Healthcare News

RSS

Insurers to House panel: Payment rates above 80% for plans purchased on health exchanges

Officials from the major insurance companies were not following themes of gloom and doom and instead told the Energy and Commerce Committee that the overhaul has not triggered a government takeover of their industry, and that their stock prices are doing well.

9 May 2014

ASIR technique lowers radiation doses for pediatric CT exams of the brain

A study conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School found that estimated radiation doses are substantially lower for pediatric CT exams of the brain that used an adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction technique (ASIR) compared to those that did not use ASIR.

9 May 2014

N.C. Senate GOP nominee calls for Obamacare repeal

In Massachusetts, former CMS chief Dr. Don Berwick's campaign for governor calls for single-payer care, and Democratic candidates in Maryland's race for governor clash over the insurance exchange.

9 May 2014

Book about Virginia Mason's journey to transform health care receives 2014 Shingo Award

A new book about Virginia Mason's journey to transform health care has received the 2014 Shingo Research and Professional Publication Award, becoming the second volume about the health system to earn this prize.

9 May 2014

Psychologists and physicians help address barriers to improved primary health care

Primary care teams that include both psychologists and physicians would help address known barriers to improved primary health care, including missed diagnoses, a lack of attention to behavioral factors and limited patient access to needed care, according to health care experts writing in a special issue of American Psychologist, the flagship journal of the American Psychological Association.

9 May 2014

Teaching people to self-manage diabetes leads to better results

Teaching people with diabetes how to control their blood glucose levels helps them achieve better results, finds a new study in Ethnicity and Disease. Surprisingly, providing intensive training to physicians of diabetes patients did not help patients achieve blood glucose control.

9 May 2014

American Legion calls on VA secretary to resign over health system

Accusations that records were kept secret or falsified and over preventable deaths and mismanagement are part of a larger problems within the Veterans Affairs health system, some say.

9 May 2014

ACR now accepts applications for new Lung Cancer Screening Center program

The American College of Radiology (ACR) is now accepting applications for its new ACR Lung Cancer Screening Center program, which recognizes facilities committed to providing quality screening care to patients at the highest risk for lung cancer.

9 May 2014

Weisman Children's introduces telehealth robot to monitor patients

Weisman Children's Rehabilitation Hospital, a leading provider of pediatric rehabilitation services in the Delaware Valley, is adding a new member to its clinical staff -- "VEGO", the telehealth robot.

9 May 2014

'Face of campaign' initially unable to get coverage

It took a reporter's intervention to obtain coverage for a Chicago resident who had touted the law's benefits at a news conference last year but who had been mired in computer and other problems. Other reports look at how free preventive services may reduce health disparities and whether insurers can charge higher premiums to those who smoke e-cigarettes.

9 May 2014

Reducing test anxiety leads to potential prevention benefits

Showing students how to cope with test anxiety might also help them to handle their built-up angst and fretfulness about other issues.

9 May 2014

Smashburger partners with Udi's Gluten Free

Smashburger, the rapidly expanding better burger restaurant concept, today announced its new partnership with Udi's Gluten Free, rolling out a gluten-free bun offering at all U.S.

9 May 2014

Drugmakers realign to reduce costs

Meanwhile, their trade group warns that the patient cost-sharing requirements in some health law plans could restrict prescription drug access.

9 May 2014

Cegedim and StratX collaborate to provide innovative, Life Sciences-specific training to employees

Cegedim Relationship Management today announced that it has partnered with StratX to provide the most innovative, Life Sciences-specific training to its customer-facing employees.

9 May 2014

New Aspen Dental office to open in Murfreesboro, TN on June 5

A new Aspen Dental office is opening in Murfreesboro, TN on Thursday, June 5. Located at 2711 Medical Center Parkway, the conveniently located practice will provide dental services that range from dentures and preventive care to general dentistry and restoration.

9 May 2014

Axial Exchange launches new Spanish-language version of mobile application

Axial Exchange, Inc., a pioneer in using mobile applications to deepen the patient's role in improving outcomes, launched a new Spanish-language version of its mobile application, making the company's innovative patient engagement tools available to a greater population.

9 May 2014

Abbott's vascular devices manufacturing facility receives Shingo Prize

Abbott has been awarded the Shingo Prize, an international award for operational excellence, by the Shingo Institute at the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University. Abbott's vascular devices manufacturing facility in Clonmel, Ireland, received the award, recognizing the site's initiative to develop and maintain continuous improvement to achieve operational excellence.

9 May 2014

Senate confirmation hearings begin for Obama's pick to head HHS

Today the first of two scheduled hearings will take place for Sylvia Mathews Burwell. Though she is expected to be confirmed as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, she is also expected to face some tough questions about the health law.

9 May 2014

Medicare advantage enrollment grows despite health law cuts

Don't look now, but the private sector is quietly strengthening its grip on the Medicare program, at least if enrollment in the Medicare Advantage plans is a good proxy.

9 May 2014