Health and Human Services News and Research

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N.Y. dermatologist to pay $2.75M to resolve Medicaid, Medicare fraud allegations

A settlement between the United States and Lawrence D. Jaeger, D.O., of Community Medical and Dermatology Center and Advanced Dermatology of New York, has resolved a whistleblower lawsuit that alleged Jaeger submitted false claims to Medicare and the New York Medicaid program.

11 Jun 2010

$250 checks in the mail for Idaho Medicare beneficiaries in "Rx doughnut hole"

Older Idahoans living in fear of the cost of their next prescription drug may be getting some good news in the mail in the coming days; a $250 check to help. The checks are being mailed automatically to Idaho Medicare beneficiaries who fall into the dreaded Part D prescription drug coverage gap know as the "doughnut hole" – which leaves many stuck paying full price for their drugs, a cost many simply can't afford.

10 Jun 2010

Pelosi issues statement in response to HHS Health Insurance Premium Review Grants

Speaker Nancy Pelosi today issued the following statement in response to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announcing the availability of $51 million in Health Insurance Premium Review Grants through the Affordable Care Act.

8 Jun 2010

FSPs designed to improve residential stability, mental health outcomes for homeless persons with mental illness

Full-Service Partnerships are designed to do 'whatever it takes' to improve residential stability and mental health outcomes for homeless persons with serious mental illness. They are the cornerstone of California's Mental Health Services Act - one of the largest mental health policy experiments in recent history.

8 Jun 2010

People conflicted and stymied between public and private long term care insurance

The CLASS Act, part of the new health reform law (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act), will offer a type of long term care insurance for working people and others who may become disabled. But confusion and doubt are widespread. "Many wonder how the CLASS Act will affect them personally," says Jonas Roeser, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Operations for LTC Financial Partners LLC, one of the nation's most experienced long term care insurance agencies.

7 Jun 2010

UBMD selects Allscripts EHR solution to help its physicians enhance quality of patient care

Allscripts announced today that UBMD has selected the Allscripts Electronic Health Record solution to help its 450 physicians enhance the quality of patient care, improve patient communications, and better manage the cost of care delivery.

7 Jun 2010

SEMHIE wins $3M contract for Social Security Administration's electronic medical records initiative

The Southeast Michigan Health Information Exchange announced today that it has won a $2,988,000 contract for an electronic medical records initiative from the Social Security Administration. This award comes to SEMHIE in partnership with its fiduciary, Southeastern Michigan Health Association and its project partners CNSI, The Object Management Group™, Computer Sciences Corporation and Oracle/Sun Microsystems.

7 Jun 2010

Burden of substance abuse casts tragic shadow on the lives of many young people: Report

On an average day, 508,000 adolescents aged 12-17 in the United States drink alcohol; 641,000 use illicit drugs; and more than 1 million smoke cigarettes, according to a national survey sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

5 Jun 2010

NHLBI stops trial evaluating new approach to reduce risk of recurrent stroke in children with sickle cell anemia

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has stopped a clinical trial evaluating a new approach to reduce the risk of recurrent stroke in children with sickle cell anemia and iron overload because of evidence that the new treatment was unlikely to prove better than the existing treatment.

5 Jun 2010

Researchers one step closer to understand how activity outside of nucleus determines cell's behavior

With the rapid and continuous advances in biotechnology, scientists are better able to see inside the nucleus of a cell to unlock the secrets of its genetic material. However, what happens outside of the nucleus has, in many ways, remained a mystery. Now, researchers with the National Institutes of Health are closer to understanding how activity outside of the nucleus determines a cell's behavior.

5 Jun 2010

Insurers, White House bound by need to make overhaul a success

Although the Obama administration and insurance industry had opposing views on aspects of the health bill that Congress eventually passed, they have now found their fortunes bound together as both work to make the overhaul successful, The New York Times reports. "The political fortunes of President Obama and Congressional Democrats depend on their ability to translate its promise into reality for voters, by reining in health costs and making insurance available to everyone at an affordable price.

5 Jun 2010

Researchers induce memory of safety in brain of rats

Researchers have found a way to pharmacologically induce a memory of safety in the brain of rats, mimicking the effect of training. The finding suggests possibilities for new treatments for individuals suffering from anxiety disorders.

