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Former HHS Secretary to be the featured speaker of the health care reform Webinar event

TogetherMD announced today Donna Shalala, President of the University of Miami and former Health and Human Services Secretary from 1993 - 2001, is the featured speaker for a candid discussion on health care reform in the United States. Ms. Shalala is well connected in Washington and with other critical stakeholders around the country. She will provide viewers with a unique view on health care reform in the United States.

6 Oct 2009

Top Republicans receive campaign contributions from UnitedHealth

Top Republicans, such as John Boehner and Eric Cantor, who are using Lewin Group findings to scare voters about a "government takeover" of health care, are recipients of campaign contributions from UnitedHealth, one of the largest U.S. providers of Medicare plans and the company that owns Lewin Group.

6 Oct 2009

Patients should ask questions to reduce health care costs

Medical bills can be very complicated and, in some cases, they can also be inaccurate or incomplete. California's Office of the Patient Advocate is encouraging all Californians to ask for clarification if they do not understand their medical bill.

6 Oct 2009

Reducing costs without affecting the quality of patient care

When it comes to the ongoing healthcare discussion, one overriding question is "Is it possible to reduce costs without sacrificing the quality of patient care?"

6 Oct 2009

Priority Health announces the opening of Medicare Information Centers

Priority Health announced today the opening of Medicare Information Centers in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Royal Oak and Traverse City.

6 Oct 2009

Reform effort could expand drug coverage, affordability

One impact of health insurance exchanges, proposed by Democrats as part of the health care overhaul, could be better prescription drug coverage for some consumers, the Los Angeles Times explains. The exchanges would require drug coverage as part of a minimum benefits package. The flip side is that some people may be forced to buy drug coverage they don't want.

6 Oct 2009

Shore Memorial Hospital to implement MRO’S Audit Tracker Online software

MRO Corp., the market leader of shared-service, release-of-information (ROI) and audit tracking solutions for healthcare providers, today announced Shore Memorial Hospital (Somers Point, N.J.) has contracted to implement Audit Tracker Online.

6 Oct 2009

Group Health Research Institute to receive federal stimulus funds from ARRA

Group Health Research Institute, formerly Group Health Center for Health Studies, will receive more than $15 million in federal stimulus funding from ARRA, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

6 Oct 2009

Ending insurance discrimination, closing coverage gaps proving difficult in reform efforts

Current health reform efforts seek to prevent insurers from rejecting individuals or charging people higher rates based on their medical history. However, a simple ban would not take away the economic pressure that encourages such practices, The Washington Post reports: "Cognizant of the threat, lawmakers are trying to neutralize it.

6 Oct 2009

$16 million federal stimulus funds for cancer research projects

Researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Group Health Research Institute and the University of Washington schools of Public Health and Pharmacy have been selected to lead four projects backed by approximately $16 million in federal stimulus funding for comparative-effectiveness research in cancer.

6 Oct 2009

NCQA awards Excellent Accreditation status to AvMed Health for its commercial and Medicare products

For two consecutive years, AvMed Health Plans has received an Excellent Accreditation status from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for both its commercial and Medicare products. The Excellent rating is the NCQA's highest accreditation status for service and clinical quality that meet or exceed NCQA's rigorous requirements for consumer protection and quality improvement.

6 Oct 2009

Vocollect Healthcare's alliance with American HealthTech to deliver unified EMR

Vocollect Healthcare Systems, Inc. and American HealthTech, Inc. announce the sharing of information to contribute towards a more timely and unified Electronic Medical Record (EMR) for American HealthTech clients. This alliance interfaces the market's top performing interactive point-of-care delivery system into American HealthTech's market-leading clinical software and EMR offering.

6 Oct 2009

Incentives move doctors to e-prescribe; hospitals slow to join HIT exchanges

"The number of U.S. physicians and other medical professionals prescribing electronically is expected to more than double this year, enticed by higher Medicare payments tied to the technology's use," Dow Jones Newswires/Wall Street Journal reports.

6 Oct 2009

Eleventh-hour lobbying campaigns hope to lower costs to industry

As the Senate Finance Committee finalizes its health reform proposal, medical-device makers are hoping to convince lawmakers to make one last change, The Wall Street Journal reports. "The Advanced Medical Technology Association, or AdvaMed, the trade group for the larger device manufacturers, wants [Committee Chair Max Baucus of Montana] to reduce $40 billion in fees over the next decade to $15 billion, according to people close to the negotiations. But industry was told that offer is too low.

5 Oct 2009

Costs of health bills, health care under scrutiny

"A bill to overhaul the nation's ailing health care system must avoid additional spending now, and also lower costs down the road, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Sunday," CNN reports. "Greenspan told the ABC program 'This Week' that the federal debt was already getting too big, so reforming health care must do more than achieve what politicians call revenue neutrality — bringing in as much money as it costs."

5 Oct 2009

ZYNEX obtains accreditation as a Medicare DMEPOS supplier

Zynex, Inc. a provider of pain management systems and electrotherapy products for medical patients with functional disability, announces it has obtained accreditation as a Medicare DMEPOS (Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies) supplier, as required to maintain its status as provider to Medicare and several private health insurance companies.

5 Oct 2009

HealthCare Insight launches new care management program for oncology claims

HealthCare Insight, a division of Verisk Health, Inc., and a provider of clinically validated fraud, abuse, and overpayment prevention solutions for private and public-sector payors, announced today the release of a new care management program for oncology claims.

5 Oct 2009

Medicaid expansion proposal continues to worry governors

The Washington Post: "The nation's governors are emerging as a formidable lobbying force as health-care reform moves through Congress and states overburdened by the recession brace for the daunting prospect of providing coverage to millions of low-income residents.

5 Oct 2009

Lawmakers plan to finance health reform with Medicare cuts, much to seniors' dismay

Lawmakers are planning to pay for much of their plans to expand coverage to the uninsured by slowing Medicare spending by as much as $500 billion over 10 years, Long Island Newsday reports. Democrats say the only thing the cuts "take out of Medicare is waste" - in the words of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, - but Republicans who oppose the Democrat-led reform effort have warned that cuts will reduce services for seniors.

5 Oct 2009

Nursing home industry: New funding cuts will force closures

"The nation's nursing homes are perilously close to laying off workers, cutting services — possibly even closing — because of a perfect storm wallop from the recession and deep federal and state government spending cuts, industry experts say," The Associated Press reports.

5 Oct 2009