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Proposed Medicare cuts will harm seniors' care

A new American Health Care Association (AHCA) analysis of the pending House health reform bill, combined with the impact of a recently-enacted Medicare regulation cutting Medicare-funded nursing home care by $12 billion over ten years, finds seniors in fifteen states requiring nursing and rehabilitative care will face total funding cuts in excess of $1 billion over that same time period. Nationally, the study finds, seniors' Medicare cuts will total $44 billion over ten years, prompting AHCA President and CEO Bruce Yarwood to warn that U.S. seniors' care needs are endangered by the House bill, as are the jobs of more than 50,000 caregivers nationwide.

20 Aug 2009

Proposed Federal budget cuts will put seniors at risk

The Health Facilities Association of Maryland (HFAM) today brought together U.S. Representative Frank Kratovil (MD-1) and residents, workers and leaders from the Salisbury Rehabilitation and Nursing Center to personalize the pending effects of a proposed $32 billion federal cut to Medicare.

20 Aug 2009

House healthcare reform legislation and administrative rule combined cut $44 billion in Medicare funds for long term care

The Community Cares Coalition (CoCares) - a national coalition of community long term care businesses and organizations providing key services to the skilled nursing community - today said that while long term care businesses support reform measures to increase efficiencies in the healthcare system and promote cost savings, the current reform proposal in the U.S. House of Representatives and a recent administrative rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS') that cut $44 billion Medicare funds to long term care will have the opposite impact on nursing home care and the businesses and organizations that support the nation's long term care sector.

20 Aug 2009

Software suite for comprehensive analysis of cardiac safety released by NewCardio

NewCardio, Inc., (OTC Bulletin Board: NWCI) a cardiac diagnostic technology provider, today announced that the Company has formally launched its lead product, QTinno(TM), a software suite that provides an automated, comprehensive analysis of cardiac safety for the pharmaceutical industry.

20 Aug 2009

Does fetal fibronectin testing change patient management in women at risk of preterm labour?

Hologic, Inc. has announced the publication of the first of its kind study evaluating the impact of fetal fibronectin (fFN) testing among both symptomatic and asymptomatic pregnant women at risk for preterm birth. The study, "Does fetal fibronectin testing change patient management in women at risk of preterm labour?" by researchers at King's College, London, England appears in the on-line version of the European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology.

20 Aug 2009

Patterson Companies records 6% year-on-year sales growth in first-quarter

Patterson Companies, Inc. today reported consolidated sales of $789,579,000 for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 ended July 25, an increase of 6% from $743,859,000 in the year-earlier quarter. The strong performance of technology offerings in the dental equipment business, as well as higher sales of veterinary supplies, helped offset the impact of the weak economy on other portions of Patterson’s business. Acquisitions, net of negative foreign currency adjustments, accounted for the majority of the first quarter sales growth. Net income was $45,057,000 or $0.38 per diluted share, compared to $45,964,000 or $0.39 per diluted share in the first quarter of 2009.

20 Aug 2009

URAC Health Utilization Management accreditation for Nationwide Better Health

Nationwide Better HealthSM, a leading provider of health and productivity management solutions, announced today that it has been awarded Health Utilization Management Accreditation from URAC, a Washington DC-based health care accrediting organization that establishes quality standards for the health care industry. URAC’s Health Utilization Management Accreditation standards require companies to establish a process to assess, plan and implement case management interventions.

20 Aug 2009

Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital's new contract includes creation of labor-management committee

SEIU-UHW members who work at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital voted overwhelmingly to approve a new three-year contract that immediately improves their wages, benefits and voice on the job.

20 Aug 2009

GHX OnDemand AP software-as-a-service solution helps hospitals reduce invoicing processing costs

A growing number of healthcare providers are using the OnDemand AP(SM) solution by GHX to automate and streamline their accounts payable processes, reducing invoice processing costs and cycle time, and improving internal controls and cash flow management. With OnDemand AP, hospitals can receive 100 percent of their invoices electronically, even from suppliers who do not currently support electronic invoicing. By eliminating the need for manual data entry and accelerating invoice approval, hospitals can reduce invoicing processing costs by more than 80 percent.

20 Aug 2009

Mullti-million dollar ad campaigns supporting health overhaul launched

Various advertising campaigns take to the airwaves. Among their messages are the moral imperative of reform and the importance of cooperation.

19 Aug 2009

New guidance for businesses to plan for and respond to upcoming flu season

Department of Commerce (DOC) Secretary Gary Locke, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced new guidance for businesses to plan for and respond to the upcoming flu season.

19 Aug 2009

New study suggests financial situation of U.S. hospitals improving

The median profit margin of U.S. hospitals increased from 0.17 percent in the third quarter of 2008 to 3.1 percent in the first quarter of 2009, according to an analysis of hospital finances published today by Thomson Reuters.

19 Aug 2009

Looking to September, lawmakers focus on health reform messages, measures

House Republicans are preparing for September and planning to depict Democratic attempts to reform the health care system as "potentially ruinous to small businesses," CQ Politics reports.

19 Aug 2009

Confusion reigns about public option, health cooperatives

Reports that President Obama could accept a reform plan without a government-run public option have triggered a barrage of comments from administration officials and congressional leaders insisting that the public option remains on the table, as well as discussion of how health insurance cooperatives would work.

19 Aug 2009

API Healthcare offers new business analytics solution for enterprise workforce information analysis

API Healthcare, the leading provider of human capital management solutions to the healthcare industry, today announced the availability of its new Business Analytics solution, a software application that provides hospitals and health systems with a centralized source for analyzing workforce information across the enterprise.

19 Aug 2009

Asia's food and feed demand is expected to double by 2050 bringing shortages

A comprehensive new study of irrigation in Asia warns that, without major reforms and innovations in the way water is used for agriculture, many developing nations face the politically risky prospect of having to import more than a quarter of the rice, wheat and maize they will need by 2050.

17 Aug 2009

Transcript: "Health on The Hill" discussion of the public plan

Mary Agnes Carey: Hello and welcome to Health On The Hill. I’m Mary Agnes Carey of Kaiser Health News. Joining me today to discuss the latest in the health reform debate is Julie Rovner of National Public Radio. Thanks for being with us, Julie.

17 Aug 2009

Ratio of health lobbyists to lawmakers tops 6:1

"If there is any doubt that President Barack Obama's plan to overhaul U.S. health care is the hottest topic in Congress, just ask the 3,300 lobbyists who have lined up to work on the issue," Bloomberg reports, noting that the number amounts to six lobbyists for each member of Congress.

16 Aug 2009

Grassley: No end-of-life counseling provision in Senate finance plan

Congress Daily reports that the Senate Finance Committee will not include in its version of health overhaul legislation House-backed provisions aimed at helping people plan for end-of-life care.

13 Aug 2009