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National Federation of Nurses joining forces with American Federation of Teachers

The nurses' group says this step will give them the added leverage they need to address issues related to conditions and to protect against unfair hospital management attacks.

16 Feb 2013

Anthem Blue Cross will reduce rate increase for about 630,000 individual policyholders

The move is in resonse to pressure from California's insurance regulator. Meanwhile, Cardinal Health, the nation's second-largest distributor of prescription drugs, will buy a large medical supplier. Cardinal Health hopes to expand into home health care.

16 Feb 2013

Same 'bipartisan energy' surrounding PEPFAR needed to combat maternal mortality

Erin Thornton, executive director of Every Mother Counts, recalls her memories of President George W. Bush's 2003 State of the Union announcement of PEPFAR in a Huffington Post "Global Motherhood" opinion piece.

16 Feb 2013

DNDi in Latin America wins Carlos Slim Health Award for innovations in drug development

Today the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) in Latin America received the Carlos Slim Health Award for 10 years of exceptional work and achievements in research and development (R&D) to deliver new treatments for neglected patients in the region. The $100,000 award will be presented at a ceremony in April in Mexico City.

16 Feb 2013

The politics and policies of the Medicaid expansion

State executives ranging from Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon continue to wrestle with their plans regarding the expansion -- and repercussions, in terms of public opinon, budgets and policy decisions -- that are emerging as a result.

16 Feb 2013

Virginia Tech Carilion researcher says scientific evidence points to value of early education

The founder of a decades-long scientific study that has proved the enduring benefits of early education applauded President Barack Obama's recent call for universal access to high-quality preschool in the United States.

16 Feb 2013

Having launched PEPFAR, George W. Bush is greatest humanitarian to serve U.S. presidency

In a post in Foreign Policy's "Democracy Lab" blog, Christian Caryl, a senior fellow at the Legatum Institute and the blog's editor, asks, "Which United States president will go down in history as the greatest humanitarian to have served in the office?" He writes, "I'd suggest that there's one president whose contribution dwarfs all the others" -- George W. Bush.

16 Feb 2013

Overall rise in drug costs is less than in previous years

Even though costs for medications will continue to rise in 2013 by as much as 4 percent, the increase is projected to be less than in previous years, according to a report in the advance online publication of the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, the journal of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).

16 Feb 2013

Opinion pieces, editorial address new report on effects of various policies on child, maternal health

The World Policy Analysis Centre recently released a report examining the effects of policies in a number of areas -- including health, education, discrimination, and labor laws -- on maternal and child health.

16 Feb 2013

State highlights: Calif. opens new prison mental health facility; Vt. Senate approves assisted-death bill

California prison officials are opening a $24 million treatment center for mentally ill inmates as they urge a federal judge to end his oversight of the state's correctional system. The 44,000-square-foot building at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville opened Thursday. It includes rooms where inmates will undergo outpatient therapy, as well as offices for therapists.

16 Feb 2013

Government of Québec announces $10M investment in Personalized Medicine Partnership for Cancer

The Government of Québec announced today a $10 million investment in the Personalized Medicine Partnership for Cancer (PMPC).

16 Feb 2013

Medicaid: Audits find overspending in Ga. program, N.C. official sets Medicaid priorities for lawmakers

A recent audit gave the state Department of Community Health a "clean report" but also found that the agency overspent its Medicaid budget by $32 million in fiscal 2012. The audit findings were discussed at an agency board meeting Thursday.

16 Feb 2013

Obama's Medicare drug rebate plan could save the government money, but also hit drug industry's bottom line

During his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama renewed a proposal to use drug rebates to save Medicare money -- a step that would trigger strong opposition from pharmaceutical companies.

16 Feb 2013

Dentists concerned about gaps in health law coverage; Mass. effort for small business insurance hampered by federal law

The federal overhaul requires dental care for children but advocates say the mechanism for that will often be complicated. Meanwhile, in a different article about the complications of implementing the health law, the Boston Globe examines efforts by small businesses to buy insurance.

16 Feb 2013

Viewpoints: Bowles and Simpson urge Obama to seek Medicare savings; Health care industry helps stabilize the economy

The president deserves credit for putting forward Medicare savings in his budget and offering further entitlement savings in the negotiations, but he and his fellow Democrats must be willing to do more to reform our entitlement programs.

16 Feb 2013

Hospitals may be unfairly punished for high readmission rates

When hospital patients have to be readmitted soon after discharge, hospitals look bad. A high readmission rate also can result in reduced Medicare reimbursements. But a study of spine surgery patients has found that the standard method used to calculate readmission rates is a misleading indicator of hospital quality.

16 Feb 2013

Research roundup: Conflict of interest in Medicaid drug purchasing; Examining Medigap policies; Electronic medical records and hospital quality

The authors of this study assert that the decisions about which drugs are selected for state Medicaid reimbursement programs "should be based on available evidence and free of conflicts of interests (COIs)."

15 Feb 2013

Healthcare News

National Federation of Nurses joining forces with American Federation of Teachers

Anthem Blue Cross will reduce rate increase for about 630,000 individual policyholders

Same 'bipartisan energy' surrounding PEPFAR needed to combat maternal mortality

DNDi in Latin America wins Carlos Slim Health Award for innovations in drug development

The politics and policies of the Medicaid expansion

Virginia Tech Carilion researcher says scientific evidence points to value of early education

Having launched PEPFAR, George W. Bush is greatest humanitarian to serve U.S. presidency

Overall rise in drug costs is less than in previous years

Opinion pieces, editorial address new report on effects of various policies on child, maternal health

State highlights: Calif. opens new prison mental health facility; Vt. Senate approves assisted-death bill

Government of Québec announces $10M investment in Personalized Medicine Partnership for Cancer

Medicaid: Audits find overspending in Ga. program, N.C. official sets Medicaid priorities for lawmakers

Obama's Medicare drug rebate plan could save the government money, but also hit drug industry's bottom line

Dentists concerned about gaps in health law coverage; Mass. effort for small business insurance hampered by federal law

Viewpoints: Bowles and Simpson urge Obama to seek Medicare savings; Health care industry helps stabilize the economy

Hospitals may be unfairly punished for high readmission rates

Research roundup: Conflict of interest in Medicaid drug purchasing; Examining Medigap policies; Electronic medical records and hospital quality

California unveils standards for health plans

First Edition: February 15, 2013

Opinion pieces address violence against women

Building quality into drug development for safer, faster medicines

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

A new method to measure intracellular water in biological systems

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