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Activists, care providers, patients protest against Senator Nelson's silence on AIDS drug program

While Florida continues to add up to 300 people each month to its waiting list for its AIDS Drug Assistance Program, scores of AIDS activists, care providers and patients will gather at a protest and press briefing hosted by AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Friday, August 13th at 12:00 Noon outside the Tampa offices of United States Senator Bill Nelson (D, FL).

13 Aug 2010

Health 2.0 Developer Challenge initiative announces four new challenges

The Health 2.0 Developer Challenge, an initiative designed to stimulate new innovative application development and data use, announces its four newest challenges which include prize money of over $15,000.

13 Aug 2010

General Dynamics awarded $80.3M contract to support HHS Early Retiree Reinsurance Program

General Dynamics Information Technology's ViPS, part of its Health IT Solutions business sector, has been awarded a contract to support the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Early Retiree Reinsurance Program (ERRP). The total potential contract value is $80.3 million over four years if all options are exercised.

13 Aug 2010

Insurers' actions mirror credit card companies' interest rate increases ahead of new consumer rights

Consumer Watchdog and the Center for Media and Democracy today asked the Obama administration to investigate how the major for-profit health insurance companies are reducing their proportion of spending on health care in advance of health reform, even as premiums spike upward. In a letter to Health and Human Services chief Kathleen Sebelius, the groups compared insurers' actions to those of credit card companies, which spiked annual interest rates last year in advance of new federal regulations that would curb corporate abuses.

13 Aug 2010

AHRQ selects Outcome Sciences to study effects of different treatments for open angle glaucoma

Outcome Sciences, Inc. (OUTCOME), the leading provider of patient registries, studies, and technologies for evaluating real-world outcomes, today announced that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has selected Outcome as the DEcIDE Center for a study designed to compare the effectiveness of medications versus surgery for the treatment of open-angle glaucoma. The study will enroll 2,600 patients from 30 sites across the United States and is intended to provide new scientific information about the effects of different treatment approaches in individuals who have glaucoma.

13 Aug 2010

Stanley awards $15 million to provide operation, infrastructure support for Nationwide Health Information Network

Stanley, Inc., a leading provider of systems integration and professional services to the U.S. federal government, today announced that it was awarded two time-and-materials contracts valued at $15 million, with exercise of options, by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Office of the National Coordinator (ONC). These two awards follow an award from DHHS that the company announced on August 2, 2010, to provide operation and infrastructure support for the Nationwide Health Information Network. All three awards fall under the company's Chief Information Officer – Solutions and Partners 2 Innovations contract with the National Institutes of Health Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center (NITAAC).

13 Aug 2010

Insurers, small businesses and ER care all affected by overhaul

News outlets consider the impact of health reform on insurers — who are seeking flexibility on mandates — as well as changes to premiums, small businesses and emergency room care.

13 Aug 2010

Human Immune Phenotyping Centers to receive NIAID grants for research

A new nationwide research initiative has been launched to define changes in the human immune system, using human and not animal studies, in response to infection or to vaccination. Six U. S.-based Human Immune Phenotyping Centers will receive a total of $100 million over five years to conduct this research.Funding for the centers is provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. Support for the first year of this initiative will come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

12 Aug 2010

More Medicare Part D checks in the mail

The Department of Health and Human Services has mailed out a third round of $250 checks to help seniors who enter the Medicare Part D coverage pay gap for prescription drugs, WCAX [in Vermont] reports. "The one-time payment aims to close a gap in coverage for prescription medication. The rebates will go to about 9,000 Vermonters whose out-of-pocket expenses already total more than $940 for the year" (8/11).

12 Aug 2010

Emergency departments not crowded with non-urgent patients: Report

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention once again debunks the myth that emergency departments are crowded with non-urgent patients, a finding noted by the American College of Emergency Physicians.

11 Aug 2010

Third round of tax-free $250 rebate checks mailed to eligible Medicare beneficiaries

Today, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that the third round of one-time, tax-free $250 rebate checks have been mailed to eligible Medicare beneficiaries whose drug costs are so high they have reached the Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage gap known as the "donut hole."

