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Federal government requests oral arguments in Michigan appeal of health law challenge

In this case, which was brought by a conservative law center, the plaintiff is seeking to overturn a lower court decision that found the health overhaul to be constitutional.

19 Jan 2011

Quality of care and reimbursements will go down under Healthcare Reform Act: Survey

The newly released 2011 Thomson Reuters - HCPlexus National Physicians Survey (NPS) links doctors' fears that their pay will go down under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), commonly called Healthcare Reform Act (HCRA), with their concerns that the quality of care will also deteriorate. The study includes responses from 2,958 doctors of varying specialties and practice types, from all 50 states plus the District of Columbia.

19 Jan 2011

MMA calls for delay in release of Medica's physician rating program

The Minnesota Medical Association has asked Medica to delay the January 19 scheduled public release date of their individual physician rating program, known as the Premium Designation Program.

19 Jan 2011

WHO Director-General opens executive board session with calls for reform

Kicking off a nine-day annual WHO executive board meeting Monday, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan called for the board to consider areas where the agency can redirect resources in a more targeted manner so as to achieve greater outcomes, Reuters reports.

19 Jan 2011

Study highlights lack of treatment for adolescents with severe mental disorders

A recent study by Merikangas and colleagues published in the January 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry shows that only half of adolescents that are affected with severely impairing mental disorders ever receive treatment for their disorders.

19 Jan 2011

Guardian online series explores global health worker issues

The Guardian reports, as part of an online feature about health care workforces worldwide done in association with the Global Health Workforce Alliance (GHWA), that "Africa is desperately short of doctors and nurses. So is much of Asia. In 57 countries, the situation is deemed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to be at crisis point ... But in contrast to some other developing world problems, this is an issue that really does affect all of us. The world needs an estimated 4.2 million more health workers."

19 Jan 2011

Daily Report's Global Health Conversations: U.N. Women

After years in the making, U.N. Women, the U.N.'s new agency devoted to gender equality and women's empowerment, officially got to work this month. The Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report's Jennifer Evans spoke with Letty Chiwara, head of U.N. Women's Africa Division, to discuss the agency's launch and the overlap between issues relating to women's health and their equality and empowerment.

19 Jan 2011

New York Times examines Russia's 'inadequate fight' against HIV/AIDS

Russia's HIV/AIDS epidemic "has defied worldwide trends, expanding more rapidly year by year than almost anywhere else," the New York Times writes in an article that examines how the country has become "one of the world's low points in the effort to fight the spread of HIV," in large part due to the government's failure to reach out to injecting drug users (IDUs) and sex workers - the groups "at the heart" of the epidemic.

18 Jan 2011

Former Senate majority leaders team up on health reform issues

In other health reform policy developments, Stateline reports on how Christian health co-ops are interacting with the health overhaul.

18 Jan 2011

Democrats' challenge: Finding perfect pitch for health overhaul message

With the health law repeal front and center this week, Democrats will attempt to refine their message on the measure's merits. The battle on the House floor could be a fresh opportunity to sell the sweeping legislation. To this end, the Secretary of Health and Human Services will issue a report today that quantifies the number of Americans who have preexisting conditions and would benefit from the law's protections.

18 Jan 2011

House vote on health repeal the first step in GOP re-do strategy

The politically charged Wednesday vote on repealing the health overhaul will mark the first step for Republicans in their effort to use a variety of legislative tools to undo the new federal health law. Meanwhile, almost immediately after the vote, House committees will begin considering targeted parts of health law. But some news outlets check the facts regarding a key part of the GOP argument against the measure — that it is a job killer.

18 Jan 2011

Few opt for vaccine to prevent painful shingles, NPR reports

[T]he fact is only about 10% of the 50 million people who should get the vaccine actually have. … The vaccine is expensive — $160 a shot, plus an administration fee.

18 Jan 2011

SurgiCount Safety-Sponge System helps eliminate occurrence of retained surgical sponges: Study

Results of a multi-year, independent clinical research study on retained surgical sponges published in the February edition of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety show that the institution implementing the SurgiCount Safety-Sponge® System eliminated the occurrence of retained surgical sponges and the costs associated with these preventable surgical errors.

18 Jan 2011

Poll shows opposition to health law easing as advocates, lawmakers take positions before house vote

A new Associated Press-GfK poll shows the strong emotions against President Barack Obama's health overhaul may be subsiding. Meanwhile, even as the industry's trade groups remain somewhat neutral on the law's future, pre-repeal groups are stepping up lobbying efforts.

18 Jan 2011

Medical mistakes, doctor ratings gain state-level attention

In Wisconsin, the issue of access to reports on medical mistakes is part of a bill being considered in the state legislature. In Minnesota, physicians are seeking a delay to the plan to provide ratings based on cost and quality.

18 Jan 2011

Viewpoints: Next step after health law repeal effort; Refuting 'job-killing' claims; Mental health care

The continuing resolution that extended funding for the federal government until Mar. 4 gives us an opportunity to include language in the appropriations that fund the rest of this fiscal year — and must be passed to avoid a government shutdown. The language would prohibit any funds from being used to implement or enforce Obamacare (Rep. Steve King, 1/18).

18 Jan 2011

Studies offer insights into end-of-life directives

News reports focus on how doctors' religious beliefs and U.S. laws impact decisions made in end-of-life care.

18 Jan 2011

Roundup: Calif., Fla. differ on health law; Texas Gov. on Medicaid 'flexibility'; Ariz. mental health

While Republicans open debate Tuesday on repealing health reform, leaders in California are sitting down to a completely different discussion: how they can most aggressively implement the new law and remain among the Obama administration's model states on the reform — without stumbling over the significant challenges that stand in their way (Kliff, 1/18).

18 Jan 2011

Healthcare Information Xchange of New York completes implementation of InterSystems HealthShare HIE platform

InterSystems Corporation, the global leader in software for connected health care, today announced that the Healthcare Information Xchange of New York (HIXNY) has completed implementation of InterSystems HealthShare™ as its core health information exchange (HIE) platform.

18 Jan 2011

HAP to provide medical billing services to Lenox Hill Radiology

Healthcare Administrative Partners (HAP), an industry-leading medical billing company, announced today that it has signed a contract to provide medical billing services to Lenox Hill Radiology. Lenox Hill Radiology is a radiologist-owned and operated imaging center located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Radiology billing is one of HAP's primary healthcare specialties; the company serves a broad range of hospital-based practices and imaging centers.

18 Jan 2011