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Internet searching for health info growing, but not dominant

People still prefer to gather information related to personal health from sources other than the Internet, according to a survey by the Pew Internet Project in association with the California HealthCare Foundation.

21 Oct 2010

More groups challenge Democrats on health issues as GOP lays out repeal clues

Procedural motions that Republicans filed during the healthcare reform debate offer the best insights into which provisions of the law the party wants to repeal first, a top staffer for a senior House Republican told The Hill.

21 Oct 2010

Idaho halts Medicaid cuts for dental care; Georgia and justice department reach accord on mental health services

Gov. C.L. 'Butch' Otter removed a political abscess Tuesday, restoring all previously contracted dental care providers to the state's Medicaid-funded Idaho Smiles program.

21 Oct 2010

HHS did not violate federal law for Medicare ads, GAO says

The Hill Healthwatch: "The Department of Health and Human Services did not violate federal prohibitions on publicity and propaganda with its health reform advertising and technical assistance contracts, the Government Accountability Office said Tuesday. Two HHS television ads, however, 'overstate one of (the law's) benefits,' GAO writes in a letter to Reps. Dave Camp (R-Mich.) and Darrell Issa (R-Calif.). The lawmakers requested the office's legal opinion about the ads and HHS's contracts with MIT economist Jonathan Gruber.

21 Oct 2010

Unitedhealth says it will test lump sum payments for some cancer care, reports earnings

Health insurer UnitedHealth said Tuesday that it will test a new way payment method for cancer doctors. The program pays doctors a lump sum payment for providing care during an entire course of care for the disease instead of how it's done now with a fee for each service a doctor provides.

21 Oct 2010

CMS head Berwick praises new center for Medicare and Medicaid innovation

The planned Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation has the potential to be the 'jewel in the crown' of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Donald M. Berwick, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

21 Oct 2010

Candidates discuss Medicare, Medicaid spending

News outlets report on the role of Medicare and Medicaid spending in this year's elections.

21 Oct 2010

Genzyme third quarter revenue increases to $1.0 billion

Genzyme Corp. today reported third-quarter earnings growth driven by increased shipments of Cerezyme® (imiglucerase for injection). Patients in the United States began returning to normal dosing levels last month, and patients globally are expected to be able to do so this quarter. Earnings growth in the third quarter was also driven by strong revenue from Lumizyme™ (alglucosidase alfa) and cost reduction measures.

21 Oct 2010

Today's Opinions: The health law and Medicare, issues of implementation; the call for repeal

The reality is that the bill doesn't cut Medicare benefits a dime and doesn't "jeopardize access" for anybody, although it may very well force plenty of seniors to change the plans they're on. It also puts Medicare on sounder financial footing, postponing insolvency for about 12 years.

21 Oct 2010

Atrius selects Sightlines, DxCG Risk solutions for healthcare processes

Verisk Health, Inc., announced today that Atrius Health has selected Sightlines Medical Intelligence and DxCG Risk Solutions to identify, manage, and predict healthcare risk across its commercial, Medicaid, and Medicare populations.

20 Oct 2010

SXC's informedRx PBM unit receives three-year contract

SXC Health Solutions Corp. a leading provider of pharmacy benefit management (PBM) products and services, today announced that its informedRx PBM unit has been awarded a three-year contract valued at approximately $240 million per year with a large Health Plan based on the U.S. east coast.

20 Oct 2010

First Edition: October 20, 2010

Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby reports One of the nation's largest health insurers said today it is testing a new way to pay for some cancer treatments, aiming to identify the best medicines and limit profits doctors make by dispensing in-office chemotherapy drugs.

20 Oct 2010

Hospital mortality rates decline by 7.98% from 2007 to 2009

A new independent study by HealthGrades of patient outcomes at America's hospitals found that patients at 5-star rated hospitals had a 72% lower risk of dying when compared with patients at 1-star-rated hospitals -- an enormous gap that has held steady over the past years even as overall mortality rates have improved.

20 Oct 2010

Studies explore efforts to measure, improve hospitals' surgical outcomes

Hospital Compare, an HHS website that allows patients to compare hospitals online using various indicators of quality, is intended to help them choose better facilities for their medical care. But a new report in the Archives of Surgery says the website doesn't help Medicare beneficiaries in need of certain high-risk surgeries find better facilities.

20 Oct 2010

Campaign claims examined as some democrats embrace health law in re-election bids

Kaiser Health News/The Washington Post analyze myths and facts in the congressional campaigns. "The debate that preceded passage of the health-care overhaul resumed as a heated issue in the midterm elections.

20 Oct 2010

When hospital checklists don't tell the whole story

Kaiser Health News staff writer Aimee Miles reports: "The whole idea behind HHS' Hospital Compare is simple: patients can shop around by putting in their zip codes and the website churns out a list of nearby hospitals, with detail on available services, care outcomes, patient satisfaction ratings and more.

20 Oct 2010

Feds ask Connecticut to reconsider rate hike approval, other health law implementation news

The Hartford Courant reports that a high-ranking health official in the Obama administration has asked Connecticut insurance regulators to reconsider allowing Blue Cross Blue Shield in Connecticut to raise health insurance rates by as much as 47 percent.

20 Oct 2010

Candidates continue to clash over health care law

Candidates around the nation are increasingly focusing on what they'll do with the new health law if they're elected as clashes over the overhaul's usefulness and future continue to occur on the campaign trail.

20 Oct 2010

State Roundup: Md.'s heath info exchange; LA to cut retiree health benefits; N.Y.'s mental health building boom

The Washington Post: "A Maryland health information exchange that will allow hospitals, physicians, labs and radiology centers to share patient information within the state went live last week. Three hospitals, three radiology centers, Quest Diagnostics and the Laboratory Corp. of America are already participating in the exchange."

20 Oct 2010

Agendia establishes contract with Humana for coverage of MammaPrint breast cancer recurrence test

Agendia, a world leader in molecular cancer diagnostics, announced today that it has established a contract with leading insurance provider Humana to reimburse for the company's MammaPrint test. Agendia's contract with Humana expands the coverage for MammaPrint by more than 17 million lives. In November 2009, Palmetto GBA, California's Part B Medicare administrator, established coding guidelines for MammaPrint, allowing healthcare providers from across the United States to submit claims for the test.

19 Oct 2010

Medicare News and Research

Internet searching for health info growing, but not dominant

More groups challenge Democrats on health issues as GOP lays out repeal clues

Idaho halts Medicaid cuts for dental care; Georgia and justice department reach accord on mental health services

HHS did not violate federal law for Medicare ads, GAO says

Unitedhealth says it will test lump sum payments for some cancer care, reports earnings

CMS head Berwick praises new center for Medicare and Medicaid innovation

Candidates discuss Medicare, Medicaid spending

Genzyme third quarter revenue increases to $1.0 billion

Today's Opinions: The health law and Medicare, issues of implementation; the call for repeal

Atrius selects Sightlines, DxCG Risk solutions for healthcare processes

SXC's informedRx PBM unit receives three-year contract

First Edition: October 20, 2010

Hospital mortality rates decline by 7.98% from 2007 to 2009

Studies explore efforts to measure, improve hospitals' surgical outcomes

Campaign claims examined as some democrats embrace health law in re-election bids

When hospital checklists don't tell the whole story

Feds ask Connecticut to reconsider rate hike approval, other health law implementation news

Candidates continue to clash over health care law

State Roundup: Md.'s heath info exchange; LA to cut retiree health benefits; N.Y.'s mental health building boom

Agendia establishes contract with Humana for coverage of MammaPrint breast cancer recurrence test

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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