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GE Centricity Advance version 10.1 certified as Complete EHR

GE Healthcare is pleased to announce that GE Centricity Advance version 10.1 is 2011/2012 compliant and was certified as a Complete EHR on October 1, 2010 by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT), an ONC-ATCB, in accordance with the applicable eligible provider certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).

6 Oct 2010

NHPCO releases report on hospice care in U.S

An estimated 41.6 percent of all people who died in the U.S. last year were under the care of a hospice program, reports the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (up from 38.8 percent in 2008 and 35 percent in 2007).

6 Oct 2010

UCLA-led consortium receives $9.9M to compare wireless and telephone management after hospitalizations

A UCLA-led consortium of five University of California medical schools, plus Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, has received $9.9 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to research the use of wireless and telephone care management to reduce hospital readmissions for heart failure patients.

6 Oct 2010

FEHBP premium costs to increase next year, just not as much as this year

The Washington Post reports that the price federal employees pay for health insurance next year won't go up as much as it did this year, but that the 7.2 percent increase for 2011 is "much greater than inflation or any pay increase or cost of living adjustment they might get."

6 Oct 2010

Democrats gain in polling, but health care helps GOP hold 'enthusiasm' edge

Democrats are gaining ground in campaign polling, but Republicans still hold a lead, buoyed in part by their stance on health care as the November midterm elections near.

6 Oct 2010

Watson seeks FDA approval to market rasagiline mesylate tablets

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today confirmed that its subsidiary, Watson Laboratories, Inc., filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval to market rasagiline mesylate 0.5 and 1.0 mg tablets.

6 Oct 2010

HHS adds 1,000 companies to early retiree benefit program

Congress Daily: The federal government added 1,000 companies to the "early retiree benefit program established under the healthcare overhaul law, bringing the total number of companies participating to 3,000. The $5 billion program is a stopgap measure meant to help cover retired Americans over the age of 55 who are not eligible for Medicare."

6 Oct 2010

Bernanke: Aging, health costs challenge U.S. future

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke issued a new warning Monday about aging and health care costs.

6 Oct 2010

USP announces revision schedule for Model Guidelines Version 5.0

As the Medicare Model Guidelines-a listing of therapeutic categories and pharmacologic classes that Medicare Part D plans can utilize when developing their formularies-undergo revision for the first time in three years, the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is announcing its revision schedule and the expanded opportunities for public input as it develops Version 5.0.

6 Oct 2010

Sebelius: Medicare Advantage cuts won't hurt plans

Will the health law curb private Medicare insurance plans, known as Medicare Advantage, or won't it? Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told reporters Monday that it won't, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. "Ms. Sebelius said the decision by a large Massachusetts insurer to leave the Medicare Advantage market is not a harbinger of the program's decline.

6 Oct 2010

Medtronic launches new KYPHON Express Curette for scraping or scoring bone in the spine

Medtronic Inc. today announced the launch of the new KYPHON® Express™ Curette for scraping or scoring bone in the spine, including during treatment of vertebral compression fractures with minimally invasive KYPHON® Balloon Kyphoplasty.

6 Oct 2010

Consumer Reports Health publishes rankings of 227 HMOs, POS plans

With open enrollment season now underway, consumers with employer-based health insurance can take advantage of the once-a-year opportunity to switch plans. To help consumers compare health insurance plans, Consumer Reports Health is today publishing rankings of 227 HMOs and Point of Service (POS) plans.

5 Oct 2010

Care Improvement Plus releases 2011 Medicare health plan benefits to improve quality of care

Care Improvement Plus, operator of one of the largest special needs plans in Texas, is standing by its commitment to serve chronically ill and underserved Medicare beneficiaries with the release of its 2011 Medicare health plan benefits in preparation for the upcoming Medicare annual election period, which begins November 15th.

5 Oct 2010

Ozark Health announces partnership with St. John's Regional Medical Center

Ozark Health Plan announced today that it has formed a new partnership with St. John's Regional Medical Center, a top ranked hospital in Joplin, MO.

5 Oct 2010

Health law's insurance plans for pre-existing conditions are slow to enroll; 3M to drop early retiree coverage

The Associated Press: "It's a centerpiece of President Barack Obama's health care remake, a lifeline available right now to vulnerable people whose medical problems have made them uninsurable. But the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan started this summer isn't living up to expectations. Enrollment lags in many parts of the country. People who could benefit may not be able to afford the premiums. Some state officials who run their own "high-risk pools" have pointed out potential problems" (Alonso-Zaldivar, 10/3).

4 Oct 2010

Seniors face new choices with approach of first open enrollment since health overhaul

Provisions of the health overhaul will reshape many aspects of the Medicare program, but in the meantime, have left consumers in a state of confusion.

4 Oct 2010

Today's OpEds: Orszag's latest health column, the MLR and parables

Improving the quality of health care and reducing its cost will require that doctors make many changes — but working weekends and consenting to quality management are two clear ones (Peter Orszag, 10/3).

4 Oct 2010

Navigant announces acquisition of EthosPartners

Navigant announced today that it has acquired EthosPartners Healthcare Management Group, Inc., a national healthcare consulting group specializing in physician and hospital alignment, physician practice operations management, and physician revenue cycle management. Combining EthosPartners' physician expertise with Navigant's existing healthcare practice capabilities significantly enhances and broadens the solutions that Navigant offers to its clients.

4 Oct 2010

First Edition: October 4, 2010

In this Kaiser Health News column, Louis Saccoccio, executive director of the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association, makes a case for including health plans' investments in fraud-fighting activities in the medical loss ratio definition. "While the federal government is investing heavily in anti-fraud efforts, private insurers should be given the incentive to do the same. Only through a cooperative and concentrated effort to root out health care fraud can we effectively protect Americans' quality of health care" (Kaiser Health News).

4 Oct 2010

Rate of chemotherapy administration for NSCLC more than twice that reported by SEER

For the first time to date, research published in the October edition of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology (JTO) sought to determine the use of chemotherapy in a contemporary, diverse non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) population encompassing all patient ages. Prior population-based studies have shown that only 20 to 30 percent of advanced lung cancer patients receive chemotherapy treatment.

4 Oct 2010