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New York eHealth Collaborative selects e-MDs as Meaningful Use Partner

e-MDs, a leading provider of electronic health records (EHRs), announced they have been selected as a Meaningful Use Partner by the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC). NYeC serves as the federally designated Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (HITREC) for the state of New York, and works to promote and assist with the adoption of health IT technologies (HIT) across the state as well as develop HIT policies and standards.

22 Jul 2011

U.S. News ranks Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center among top five American hospitals

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center ranks among the top five American hospitals, according to a U.S. News & World Report survey that reviewed patient-outcomes data, reputation among physicians and other care-related factors. The medical center also was rated the best hospital in the western United States for the 22nd consecutive year and the No. 1 hospital in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

22 Jul 2011

Fluoride at recommended levels is both safe and effective for reducing decay and tooth loss

Tooth decay remains a health care problem that touches people of all ages. Many communities could benefit greatly and reduce tooth decay significantly by implementing nature's cavity fighter, fluoride.

22 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: Pres. Obama on debt deal, Medicare; Sen. Barasso on insurance future; Pundits on compromise

For years now, America has been spending more money than we take in. The result is that we have too much debt on our nation's credit card — debt that will ultimately weaken our economy, lead to higher interest rates for all Americans, and leave us unable to invest in things like education, or protect vital programs like Medicare.

22 Jul 2011

Comprehensive and age-appropriate evaluation during hospital stay is best for older patients

Older people rushed to the emergency room are more likely to be living at home up to a year later if they receive a comprehensive and age-appropriate evaluation during their hospital stay.

22 Jul 2011

Senate Dems push for Medicare drug savings

During a hearing this week, Senate Democrats, including Aging Committee Chairman Herb Kohl, D-Wis., advanced the causes of certain policies to control drug costs and reduce deficit spending.

22 Jul 2011

U.S. healthcare inflation seems to be leveling off

The cost of medical care for people in employer-sponsored health plans rose at an annualized rate of 3.8 percent in the first quarter of 2011, according to the Thomson Reuters Healthcare Spending Index for Private Insurance.

22 Jul 2011

State news: Florida effort could cost consumers $60 million in rebates

The JMH Health Plan, the insurance wing of the Jackson Health System, has become a huge money-loser that must be fixed quickly, board members were told Thursday. So far this year, the plan has lost $30.4 million — almost half of the $71.7 million that Jackson Health System has lost for the entire fiscal year.

22 Jul 2011

Research roundup: Restricting Medigap coverage; Hospital-acquired infections

Increases In Mortality, Length Of Stay, And Cost Associated With Hospital-Acquired Infections In Trauma Patients -- This study explores the clinical and economic burden of hospital-acquired infections, the most common complication in hospitalized patients, for trauma patients.

22 Jul 2011

SAMHSA report provides insight on scope and nature of behavioral health issues affecting states

A new report providing state-by-state analyses of a wide range of behavioral health issues reveals that despite some wide variations among the states in the types and levels of problems they confront -- every state must deal with these issues.

22 Jul 2011

Health care company settles class action lawsuit after Katrina deaths

A New Orleans judge gave preliminary approval today to a settlement agreement that would end a class-action lawsuit against one of the nation's largest publicly owned health care companies.

22 Jul 2011

Exchanges: HHS official offers insights on state deadline, insurer roles

During a news briefing in Washington, D.C., Steve Larsen, deputy administrator and director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight at the CMS, discussed certain issues related to the establishment of state health exchanges.

22 Jul 2011

Deficit-reduction talks: Progress or stalemate?

As President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner continue trying to move toward an ambitious $4 trillion grand bargain, reports indicate that wide differences remain. Still in the mix are cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and other government programs that would be combined with revenue increases resulting from a tax code revamp.

22 Jul 2011

Premier healthcare alliance awards new agreements for talent management solutions

The Premier healthcare alliance today announced that new agreements for talent management solutions have been awarded to Astron Solutions of New York, a small business enterprise; and TEDS Inc. of Atkins, Va., a small business enterprise.

22 Jul 2011

Analyzing the impact of default worries on Medicare, Medicaid

News outlets report on the potential impact that the possibility of debt default is having on Medicare, Medicaid and state budgets.

22 Jul 2011

Effects of refusal and delay in childhood vaccination

Alison M. Buttenheim, PhD, MBA, assistant professor at Penn Nursing answers parents' questions about childhood vaccines. Dr. Buttenheim is a public health researcher and social demographer who studies parent behavior and child health.

22 Jul 2011

First Edition: July 22, 2011

Even as the debt talks continue, some news outlets explore the impact of this uncertainty on Medicare, Medicaid and state budgets.

22 Jul 2011

U.N. increases humanitarian aid need to $4.9B for 2011

The U.N. on Wednesday said during a donor meeting in Geneva that "it needs $7.9 billion this year, $500 million more than it had originally sought, to fund relief operations in the face of spreading humanitarian crises in Africa and Asia," Reuters reports (7/20).

22 Jul 2011

Allowing optometrists to perform surgeries may put patients at risk

Proposed regulations for a new state law which allows optometrists, who are not medical doctors, to perform a broad range of surgical procedures on the eye, fail to properly define the education, training and oversight necessary for this new scope of work that is typically performed by medical board-certified physicians.

22 Jul 2011

Somali President issues appeal for famine assistance

Somali President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed on Wednesday "issued an urgent appeal for international aid" for famine assistance in his country during an exclusive interview with CNN at his residence in Mogadishu. "The situation is very severe. The conditions are very harsh," he said (7/21).

22 Jul 2011