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Hospice Care of Kansas announces name change

Harden Healthcare, a Texas-based senior healthcare services provider with operations in 14 states, announced today that its subsidiary, Hospice Care of Kansas, will change its name to Harden Hospice Kansas effective immediately.

30 Oct 2012

Four-point plan to improve palliative care discussions

In an editorial appearing in the October 25 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, medical oncologists at Johns Hopkins and Brigham and Women's hospitals provide a four-point plan for integrating palliative care discussions throughout the treatment of patients with terminal illnesses.

25 Oct 2012

Medication at end of life indicates care quality

Medication given to patients at the end of life varies according to whether they are being cared for in a hospice or hospital, and has the potential to indicate the quality of their care, suggest researchers.

24 Oct 2012

Implementation update: What health law changes will be evident in 2013

The Wall Street Journal reports on how the 2010 health law might impact consumers' health coverage in 2013. In addition, CQ HealthBeat examines what might become of insurance exchanges if GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney wins the election.

22 Oct 2012

Two leading health systems announce plan to merge

Trinity Health and Catholic Health East plan to consolidate operations. Together, the two systems will span 21 states and include more than 70 hospitals.

19 Oct 2012

First Edition: October 18, 2012

Today's headlines include resports about how the presidential candidates are crafting messages on women's health issues in order to appeal to female voters.

18 Oct 2012

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announces winners of 2012 Community Health Leaders Award

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is proud to announce today the recipients of its 2012 Community Health Leaders Award, honoring 10 individuals who have surmounted significant challenges to help improve health and health care in their communities.

17 Oct 2012

State roundup: Many states, cities cut retiree health benefit budgets; Feds to decide Georgia's benchmark benefits plan

As cash-strapped U.S. cities and states struggle to address gaping budget holes, a long-honored benefit for public-sector workers has come into the cross-hairs of budget cutters: retiree health insurance. A growing number of states and cities are eliminating or reducing health coverage for retirees, a benefit that has long fallen by the wayside for most private-sector workers.

16 Oct 2012

Palliative focus needed in skilled nursing facilities

US data suggest that use of Medicare benefit for skilled nursing facilities is high during the last 6 months of life, highlighting a need to incorporate quality palliative care services in nursing homes, suggest researchers.

4 Oct 2012

Study finds Medicare may favor skilled-nursing facilities over hospice

According to findings published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, almost a third of Medicare beneficiaries use their benefits to pay for nursing home end-of-life services.

3 Oct 2012

Washington Post buys major stake in Celtic Healthcare Inc.; Tenet plans buybacks

Post Co. said Monday it would buy a majority stake in Celtic Healthcare Inc., a closely held provider of hospice and home health care in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed, although one analyst, Sheryl Skolnick of CRT Capital Group, said average valuations suggests the deal could have been worth at least $50 million. That is a drop in the bucket for Post Co., which has a market capitalization of $2.7 billion.

3 Oct 2012

BHGI sponsors global summit on international breast health

For women with breast cancer in low- and middle-resource countries and other medically underserved areas around the world, the need for supportive care and the consideration of quality-of-life issues are often overlooked.

2 Oct 2012

First report to study clonal population of maxillary sinus carcinoma

Knowing how tumors evolve can lead to new treatments that could help prevent cancer from recurring, according to a study published today by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Scottsdale Healthcare.

29 Sep 2012

The ABC of terminal hemorrhage management

To best cope with terminal hemorrhage, at-risk patients should be identified by healthcare professionals while their families and caregivers are prepared, supported, and instructed to assure, be there for, and calm and comfort the patient as the event occurs, say researchers.

26 Sep 2012

ESMO Designated Center of Integrated Oncology and Palliative Care accreditation for 16 new centers

The European Society for Medical Oncology has awarded ESMO Designated Center of Integrated Oncology and Palliative Care accreditation to 16 new oncology centers. The centers will receive the acknowledgment at the ESMO 2012 Congress, in Vienna, Austria, 28 September - 2 October.

24 Sep 2012

Longer looks: A 'renegade' Bill Frist?; The pharmacist's expanding role

Meet former Sen. Bill Frist, a renegade "Obamacare"-loving Republican who is in the mood for some real bipartisanship. Yes, the same Frist who as Senate majority leader led an army into the culture wars over Terri Schiavo and whose efforts in 2004 to unseat his then-rival, Minority Leader Tom Daschle, led to a nasty -; and personal -; Washington battle royal. Now, Frist is pushing for a national conversation on end-of-life care and dismissing "caricatured" talk of death panels.

21 Sep 2012

ACO 'predecessor' saved Medicare money, according to JAMA study

The study, found that the Medicare Physician Group Practice Demonstration resulted in health care savings.

13 Sep 2012

DOJ joins whistle-blower case against Fla. hospice

The Department of Justice is joining a case against a hospice provider in Orlando accused by a former executive of admitting Medicare patients who did not qualify for care to collect the payments. Meanwhile, state officials announce Medicaid fraud settlements, with GlaxoSmithKline in North Carolina, and Planned Parenthood in Illinois.

7 Sep 2012

Paul Ryan sticks to Medicare stump speech, even after Clinton critique

Headlines offer a range of developments from the Romney-Ryan campaign, including reports about its advertising strategy, Ryan's response -- or lack of one -- to former President Bill Clinton's criticism and a fact check regarding their Medicare policy.

7 Sep 2012

More focus required on hospice care for heart failure patients

End-stage heart failure patients enter hospice care closer to the time of their death, are more often referred from acute care facilities, and are more likely to die in acute care settings compared with cancer patients, show study results.

5 Sep 2012