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Six states to study sickle cell disease and thalassemias in national pilot project

Medical researchers are developing a new surveillance system to determine the number of patients diagnosed with a family of inherited blood disorders known as hemoglobinopathies, including sickle cell disease, thalassemias, and hemoglobin E disease.

19 Feb 2010

Some Dems say single health reform bill is close, GOP settles on summit strategy

News outlets report on party politics in advance of the president's health care summit.

19 Feb 2010

University of Missouri to offer health literacy courses for health professionals

The cost of low health literacy - the difference between patients' abilities to understand health information and providers' abilities to effectively communicate complex medical information - is $106 billion to $238 billion annually, according to Pfizer, a leading biopharmaceutical company. To improve the health literacy of professionals and patients, the University of Missouri will offer a health literacy study emphasis beginning this fall.

19 Feb 2010

HHS report scolds insurers for rate hikes, points to increases as reason for reform

According to an Obama Administration report released Thursday, double-digit insurance premium increases such as the proposed 39 percent one by Anthem Blue Cross in California are a "worrisome sign of the times," The Associated Press reports.

19 Feb 2010

Dartmouth Atlas analyses of hospital spending called 'flawed'

The New York Times reports that certain hospitals, including the Mayo Clinic, are lauded "for delivering high-quality care at low costs" based on "a widely cited analysis called the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care."

18 Feb 2010

Obama admin. to redouble campaign against insurers' rate hikes

After criticizing California insurer Anthem for raising premiums 10 days ago, Obama administration officials are preparing for more, The Washington Post reports. "Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has scheduled a late-morning news conference, at which she is to cite half a dozen examples," where insurers have sought big rate hikes for individual coverage.

18 Feb 2010

A selection of today's opinions and editorials

The epic of health care evolution is complex and is worth reviewing over the last five decades. Having practiced medicine in the same community in Southeast Missouri for more than 30 years, I have seen changes in health care beyond the scope of imagination (Dr. S.D. Madduri, 2/18).

18 Feb 2010

States' retiree benefits underfunded by at least $1 trillion

State governments' retiree pension and health plans are severely underfunded, according to a new report from the Pew Center on States.

18 Feb 2010

'Cadillac' tax would have non-union impact, analysis finds

"A proposed tax on high-cost ['Cadillac'] health insurance plans, an element of Democratic health-care legislation that has been strongly opposed by organized labor, would actually fall equally on nonunion plans, according to a new analysis. ... at least 80 percent of the workers whose plans would be subject to the tax in 2019 would be in nonunion jobs," according to Ken Jacobs of the University of California at Berkeley Labor Center and William H. Dow, professor of health economics at Berkeley and a member of President George W. Bush's Council of Economic Advisers.

18 Feb 2010

Centene to acquire Columbia-based Carolina Crescent Health Plan

Centene Corporation today announced that its South Carolina subsidiary, Absolute Total Care, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Columbia-based Carolina Crescent Health Plan (CCHP), the state's largest non-profit Medicaid managed care organization, from University Health Services, Inc. (UHS). CCHP serves more than 40,000 Medicaid members in 46 counties across the state.

18 Feb 2010

BIOGUARD wound dressings with Quick-Med’s NIMBUS antimicrobial technology to be sold by Medline Industries

Quick-Med Technologies, Inc. announced today that its licensee, Derma Sciences, Inc., has entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with Medline Industries whereby Medline will market and sell BIOGUARD™ wound dressings with Quick-Med’s proprietary NIMBUS antimicrobial technology. The agreement covers the acute care segment of the health care market, which includes nearly 6,000 hospitals in the United States plus surgery centers, wound care centers, and other associated health care facilities. Sales under this new agreement are expected to start later this month.

18 Feb 2010

Gentiva Health Services announces fourth-quarter and fiscal year 2009 results

Gentiva Health Services, Inc., a leading provider of home health and hospice services, today reported fourth quarter and full year fiscal 2009 results.

