Health and Human Services News and Research

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Webchat to discuss the benefits of new health reform law

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Small Business Administrator Karen Mills will host a webchat today to discuss the benefits of the new health reform law.

1 Apr 2010

Physicians face pressures from increased patient loads, looming payment cuts

Two provisions of the new health overhaul law "may accelerate a trend" of doctors leaving their profession. It points to parts of the legislation that would ask physicians to accept new administrative chores and standards, although some of them might result in better reimbursement rates from insurers and the government.

1 Apr 2010

New medicines to fight diseases of particular concern to African Americans

A recent article in The Triangle Tribune pointed to good news for members of the black community, highlighting new medicines in development to fight diseases of particular concern to African Americans.

1 Apr 2010

Insurers comply with new coverage rules for sick children

Early Tuesday, insurers agreed to new rules for covering sick children, including a ban that will take effect in September on "pre-existing condition exclusions" for children younger than 19.

1 Apr 2010

gloStream launches gloDNA 100% Stimulus Guarantee

gloStream, maker of gloEMR and gloPM – the only electronic medical record software and practice management applications with Microsoft® Office built right in – today announced the gloDNA 100% Stimulus Guarantee.

31 Mar 2010

Insurers agree to administration view on kids' coverage

Uncertainty over whether the health overhaul would deliver promised insurance protections to children came to a quick end Monday when insurers told the administration they would not seek to block regulations clarifying the matter, The Associated Press reports. At issue is whether insurers would be required to offer plans to children with preexisting conditions right away.

31 Mar 2010

Titan Pharmaceuticals commences Phase 3 study of Probuphine for opioid addiction

Titan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the initiation of a randomized, placebo and active controlled, multi-center Phase 3 clinical study of Probuphine in the treatment of opioid addiction. This confirmatory Phase 3 study will be conducted at approximately 23 sites in the United States and randomize approximately 250 patients into three arms: Probuphine (100 patients), Suboxone® (100 patients) and placebo (50 patients).

31 Mar 2010

National Donate Life Month: Facts surrounding dire need for organ donations

With Thursday, April 1, 2010, marking the start of "National Donate Life Month," Health Net, Inc. is working to increase awareness regarding the urgent need for organ donations - particularly among minority populations - and also to dispute some of the misperceptions surrounding organ donation.

30 Mar 2010

Few pregnant women meet physical activity guidelines set by health officials: Study

Fewer than 1 in 4 pregnant women meet physical activity guidelines set by doctors and health officials, according to a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study.

30 Mar 2010

Research challenges current thinking about TB bacterium

Two new tuberculosis studies by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers provide good news and bad news about the bacterium that infects nearly a third of the world's population and a disease that kills nearly 2 million people each year.

30 Mar 2010

Cangene extends botulism antitoxin contract with BARDA

Cangene Corporation today reports that it has signed a no-cost modification to extend its botulism antitoxin contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority ("BARDA"). BARDA is the department within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that manages the two biodefence-related, stockpiling contracts Cangene has with HHS.

30 Mar 2010

Unrestricted availability of food can trigger overconsumption and obesity

Some of the same brain mechanisms that fuel drug addiction in humans accompany the emergence of compulsive eating behaviors and the development of obesity in animals, according to research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health.

29 Mar 2010

As CMS nominee, Berwick would face changes and challenges

President Barack Obama will soon nominate Dr. Donald M. Berwick to "run Medicare and Medicaid, the programs that serve nearly one-third of all Americans, administration officials said Saturday," The New York Times reports.

29 Mar 2010

Upgrading to policy with no limits benefits insurance agent

It can be instructive to consider not just what long term care insurance professionals recommend, but what they do -- for their own personal protection. A good example is the case of Kim Galatolo, an agent with LTC Financial Partners LLC one of the nation's most experienced long term care insurance agencies. In California, where Galatolo lives and works, the firm is known as LTC Partners & Insurance Services, LLC.

29 Mar 2010

American obesity problem: Ongoing support to make lifestyle and behavior changes needed

An administration task force chaired by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education and Health and Human Services is asking the public for recommendations to solve the American obesity problem, and a new poll by the American Psychological Association may have some answers.

29 Mar 2010

White House reportedly set to name Dr. Donald Berwick to head Medicare

The New York Times reports that President Barack Obama will soon nominate Dr. Donald M. Berwick to "run Medicare and Medicaid, the programs that serve nearly one-third of all Americans, administration officials said Saturday.

29 Mar 2010

SAMHSA survey: Underage drinking rates reach more than 27.6% in the past month

More than a quarter of youth aged 12-20 (27.6 percent) drank alcohol in the past month, according to a survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The study shows that the underage drinking rates were as high as 40 percent in some states such as North Dakota and Vermont.

27 Mar 2010

ACF, FNS join forces to help communities provide children with nutritious meals during summer

In an effort to address childhood hunger and its impact on child development, health and learning, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, are notifying states that Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act can be used to assist families through the Summer Food Service Program.

27 Mar 2010

Antiviral treatment may lead to drug-resistant H1N1 virus: NIAID

Two people with compromised immune systems who became ill with 2009 H1N1 influenza developed drug-resistant strains of virus after less than two weeks on therapy, report doctors from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

27 Mar 2010

Methuselah Foundation, Silverstone Solutions partner to create online NewOrgan Registry

Methuselah Foundation, a medical non-profit dedicated to extending healthy human life, today announced that it has made an investment in Silverstone Solutions, Inc., a San Francisco-based innovator in life science computing.

27 Mar 2010