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Americans with hepatitis C are at increased risk of developing liver cancer, says NVHR

New peer-reviewed data finding that fewer than one-fifth of the nearly 4 million Americans infected with chronic hepatitis C virus have received anti-viral therapy in recent years should be a wake-up call that Congress needs to move urgently on bipartisan legislation to support new state-based detection, research, and surveillance efforts, the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable (NVHR) said today.

24 Nov 2009

Premier Purchasing Partners announces new agreements for flooring carpet and resilient

Premier Purchasing Partners, LP, today announced new agreements for flooring carpet and resilient.

24 Nov 2009

Health reform bill: 10 key positive and negative consumer protection provisions

Consumer Watchdog released a list today of the 10 key positive and negative consumer protection provisions of the U.S. Senate health reform bill, HR 3590, which passed an important procedural vote this weekend.

24 Nov 2009

Update from GeckoSystems regarding its CareBot elder care robot

GeckoSystems Intl. Corp. announced today that since their first annual "Mobile Robots in Motion" conference earlier this month, they have been solicited by another first tier contract manufacturer interested in the high volume manufacture of their product line. GeckoSystems is a dynamic leader in the emerging Mobile Service Robot industry revolutionizing their development and usage with "Mobile Robot Solutions for Safety, Security and Service™."

24 Nov 2009

Reports highlighting the benefits of health insurance reform released

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the release of Health Insurance Reform: The Case for Change, a series of state-by-state reports highlighting the benefits of health insurance reform.

24 Nov 2009

Kaiser Permanente has the top-ranked Medicare health plan in the United States

Kaiser Permanente has the top-ranked Medicare health plan in the nation, according to a joint ranking by U.S. News & World Report and the National Committee for Quality Assurance. The December 2009 issue, "America's Best Health Insurance Plans 2009-10," ranked the nation's top commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid health plans based on clinical quality data, member satisfaction and NCQA accreditation scores. The announcement comes as beneficiaries review their choices for the Medicare Annual Election Period, which runs through Dec. 31.

24 Nov 2009

RetireSafe urges America's seniors to protest the massive cuts to Medicare

While the Senate Democrats moved forward to begin the debate on their health care "reform" bill this weekend, RetireSafe, a 400,000 supporter strong grassroots senior advocacy group, is calling on all of America's seniors to grab their bullhorns to protest the massive cuts to Medicare.

24 Nov 2009

Tips to redress health insurance plan problems

If you have a problem with your health insurance plan, there are steps you can take to get the service you need. California's Office of the Patient Advocate encourages Californians to speak up if they are having problems with their health plan and report any complaints. Start by explaining your problem to your doctor and your health insurance plan.

24 Nov 2009

Medicare cuts in cardiovascular services will lead to reduced access to imaging tests, reveals survey

The American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (www.asnc.org) released preliminary results from a survey of its membership today, which show that the impending cuts to cardiovascular services outlined in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule will force widespread layoffs, office closures, and limited imaging services. These actions will ultimately lead to reduced access to imaging tests and more expensive care for America's seniors.

24 Nov 2009

Geisinger Health System is one among six healthcare organizations in U.S. invited to join Med-IC

Geisinger Health System is one of only six healthcare organizations in the United States invited by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins University to participate in a new pilot program, Medicare Innovations Collaborative (Med-IC). Med-IC is a national effort to change healthcare policy and improve healthcare for older adults by putting the leading models of geriatric best practices to work in hospital settings.

24 Nov 2009

DTCA linked with increased Medicaid pharmacy expenditures

Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for a commonly prescribed antiplatelet drug does not appear associated with increased use, but may be associated with increased drug costs and Medicaid pharmacy expenditures, according to a report in the November 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

24 Nov 2009

Press Ganey releases 'Patient Perspectives on American Health Care' report

Press Ganey Associates, Inc. released today the 2009 Hospital Pulse Report: Patient Perspectives on American Health Care. The report examines patient satisfaction across the country; trends in overall patient perceptions; and variations based on metropolitan areas, services provided within the hospital, hospital size, and patient age.

24 Nov 2009

Diabetics should keep blood pressure under control to protect kidneys from disease, says nephrologist

What’s good for your heart is also good for your kidneys, according to recommendations from the Texas Campaign for Kidney Health, a collaborative of health care stakeholders seeking to prevent kidney disease in the Lone Star State.

23 Nov 2009

Lobbying is up as health industry examines impact of reform proposals

"Companies and groups hiring lobbying firms on health issues nearly doubled this year as special interests rushed to shape the massive revamp of the nation's health care system now in its final stretch before Congress." As many as 1,000 groups "have hired lobbyists since January, compared with 505 during the same period in 2008, according to a USA TODAY analysis of congressional records compiled by the nonpartisan CQ MoneyLine."

23 Nov 2009

Administration seeks to distance reform effort from cancer screening fallout

As the intense debate continues over new cancer test guidelines, the Obama administration is trying to protect health care reform from the controversy's fallout.

23 Nov 2009

Urodynamix Technologies announces the publication of AMA's 2010 Current Procedural Terminology

Urodynamix Technologies Ltd. today announced that the American Medical Association (AMA) has published its 2010 Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes with additions, changes and deletions of billing codes for all medical specialities including urology.

23 Nov 2009

Digital divide appears between hospitals that treat the rich and poor

"Hospitals that disproportionately care for poor patients are less likely than other hospitals to have adopted health information technology," according to an October study published in Health Affairs, American Medical News reports. The economic stimulus legislation in February directed $19 billion in federal investments to help all types of hospitals adopt electronic records, but some researchers are concerned the money may not close that divide.

23 Nov 2009

AMCP awards Health Net Federal Services for its education and communication materials

Health Net Federal Services, LLC, the government operations division of Health Net, Inc., today announced it recently received multiple MarCom Awards for its education and communication materials from the Association of Marketing & Communication Professionals (AMCP). AMCP is an international organization of thousands of creative professionals, recognizing the best materials and resources in the business through its MarCom Awards.

23 Nov 2009

AARP hosts educational forum to address nation's health care system

With the U.S. House of Representatives passing the landmark Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962), and the Senate moving key health reform legislation forward, Congress has taken decisive steps to fix our nation's broken health care system.

23 Nov 2009

On the health bill, Senate Democratic leaders finally hit number 60

The Washington Post: "Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) declared Saturday she will support a key procedural step to advance President Obama's health-care legislation." During a Senate floor speech earlier this afternoon, Landrieu said she would support the motion to begin debate on the health bill, "ending days of silence on the matter" (Kane, 11/21).

22 Nov 2009