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IRIN examines efforts to attract health workers to underserved, rural communities

IRIN examines WHO efforts to better understand factors influencing health workers' decisions about where to work in order to help fight health care worker shortages in developing countries. According to the news service, a group of 40 experts assembled by the agency "is finalizing recommendations to help governments attract more health workers to sparsely staffed areas," IRIN writes.

3 Jul 2010

More than 2B worldwide lack access to adequate surgical services, study finds

"More than 2 billion people worldwide do not have adequate access to surgical services, and low-income countries in particular have low levels of surgical care," according to a study published online Thursday in the Lancet, HealthDay News/Modern Medicine reports (7/1).

3 Jul 2010

Medical information on Internet may not be accurate or complete

The quality of online information about the most common sports medicine diagnoses varies widely, according to a study published in the July 2010 issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS). Therefore, patients who use the Internet to help make medical decisions need to know that the web may not be giving the whole picture.

3 Jul 2010

Senate Democrats tax prosthetic limbs, other vital medical devices, refuse to exempt veterans

As the nation prepares to celebrate Independence Day with parades and barbecues, America's veterans face a new tax on prosthetic limbs and other vital medical devices.

3 Jul 2010

Two-day international Osteoarthritis Summit to be held in June 2011

Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) plans to host a two-day international Osteoarthritis Summit in June 2011. The Hospital, internationally recognized for its leadership in the fields of orthopedics and rheumatology, will bring together, for the first time, a truly comprehensive multidisciplinary group of world renowned scientists, thought-leaders and industry representatives from the United States, Canada, and Europe, to discuss all aspects of OA and develop a consensus document on future directions for OA research, prevention and treatment.

3 Jul 2010

Gov. Patrick signs new law to stiffen penalties for assault on nurses and other health care workers

Surrounded by registered nurses and legislators, Governor Deval Patrick today signed a law that will stiffen the penalties for those who assault nurses and other health care workers, one of a series of measures the state's nurses are proposing to address the growing problem of workplace violence in health care settings. The vote follows unanimous votes to approve the measure in both houses of the legislature.

3 Jul 2010

Home-health companies' stock takes hit as SEC investigates their Medicare reimbursement

Amedisys and Almost Family, two home health care companies, said Thursday that they are the focus of a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into their Medicare reimbursement practices, one month after the U.S. Senate began its own inquiry. "The investigation is related to the SEC probe, which revolves around whether the companies pushed patients into extra, sometimes unnecessary, home-health care visits in order to hit a threshold level that secured them thousands more in reimbursements from the government's health-care program."

3 Jul 2010

Insurers continue seeking wary regulator's approval for rate hikes

For most Massachusetts insurers, a standoff with regulators over premium rate increase was left unresolved Thursday evening. Rate caps were maintained — freezing premiums at 2009 rates — for 137 health insurance plans.

3 Jul 2010

RNAO's Pride Parade march to be held in Toronto

A group of nurses joined by friends and family will march in this Sunday's Pride Parade in Toronto. The nurses are members of the RNAO and its Rainbow Nursing Interest Group.

3 Jul 2010

State Roundup: Florida to investigate WellCare; Calif. budget cuts; Computer system helps states find Medicaid savings

Nextgov: "A 17-year-old computer data matching system designed to prevent welfare recipients from drawing benefits in more than one state at a time is now helping cash-strapped states save millions of dollars -- but not as originally intended.

3 Jul 2010

Coventry's Fitch ratings unaffected by Louisiana Court of Appeals' adverse ruling

Fitch Ratings commented today that its ratings on Coventry Health Care, Inc. (Coventry) are unaffected by the company's announcement this morning that it will take a $278 million charge against second-quarter earnings related to an adverse ruling by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in the state of Louisiana.

