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Medicaid is the United States health program for eligible individuals and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the states and federal government, and is managed by the states.

GAO, Senate question role of hospital supplies middlemen

Group Purchasing Organizations, "which effectively act as middlemen between hospitals, suppliers and vendors," received mixed reports from the Government Accountability Office and the Senate Finance Committee, CongressDaily reports. "Many GPOs are paid through fees from manufacturers and vendors rather than by hospitals directly. As a result, the industry has enjoyed a special safe harbor from anti-kickback laws.

29 Sep 2010

Former Geisinger head to run CMS Innovation Center

CQ HealthBeat reports that Richard Gilfillan, a former head of the Geisinger Health Plan in Pennsylvania, will run the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Innovation Center that was created by the health law. Gilfillan was chosen Monday. At Geisinger, Gilfillan ran a plan that "many health policy analysts see as a national model for delivering quality, affordable care" (Reichard, 9/27).

29 Sep 2010

New Formulary Forum reports market growth of immune biologics

HealthLeaders-InterStudy and Fingertip Formulary find that the market growth of immune biologics will come from the expansion of indications for immune biologics in response to limited off-label use and competition for preferred status.

28 Sep 2010

GenMark’s eSensor technology selected for Warfarin clinical study

GenMark Diagnostics, Inc., a provider of automated, multiplex molecular diagnostic testing systems, announced today that their eSensor Warfarin Sensitivity Test has been selected for use in a new pivotal Warfarin clinical study the WARFARIN Trial.

28 Sep 2010

HealthWyse secures patent for Remote Personnel Tracking program to prevent Medicare fraud

HealthWyse, a leading provider of home health and hospice agency automation software, announced today that it has secured a patent for its Remote Personnel Tracking program to help homecare agencies keep track of their employees and prevent Medicare fraud. HealthWyse will showcase its Remote Personnel Tracking Program at the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) 29th Annual Meeting & Exposition, held October 2 - 6 in Dallas, Texas.

28 Sep 2010

State Roundup: N.Y. small businesses protest health insurance premium hikes; Arizona Medicaid crisis; a new payment system for Massachusetts?

Massachusetts officials are reviving the state's ambitious plan to change how doctors and hospitals are paid, aiming to hand the Legislature a specific proposal by Jan. 1 to end disagreement over controlling health spending.

28 Sep 2010

Senate Republicans examining health reform's effect on Medicare advantage

A quartet of Senate Republicans is calling on Medicare's top accountant to release the numbers behind his analysis of health reform's impact on the Medicare Advantage program. The lawmakers ... say the steep cuts to MA under the new reform law will cause many plans to fold, while many others will be forced to drop benefits to remain profitable.

28 Sep 2010

AASLD, TFAH report calls for action to help identify Americans living with HBV, HCV

The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the Trust for America's Health issued a new report today calling for action to be taken to transform how the country deals with viral hepatitis – to help identify millions of Americans who know they are living with chronic forms of hepatitis B and C and to assure access to treatment for all who need it, to prevent even more Americans from becoming infected.

28 Sep 2010

Premier Purchasing Partners announces new agreements for radiation oncology portfolio

Premier Purchasing Partners, LP, today announced that contracts have been awarded to suppliers in its new radiation oncology portfolio.

From Elekta 28 Sep 2010

Today's OpEds: Reform and cost control; the GOP 'Pledge'; New York State's Medicaid program

The pledge document does not mention the Republicans' plan should repeal fail to block the annual appropriations needed to carry out reform. That just-say-no approach is flat out irresponsible. The health care reforms are so intertwined that it is hard to eliminate one provision without undermining others

28 Sep 2010

Rotech Healthcare offers $225 million in Senior Secured Notes due 2015

Rotech Healthcare Inc. announced today that the company intends to offer, subject to market and other conditions, $225 million in aggregate principal amount of Senior Secured Notes due 2015.

27 Sep 2010

Disparities in cardiac care begin when patients arrive at hospital emergency rooms: Study

The well-documented disparities in cardiac care may begin almost as soon as patients arrive at hospital emergency rooms. In a study published in Academic Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital researchers report that African-American and Hispanic patients assessed for chest pain were less likely than white patients to be categorized as requiring immediate care, despite a lack of significant differences in symptoms.

