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Medicaid is the United States health program for eligible individuals and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the states and federal government, and is managed by the states.

Secretaries to release new report on children’s health insurance

One year after President Obama signed the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will visit the Mazique Parent Child Center to discuss efforts to identify and enroll children in health coverage and announce new steps the Departments are taking to insure more kids.

4 Feb 2010

Closing funding gap for federal viral hepatitis education, screening and surveillance programs stops liver cancer

With most liver cancer caused by undetected or untreated hepatitis B or C viral infection, the 22,000 new cases of liver cancer that are diagnosed each year could be dramatically reduced if Congress took decisive action to close the funding gap for federal viral hepatitis education, screening, and surveillance programs, the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable (NVHR) said today.

4 Feb 2010

Surgery pricing secrets: The challenges patients face

Patients are the losers in both the Democratic and Republican versions of the health care reform bills. Proposed health care reform won't help patients find out how much health care costs before they get care and many hospitals aren't set up to help.

4 Feb 2010

Proposals to reduce tax deductions for charitable donations will harm fundraising for nonprofit hospitals

President Obama's budget proposals to reduce tax deductions for charitable donations and freeze discretionary spending will harm fundraising for nonprofit hospitals by thwarting giving by wealthy donors and drying up funds meant to help the poor and underinsured, according to the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy whose members direct fundraising for some 2,200 hospitals and health care systems across the U.S. and Canada.

4 Feb 2010

AAUCM recognizes the benefits of PHT's A-Claim medical payment solution

The American Academy of Urgent Care Medicine (AAUCM) has begun a sponsorship of the A-Claim™ medical payment solution that includes discounts on A-Claim for all AAUCM members.

4 Feb 2010

State round up: Florida considers eliminating popular Medicaid plan; State program for low-income adults changing in Minn.

e year the state of Florida eliminates its popular MediPass program, which gives more than half a million Medicaid recipients, mostly aged and disabled Floridians, an alternative to HMOs. Hints of its demise showed up in the governor's budget and letters from a powerful lawmaker.

4 Feb 2010

Tough economy adds stress to hospitals; Community health centers help fill gaps

Hospitals get mixed marks while many suffer from the effects of the struggling economy. Meanwhile, community health centers increasingly provide more care and help fill in health care gaps.

4 Feb 2010

IBM announces definitive agreement to acquire Initiate Systems

IBM today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Initiate Systems, a market leader in data integrity software for information sharing among healthcare and government organizations. Initiate's software helps healthcare clients work more intelligently and efficiently with timely access to patient and clinical data. It also enables governments to share information across multiple agencies to better serve citizens.

3 Feb 2010

Banner Health to use Premier's Web-based labor benchmarking solution

Banner Health is expanding its relationship with the Premier healthcare alliance to include Premier’s OperationsAdvisor® (OA) Web-based labor benchmarking solution.

3 Feb 2010

Survey reports high levels of satisfaction, awareness and use of Healthy Together program

The latest Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) EqualityCare Provider Satisfaction Survey reports high levels of satisfaction, awareness and use of the Healthy Together program. The program provides health coaching services that reinforce treatment delivered by Wyoming practitioners to Medicaid recipients, as well as educational and consultation services that support their practices.

3 Feb 2010

Investigation: Washington State moves Medicaid nursing home patients to adult family homes

The Seattle Times investigates Washington's practice of relocating some Medicaid patients from nursing homes to adult family homes.

3 Feb 2010

Cognosante and Fox Systems announce merger

Fox Systems, a leader in Medicaid and HIPAA, and Cognosante, a leader in health information interoperability, today announced that the two companies have merged effective January 1, 2010. The combined company will be known as Cognosante, LLC, with Fox Systems operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cognosante.

3 Feb 2010

Ohio changes Medicaid drug program, N.C. weighs cuts in Medicaid personal care services

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Ohio's seven Medicaid managed care plans this month will make changes in the prescription drug plans that cover about 1.5 million people, although many of those beneficiaries will not face increased costs.

3 Feb 2010

Obama's budget includes a tempered vision of health reform

Democrats' health overhaul efforts are stalled in Congress, but President Obama's 2011 budget offers a "modest" back-up plan, the Associated Press reports. "The budget released Monday contains lots of respectable ideas to squeeze savings, expand coverage and improve quality, but no ambitious change that launches the nation on a path to health care for all."

2 Feb 2010

Aetna, Grove City Medical Center sign a three-year agreement

Aetna announced today that it has signed a three-year agreement with Grove City Medical Center, expanding network access for its members in Western Pennsylvania’s Mercer County.

2 Feb 2010

Kool Smiles takes initiative to support children's oral care in Massachusetts

Kool Smiles is offering free toothbrushes and educational support to day care centers affected by the recent state mandate that will require day care providers to help children brush their teeth after a meal.

2 Feb 2010

Kool Smiles of Waterbury opened to offer quality dental care

It's all smiles in Waterbury thanks to the new Kool Smiles office, which opened at 728 Wolcott Street, Waterbury, CT in the Fair Oaks Shopping Center. Kool Smiles of Waterbury opened its doors on January 22nd, 2010 in a mission to expand access to quality dental care to families in the community of Waterbury.

2 Feb 2010

Survey finds majority of people do not understand the complexity of health care system

Public opinion is sometimes puzzling. Several polls have found strong public support for many of the proposals for health care reform contained in one or both of the bills passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives even among those who are opposed to the bills. What is actually in proposed legislation can be quite different from what people think is in it.

2 Feb 2010

Extended nicotine patch therapy benefits relapsing smokers trying to quit

New research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine may help more smokers keep their New Year's resolution by helping them quit smoking. Extended use of a nicotine patch - 24 weeks versus the standard eight weeks recommended by manufacturers - boosts the number of smokers who maintain their cigarette abstinence and helps more of those who backslide into the habit while wearing the patch, according to a study which will be published in the February 2 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.

2 Feb 2010

Consumer Watchdog outlines key proposals for expanding coverage and curbing insurance company abuses

Consumer Watchdog issued a warning today in a letter to President Obama and Congressional leaders against the health reform fallback proposals of some Congressional moderates, including deregulated national insurance plans and malpractice restrictions, calling them "the wish list of the insurance and medical industries."

2 Feb 2010

Medicaid News and Research

Secretaries to release new report on children’s health insurance

Closing funding gap for federal viral hepatitis education, screening and surveillance programs stops liver cancer

Surgery pricing secrets: The challenges patients face

Proposals to reduce tax deductions for charitable donations will harm fundraising for nonprofit hospitals

AAUCM recognizes the benefits of PHT's A-Claim medical payment solution

State round up: Florida considers eliminating popular Medicaid plan; State program for low-income adults changing in Minn.

Tough economy adds stress to hospitals; Community health centers help fill gaps

IBM announces definitive agreement to acquire Initiate Systems

Banner Health to use Premier's Web-based labor benchmarking solution

Survey reports high levels of satisfaction, awareness and use of Healthy Together program

Investigation: Washington State moves Medicaid nursing home patients to adult family homes

Cognosante and Fox Systems announce merger

Ohio changes Medicaid drug program, N.C. weighs cuts in Medicaid personal care services

Obama's budget includes a tempered vision of health reform

Aetna, Grove City Medical Center sign a three-year agreement

Kool Smiles takes initiative to support children's oral care in Massachusetts

Kool Smiles of Waterbury opened to offer quality dental care

Survey finds majority of people do not understand the complexity of health care system

Extended nicotine patch therapy benefits relapsing smokers trying to quit

Consumer Watchdog outlines key proposals for expanding coverage and curbing insurance company abuses

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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