Health and Human Services News and Research

RSS

UofL School of Nursing awarded $792,000 grant to develop nursing informatics education

The University of Louisville School of Nursing has earned a $792,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration to develop nursing informatics education for UofL's undergraduate and graduate nursing students as well as practicing nurses from University of Louisville Hospital.

4 Oct 2010

Look AHEAD intervention program improves risk factors in obese, type 2 diabetic patients

An intensive lifestyle intervention program designed to achieve and maintain weight loss improves diabetes control and cardiovascular disease risk factors in overweight and obese individuals with type 2 diabetes, according to four-year results of the Look AHEAD study, funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The results are published in the Sept. 27, 2010, issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

4 Oct 2010

Researchers find gene variations in PDE11A enzyme can increase risk for prostate cancer

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have found that variations in a gene for an enzyme involved in cell energy metabolism appear to increase the risk for prostate cancer.

4 Oct 2010

Report says drugmakers failing to give Medicaid adequate price data

Drug manufacturers often flout a federal law that requires them to provide the government with pricing data needed to calculate discounts on medications prescribed for poor people under Medicaid, federal investigators say in a new report.

4 Oct 2010

Sebelius tells seniors that 'outrageous claims' have clouded impressions of new law

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius went to Florida Friday in her campaign to rally support for the new health law. She targeted senior citizens, a crucial voting bloc that polls find is not warming to the bill.

4 Oct 2010

Feds, states begin work to set up online insurance exchanges

Federal health officials took an early step Thursday towards creating online health insurance marketplaces in the states. The Obama administration awarded 49 grants Thursday to states and the District of Columbia to plan for new health insurance exchanges designed to help Americans shop for health plans beginning in 2014.

4 Oct 2010

Sebelius talks health reform, Rahm and campaign contributions

The Christian Science Monitor reports on Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius' talk at a Monitor sponsored breakfast for reporters Thursday.

4 Oct 2010

Consumers should pay attention to changes in health plans during enrollment season

As enrollment packets for insurance benefits begin to land on workers' desks or arrive in the mail, pay attention. This is not the year to simply renew last year's choices without studying the options. The first baby steps of the nation's health care overhaul have taken effect.

4 Oct 2010

UTHealth receives funds for teen pregnancy prevention program

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded $15 million of its $155-million total package to a team led by Susan Tortolero, Ph.D., director of the UTHealth Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research.

3 Oct 2010

Scientists find new replicating mechanism of Salmonella bacteria

New findings by National Institutes of Health scientists could explain how Salmonella bacteria, a common cause of food poisoning, efficiently spread in people. In a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers describe finding a reservoir of rapidly replicating Salmonella inside epithelial cells. These bacteria are primed to infect other cells and are pushed from the epithelial layer by a new mechanism that frees the Salmonella to infect other cells or be shed into the intestine.

3 Oct 2010

Health insurance prices, restrictions now on federal consumer website

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jessica Marcy talked with Todd Park, the chief technology officer of the Department of Health and Human Services, and Karen Pollitz, who heads the consumer support division at HHS Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, about the detailed health plan cost and benefits information unveiled today on Healthcare.gov.

1 Oct 2010

After McDonald's flap, White House says it will exercise 'discretion' on medical loss ratios

The Wall Street Journal: The Obama administration said Thursday that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will "exercise her discretion" in enforcing the medical loss ratio requirement of the health law. The comment comes after a report in The Journal Thursday that "McDonald's warned federal regulators it could drop its health-insurance plan for nearly 30,000 restaurant workers unless regulators waive a new requirement of the health overhaul.

1 Oct 2010

First Edition: October 1, 2010

In this morning's headlines -- Medicaid enrollment spikes and the interplay between the federal government and McDonald's gets more attention.

1 Oct 2010

Herpevac Trial for Women finds experimental vaccine ineffective in prevention of genital herpes disease

An experimental vaccine intended to prevent genital herpes disease in women, although generally safe and well-tolerated, proved ineffective when tested in the recently concluded clinical study known as the Herpevac Trial for Women.

1 Oct 2010

Neb. insurer launches pilot program to cut costs, improve health; W.Va. Medicaid official defends no-bid contract

Lincoln Journal Star: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska, the state's largest health insurer, is establishing a new pilot program that seeks to give doctors better patient information so that they can deal more effectively with patients' needs and help lower costs. The pilot will use a web-based program that officials hope can take disparate medical records and produce "tailored patient checklists" that doctors can use.

1 Oct 2010

House passes health bill for 9/11 workers, grandfathering resolution fails in Senate

The Hill's Healthwatch Blog: The House Wednesday approved a bill to cover the health care costs for emergency workers who responded to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. "The tally was 268 to 160, with 17 Republicans supporting the measure and three Democrats voting against it. … House passage followed months of contentious debate over whether the federal government has an obligation to pay emergency workers sickened by the smoke, debris and toxic fumes caused by the attacks of 9/11.

1 Oct 2010

McDonald’s says reform law provision threatens employee health coverage

The Wall Street Journal: "McDonald's Corp. has warned federal regulators that it could drop its health insurance plan for nearly 30,000 hourly restaurant workers unless regulators waive a new requirement of the U.S. health overhaul. The move is one of the clearest indications that new rules may disrupt workers' health plans as the law ripples through the real world.

1 Oct 2010

HHS announces grants for teen pregnancy prevention programs

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today that $155 million in teen pregnancy prevention grants are being awarded to states, non-profit organizations, school districts, universities, and others.

1 Oct 2010

Experts to discuss impact of health information technology on pediatric practice

David Blumenthal, MD, will discuss the impact of health information technology on pediatric practice during a "Pediatrics for the 21st Century" symposium at 1 p.m. PT Friday, Oct. 1, as part of the National Conference and Exhibition of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in San Francisco.

1 Oct 2010

Medicare now required check for fraud before paying claims

The Miami Herald: "The behemoth Medicare bureaucracy will have to act more like a credit card company in flagging suspicious bills under a new federal law that could save taxpayers billions of dollars a year in wasteful government healthcare spending.

1 Oct 2010

Health and Human Services News and Research

UofL School of Nursing awarded $792,000 grant to develop nursing informatics education

Look AHEAD intervention program improves risk factors in obese, type 2 diabetic patients

Researchers find gene variations in PDE11A enzyme can increase risk for prostate cancer

Report says drugmakers failing to give Medicaid adequate price data

Sebelius tells seniors that 'outrageous claims' have clouded impressions of new law

Feds, states begin work to set up online insurance exchanges

Sebelius talks health reform, Rahm and campaign contributions

Consumers should pay attention to changes in health plans during enrollment season

UTHealth receives funds for teen pregnancy prevention program

Scientists find new replicating mechanism of Salmonella bacteria

Health insurance prices, restrictions now on federal consumer website

After McDonald's flap, White House says it will exercise 'discretion' on medical loss ratios

First Edition: October 1, 2010

Herpevac Trial for Women finds experimental vaccine ineffective in prevention of genital herpes disease

Neb. insurer launches pilot program to cut costs, improve health; W.Va. Medicaid official defends no-bid contract

House passes health bill for 9/11 workers, grandfathering resolution fails in Senate

McDonald’s says reform law provision threatens employee health coverage

HHS announces grants for teen pregnancy prevention programs

Experts to discuss impact of health information technology on pediatric practice

Medicare now required check for fraud before paying claims

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

Latest News