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Heartland Regional Medical Center saves more than $3.3 million by utilizing PCS

Heartland Regional Medical Center of St. Joseph, Mo. has saved more than $3.3 million by utilizing Premier Consulting SolutionsTM (PCS) and Premier healthcare alliance technologies to improve quality and safety in cardiovascular services while delivering cost-effective care.

7 Jan 2010

Public option, affordability issues central to health bill negotiations

Dow Jones Newswires/The Wall Street Journal reports that House Democrats who favor a government-run public insurance plan on Tuesday signaled "they are willing to agree to a final health overhaul bill without a government-run health insurance option if other parts of the bill would fulfill the same goals."

7 Jan 2010

Up to final hours, lobbyists influence health overhaul

Language in both the House and Senate bills would reward hospitals for efficiency in their Medicare spending, a dramatic change in the formula for parceling out the public dollars, which can account for as much as half of a hospital's budget. That could prove to be a windfall for some hospitals but a significant loss of funding for others, mostly those in big cities and the South.

7 Jan 2010

Dialysis extension at Atlanta hospital eases crisis for illegal immigrants

The New York Times: "In early October, when Grady, Atlanta's public hospital, closed its outpatient dialysis unit for budgetary reasons, it agreed to pay for three months of dialysis at private clinics for about 50 dislocated patients.

6 Jan 2010

HHS introduces National Influenza Vaccination Week to raise awareness about flu vaccine

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has designated the week of January 10 through 16 as National Influenza Vaccination Week, in an effort to raise awareness about the importance of the flu vaccine.

6 Jan 2010

First Edition: January 6, 2010

Today's headlines detail Democrat's intraparty efforts to finalize a health reform bill and the key policy issues at the heart of those negotiations.

6 Jan 2010

HealthSpring establishes its presence on popular social media site Facebook

Medicare plan HealthSpring today became the first major Medicare Advantage plan to establish a presence on popular social media site Facebook.

6 Jan 2010

Similar effectiveness in treatment options for low-risk prostate cancer; research may help improve patient outcomes

A comprehensive appraisal of the management and treatment options for low-risk prostate cancer found that the rates of survival and tumor recurrence are similar among the most common treatment approaches, although costs can vary considerably.

6 Jan 2010

Medicare beneficiaries can switch their coverage during open enrollment, says Allsup

Medicare annual enrollment ended Dec. 31, but some beneficiaries can switch their coverage during open enrollment from Jan. 1 to March 31, according to Allsup, a nationwide provider of Social Security disability representation and Medicare services.

6 Jan 2010

Sg2: Demand for outpatient services to increase by nearly 22% over the next decade

Between now and 2019, the health care industry will see demand for outpatient services increase by nearly 22% while demand for inpatient services remains flat, according to Sg2, a future-focused health care information systems company. This will require hospitals to shift focus beyond the acute care center and look to services that span the care continuum.

6 Jan 2010

Historic low in drug spending growth coincides with cost-saving tools developed by PBMs

Expenditures on prescription drugs increased just 3.2 percent in 2008 – the smallest annual rate of increase in 47 years – according to new data released today by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

6 Jan 2010

UHC signs strategic partnership agreement with EHR

The University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) and Executive Health Resources, Inc. (EHR) today announced the signing of a strategic partnership that will make EHR's expert Physician Advisor solutions available to all UHC members.

6 Jan 2010

Medicare begins to reimburse for HIV screening

The Hartford Courant reports that "testing for the virus among those 65 and older lags far behind testing of other Americans, and experts say they worry that HIV cases in older adults go undiagnosed — some because of the stigma that the disease still carries, some because patients might dismiss the symptoms of the virus as signs of other conditions more frequently associated with aging and some because doctors can be hesitant to talk to older patients about sex or link their symptoms with HIV."

6 Jan 2010

Bioheart signs distribution agreements to market Home Heart Failure Monitoring Systems in U.S.

Bioheart, Inc. announced today that the company has signed distribution agreements with Restoration Medical, McRay Medical, Alamo Scientific and Morey Medical. These distributors will assist Bioheart with introducing its Home Heart Failure Monitoring Systems to physicians and hospitals throughout the United States.

6 Jan 2010

Health bills include proposals for new physician payment system

The health care overhaul bills on Capitol Hill do not upend traditional 'fee for service' payment for doctors, but they do include financial incentives for doctors to cut medical costs and improve patient care. Both the House and Senate bills include provisions to encourage the creation of accountable care organizations, or ACOs, as a way to test their viability.

6 Jan 2010

Governor's threats to fight health reforms would do more harm than good for Idahoans, says ARRP

As Congress readies to merge the Senate and House health care reform bills, some states, including Idaho, are stepping up to serve as the latest roadblock. Before even seeing the details of the final legislation, Idaho's Governor "Butch" Otter recently announced he would fight reform efforts and possibly sue the United States over the constitutionality of the issue.

6 Jan 2010

MHA acquires Net-Rx

Managed Health Care Associates, Inc. (MHA), the largest Alternate Site Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) in the country, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Net-Rx. Net-Rx is a leading provider of pharmacy reimbursement management services and offers a full suite of technology products to help pharmacies lower costs and increase profitability.

6 Jan 2010

U.S. health spending slows in '08, but federal share soars

A new government report shows that U.S. health spending grew 4.4 percent in 2008 to $2.3 trillion, the slowest annual rate of increase since federal tracking efforts began in 1960, USA Today reports.

6 Jan 2010

Hospitals to receive payments from Medicare and Medicaid for effective use of EHRs

According to a survey released today by CSC titled “Are Hospitals Ready for Meaningful Use of EHRs?” U.S. hospitals are only halfway to qualifying for government incentive payments aimed at controlling healthcare costs while improving the quality and effective delivery of patient care.

5 Jan 2010

Physicians fail to provide pain treatment for fear of prescription drug abuse

Millions of Americans with significant or chronic pain associated with their medical problems are being under-treated as physicians increasingly fail to provide comprehensive pain treatment - either due to inadequate training, personal biases or fear of prescription drug abuse.

5 Jan 2010

Medicare News and Research

Heartland Regional Medical Center saves more than $3.3 million by utilizing PCS

Public option, affordability issues central to health bill negotiations

Up to final hours, lobbyists influence health overhaul

Dialysis extension at Atlanta hospital eases crisis for illegal immigrants

HHS introduces National Influenza Vaccination Week to raise awareness about flu vaccine

First Edition: January 6, 2010

HealthSpring establishes its presence on popular social media site Facebook

Similar effectiveness in treatment options for low-risk prostate cancer; research may help improve patient outcomes

Medicare beneficiaries can switch their coverage during open enrollment, says Allsup

Sg2: Demand for outpatient services to increase by nearly 22% over the next decade

Historic low in drug spending growth coincides with cost-saving tools developed by PBMs

UHC signs strategic partnership agreement with EHR

Medicare begins to reimburse for HIV screening

Bioheart signs distribution agreements to market Home Heart Failure Monitoring Systems in U.S.

Health bills include proposals for new physician payment system

Governor's threats to fight health reforms would do more harm than good for Idahoans, says ARRP

MHA acquires Net-Rx

U.S. health spending slows in '08, but federal share soars

Hospitals to receive payments from Medicare and Medicaid for effective use of EHRs

Physicians fail to provide pain treatment for fear of prescription drug abuse

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