4 Jun 2010

DaVita receives subpoena from Department of Health and Human Services OIG

DaVita Inc., a leading provider of kidney care services for those diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), announced today that on May 28, 2010, it received a subpoena from the Dallas office of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG). The subpoena relates to a civil investigation that was previously disclosed by the company during its earnings call on April 27, 2010, and in its quarterly report on form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2010.

4 Jun 2010

SAMHSA establishes Regional Office in Region VI in Dallas, Texas

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, like others in the health care arena, has learned that integrating services, providing joint training and technical assistance, and collaborating across service sectors hold the most promise for effectively meeting health care needs for all Americans. These linkages are best achieved through relationship building activities - something that is difficult to accomplish from afar.

4 Jun 2010

MAXIMUS President to present on challenges that impact efficiency of Medicaid and CHIP

MAXIMUS, a leading provider of government services worldwide, announced today that Bruce Caswell, President and General Manager of MAXIMUS Health Services, will present at the upcoming Fifth National Medicaid Congress in Washington, D.C.

4 Jun 2010

New ECRI Institute Patient Safety Blog launched to share relevant information on patient safety topics

ECRI Institute, an independent, nonprofit organization that researches the best approaches to improving patient care, announces the launch of its new Patient Safety Blog. The blog is ECRI Institute's newest communications tool and a way to share timely, relevant information on patient safety topics that are important to the healthcare community.

4 Jun 2010

Federal jury convicts Houston-area physician, residents over multi-million dollar Medicare fraud scheme

Houston-area physician Dr. Howard Grant and Houston residents Clinton Lee and Obisike Nwankwo were convicted late Wednesday by a federal jury in connection with their roles in a multi-million dollar Medicare fraud scheme, announced the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services (HHS).

4 Jun 2010

State roundup: Health law could be critical for Miss.'s poor; Colorado passes end-of-life care laws, Penn. details plan for high risk pool

The health care overhaul, which "provides hundreds of billions of dollars to help states expand medical insurance for the poor," could prove critical for Mississippi, which "has the highest poverty rate in the nation and some of the sickest people, with the country's highest rate of heart disease and the second-highest rate of diabetes.

4 Jun 2010

Sebelius to highlight geographic differences in Medicare hospital payments

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius visits Rochester's Mayo Clinic Thursday morning. ... The visit comes after a recent report that Minnesota will receive money earmarked for states which provide low-cost, high-value health care. But just how much money Minnesota will receive is far from certain. Sebelius is expected to get a first-hand look at the clinic's technology for tracking health care information.

4 Jun 2010

Health overhaul politics churn as regulators move forward

Los Angeles Times: "Congress is shattering its longstanding reputation for being a gridlocked, lethargic, 'do-nothing' institution, instead compiling a record of landmark policy changes in healthcare, financial industry regulation, economic policy and more. But at the same time, Congress is suffering sky-high levels of public disapproval, signaling a big problem for Democrats as they head into the closing months of the midterm election campaign" (Hook, 6/2).

4 Jun 2010

Health and Human Services News and Research

N.Y. dermatologist to pay $2.75M to resolve Medicaid, Medicare fraud allegations

$250 checks in the mail for Idaho Medicare beneficiaries in "Rx doughnut hole"

Pelosi issues statement in response to HHS Health Insurance Premium Review Grants

FSPs designed to improve residential stability, mental health outcomes for homeless persons with mental illness

People conflicted and stymied between public and private long term care insurance

UBMD selects Allscripts EHR solution to help its physicians enhance quality of patient care

SEMHIE wins $3M contract for Social Security Administration's electronic medical records initiative

Burden of substance abuse casts tragic shadow on the lives of many young people: Report

NHLBI stops trial evaluating new approach to reduce risk of recurrent stroke in children with sickle cell anemia

Researchers one step closer to understand how activity outside of nucleus determines cell's behavior

Insurers, White House bound by need to make overhaul a success

Researchers induce memory of safety in brain of rats

DaVita receives subpoena from Department of Health and Human Services OIG

SAMHSA establishes Regional Office in Region VI in Dallas, Texas

MAXIMUS President to present on challenges that impact efficiency of Medicaid and CHIP

New ECRI Institute Patient Safety Blog launched to share relevant information on patient safety topics

Federal jury convicts Houston-area physician, residents over multi-million dollar Medicare fraud scheme

State roundup: Health law could be critical for Miss.'s poor; Colorado passes end-of-life care laws, Penn. details plan for high risk pool

Sebelius to highlight geographic differences in Medicare hospital payments

Health overhaul politics churn as regulators move forward

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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