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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.

Ingenix CareTracker practice management, EHR system available to Federally Qualified Health Centers

Ingenix, a leading health information technology and services company, today announced it is making a specially-designed version of its Ingenix CareTracker practice management and electronic health record system available to Federally Qualified Health Centers. Ingenix CareTracker, which provides all of the capabilities physicians need to demonstrate "Meaningful Use," will offer these community health centers a cost-effective, Web-based, practice management and EHR option that will help them improve operational efficiency and patient care, and qualify for incentives offered by the federal government for demonstrating Meaningful Use of health IT.

6 Aug 2010

Search for meaning in Missouri's rejection of health law provision

Republicans are holding up a Missouri ballot measure, which voters approved with 71% support, to reject a key health overhaul provision as evidence that the public does not like the law, The Washington Post reports.

6 Aug 2010

Knapp Medical Center improves hospital's clinical performance with QualityConnect's QualityAdvisor program

Knapp Medical Center of Weslaco, Texas, saved $2.8 million in one year using the Premier healthcare alliance's QualityConnect™ performance improvement program.

6 Aug 2010

Death rates of patients who have heart bypass surgery drop: AHRQ

The proportion of patients who died in the hospital after having heart bypass surgery fell from 42 deaths per 1,000 admissions for the procedure to 24 per 1,000 - a rate of 43 percent between 2000 and 2006, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

6 Aug 2010

GAO: Medicaid managed care contracts need better CMS oversight

The Government Accountability Office released a report Wednesday that says the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services needs better oversight of Medicaid managed care contracts.

6 Aug 2010

States consider how likely Medicaid funding could affect budgets

States are considering how likely-to-be-extended federal money for their Medicaid programs will affect their state budgets.

6 Aug 2010

Senate passes Medicaid assistance bill; House to return for vote

The Senate approved the $26 billion state-aid package on Thursday afternoon that will provide funding for Medicaid and teachers pay and other public services, The Wall Street Journal reports.

6 Aug 2010

TEMPO study recommends early administration of Azilect in PD patients

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and H. Lundbeck A/S (Lundbeck) today announced newly published long-term data on Azilect(rasagiline tablets) from the TEMPO study and its open-label extension. The findings confirm the long-term efficacy, safety and tolerability of Azilect® in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and further demonstrate the benefits obtained with early treatment initiation. The data was published in the June 2010 issue of the International Journal of Neuroscience.

6 Aug 2010

Penn. enrolls more than 1,000 in new state high-risk pool; Wisc. cuts $625M from Medicaid while increasing coverage

Pennsylvania begins enrolling residents in its new high-risk insurance program. Elsewhere, Wisconsin trims its Medicaid program and states regulate the use of medical marijuana.

6 Aug 2010

House to return after Senate approves extension of enhanced Medicaid funds

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will bring the House back from its recess next week to vote on an extension of enhanced state Medicaid funds the Senate is poised to approve as soon as Thursday afternoon, Politico reports.

6 Aug 2010

Biovail second-quarter total revenues increase 23% to $238.8 million

Biovail Corporation today announced financial results for the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2010.

5 Aug 2010

Watson Pharmaceuticals second-quarter 2010 net revenue increases 29%

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported net revenue grew 29 percent for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010 to $875.3 million, compared to $677.8 million in the second quarter 2009. On an adjusted cash basis, net income increased 22 percent to $102.8 million or $0.83 per share, compared to $84.2 million or $0.73 per share in the second quarter 2009. GAAP earnings for the second quarter 2010 were $0.57 per share, compared to $0.46 per share in the prior year period.

5 Aug 2010

First Edition: August 5, 2010

Today's health policy headlines examine the solvency of Medicare and Social Security; the momentum of legislation in Congress to provide states with Medicaid assistance; and the impact of Missouri's ballot challenge to health reform.

5 Aug 2010

MHPA responds to GAO report on Medicaid managed care rates

Today, Medicaid Health Plans of America responded to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report that found that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has not been consistently reviewing states' compliance with actuarial soundness requirements (developed in accordance with actuarial principles, appropriate for the population and services, and certified by actuaries) in setting Medicaid managed care rates.

5 Aug 2010

Rotech Healthcare second-quarter adjusted EBITDA increases to $29.2 million

Rotech Healthcare Inc. today announced financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010.

5 Aug 2010

Molina Healthcare announces underwritten public offering of common stock

Molina Healthcare, Inc. today announced that it has commenced an underwritten public offering of 4,000,000 shares of its common stock. In connection with the offering, Molina Healthcare and the selling stockholder intend to grant the underwriters an option to purchase up to 350,000 shares and 250,000 shares, respectively, to cover overallotments, if any. The offering is being conducted pursuant to an effective registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 8, 2008.

5 Aug 2010

Penn. effort fades to override cuts to family planning; Ill. faces budget cuts to health care; Mich. focuses on high cost of chronic disease

The Philadelphia Inquirer: "As two Democratic state lawmakers initiated a campaign to override the governor's veto of $7.5 million for family-planning health centers, six Republican state senators who previously voted to restore the funding reversed course, most likely ending any hopes of restoring the money. Democrats would need at least four Republican votes for an override in the Senate, which now appears unlikely.

5 Aug 2010

Senate Democrats hang hopes for state Medicaid money on Maine Republican votes

On Wednesday morning, the Senate took up a state aid package, which includes Medicaid assistance. What follows are summaries of the news coverage in advance of a vote scheduled to begin at 10:40 a.m.

5 Aug 2010

Amputation can be prevented when patients are treated by podiatric physicians: Study

Amputation, one of the most devastating and costly consequences of diabetes, can be prevented when patients are treated by podiatric physicians. That's the finding of a national, large-scale study co-authored by Dr. James Wrobel, DPM, MS, Associate Professor of Medicine at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.

5 Aug 2010

Study says quality not hurt when nurse anesthetists work without doc guidance

A new study published Tuesday in Health Affairs suggests that nurse anesthetists' quality of work is not lower when they aren't supervised by a doctor, The Wall Street Journal Health Blog reports. "The background for this is that Medicare won't reimburse for anesthesia services unless a physician is supervising what's going on.

5 Aug 2010