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GOP lawmakers doubt co-op loan program's ability to promote competition, lower health costs

They outlined their concerns in a letter sent this week to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Meanwhile, Marilyn Tavenner, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services acting administrator, provided details about the innovation center's staffing and funding to Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.

11 May 2012

Political cartoon: 'Fancy Footwear?'

Kaiser Health News provides a fresh take on health policy developments with "Fancy Footwear?" by Steve Kelley.

11 May 2012

Accretive readies response after query about latest business practices from Sen. Franken

Health care consultant group Accretive plans to answer questions from the Minnesota senator and respond to the state's attorney general in a report to be released today.

11 May 2012

House approves $310B in cuts, Medicaid and children's health care targeted

The bill is designed to shield the Pentagon from automatic cuts that were laid out in last year's debt accord.

11 May 2012

Rule change has consequences for dialysis patients

A shift last year by the federal government in how it pays for drugs to treat dialysis patients may have had an unintended and potentially dire consequence, according to new research: a significant jump in blood transfusions for patients who now may not be getting enough of the medications.

11 May 2012

With Medicare, other health issues in flux, lawmakers and lobbyists struggle to decide next steps

Six health care lobbyists told Politico Pro that much of their strategic planning depends on the Supreme Court's upcoming health law decision and the November elections. But some lawmakers are signalling hope that this is the year to address Medicare's "doc fix" problem.

11 May 2012

Discrepancies between recommendations and implementation for management of cardiovascular risk factors

There are discrepancies between the recommendations for the management of cardiovascular risk factors and their implementation in clinical practice. In the latest issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, Christof Prugger and his fellow authors present the results of the EUROASPIRE I, II and III surveys in the Münster region of Germany.

11 May 2012

SAVE THE PATIENT to host ‘Community Health’ on CAN-TV

Continuing its efforts to educate, inform and empower the people of Chicago, SAVE THE PATIENT, a not-for-profit patient-focused organization, is hosting its 25-minute live call-in show, "Community Health," on Chicago Access Network (CAN-TV) on Monday, May 14 at 6:00 PM on Channel 21.

11 May 2012

Safer indoor sex work spaces promote health and safety of street-involved women

Safer indoor sex work spaces provide important and potentially life-saving benefits to sex workers including reduced exposure to violence and HIV and improved relationships with police, according to a study published by the Gender and Sexual Health Initiative of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) and the University of British Columbia.

11 May 2012

Fighting childhood obesity in America through health nutrition education

A health nutrition education program to fight childhood obesity in America is a possible outcome of a study by a University of Oklahoma researcher and a colleague. The study looked at factors affecting a child's decision when choosing healthy or unhealthy snacks.

11 May 2012

Steps toward a permanent Medicare 'doc fix'?

Rep. Allyson Schwartz, D-Pa., and Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., introduced the latest bill Wednesday aimed at reforming how Medicare pays healthcare providers and to prevent a scheduled, Jan. 1, 2013 cut to physician reimbursement rates. The bipartisan measure would replace Medicare's current pay formula.

11 May 2012

Pregnant White women more likely to smoke cigarettes

A new report shows that 21.8 percent of pregnant White women aged 15 to 44 currently (within the past 30 days) smoked cigarettes.

11 May 2012

When to retire? Health costs enter into the decision

With the value of many 401(k)'s and homes taking a beating during the recession and with energy and health care prices climbing, many who dreamed that retirement was just around the corner have reluctantly kicked their retirement plans down the road.

11 May 2012

Ariz., Iowa Republicans tweak abortion, contraception bills

GOP legislators have backed down from some of the anti-abortion and anti-contraception coverage measures they wanted.

11 May 2012

AACN launches enhanced versions of ECG interpretation, EPCCO

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has launched enhanced versions of its popular ECG interpretation and pediatric critical care E-Learning courses, conveniently delivering the latest clinical information, tools and resources to nurses and other healthcare professionals.

11 May 2012

Policy responses needed to address global water security

In his Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) blog "The Internationalist," Stewart Patrick, senior fellow and director of the CFR Program on International Institutions and Global Governance, writes about the first U.S. Intelligence Community Assessment of Global Water Security, which "predicts that by 2030 humanity's 'annual global water requirements' will exceed 'current sustainable water supplies' by 40 percent."

11 May 2012

Citywide ban on public smoking can impact maternal and fetal health

A citywide ban on public smoking in Colorado led to significant decreases in maternal smoking and preterm births, providing the first evidence in the U.S. that such interventions can impact maternal and fetal health, according to an article in Journal of Women's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

11 May 2012