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Report: 10 recommendations on how to achieve ACO success

Accountable care organizations have the potential to improve health outcomes and lower costs, but success requires leadership, clear goals and a strong connection between performance and payments, according to a new report by the Commonwealth Fund.

15 Apr 2011

Obama plan likely to include Medicare, Medicaid changes; take steps to curb long-term spending

In a speech today, President Barack Obama is scheduled to outline his plans to reduce the deficit. They will likely include controversial proposals to trim Medicare and Medicaid spending while also raising taxes.

15 Apr 2011

Study: Opioid users report worse oral health

A team of Boston University researchers has found that the majority of individuals with substance dependence problems report having poor oral health. They also found that opioid users, in particular, showed a decline in oral health over the period of one year. These findings appear online in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment.

15 Apr 2011

Obama administration unveils new initiative to reduce medical errors

The new, $1 billion patient-safety program comes on the heels of a recent study that found one in three Americans admitted to hospitals will experience some type of medical error or accident.

15 Apr 2011

Women consume more non-prescribed drugs than men

Approximately 20% of Spaniards take non-prescribed medication and women are the group most inclined towards this practice. This is the conclusion of a research study carried out by experts from the Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid, which also links this habit to nationality, income level and alcohol and tobacco consumption amongst the population.

15 Apr 2011

Obama offers framework to cut federal budget deficit

In his plan, which the administration says would cut federal budget deficits by $4 trillion over 12 years, President Barack Obama rejected GOP calls to make fundamental changes to Medicare and Medicaid and scale back the reach of the new health law.

15 Apr 2011

Signs of failure, difficulties evident in nation's mental health system

The Boston Globe reports on new federal government findings regarding a "crisis" in the New Hampshire state mental health system. Meanwhile, KHN reports on how mentally ill patients sometimes are left to languish in hospital emergency departments.

15 Apr 2011

Deadly infections at Veterans Affairs hospitals drop

The New York Times: Study Finds Drop In Deadly VA Hospital Infections.

15 Apr 2011

Congress to vote on short-term spending plan

As details of this hard-fought compromise continue to emerge, conservative opposition to it is taking hold. Meanwhile, other interests express concern about the impact of specific cuts, such as those to community health centers.

15 Apr 2011

House GOP budget plan under the microscope

More details of the House GOP budget plan are taking shape, including the blueprint's inclusion of Democratic Medicare cuts that were subject to Republican criticism during the election season. Other parts of the health law also would stay intact. Meanwhile, the full House is scheduled to vote on the 2012 budget measure this week.

15 Apr 2011

Barbour takes on health care issues

In a speech to the Congressional Health Care Caucus, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) discussed a range of issues related to health reform, including the role of consumers in addressing health care costs, state flexibility and, of course, "RomneyCare."

15 Apr 2011

Longer looks: Cities coping with aging populations; new apps for health

Robert Lustig is a specialist on pediatric hormone disorders and the leading expert in childhood obesity at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine. … The viral success of his lecture, though, has little to do with Lustig's impressive credentials and far more with the persuasive case he makes that sugar is a "toxin" or a "poison," terms he uses together 13 times through the course of the lecture, in addition to the five references to sugar as merely "evil."

15 Apr 2011

State roundup: Pa. may put half of adultBasic members on Medicaid

Regulators in charge of the Massachusetts health insurance law are expected to approve new contracts today that will save the state $80 million, in part by offering a narrower choice of hospitals, physicians, and specialists to thousands of patients insured through the state-subsidized Commonwealth Care program.

15 Apr 2011

Viewpoints: Dems vs. Ryan on entitlement cuts; defending planned parenthood

Every time Republicans have proposed serious entitlement reform, they've taken a beating. ... But it's far from clear the average voter appreciates what's at stake. Incredibly, 54 percent of those in a Wall Street Journal/NBC poll said they didn't believe Medicare cuts were essential to meaningfully trim the deficit. I'd say Republicans have a lot of work to do.

15 Apr 2011

Improving ‘home care’ critical to addressing chronic disease and reducing health care costs nationwide

Val J. Halamandaris, president of The National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC), issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s decision to exclude proposals that would impact seniors’ access to critical home care services:

13 Apr 2011

Obama’s next target - medical error reduction for patient safety

Finally serious efforts are being made to ensure patient safety. The Obama administration announced this Tuesday an aggressive approach called ‘The 'Partnership for Patients Program’ to reduce medical errors, partnering with private insurers, business leaders, hospitals and patient advocates to tackle a problem that kills thousands of Americans every year.

12 Apr 2011

First Edition: April 12, 2011

Today's headlines include details of what made up the short-term budget deal's $38 billion in cuts and how President Obama's longer term budget vision may take shape.

12 Apr 2011

Good News Care Center launches ER Diversion Program for South Florida Hospitals

The Good News Care Center has launched their ER Diversion Program to provide relief for over populated emergency rooms in main South Florida Hospitals. The program is held initially in accordance with Homestead and Baptist Hospitals.

12 Apr 2011

CMS, AAPC partner to conduct 'Code-A-Thon' webinar for health care providers

AAPC is collaborating with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to plan and conduct an AAPC-sponsored ICD-10 "Code-A-Thon" webinar on Tuesday, April 26, 2011.

12 Apr 2011

Study finds 27% increase in pediatric and adolescent football-related injuries in the U.S.

A new study conducted by researchers in the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital found that an estimated 5.25 million football-related injuries among children and adolescents between 6 and 17 years of age were treated in U.S. emergency departments between 1990 and 2007.

12 Apr 2011