Health and Human Services News and Research

RSS

Emdeon introduces HIPAA Simplified to help guide healthcare industry's transition to new standards

Emdeon Inc., a leading provider of healthcare revenue and payment cycle management solutions, today announced the availability of HIPAA Simplified, a one-stop online resource for guiding the healthcare industry's transition to HIPAA 5010, NCPDP D.0 and ICD-10 standards.

23 Jan 2010

Controversy around Merck's pricing for its AIDS drug Isentress

The controversy around Merck and Co. Pharmaceuticals’ pricing for its key AIDS drug Isentress — at nearly $13,000 per patient yearly, the most expensive first line AIDS therapy on the US market today — continued this week following Merck’s reaction to recent public criticism of its AIDS drug pricing. Merck ramped up its damage control PR efforts, issuing a press release that sought to rewrite the history of Isentress and deflect attention by claiming AIDS Healthcare Foundation has been unfairly attacking them.

22 Jan 2010

Congress urged to stop child maltreatment deaths

As part of a campaign to stop child abuse and neglect deaths, National Children's Alliance and its partners – the Every Child Matters Education Fund, the National Association of Social Workers, and the National District Attorneys Association – are running ads that urge Congress to address the fatalities that claim the lives of innocent children every day. Specifically, the advertisements ask Congress to hold hearings and provide emergency funds to stop state cuts in child protective services.

21 Jan 2010

BARDA awards Duke University $3.7M to develop diagnostic test for detecting radiation exposure

Duke University has received a $3.7 million contract from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to develop a rapid and accurate genomic-based diagnostic test that can determine if a person has been exposed to radiation from a dirty bomb or nuclear attack. In the event that all option years are exercised by the government, Duke University could receive up to $43.6 million from the contract.

21 Jan 2010

THCA concerned over pressure on state and federal funding for Texas' nursing home residents

The President of the Texas Health Care Association (THCA), Tim Graves, today expressed concern about the growing cumulative pressure on the critical state and federal funding needed to preserve and protect Texas' most vulnerable nursing home residents. Specifically, Graves warned that sharp federal Medicare cuts already put in place by the Obama Administration in late 2009 – as well as those contained within the pending federal health care reform bill – must be a key consideration as state lawmakers begin assessing budgetary priorities in the face of looming state budget deficits.

21 Jan 2010

Study identifies new mechanism that causes allergic response in people

WHAT: A new study in human cells has singled out a molecule that specifically directs immune cells to develop the capability to produce an allergic response. The signaling molecule, called thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), is key to the development of allergic diseases such as asthma, atopic dermatitis (eczema) and food allergy.

21 Jan 2010

FORBA Holdings to pay $24M for resolving Medicaid fraud allegations

The United States today announced that it has settled False Claims Act allegations against FORBA Holdings LLC, a dental management company that provides business management and administrative services to 69 clinics nationwide known as "Small Smiles Centers." Under the agreement, FORBA will pay the United States and participating states $24 million, plus interest, to resolve allegations that it caused bills to be submitted to state Medicaid programs for medically unnecessary dental services performed on children insured by Medicaid, which is funded jointly by the federal and state governments.

21 Jan 2010

Research shows strong links between COPD and heart function

A common lung condition, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) diminishes the heart's ability to pump effectively even when the disease has no or mild symptoms, according to research published in the Jan. 21 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

21 Jan 2010

TCGA study reveals four distinct molecular subtypes of GBM

The most common form of malignant brain cancer in adults, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is not a single disease but appears to be four distinct molecular subtypes, according to a study by the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network. The researchers of this study also found that response to aggressive chemotherapy and radiation differed by subtype.

20 Jan 2010

HHS medical response teams help victims of Haiti earthquake providing medical care

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) medical response teams are providing medical care in Haiti at several locations, including an orphanage where they are treating more than 300 patients, most with acute medical problems.