18 Feb 2010

International Merchant Advisors announces development of new line of Wellness Centers and medical marijuana treatment centers

International Merchant Advisors, Inc. announced today that the company intends to develop a new line of Wellness Centers and medical marijuana treatment centers. CEO Mel Roseman stated, "Wellness Centers and medical marijuana are promising new treatment areas, but will require stringent systems and controls to engender the confidence of both patients and the regulatory community.

18 Feb 2010

Dartmouth Atlas hospital ratings could be misleading, says former CMS Senior Policy Advisor

A "Perspective" piece in today's New England Journal of Medicine by Peter B. Bach, MD, MAPP, points out that policy makers are relying on hospital ratings from the Dartmouth Atlas that could be misleading.

18 Feb 2010

WellCare Health Plans reports net income of $39.9M for 2009

WellCare Health Plans, Inc. today reported results for the year and fourth quarter ended December 31, 2009. As determined under generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), the Company reported net income of $39.9 million, or $0.95 per diluted share, for the year 2009, compared with a net loss of $36.8 million, or $0.89 per diluted share, for the year 2008.

18 Feb 2010

First Edition: February 18, 2010

Today's headlines focus on continuing hopes for health reform as well as various health industry developments.

18 Feb 2010

HHS Secretary to address on health disparities at NABJ conference

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius will deliver the keynote address at the National Association of Black Journalists annual conference on Health Disparities, March 4-6, 2010 at the Barbara Jordan Conference Center, Kaiser Family Foundation, 1330 G. Street, NW, Washington, D.C.

18 Feb 2010

UCSF receives $1.15M grant to integrate family planning into HIV treatment and care

UCSF has received a $1.15 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to determine if integrating family planning into HIV treatment and care will increase contraceptive use and decrease unintended pregnancy among HIV-positive women. UCSF will partner with the Kenya Medical Research Institute and Ibis Reproductive Health to conduct the research.

18 Feb 2010

URAC to conduct workshop highlighting multiple aspects of medication adherence

URAC, the nation's leading health care accreditation and education organization, will conduct a workshop on "Medication Adherence and Medication Possession Ratio as a Critical Metric" at the 15th Annual Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (PBMI) Conference in Phoenix, Ariz.

18 Feb 2010

Training birth attendants in essential newborn-care techniques can reduce perinatal deaths

New findings in a study led by the director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Division of Neonatology show that that training birth attendants in essential newborn-care techniques reduced stillbirths by more than 30 percent - and potentially could save as many as 1 million lives worldwide each year.

18 Feb 2010

Health Care News and Research

Six states to study sickle cell disease and thalassemias in national pilot project

Some Dems say single health reform bill is close, GOP settles on summit strategy

University of Missouri to offer health literacy courses for health professionals

HHS report scolds insurers for rate hikes, points to increases as reason for reform

Dartmouth Atlas analyses of hospital spending called 'flawed'

Obama admin. to redouble campaign against insurers' rate hikes

A selection of today's opinions and editorials

States' retiree benefits underfunded by at least $1 trillion

'Cadillac' tax would have non-union impact, analysis finds

Centene to acquire Columbia-based Carolina Crescent Health Plan

BIOGUARD wound dressings with Quick-Med’s NIMBUS antimicrobial technology to be sold by Medline Industries

Gentiva Health Services announces fourth-quarter and fiscal year 2009 results

International Merchant Advisors announces development of new line of Wellness Centers and medical marijuana treatment centers

Dartmouth Atlas hospital ratings could be misleading, says former CMS Senior Policy Advisor

WellCare Health Plans reports net income of $39.9M for 2009

First Edition: February 18, 2010

HHS Secretary to address on health disparities at NABJ conference

UCSF receives $1.15M grant to integrate family planning into HIV treatment and care

URAC to conduct workshop highlighting multiple aspects of medication adherence

Training birth attendants in essential newborn-care techniques can reduce perinatal deaths

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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