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Notable Medicare lawsuit settlement could aid patients needing skilled nursing care, other types of therapy

News outlets explain how a recent Medicare settlement could have an important impact on people who need physical, occupational and other therapies for certain disabilities and chronic conditions.

30 Oct 2012

Cigna takes temporary steps to assist people in several states impacted by Hurricane Sandy

Global health service company Cigna is taking a number of temporary steps to assist people in several states impacted by Hurricane Sandy, including: Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.

30 Oct 2012

Study examines bullying, recent alcohol use and heavy drinking episodes among school students

A new study out of the University of Cincinnati finds that both school bullies and their victims are likely to abuse alcohol after a bullying episode. Keith King, a University of Cincinnati professor of health promotion, along with Rebecca Vidourek, a UC assistant professor of health promotion, will present early findings of a new study on Oct. 29, at the 140th Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association in San Francisco.

30 Oct 2012

Catamaran wins top innovation award for enhanced coordination of benefits program

Catamaran Corp., a leading provider of technology and pharmacy benefit management (PBM) services, was awarded two prestigious awards this month for its continuous dedication to developing innovative solutions that improve health outcomes and reduce costs.

29 Oct 2012

Employees face sticker shock as more companies roll out high deductible insurance plans

Over the next 18 months, between one quarter and one half of Americans who get insurance coverage through their employers will pay more of their doctor bills themselves as companies roll out healthcare plans with higher deductibles, benefits consultants say.

29 Oct 2012

Medicare, health law are common themes in various House and Senate races

The Associated Press reports that outside spending -- which includes ads about Medicare and abortion rights -- are rocking various House campaigns. Plus: updates regarding Senate races in Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin.

29 Oct 2012

Planned Parenthood finds success in courts to block efforts to cut funding

News outlets report on the status of state efforts to block funding for Planned Parenthood.

29 Oct 2012

Insurers, hospital stocks register presidential election jitters

As polls show a virtual tie between President Barack Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney, news outlets report on how the health care industry and those who are sick or uninsured are contemplating the possible outcomes.

29 Oct 2012

Sea water strengthens the body against viruses, low defences, bacteria and pathogens

Sea water therapy is a technique of cellular nutrition backed by more than 100 years of clinical use in hospitals, during which numerous studies have demonstrated its beneficial effects on patients' health.

29 Oct 2012

Competing endorsements for Obama, Romney; Health law's unfinished business on the ballot

Mr. Obama has achieved the most sweeping health care reforms since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. The reform law takes a big step toward universal health coverage, a final piece in the social contract.

29 Oct 2012

High-intensity training boosts cognitive function

A regular exercise routine can make you fitter than ever - mentally fit.

29 Oct 2012

Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation receives $2.2 million grant

Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation (BIR) has received a $2.2 million grant extending for another five years the institute's designation as a National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research Model System site for traumatic brain injury.

29 Oct 2012

Administration working to get national health plans ready

The Obama administration will soon take on a new role as the sponsor of at least two nationwide health insurance plans to be operated under contract with the federal government and offered to consumers in every state. These multistate plans were included in President Obama's health care law as a substitute for a pure government-run health insurance program - the public option sought by many liberal Democrats and reviled by Republicans.

29 Oct 2012

FDA report says pharmacy knew about contamination problems

A federal inspection of a company whose tainted pain medicine has caused one of the worst public health drug disasters since the 1930s found greenish-yellow residue on sterilization equipment, surfaces coated with levels of mold and bacteria that exceeded the company's own environmental limits, and an air-conditioner that was shut off nightly despite the importance of controlling temperature and humidity.

29 Oct 2012

IRIN examines humanitarian response to Sahel food crisis

IRIN this week published two articles examining the humanitarian response to the Sahel food crisis, which "put an estimated 18.7 million people at risk of hunger and 1.1 million children at risk of severe malnutrition."

29 Oct 2012

Blog examines PEPFAR restrictions regarding family planning

"Though the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has been touted as one of our nation's most successful initiatives in global health (and certainly one of President George W. Bush's most positive legacies) it continues to miss the mark" when it comes to family planning, global gender specialist and freelance writer Jessica Mack writes in KPLU 88.5's "Humanosphere" blog.

29 Oct 2012

Senate investigation culminates in report criticizing Medtronic

The Senate Finance Committee alleges that the medical technology company played a hidden role in drafting studies about one of its products.

29 Oct 2012

NHS should implement a non-invasive alternative to autopsies

The NHS should implement a non-invasive alternative to autopsies, according to a Department of Health-commissioned report by leading UK experts within the field of post-mortem cross-sectional imaging.

29 Oct 2012

HHS fraud squad digging into allegations of EHR overbilling

The fraud squad of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has mailed out a 54-question survey that digs into widespread allegations of Medicare overbilling committed with electronic health records (EHRs).

29 Oct 2012

Entrepreneurship, innovation can help solve global health challenges

"I've always believed that bringing together the world's brightest minds to help solve the significant and complex crises we face as a global society is the best way to effect change in the world and that is how I envision re-imagining the future of Global Health," entrepreneur Naveen Jain, founder of World Innovation Institute, Moon Express, inome, and InfoSpace, writes in a Forbes opinion piece.

29 Oct 2012