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Viewpoints: GOP's 'charge into the fixed bayonets;' Republican health plan is superior to Obama's; Congressional hypocrisy on its health policy

So House Republicans have passed and sent to the Senate a budget that includes no funding for the Affordable Care Act, setting up a political showdown that could result in a government shutdown. We wish the GOP luck, since we support the policy if not the strategy. But however this charge into the fixed bayonets turns out, we hope the folks who planned it will take responsibility for what happens now (9/23).

25 Sep 2013

Cerebral imaging in patients with early symptoms of AD may have better clinical outcomes

Patients suffering from early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease who were diagnosed sooner than usual using a brain imaging test received Alzheimer-specific medications earlier than those who did not have the brain imaging results available to their doctors or themselves.

25 Sep 2013

New Hampshire seniors favor Medicare home health services, oppose Medicare payment cuts

New Hampshire's home health leaders today released new polling data on New Hampshire seniors' opinions on the value of skilled home healthcare services in the Medicare program and proposed cuts that threaten to reduce Medicare payments by an unprecedented 14 percent. The survey polled 549 New Hampshire registered voters aged 65 and older.

21 Sep 2013

Personality traits can be correlated to health care consumption, study finds

Psychiatrists and psychologists have long understood that an individual's personality can define how he or she views the world around them, reacts to situations, and interacts with others. It now appears that personality traits can be linked to the frequency with which older adults use expensive health care services.

21 Sep 2013

Labor Department mandates overtime pay, minimum wage for home health workers

The Obama administration approved new rules that beginning Jan. 1, 2015, extend minimum wage and overtime payment to nearly 2 million home healthcare workers. Many in the mostly female and minority workforce are paid more than federal minimum wage, now $7.25 an hour, but don't get time-and-a-half when they work more than 40 hours a week.

19 Sep 2013

First Edition: September 18, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about the Census Bureau's latest figures on the nation's uninsured as well as Congressional Budget Office long-term deficit projections and how that news fits into events in the ongoing Capitol Hill budget battles.

18 Sep 2013

Long-term care panel releases recommendations

Though the panel narrowly approved proposals on Friday, it did not reach a consensus on how to pay for these often expensive services.

17 Sep 2013

First Edition: September 16, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about new polling indicating that the health law still faces an uphill climb.

16 Sep 2013

Performance-based incentive program improves nursing home care in critical areas

A new study from the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University Center for Aging Research has found that nursing home care improves in critical areas -- including falls, quality of life and rehospitalizations -- when state government and nursing homes collaborate in a performance-based incentive program that promotes local solutions to local problems.

11 Sep 2013

UCLA receives multimillion-dollar gift to provide patients with innovative home health program

A multimillion-dollar gift has allowed the UCLA Division of Digestive Diseases to provide patients with an innovative home health program; supported new, minimally invasive treatment procedures; and funded state-of-the-art gastroenterology research.

10 Sep 2013

Longer looks: Phenomenal growth of the Cleveland Clinic prompts hopes for the city; the bittersweet decision to donate organs

Delos M. "Toby" Cosgrove arrived at the Cleveland Clinic in 1975 as an "incredibly poor" 34-year-old dreaming of a life as a cardiac surgeon. … As the years passed he became well-known for pioneering the replacement of heart valves, eventually assuming the chair of the department of cardiothoracic surgery.

From Medtronic 5 Sep 2013

LNHASC selects Clinical Outcomes Management Systems Interactive as Preferred Partner

The Louisiana Nursing Home Association Service Corporation (LNHASC) has chosen COMS Interactive, LLC (Clinical Outcomes Management Systems or COMS) as a Preferred Partner.

31 Aug 2013

Those in gay marriages set to receive new federal benefits

The federal government on Thursday issued rules on the federal benefits that gay Americans and their same-sex spouses can expect to receive. HHS said Medicare will allow all beneficiaries access to care in a nursing home where their spouse lives.

31 Aug 2013

Viewpoints: 'Mixed signals' on employee benefits; Michigan debates Medicaid expansion; malpractice awards drive safety

It is hard to know whether to rejoice or lament two striking if somewhat conflicting messages last week about the costs of employer-sponsored health insurance. An authoritative survey found that premiums for family and individual coverage at work - including both the company's and the worker's share - have gone up only moderately for the second year in a row.

27 Aug 2013

PharMerica reports net income of $10.2 million for Q2 2013

PharMerica Corporation, a national provider of pharmacy services, today reported its financial results for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2013.

2 Aug 2013

Colgate reports worldwide Net sales of $4,346 million in second quarter 2013

Colgate-Palmolive Company today reported worldwide Net sales of $4,346 million in second quarter 2013, an increase of 2.0% versus second quarter 2012. Global unit volume grew 4.0%, pricing increased 1.0% and foreign exchange was negative 3.0%. Organic sales (Net sales excluding foreign exchange, acquisitions and divestments) grew 5.5%.

25 Jul 2013

Saint Luke's Health System opens new free-standing, in-patient hospice facility

Saint Luke's Health System's new free-standing hospice facility, Saint Luke's Hospice House, opens its doors on Friday, July 19, 2013 with a grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony and plan to begin admitting patients July 24.

20 Jul 2013

Study examines whether better sleep lowers risk of heart disease

The University of South Florida College of Nursing is conducting research to improve sleep in those caring for people with dementia and Alzheimer's disease, with the aim of determining if better sleep affects heart health.

10 Jul 2013

State highlights: Ore. nonprofit hospitals see increased revenue, but lower charity care; Calif. shift means lost autism treatment

A new state report shows the average Oregon hospital more than doubled its margin, or profit, between 2009 and 2011, even as its provision of charity care went down. The findings trace the hospital sector rebound from recessionary lows in 2008, and how expanded Medicaid enrollment in Oregon has helped boost hospitals' bottom line even as many continue to expand to some assessors' dismay (Budnick, 7/5).

9 Jul 2013

Affordable Care Act employer mandate requirement postponed for a year

The Administration announced on Tuesday, July 2, that it is postponing for one year the requirement that employers with 50 or more full-time employees provide health insurance to such employees or face significant monetary penalties.

5 Jul 2013