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Sunshine Act website marked by technical problems

Modern Healthcare reports that this website, which is designed to report industry payments to physicians and teaching hospitals, was temporarily suspended last week but is scheduled to be publicly accessible Sept. 30. Meanwhile, the Des Moines Register explores issues related to the National Practitioner Data Bank.

15 Aug 2014

State highlights: Mass. hospitals see 70% jump in mistakes; changes coming to Md.'s state employee health plan

Massachusetts acute-care hospitals reported 753 serious medical errors and other patient injuries last year, a 70 percent annual jump that health officials attributed mostly to expanded definitions of what constitutes medical harm. So-called serious reportable events in other types of hospitals, including those that provide psychiatric or rehabilitative care, rose 60 percent from 2012, to 206.

15 Aug 2014

Medical advisory panel recommends new pneumonia vaccine for seniors

The experts expressed concern, however, that Medicare rules may hamper some people from getting the new vaccine if they have already had an older version. Also in drug issues, some patient advocates report that insurers are balking at paying for a costly drug to treat hepatitis C if the patients are in drug treatment programs.

15 Aug 2014

Longer looks: A sugar cube pyramid; Obamacare's successes; the suicide checklist

Dean Angstadt, a 57-year-old, self-employed logger, said that the Affordable Care Act saved his life. ... Kathy Bentozi, a 58-year-old Pennsylvanian, is also thankful for Obamacare. ... Joshua Haymore, a 27-year-old Coloradan, could not get a specialist to see him for weeks last year ... Now that he has Medicaid, his prescriptions cost $3 and his health has improved significantly. Those are just three of thousands of good-news stories coming from the insurance expansion in the Affordable Care Act. ... But there is scant evidence that Americans have started to take notice, or care (Annie Lowrey, 8/13).

15 Aug 2014

Fielding Graduate University acquires PhD program in infant and early childhood development

Fielding Graduate University, based in Santa Barbara, California, has recently acquired a nationally recognized doctoral program in infant and early childhood development from The Interdisciplinary Council on Development and Learning).

15 Aug 2014

Texas lawmakers explore market-based alternatives to Medicaid

A legislative committee is examining market-based alternatives to providing low-income Texans with health care since the state has rejected the expansion of Medicaid under the federal Affordable Care Act. Members of the state Senate Health and Human Services committee plan Thursday to discuss alternatives to the law critics call "Obamacare" (Weissert, 8/14).

15 Aug 2014

Small nonprofit hospitals at tipping point, says rating service

Small and stand-alone nonprofit hospitals are facing mounting pressure from weak operating margins and lower patient volumes, according to a report from Standard & Poor's Rating Services. Meanwhile, hospitals cope with the changing health care landscape by exploring ways to help low-income consumers pay their Obamacare premiums and offering no-interest payment plans for those with high-deductible insurance policies.

15 Aug 2014

Ebola virus disease poses new challenges for healthcare professionals

The outbreak of Ebola virus disease that has claimed more than 1,000 lives in West Africa this year poses a serious, ongoing threat to that region: the spread to capital cities and Nigeria-Africa's most populous nation-presents new challenges for healthcare professionals.

15 Aug 2014

Exchange roundup: Colorado market called 'very competitive'; California loses some plans

While some state marketplaces are adding insurance carriers -- and The Urban Institute calls Colorado's marketplace "very competitive" -- several plans will not be returning to Covered California.

15 Aug 2014

Closing arguments made in Texas trial over abortion restrictions

U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel promised to rule in the case as quickly as possible. Whichever side loses is likely to appeal.

15 Aug 2014

Elsevier launches new open access journal, Neurobiology of Stress

Elsevier, world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, is pleased to announce the launch of a new open access journal: Neurobiology of Stress.

14 Aug 2014

Caris Life Sciences collaborates with GenoSpace to advance cancer care through research

Caris Life Sciences, a leading biosciences company focused on fulfilling the promise of precision medicine, today announced a collaboration with GenoSpace, a Massachusetts-based technology company that develops robust software solutions for genomic and health data.

14 Aug 2014

First Edition: August 14, 2014

Today's headlines include a report about an uptick in VA referrals to private physicians. Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby reports: "Some hospitals in New York, Florida and Wisconsin are exploring ways to help individuals and families pay their share of the costs of government-subsidized policies purchased though the health law's marketplaces – at least partly to guarantee the hospitals get paid when the consumers seek care.

14 Aug 2014

University of California launches 14 commercial startups in a year

The University of California, Davis, launched 14 commercial startups during the past year to June 30 - the largest number of new ventures based on UC Davis technology to be started in a single year.

14 Aug 2014

Parents and teens can take steps to smooth back-to-school transition

Preparing to ace subjects such as time management, independence and identity can drive high school and college students -- not to mention their parents -- to weeks of worry and anxiety as summer melts into September.

14 Aug 2014

Majority of customers are satisfied with MediCare International, shows survey

A recent survey of users of international private healthcare insurer MediCare International has reported that 95% of those surveyed were either very satisfied or satisfied with their overall service experience.

14 Aug 2014

Researchers examine reason for patients being discharged from hospice care

About 1 in 5 Medicare patients is discharged from hospice care alive, whether due to patients' informed choice, a change in their condition, or inappropriate actions by the hospice to save on hospitalization costs related to terminal illness.

14 Aug 2014

State highlights: Fed. judge in Ore. rules health plan wrongly denied autism coverage; new rules could disrupt care for disabled Kansans

In a potentially far-reaching opinion, a federal judge in Portland has ruled that Providence Health Plan wrongfully denied insurance coverage for groundbreaking autism therapy for two Portland boys.

14 Aug 2014

Unresolved citizenship, immigration status threaten health law coverage for 310,000 people

The federal government has mailed notification to the people in three dozen states. These people have until Sept. 5 to present green cards, citizenship documents or other information to prove their eligibility for health insurance purchased through the online insurance marketplace.

14 Aug 2014

Rectal and groin areas are frequent sites of colonization of community-associated MRSA

Colonization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) allows people in the community to unknowingly harbor and spread this life-threatening bacteria.

14 Aug 2014

Healthcare News

Sunshine Act website marked by technical problems

State highlights: Mass. hospitals see 70% jump in mistakes; changes coming to Md.'s state employee health plan

Medical advisory panel recommends new pneumonia vaccine for seniors

Longer looks: A sugar cube pyramid; Obamacare's successes; the suicide checklist

Fielding Graduate University acquires PhD program in infant and early childhood development

Texas lawmakers explore market-based alternatives to Medicaid

Small nonprofit hospitals at tipping point, says rating service

Ebola virus disease poses new challenges for healthcare professionals

Exchange roundup: Colorado market called 'very competitive'; California loses some plans

Closing arguments made in Texas trial over abortion restrictions

Elsevier launches new open access journal, Neurobiology of Stress

Caris Life Sciences collaborates with GenoSpace to advance cancer care through research

First Edition: August 14, 2014

University of California launches 14 commercial startups in a year

Parents and teens can take steps to smooth back-to-school transition

Majority of customers are satisfied with MediCare International, shows survey

Researchers examine reason for patients being discharged from hospice care

State highlights: Fed. judge in Ore. rules health plan wrongly denied autism coverage; new rules could disrupt care for disabled Kansans

Unresolved citizenship, immigration status threaten health law coverage for 310,000 people

Rectal and groin areas are frequent sites of colonization of community-associated MRSA

Advancing Menopause Care: Non-Hormonal Treatments for Vasomotor Symptoms

Building quality into drug development for safer, faster medicines

How Pulp Fixin Is Turning Paper into High-Performance Sustainable Labware

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