Health Care News and Research

RSS

Evidence suggests antidepressants may improve post-stroke recovery

Patients who received the antidepressant escitalopram following a stroke appeared to recover more of their thinking, learning and memory skills than those taking placebo or participating in problem-solving therapy, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

2 Feb 2010

Florida scholars criticize media coverage of health reform

Journalism researchers criticized media coverage of the health care bills saying it may have added to consumers' confusion, Health News Florida reports. "Very little broadcast time or print space has been devoted to explaining, point-by-point, the major parts of the legislation, say three top researchers in the field from University of Florida, Florida State University and University of South Florida.

1 Feb 2010

Congressional leader stresses the importance of annual dilated eye exam for diabetes patients

In recognition of Black History Month, House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn is urging African Americans with diabetes to get an annual diabetic eye exam during February.

1 Feb 2010

Survey: Medicaid beats private insurance when it comes to prevention

Sen. Lamar Alexander - as well as other conservative lawmakers - characterized Medicaid as a "medical ghetto" during Senate floor speeches on the health overhaul debate last year, American Medical News reports. But, the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health contradicts that common perception. "Based on nearly 92,000 interviews, it found that in 36 states, children in Medicaid and CHIP were as likely or more likely than privately insured kids to have had at least one preventive health care visit over a 12-month period."

1 Feb 2010

Congress faces one-month deadline on doctor payment fix

The doctor payment fix and several marketplace issues, such as insurance red tape and malpractice cases, continue to loom while health care reform efforts stall.

1 Feb 2010

Democrats work to restart health bill

Health care reform legislation "has a heartbeat," Roll Call reports, adding that Democrats are hoping a "breather" helps cool emotions, but that their focus will continue to be on eventually passing legislation.

1 Feb 2010

First Edition: February 1, 2010

As President Obama's proposed budget heads to Congress, analysis of the breakdown of health reform -- and whether it may still have a chance -- continues.

1 Feb 2010

QHN expands to the Western Colorado communities of Aspen and Montrose

Quality Health Network (QHN), one of the most celebrated and successful health information exchanges (HIE) in the country, and Axolotl Corp., the nationwide leader in HIE solutions and services, are pleased to announce QHN’s successful expansion to the Western Colorado communities of Aspen and Montrose.

1 Feb 2010

NCD releases January 2010 monthly bulletin

NCD released its latest report on housing entitled The State of Housing in America in the 21st Century: A Disability Perspective, which provides recommendations to improve housing opportunities for people with disabilities.

1 Feb 2010

New mental health coverage rules promise to end some discrimination

Reuters: Employer-provided group health plans must offer the same level of coverage for mental illness and drug abuse treatment as for other ailments, according to federal regulations issued on Friday.

31 Jan 2010

Lobbyists played major role in health overhaul debate

The New York Times Prescriptions blog explores how millions of dollars were spent lobbying on health care. Although President Barack Obama has blamed lobbyists for helping to stall the legislative effort, "many of those lobbyists actually worked to support his health care overhaul, not oppose it," the Times finds.

31 Jan 2010

Structure and activities to drive growth and profitability during pharmaceutical new product planning

With the prospect of health-care reform still looming, pharmaceutical and biotech companies face tremendous pressure to keep the costs of their products down.

30 Jan 2010

South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust to deploy the Gateway Edition of PROXY Pro 7

Northern Ireland-based South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust, an integrated health care organization providing acute hospital services as well as community health and social services for a population of 440,000, has selected PROXY Pro 7, the latest version of remote desktop software from Proxy Networks, Inc., to provide remote PC access and PC remote control for thousands of remote computers in its network.

30 Jan 2010

President Obama praises BPC's plan for reforming health care

In today's remarks at the House Republican Issues Conference, President Obama praised the Bipartisan Policy Center's (BPC) plan for reforming health care, entitled: "Crossing Our Lines: Working Together to Reform the U.S. Health System," as a bipartisan health care proposal that is worthy of consideration by both Republicans and Democrats.

30 Jan 2010

PeaceHealth-San Juan Island community's new hospital initiative receives Certificate of Need approval

State of Washington Department of Health (DOH) officials approved a Certificate of Need for a new critical access hospital on San Juan Island. The new facility will be owned and operated by PeaceHealth, a regional health system that serves communities in Washington, Oregon and Alaska.

30 Jan 2010

WCRI Study: Louisiana workers’ compensation higher-than-typical indemnity benefits per claim

The costs per all paid claims in Louisiana were 35 percent higher than the typical study state, on average, according to the WCRI study CompScope™ Benchmarks for Louisiana, 10th Edition.

30 Jan 2010

American Heart Association's statement on President Obama's State of the Union Address

President Obama's appeal to members of Congress to not walk away from health care reform and the millions of Americans who are counting on it provides hope to the many heart disease and stroke patients who are struggling to get the care they need or are one step away from medical bankruptcy.

30 Jan 2010