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Obama administration rolls out rule for health exchanges

In a big step to carry out the new health care law, the Obama administration unveiled standards on Monday for insurance marketplaces that will allow individuals, families and small businesses in every state to shop for insurance, compare prices and benefits and buy coverage.

13 Jul 2011

JSPH, Worldwide Clinical Trials partner to meet demands of healthcare reform

Worldwide Clinical Trials Inc., a leading, global provider of clinical research services, and Thomas Jefferson University's School of Population Health (JSPH), under the direction of David B. Nash, MD, MBA, today announced that they have entered into an alliance to provide pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients with a broad range of outcomes research services including comparative effectiveness, burden of illness, and quality of life studies.

13 Jul 2011

Family planning essential for meeting world population's needs

"I'd like to pose the question: what more must we do to ensure the health, nutritional, and educational needs of all seven billion are met?" Scott Radloff, director of USAID's Office of Population and Reproductive Health, writes about World Population Day on the agency's "IMPACTblog."

13 Jul 2011

Local reaction offers insights into how states view the exchange reg

How the new rules will play out in Georgia remains unclear. Gov. Nathan Deal, though strongly opposed to the reform law, has formed a committee on health exchanges. It had its first meeting at the state Capitol in June.

13 Jul 2011

U.N. officials highlight concern about humanitarian situation in East Africa

"U.N. officials sounded the alarm Tuesday about a deepening crisis in East Africa, saying they are struggling to cope with the number of people on the move in the region because of the severe drought and continued fighting in Somalia," the Associated Press reports.

13 Jul 2011

Study about impact of drug shortages on U.S. health systems

Increasing drug shortages are impacting patient care and increasing costs to the nation's health system, according to a new study released today by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

13 Jul 2011

Proposed cuts in Medicare pay increase access-to-care concerns

A new government proposal would cut reimbursement rates for doctors who accept Medicare by 30 percent in 2012.

13 Jul 2011

Kenyan government should do more to address alcohol as public health issue

"Alcohol abuse is a mammoth public-health problem in Kenya, and the government needs to make drinking more economically painful," Justin Martin, CLAS-Honors Preceptor of Journalism at the University of Maine and a columnist for Columbia Journalism Review, writes in a Christian Science Monitor opinion piece.

13 Jul 2011

WHO releases 2011 global status report on alcohol and health

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its global status report on alcohol and health for 2011. Forum members largely agree with the discussion in the report of the serious health and societal problems associated with the misuse of alcohol, which contributes to accidents, many diseases, and premature deaths.

13 Jul 2011

Donors should continue to provide AIDS funding to China, UNAIDS head says

Cutting AIDS funding to China will "be a big mistake for a donor and particularly, for anyone who's invested in China today, ... for the simple reason that this funding is a catalytic fund," UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe told Reuters in an interview on Monday.

13 Jul 2011

Tips for avoiding heat stroke

As a major heat wave sweeps over the country, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital has already treated one patient for heat stroke and is gearing up for more.

13 Jul 2011

ICQV endorses AMGA as primary clinical integration advocate

Leaders of the Institute for Clinical Quality and Value (ICQV) have officially dissolved the organization effective June 30, 2011 and endorsed the American Medical Group Association (AMGA) as the best venue for healthcare leaders to share ideas, experiences, and best practices in the creation of structures, programs, and initiatives that improve clinical quality and efficiency.

13 Jul 2011

ADA spokespeople review latest diet and lifestyle books

With seemingly endless information about food and diets available today, it is easy to be overwhelmed with which plan is right for you. Whether it's a pill, a cleanse, a fast-results diet or an entire lifestyle change, there is no shortage of products, programs and books that promise life-changing results when it comes to weight loss.

13 Jul 2011

Report: The fed's system to detect Medicaid fraud is inadequate

The federal government's systems for analyzing Medicare and Medicaid data for possible fraud are inadequate and underused, making it more difficult to detect the billions of dollars in fraudulent claims paid out each year, according to a report released Tuesday.

13 Jul 2011

Soliant Health names Stony Brook as America's Most Beautiful Hospitals

Stony Brook University Hospital was named as one of America's Most Beautiful Hospitals, ranking third in a list of 50 healthcare facilities around the country. Soliant Health, a leading specialty healthcare provider, released the results this month of the 20 Most Beautiful Hospitals 2011, a contest developed by Soliant Health.

13 Jul 2011

Bladder cancer patients rarely receive recommended care: Study

According to a study released this week by UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, the overwhelming majority of patients with high-grade non-muscle invasive bladder cancer do not receive the recommended treatment and surveillance, leaving them at higher risk for bladder cancer recurrence, progression, and death.

13 Jul 2011

BRICS health ministers agree to improve access to low-cost medicines

Health ministers from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa in Beijing "on Monday vowed to improve access to low-cost and high-quality medicine - and called on developed nations to shoulder responsibility in helping the poor," Agence France-Presse reports.

13 Jul 2011

NPR: IPAB inspires antipathy across party lines

One thing both Democrats and Republicans agree on is that they can't solve the deficit problem without slowing the growth of the massive Medicare program for the elderly and disabled.

13 Jul 2011

Budget talks: Partisan divisions become more entrenched

Included in the negotiations are proposals that would trim more than $350 billion from the federal Medicare and Medicaid health programs. Much of that would come from Medicare, where Republicans proposed to squeeze $246 billion in savings by reductions in payments for home health care, as well as increasing co-payments for laboratory services.

13 Jul 2011

U.S. hospitals report severe drug shortages: Survey

A survey called “Impact of Drug Shortages on U.S. Health Systems” released this Tuesday showed that a vast majority of U.S. hospitals have restricted the use of life-saving chemotherapy drugs and other critical-care medications in the past six months to cope with unprecedented shortages.

13 Jul 2011