best intentions, Americans continue to make unhealthy choices.

7 May 2012

House GOP budget cuts social programs – including Medicaid -- to stave off Pentagon cuts

As Congress returns after a weeklong recess, House Republicans will advance legislation to trim almost $380 billion from the federal budget, with social programs bearing the brunt of the cuts.

7 May 2012

Claraview reports successful deployment of Enterprise Data Integrity solution for Affinity Health Plan

Claraview, a division of Teradata, a strategy and technology consultancy focused exclusively on business intelligence (BI) and analytic solutions, announced today the successful deployment of the Enterprise Data Integrity (EDI) solution for Affinity Health Plan.

7 May 2012

Obama, Romney and their supporters debate government role in health care

[Bill] Clinton defended the Affordable Care Act that Obama signed into law in 2010, which is now the subject of debate among U.S. Supreme Court justices who are weighing the constitutionality of the legislation's requirement that all people have health insurance.

7 May 2012

Chesapeake Regional Medical Center rolls out automated disinfection robot

Chesapeake Regional Medical Center rolled out the newest member of its environmental team last week, a five-foot, automated disinfection robot named Tru-D (Total Room Ultraviolet Disinfection). Implementation of the mobile, high-tech disinfection device is part of a $2 million CDC grant awarded to Duke University for the prevention of healthcare-associated infections (HAI's).

7 May 2012

First Edition: May 7, 2012

Today's health policy highlights include reports detailing what's ahead this week on Capitol Hill as well as state-level developments.

7 May 2012

Obama features health care law, contraception efforts in campaign kick-off speech

News outlets report that the president attacked his likely GOP rival, Mitt Romney, while highlighting his own health care record.

7 May 2012

HCA's profits up, Cigna's down, as patients use more services

Earnings were slightly below the level analysts expected in the quarter, despite a boost from claims reserves that weren't needed in prior periods, although Cigna said it topped its own forecast. ... Like other insurers, Cigna has been projecting patients will start using health care services more after a long slump. The company in its release noted its latest guidance reflects, in part, an "expected increase in medical services utilization during 2012."

5 May 2012