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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

QuadraMed announces the launch of its ICD-10 Countdown Program

QuadraMed® Corporation, a leading provider of healthcare information technologies and services that help turn quality care into positive financial outcomes, today announced the launch of its ICD-10 Countdown Program. This new program includes the Quantim® ICD-10 Coding Simulator software, ICD-10 educational tools and services to guide healthcare providers through the ICD-10 conversion.

5 Oct 2009

First edition: October 5, 2009

The continuing efforts to make progress on the nation's health overhaul are reflected in today's headlines, which highlight both politics and policies.

5 Oct 2009

Tehachapi Valley Healthcare to deliver quality health care services

Tehachapi Valley Healthcare District received $2.4 million in capital from UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) to help the organization deliver quality health care services to Tehachapi-area residents and rural communities in Kern County.

5 Oct 2009

Lawmakers urged to defend adequate Medicare funding to protect most vulnerable constituents' care

As October 1, 2009 signals the beginning of the new fiscal year 2010, the American Health Care Association (AHCA) said cuts of up to $16 billion over ten years to Medicare funded nursing home care being put into effect today by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) must be taken into account by U.S. Senate and House leaders as they continue to refine the financing details of their respective health care reform bills.

5 Oct 2009

UnitedHealthcare launches 2010 portfolio of Medicare products

UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group company, today introduced its 2010 portfolio of Medicare products that provide seniors an affordable way to manage their health care and prescription drug needs.

5 Oct 2009

'Final' Finance Committee's health bill may not be final word for Senate

Chairman Max Baucus released the full text of the Senate Finance Committee's health care overhaul bill late Friday and news outlets examined it and looked ahead.

5 Oct 2009

Premier Insurance Management Services introduces Clinical Risk Management assessment program

Premier Insurance Management Services Inc. (PIMS), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Premier healthcare alliance, has introduced a new Clinical Risk Management (CRM) assessment program designed to evaluate performance and collaboration across the risk management, safety and quality functions in hospitals and healthcare systems.

5 Oct 2009

Study finds that visual impairment in T1D patients may be decreasing

People diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in recent years are less likely to develop diabetes-related vision loss than those diagnosed in earlier years, says a new study funded by the National Eye Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health. Forecasts of visual impairment prevalence in T1D patients may need to be amended, the researchers suggest, since current predictions assume that the earlier incidence rates will continue.

3 Oct 2009