27 Sep 2010

Study finds inconsistent surveillance method for CA-BSI infections

A new study looking at how hospitals account for the number of pediatric patients who develop catheter-associated bloodstream infections (CA-BSIs) found substantial inconsistencies in the methods used to report the number of patients who develop these infections.

27 Sep 2010

Dual eligible patients more likely to be hospitalized than Medicare beneficiaries: AHRQ

Americans who were eligible for coverage under both Medicare and Medicaid in 2008 were hospitalized for bed sores, asthma and diabetes at more than twice the rate of other Medicare beneficiaries, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

27 Sep 2010

GOP 'pledge' to create jobs, control spending, repeal health law draws mixed reaction

The New York Times: "In the legislative blueprint that Republicans hope will serve as a roadmap to winning control of the House, they declared their two highest priorities to be creating jobs and stopping 'out-of-control spending' by the federal government." It includes a call to repeal the health law, while retaining "popular provisions."

24 Sep 2010

Maine receives federal grants to upgrade electronic public health systems, scores of criminals provide home health care in Cal.

The Boston Globe: "Caritas Christi Health Care executives have told union negotiators they will shutter St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Brighton and Carney Hospital in Dorchester if they can't close a deal for the six-hospital chain to be bought by a New York private equity firm. The warning was made during contract talks last week with the Massachusetts Nurses Association, according to two people who attended the meeting.

24 Sep 2010

Critics say school lunch bill could damage food stamp program

The New York Times: "In her campaign to reduce childhood obesity and improve school nutrition, Michelle Obama has become entangled in a fight with White House allies, including liberal Democrats and advocates for the poor." The bill, which the House is expected to consider in the next few days, "would come up with some of the money by cutting future food stamp benefits. When the Senate passed the bill in early August, Mrs. Obama said she was thrilled. But anti-hunger groups were not.

24 Sep 2010

Eastmont Community Center launches new adolescent immunization awareness initiative

Eastmont Community Center responded today to alarmingly low whooping cough and meningococcal meningitis immunization rates among Latino adolescents by launching a new adolescent immunization awareness initiative. The grassroots campaign aims to educate local Latino families about free or low-cost vaccines available to help protect children against these and other infectious diseases.

24 Sep 2010

New opportunity for hospitals to improve CA-BSI surveillance

A new study looking at how hospitals account for the number of pediatric patients who develop catheter associated bloodstream infections (CA-BSIs) found substantial inconsistencies in the methods used to report the number of patients who develop these infections.

24 Sep 2010

UNC's bariatric surgery center receives BSCN accreditation

The program has been accredited as a Level 1b facility by the Bariatric Surgery Center Network (BSCN) Accreditation Program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). This designation means that UNC Hospitals has met the essential criteria that ensure it is fully capable of supporting a bariatric surgery care program and that its institutional performance meets the requirements outlined by the ACS BSCN Accreditation Program.

24 Sep 2010

Medicaid News and Research

GAO, Senate question role of hospital supplies middlemen

Former Geisinger head to run CMS Innovation Center

New Formulary Forum reports market growth of immune biologics

GenMark’s eSensor technology selected for Warfarin clinical study

HealthWyse secures patent for Remote Personnel Tracking program to prevent Medicare fraud

State Roundup: N.Y. small businesses protest health insurance premium hikes; Arizona Medicaid crisis; a new payment system for Massachusetts?

Senate Republicans examining health reform's effect on Medicare advantage

AASLD, TFAH report calls for action to help identify Americans living with HBV, HCV

Premier Purchasing Partners announces new agreements for radiation oncology portfolio

Today's OpEds: Reform and cost control; the GOP 'Pledge'; New York State's Medicaid program

Rotech Healthcare offers $225 million in Senior Secured Notes due 2015

Disparities in cardiac care begin when patients arrive at hospital emergency rooms: Study

Study finds inconsistent surveillance method for CA-BSI infections

Dual eligible patients more likely to be hospitalized than Medicare beneficiaries: AHRQ

GOP 'pledge' to create jobs, control spending, repeal health law draws mixed reaction

Maine receives federal grants to upgrade electronic public health systems, scores of criminals provide home health care in Cal.

Critics say school lunch bill could damage food stamp program

Eastmont Community Center launches new adolescent immunization awareness initiative

New opportunity for hospitals to improve CA-BSI surveillance

UNC's bariatric surgery center receives BSCN accreditation

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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