3 Jul 2010

Blacks five times more prone to hypertension than Whites

The hospital admission rate for Blacks with hypertension was 161 per 100,000 people in 2006 - nearly 5 times the hospitalization rate for Whites (33 admissions per 100,000), according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

3 Jul 2010

Positive reviews of health overhaul implementation so far but potential stumbling blocks lie ahead

The New York Times notes an uptick in support for the health overhaul in polls as parts of the law begin to take effect, as well as some positive reviews - even from conservatives - about the administration's performance in implementing the measures. Stuart Butler, a vice president of the Heritage Foundation, for instance, said, "I give them an A for effort. But there are land mines down the road because the law is fundamentally flawed." The latest poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows 48 percent hold a favorable view of the new law, while 41 percent oppose it.

3 Jul 2010

FDA issues consumer update on safety alerts

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued safety alerts about a number of products.

3 Jul 2010

Consumers examine government's new health care website, health insurers critical

News outlets continue to report on the federal government's new health care website, healthcare.gov, launched Thursday.

3 Jul 2010

Medical biller develops special ranking system for insurers

Jonathan Bush recognized that getting paid in health care is a problem, NPR's Planet Money blog reports: "Say the patient is covered by Blue Cross. Which Blue Cross? Did she need a referral? What's the right billing code?" So he left the birthing center business to get "into a different part of the health-care business: He launched athenahealth, a company that handles billing for doctors' offices."

3 Jul 2010

Insurer stocks drop; Drugmakers shed 35,000 jobs

News outlets report on a drop in health insurance stocks and the elimination of 35,000 jobs in the drug industry this year.

3 Jul 2010

States anxiously hoping for extra Medicaid funds extension

Kaiser Health News: "Democrats are leaving Washington for their July 4th recess without passing key parts of their health agenda. Among the provisions being left for when Congress returns from a week-long break: enhanced Medicaid aid for states and a subsidy to help the laid off afford to keep their former employer's health insurance.

3 Jul 2010

Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center's new children's outpatient facility named in honor of Alex Rodriguez

Alex Rodriguez joined Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center President and CEO Miguel A. Fuentes, Jr., as well as board members, staff and pediatric patients at a ceremony to dedicate a new children's outpatient center named in his honor on Wednesday, June 30, 2010.

3 Jul 2010

Hospitals in Iowa, Kentucky and Massachusetts face new challenges, opportunities

Quad-City Times: "A proposed change in Medicare reimbursement could increase payments to Iowa hospitals by more than $12.5 million next year. At the same time, a rule change on reimbursement to doctors could boost their Medicare payments by 5 percent beginning next year. 'This will mean a great deal to Iowa hospitals that have been struggling for many years,' said U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa.

3 Jul 2010

Health Care News and Research

IRIN examines efforts to attract health workers to underserved, rural communities

More than 2B worldwide lack access to adequate surgical services, study finds

Medical information on Internet may not be accurate or complete

Senate Democrats tax prosthetic limbs, other vital medical devices, refuse to exempt veterans

Two-day international Osteoarthritis Summit to be held in June 2011

Gov. Patrick signs new law to stiffen penalties for assault on nurses and other health care workers

Home-health companies' stock takes hit as SEC investigates their Medicare reimbursement

Insurers continue seeking wary regulator's approval for rate hikes

RNAO's Pride Parade march to be held in Toronto

State Roundup: Florida to investigate WellCare; Calif. budget cuts; Computer system helps states find Medicaid savings

Coventry's Fitch ratings unaffected by Louisiana Court of Appeals' adverse ruling

Blacks five times more prone to hypertension than Whites

Positive reviews of health overhaul implementation so far but potential stumbling blocks lie ahead

FDA issues consumer update on safety alerts

Consumers examine government's new health care website, health insurers critical

Medical biller develops special ranking system for insurers

Insurer stocks drop; Drugmakers shed 35,000 jobs

States anxiously hoping for extra Medicaid funds extension

Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center's new children's outpatient facility named in honor of Alex Rodriguez

Hospitals in Iowa, Kentucky and Massachusetts face new challenges, opportunities

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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