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Provision to eliminate lifetime benefit caps in medical insurance allows life-saving heart-lung transplant

The Affordable Care Act was signed into law March 23, 2010, with the aim of extending medical coverage to more Americans. The law has been a political football, and arguments continue to rage over whether it's good or bad for the country. This, however, is simply the story of how it affected one person.

14 Jul 2011

U.N., Africa Union appeal to international community for aid to fight drought in Horn of Africa

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday in Geneva during a news conference with reporters "called on countries to urgently support United Nations agencies in their efforts to respond to the crisis in the Horn of Africa, where more than 11 million people are in need of life-saving assistance as they face the worst drought in decades," the U.N. News Centre reports.

14 Jul 2011

Feds stepping up action on medical scooter fraud

The federal government is cracking down on medical-equipment providers who either overcharge Medicare for motorized wheelchairs or obtain them for people who don't need them, Medicare and Justice Department records show.

14 Jul 2011

Self-care, serum biomarkers improve heart failure outcomes

Doctors have been dispensing advice to heart failure patients and for the first time researchers have found that it works. While self-care is believed to improve heart failure outcomes, a highlight of the recent American Heart Association scientific statement on promoting heart failure self-care was the need to establish the mechanisms by which self-care may influence neurohormonal, inflammatory, and hemodynamic function.

14 Jul 2011

Health interests dislike proposed Medicare and Medicaid cuts

While lawmakers continue efforts to come to terms in the debt-ceiling negotiations, health interests ranging from public and teaching hospitals to the drug industry are making their positions known.

14 Jul 2011

HMS receives Maine contract to perform hospital, long term care financial reviews

HMS, a wholly owned subsidiary of HMS Holdings Corp., today announced that it has been awarded a contract by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to perform hospital and long term care credit balance reviews and cost of care recoveries on behalf of the state's MaineCare program.

14 Jul 2011

DaVita's catheter-reduction program lowers CVC rates in hemodialysis patients

DaVita Inc., a leading provider of kidney care services for those diagnosed with end stage renal disease (ESRD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), today announced that the company has made landmark progress in reducing "Day 90+" patient central venous catheter (CVC) rates, further cementing its position as the industry leader among large dialysis organizations in catheter reductions through the placement of permanent accesses.

14 Jul 2011

Home health care payments under scrutiny — in debt talks and newly released payment rules

One GOP governor has asked his Republican colleagues in Congress to reject debt-ceiling proposals that would cut home health services while recently released rules will further squeeze corporate margins.

14 Jul 2011

SAS expands Global Certification Program offerings

SAS, the leader in business analytics software and services and the de facto industry standard for clinical data analysis and reporting in the life sciences/pharmaceutical industry, today expanded its Global Certification Program offerings with the introduction of a new credential - SAS Certified Clinical Trials Programmer using SAS9.

14 Jul 2011

Insight into how primary care physicians use EMR in their practices

New research provides a comprehensive view of how primary care physicians are using EMR in their practices, from using the most basic functions to using functions to enhance patient care.

14 Jul 2011

Foreign Policy examines HIV epidemic in Swaziland

Foreign Policy examines the HIV epidemic in Swaziland, where nearly one-fifth of residents are infected. Because of the country's high per capita infection rate, one might expect HIV to slap you in the face. But there are no buildings collapsed by an HIV earthquake, no towns flooded by an HIV tsunami.

14 Jul 2011

Raising taxes on cigarettes does not motivate all smokers to quit the deadly habit

Raising taxes on cigarettes, a public health measure used by governments to encourage people to quit, doesn't motivate all smokers to stop the deadly habit.

14 Jul 2011

New driving simulator for patient rehabilitation

Clemson University researchers, working with simulation technology company DriveSafety, have developed a new driving simulator designed for patient rehabilitation that now is being used at 11 Army, Navy and Veterans Affairs facilities. The program recently expanded to Europe with the addition of a driving simulator at Charit- Hospital in Berlin, Germany.

14 Jul 2011

Roundup: N.H.'s Planned Parenthood funding dilemma; Calif. prison doc's high pay, little work

The highest-paid state employee in California last year, a prison surgeon who took home $777,423, has a history of mental illness, was fired once for alleged incompetence and has not been allowed to treat an inmate for six years because medical supervisors don't trust his clinical skills. Since July 2005, Dr. Jeffrey Rohlfing has mostly been locked out of his job — on paid leave or fired or fighting his termination — at High Desert State Prison in Susanville, state records show.

14 Jul 2011

Political fault lines in budget discussion

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., appears to be trying to push President Barack Obama in one direction and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is standing firm on Obama's left. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is taking a go-big-or-go-home position on the need to reach a "grand deal" on entitlement cuts and revenue raisers.

14 Jul 2011

Health Canada approves Vapotherm's Precision Flow Heliox device

Vapotherm, a privately held manufacturer of respiratory care devices for hospital and home use, announced today that it has received approval from the Medical Device Bureau of Health Canada for the Precision Flow Heliox device which will be launched later this year in the Canadian hospital market.

14 Jul 2011

Patient-centered medical home boosts diabetes outcomes, health

A health-care delivery model called patient-centered medical home (PCMH) increased the percentage of diabetes patients who achieved goals that reduced their sickness and death rates, according to health researchers.

14 Jul 2011

Capsules: Tauzin: Home health care is 'not an elective thing'

Today from the Capsules blog: Mary Agnes Carey reports that former House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin has some advice for Republicans who want Medicare beneficiaries to pick up part of the tab for home health services: It won't work.

14 Jul 2011

New Mayo Clinic social network for patients and caregivers

Mayo Clinic has launched a new online social network to connect its global community of patients and caregivers with others who share similar health interests. More than 1,000 members have joined in its first seven days of service.

14 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: Prominent Republicans against IPAB; docs defend health law; medical marijuana research

The IPAB has created "immediate uncertainty at hand," says Scott & White Healthcare in central Texas, for their 12 hospitals and more than 800 physicians. Many more organizations and associations have expressed similar concerns and urged me to do what I can to repeal this ill-conceived bureaucratic board. That's why I have introduced the Health Care Bureaucrats Elimination Act, and why I'm testifying Wednesday on the other side of the Capitol to build support in the House.

14 Jul 2011