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UT Southwestern to register intent to achieve 'meaningful use' of EHRs

As the first major medical center in North Texas to implement electronic medical records in all its clinical practice groups, UT Southwestern Medical Center today applauded the government's initiative to get hospitals and health care providers across the nation to embrace new health care technology. The medical center said it will achieve the goal of "meaningful use" of electronic health records (EHR) and register for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

14 Jan 2011

Baylor Health Care System to implement standardized, certified EHR

Baylor Health Care System is today announcing its intent to continue to improve the quality of patient care in North Texas through the implementation of the electronic health record (EHR) across the health care system. It is one of thousands of hospitals and eligible professionals across the country officially registering with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to demonstrate its commitment to achieve "meaningful use" of EHRs.

14 Jan 2011

65% of Americans oppose Medicaid cuts

Coming on the heels of a major research report finding that long term care is paid less on an hourly basis than the national minimum wage, a new nationwide poll shows that 65 percent of Americans would oppose further cuts to funding for long term care.

14 Jan 2011

Exploring the health overhaul's business opportunities

News outlets report on efforts to capitalize on health reform's new business opportunities.

14 Jan 2011

Viewpoints: Health law repeal; Individual mandate; Essential benefits package; Arizona transplant program

If the government fails, then costs will rise inexorably. Nothing in the law guarantees success: The law embodies almost every idea anyone has offered and hopes a couple of them will work.

14 Jan 2011

First Edition: January 13, 2011

Today's headlines feature reports about how House GOP leaders -- in the aftermath of last weekend's Tucson, Ariz., tradgedy -- are wrestling with how best to retool their health repeal effort and bring the measure forward for a vote.

13 Jan 2011

Study highlights states with largest aggregate Medicaid underfunding

A new study released today finds that Medicaid programs in states across the country underfunded nursing facility care by $5.6 billion in 2010, paying on average $7.17 per hour per patient, less than the nation's current minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

13 Jan 2011

Viewpoints: Insurance rate increases; High risk pools; Mental health funding

In another sign of dysfunction in the U.S. healthcare system, Blue Shield of California has levied three rate increases in rapid succession that could raise some premiums as much as 59%. New state Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has said he plans to scrutinize the increases, and that's a good thing, given that Anthem Blue Cross sought a huge increase in premiums last year based on faulty math. But Blue Shield's request also highlights why the country should stay the course on healthcare reform (1/12).

13 Jan 2011

Roundup: Penn. and Conn. insurance issues; MD. hospital's uncompensated care; Calif. budget

Pennsylvania's subsidized health insurance for low-income working people will likely end next month, officials on Gov.-elect Tom Corbett's transition team said Tuesday, leaving more than 40,000 people with less palatable options and dashing the hopes of more than 400,000 on the waiting list.

13 Jan 2011

K-V Pharmaceutical provides update on FDA review of NDA for Gestiva

K-V Pharmaceutical Company today issued an update on the status of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's review of Hologic, Inc.'s New Drug Application for Gestiva as a treatment for the prevention of preterm birth in women with a singleton pregnancy who have a history of singleton spontaneous preterm birth.

12 Jan 2011

HP awarded $30 million contract to create Texas Medicaid health information exchange

HP today announced a 52-month services agreement with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to create a statewide Medicaid health information exchange.

12 Jan 2011

Study: 23% of doctors have negative perceptions on quality, effectiveness of generic drugs

A new study by researchers at Harvard, Brigham and Women's Hospital and CVS Caremark finds that 23 percent of doctors' have negative perceptions of the effectiveness and quality of generic drugs and that may lead to doctors prescribing unnecessarily expensive medications.

12 Jan 2011

Coventry Health Care offers new medicare plans for employer group

Coventry Health Care of Florida is first to the greater Tampa market with a portfolio of hybrid PPO health care plans that blend the best features of traditional co-pay based plans with the freedom and affordability of consumer-directed plans.

12 Jan 2011

Race, ethnicity and geography influence colon cancer screening

New research from UC Davis Cancer Center has found that whether a person gets screened for colon cancer often depends on where they live in addition to their race or ethnicity.

11 Jan 2011

TearLab's Osmolarity test made available at point-of-care

TearLab Corporation and COLA, a private, non-profit clinical laboratory education, consultation and accreditation organization, announced today that they have partnered to help make the TearLab™ Osmolarity System available in the U.S. at the point-of-care.

11 Jan 2011

First Edition: January 11, 2011

Today's headlines include reports about how a recent high court ruling may offer clues as to how the Supreme Court will view a key aspect of the health overhaul law.

11 Jan 2011

Tri-Valley Medical Group physicians discuss issues impacting roll-out of health care reform

Local physicians from Tri-Valley Medical Group recently spent a week in Washington D.C. to discuss the fundamental issues impacting the roll-out of health care reform - and came away with a new appreciation of its challenges.

11 Jan 2011

Less than 7% of U.S. seniors get shingles vaccination

Although a vaccine to prevent shingles has been available since 2006, less than 7 percent of U.S. seniors — the demographic most frequently affected by the disease — chose to receive the vaccination as of 2008, finds a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

11 Jan 2011

Roundup: Okla.'s health reform lawsuit; Medicaid issues draw attention in Texas, N.Y., N.J.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's alliance with the state's health-care union and hospital lobby is drawing fire from some patient advocates, who question the governor's decision to give the powerful industry figures a front-and-center role in the process of overhauling Medicaid (Gershman, 1/8).

10 Jan 2011

CMS issues rule to reward hospitals for high-quality care

This proposed rule, which is required by the health law, outlines how Medicare will reward hospitals for delivering high-quality care.

10 Jan 2011

Medicare News and Research

UT Southwestern to register intent to achieve 'meaningful use' of EHRs

Baylor Health Care System to implement standardized, certified EHR

65% of Americans oppose Medicaid cuts

Exploring the health overhaul's business opportunities

Viewpoints: Health law repeal; Individual mandate; Essential benefits package; Arizona transplant program

First Edition: January 13, 2011

Study highlights states with largest aggregate Medicaid underfunding

Viewpoints: Insurance rate increases; High risk pools; Mental health funding

Roundup: Penn. and Conn. insurance issues; MD. hospital's uncompensated care; Calif. budget

K-V Pharmaceutical provides update on FDA review of NDA for Gestiva

HP awarded $30 million contract to create Texas Medicaid health information exchange

Study: 23% of doctors have negative perceptions on quality, effectiveness of generic drugs

Coventry Health Care offers new medicare plans for employer group

Race, ethnicity and geography influence colon cancer screening

TearLab's Osmolarity test made available at point-of-care

First Edition: January 11, 2011

Tri-Valley Medical Group physicians discuss issues impacting roll-out of health care reform

Less than 7% of U.S. seniors get shingles vaccination

Roundup: Okla.'s health reform lawsuit; Medicaid issues draw attention in Texas, N.Y., N.J.

CMS issues rule to reward hospitals for high-quality care

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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