Healthcare News

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First Edition: June 1, 2011

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz reports: "Trying to spur enrollment in a key new benefit of the 2010 health law, the Obama administration announced today it is slashing premiums for new high-risk insurance plans and no longer requiring applicants to submit a rejection letter from private insurers".

1 Jun 2011

HHS announces new steps to decrease premiums and help insure more Americans

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today announced new steps to reduce premiums and make it easier for Americans to enroll in the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan. Premiums for the Federally-administered Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan will drop as much as 40 percent in 18 States, and eligibility standards will be eased in 23 States and the District of Columbia to ensure more Americans with pre-existing conditions have access to affordable health insurance.

1 Jun 2011

$IOF position paper recommends coordinator-based models to manage fragility fracture patients$

IOF position paper recommends coordinator-based models to manage fragility fracture patients

A prior fracture at least doubles a patient's future fracture risk - yet numerous studies from across the world have found that healthcare systems fail to respond to the first fracture to prevent future fractures.

1 Jun 2011

Campbell Soup Foundation to kick off 37th annual summer program in nutrition education

Campbell Soup Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Campbell Soup Company, will kick off its 37th annual Campbell Soup Summer Program on Thursday, June 2, 2011.

1 Jun 2011

Many consumers opt for high-deductible coverage despite risks

Last year, Tina Holwin Hodges' healthy family switched to a high-deductible health insurance plan and were able to save $100 a month on their monthly premiums, which seemed like a bargain. Then her daughter Cailee spent three days in the hospital with a viral infection, her daughter Heather went in for a cardiac workup, her husband had hand surgery after being out of work for a year, and she injured her back and couldn't work for three months.

1 Jun 2011

McMaster, Abbott create new education chair to focus on rheumatology

Abbott, a global, broad-based health care company, and the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University today announced the creation of an endowed chair to focus on teaching the next generation of rheumatologists for the growing number of Canadians living with arthritis.

1 Jun 2011

GE Healthcare launches global competition to raise awareness about cancer prevention

Today GE Healthcare launched a global competition on Twitter to raise public awareness about cancer prevention and healthy living.

1 Jun 2011

Dems, GOP continue heavyweight fight over Medicare proposals

Democrats and Republicans are looking for their next messaging steps on proposals to slow the growth of Medicare costs in the wake of a congressional election and talks to tackle to mounting debt.

1 Jun 2011

Administration seeks to stop Medicaid providers, recipients from suing states

Medicaid recipients and health care providers cannot sue state officials to challenge cuts in Medicaid payments, even if such cuts compromise access to health care for poor people, the Obama administration has told the Supreme Court.

1 Jun 2011

New online job sites for health care, life science and medical industries

Springer has launched a network of job sites designed to attract and showcase the unique talent and highly qualified audience that uses Springer tools which are some of the industry's most trusted, prestigious and trafficked sites for research.

1 Jun 2011

UNAIDS Director says Pope's comments on condoms open dialogue for HIV prevention

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe on Saturday "told a Vatican conference [Pope Benedict XVI] had opened the door to greater dialogue with his groundbreaking comments on condoms and HIV prevention - even as Vatican officials stressed abstinence and marital fidelity as the best prevention," the Associated Press reports.

1 Jun 2011

Effective weight loss tips for summer

With the summer fast approaching, it's time to get ready for the swimsuit season. My Weight Doctor medical weight loss and age management clinics, offers some helpful hints to get on the right track.

1 Jun 2011

Scans, hospital infections at heart of new quality issues

A new diagnostic imaging test that can detect plaque in the arteries of the heart is not an efficient tool for screening people not experiencing symptoms of heart disease, a recent study found.

1 Jun 2011

SGO's Clinical Document outlines expert recommendations for gynecologic cancer surveillance

Although gynecologic cancers account for only 10 percent of all new cancer cases in women, these cancers account for 20 percent of all female cancer survivors. Because long-term survival is now more common, it is increasingly important to detect recurrence.

1 Jun 2011

MMRGlobal, VZJ to launch consumer and professional health IT products

MMRGlobal, Inc. and VisiInc PLC have entered into an agreement to launch MMRGlobal's patented consumer and professional health IT products and services, including MMRPro for healthcare professionals and the MyMedicalRecords Personal Health Record (PHR), on the Visi platform utilizing the Vistime product.

1 Jun 2011

Lax tax rules in developing countries hinder aid, Clinton says

In a speech to the OECD last week, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that foreign aid is undermined by lax tax enforcement systems in developing countries and their wealthy citizens who avoid paying taxes, Agence France-Presse reports.

1 Jun 2011

Nighttime heart and lung transplants do not affect patient survival

Despite concerns that surgeon fatigue is leading to dangerous complications for patients and data showing worse outcomes for many patients who undergo surgery at night, new Johns Hopkins research suggests that — in the case of heart and lung transplants — time of day has no affect on patient survival.

1 Jun 2011

Health law implementation issues: Challenges with exchanges, doc-owned hospitals

A small but growing number of prominent, Republican governors — including Mitch Daniels and Haley Barbour — are taking the lead to shape a key component of the health care overhaul their party fought so hard to kill. It's a delicate balancing act for Republicans who, on the one hand, oppose federal health reform, even challenging its constitutionality in federal court, and, on the other hand, are pragmatically trying to control as much of the implementation process as they can.

1 Jun 2011

Physicians brief Congressional staffers on patient-physician relationship

On May 26, three physicians, including Congressman Michael Burgess (R-TX), briefed Congressional staffers on the effects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), sometimes called ObamaCare, on the patient-physician relationship and patient care.

1 Jun 2011

Ontario's doctors urge people to quit smoking on ‘World No Tobacco Day’

Today is World No Tobacco Day and Ontario's doctors are taking the opportunity to remind people about the dangers of smoking and are urging smokers to talk to their doctor about how they can quit for good.

1 Jun 2011