11 Aug 2010

MAXIMUS Long-term Care Solutions to help states address growing numbers of people with disabilities

MAXIMUS, Inc., a leading provider of government services worldwide, announced today that it has launched its Long-term Care Solutions to help states address the growing numbers of elderly individuals and people with disabilities, while benefiting from the increased flexibility and funding offered under the Affordable Care Act.

11 Aug 2010

Study shows health care-associated invasive MRSA infections decrease among patients

An analysis of data from 2005 through 2008 of nine metropolitan areas in the U.S. indicates that health care-associated invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections decreased among patients with infections that began in the community or in the hospital, according to a study in the August 11 issue of JAMA.

11 Aug 2010

Omnicell announces co-marketing partnership agreement for Sentinel RCM application

Omnicell, Inc., a leading provider of system solutions to acute healthcare facilities, today announced a partnership agreement to co-market Sentry Data Systems' Sentinel RCM™ application, which has a sophisticated 340B solution component. Sentry specializes in providing solutions to address a variety of financial challenges found within hospitals and pharmacies while Omnicell's WorkflowRx™ software offers a complete inventory management system for hospital pharmacies.

From Omnicell, Inc. 11 Aug 2010

SAMHSA survey highlights extent of underage alcohol consumption

A new report released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) highlights the extent of the underage drinking problem in the nation through the lens of alcohol-related emergency department visits involving adolescents and young adults aged 12 to 20.

10 Aug 2010

Study: Training reduces occupational injuries among home health aides

Training can alleviate some of the pain that occupational injuries bring to the long-term care industry, according to Penn State researchers. The study looked at injuries among home health aides.

10 Aug 2010

HHS: $250 million in grants available for New Access Points for delivery of primary health care services

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today the availability of up to $250 million in grants for New Access Points for the delivery of primary health care services for underserved and vulnerable populations under the Health Center Program. The funds, made available by the Affordable Care Act, will be awarded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

10 Aug 2010

NIH begins human clinical testing for dengue virus vaccine

After more than a decade of development at the National Institutes of Health, a vaccine to prevent infection by the mosquito-borne dengue virus has begun human clinical testing. The vaccine was developed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and is undergoing clinical study at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.

10 Aug 2010

Study: Catholic, other church-owned health systems show more efficient care than for-profit health systems

A study released today by Thomson Reuters found that Catholic and other church-owned health systems demonstrated significantly better, more efficient care than for-profit health systems.

9 Aug 2010

Obama: Health reform law boosts future of Medicare

The Washington Post: "President Obama on Saturday took credit for placing Medicare on a more certain fiscal path and pledged to American seniors that they would see more help soon paying for drug costs in a direct appeal to an important segment of the midterm electorate. Citing a report issued this week by the Medicare trustees, Obama said the health-care overhaul he pushed through Congress this year has added at least a dozen years to Medicare's solvency".

9 Aug 2010

Health and Human Services News and Research

Activists, care providers, patients protest against Senator Nelson's silence on AIDS drug program

Health 2.0 Developer Challenge initiative announces four new challenges

General Dynamics awarded $80.3M contract to support HHS Early Retiree Reinsurance Program

Insurers' actions mirror credit card companies' interest rate increases ahead of new consumer rights

AHRQ selects Outcome Sciences to study effects of different treatments for open angle glaucoma

Stanley awards $15 million to provide operation, infrastructure support for Nationwide Health Information Network

Insurers, small businesses and ER care all affected by overhaul

Human Immune Phenotyping Centers to receive NIAID grants for research

More Medicare Part D checks in the mail

Emergency departments not crowded with non-urgent patients: Report

Third round of tax-free $250 rebate checks mailed to eligible Medicare beneficiaries

MAXIMUS Long-term Care Solutions to help states address growing numbers of people with disabilities

Study shows health care-associated invasive MRSA infections decrease among patients

Omnicell announces co-marketing partnership agreement for Sentinel RCM application

SAMHSA survey highlights extent of underage alcohol consumption

Study: Training reduces occupational injuries among home health aides

HHS: $250 million in grants available for New Access Points for delivery of primary health care services

NIH begins human clinical testing for dengue virus vaccine

Study: Catholic, other church-owned health systems show more efficient care than for-profit health systems

Obama: Health reform law boosts future of Medicare

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