18 Jan 2010

NIDA researchers receive prestigious PECASE awards

Two researchers from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, have been awarded the White House Office of National Science and Technology Council's Presidential Award for Early Career Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). NIDA grantees Dr. Bruce J. Hinds, III and Dr. Gonzalo E. Torres will receive their awards today during a ceremony at the Commerce Building in Washington, DC.

18 Jan 2010

MAGIC investigators identify new genetic variants that influence insulin and glucose regulation

An international research consortium has found 13 new genetic variants that influence blood glucose regulation, insulin resistance, and the function of insulin-secreting beta cells in populations of European descent. Five of the newly discovered variants increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes.

18 Jan 2010

Health personalities: Nelson, Landrieu, Melancon, Regina Benjamin

...

18 Jan 2010

Margaret A. Hamburg thanks America's health care professionals on H1N1 vaccine safety

FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg today sent a letter to America's health care professionals thanking them for their efforts during the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak and providing information on safety monitoring of the 2009 H1N1 vaccines.

18 Jan 2010

Federal survey shows more than 6.7 million children in the United States have no health insurance

A recent federal survey of children's health shows more than 6.7 million children in the United States don't have health insurance, and nearly 1 in 4 insured children lack adequate insurance coverage.

18 Jan 2010

Cardiologists contest Medicare cuts

A cardiologists' lobby filed suit against Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, claiming cuts to heart care services, especially diagnostic tests, are unjustified, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

17 Jan 2010

CAN DO Houston expands childhood obesity initiative with major grant

CAN DO Houston (Children and Neighbors Defeating Obesity) will expand its community-based efforts with a $360,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's "Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities" initiative.

13 Jan 2010

NIH, D.C. Department of Health partner to decrease the rate of new HIV infections

Officials from the National Institutes of Health and the city of Washington, D.C. today announced the new D.C. Partnership for HIV/AIDS Progress, a collaborative research initiative between NIH and the D.C. Department of Health designed to decrease the rate of new HIV infections in the city, improve the health of district residents living with HIV infection, and strengthen the city's response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

13 Jan 2010

First phase of FDA's Transparency Initiative designed to explain agency operations unveiled

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today unveiled the first phase of its Transparency Initiative which is designed to explain agency operations, how it makes decisions, and the drug approval process.

13 Jan 2010

Patient enrollment in Spherix's global Phase 3 clinical trial NEET completed

Spherix Inc., an innovator in biotechnology for diabetes therapy, and a provider of technical and regulatory consulting services to food, supplement, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, today announced the completion of patient enrollment in its global Phase 3 clinical trial NEET (70971-004), which is evaluating the safety and efficacy of D-tagatose as an oral treatment for Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

12 Jan 2010

Health and Human Services News and Research

Emdeon introduces HIPAA Simplified to help guide healthcare industry's transition to new standards

Controversy around Merck's pricing for its AIDS drug Isentress

Congress urged to stop child maltreatment deaths

BARDA awards Duke University $3.7M to develop diagnostic test for detecting radiation exposure

THCA concerned over pressure on state and federal funding for Texas' nursing home residents

Study identifies new mechanism that causes allergic response in people

FORBA Holdings to pay $24M for resolving Medicaid fraud allegations

Research shows strong links between COPD and heart function

TCGA study reveals four distinct molecular subtypes of GBM

HHS medical response teams help victims of Haiti earthquake providing medical care

NIDA researchers receive prestigious PECASE awards

MAGIC investigators identify new genetic variants that influence insulin and glucose regulation

Health personalities: Nelson, Landrieu, Melancon, Regina Benjamin

Margaret A. Hamburg thanks America's health care professionals on H1N1 vaccine safety

Federal survey shows more than 6.7 million children in the United States have no health insurance

Cardiologists contest Medicare cuts

CAN DO Houston expands childhood obesity initiative with major grant

NIH, D.C. Department of Health partner to decrease the rate of new HIV infections

First phase of FDA's Transparency Initiative designed to explain agency operations unveiled

Patient enrollment in Spherix's global Phase 3 clinical trial NEET completed

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