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Coburn writing his own budget, Sebelius helps Dems refine Medicare message

Sen. Tom Coburn is writing his own budget, which he started before leaving the "gang of six" talks on deficit reduction. Meanwhile, HHS Sec. Sebelius is helping Democrats refine their message on the GOP budget.

21 May 2011

House GOP plans vote on canceling health bill provision on medical education

House Republicans plan another vote on a bill to roll back a spending provision of the health law. Plus some question whether Senate candidate Tommy Thompson is out of step with other Republicans on health care reform, and what OMB's role was in the latest ACO regs.

21 May 2011

Most paediatric paracetamol prescriptions fails to comply with BNFc recommendations

Many of the prescriptions issued by GPs for paracetamol either give less than recommended doses to older children or exceed recommended doses in young children.

20 May 2011

HHS rule says insurers must justify double-digit rate increases

Despite opposition from insurers, the Department of Health and Human Services finalized a rule stipulating that health insurance premium increases greater than 10 percent will trigger extra regulatory scrutiny.

20 May 2011

State health care 'compact' advances; Some states wrestle with exchanges, MLR

Oklahoma and Tennessee moved forward Wednesday on the health care "compact" that some states are pursuing as a challenge to the health care reform law.

20 May 2011

Research roundup: Closing E.R.S; Predicting future health costs; Providing rural residents with specialized care

Factors Associated With The Closures Of Emergency Departments In The United States -- This study looks at the community, market and medical factors that led to an increase of urban hospital-based emergency department closures.

20 May 2011

Survey finds consumers face higher health care costs; Employer costs also expected to rise in 2012

Meanwhile, an Associated Press poll finds that college graduates have been hit by the recession — and their health insurance coverage is one of the key indicators.

20 May 2011

Water shortages most extreme in Middle East, African regions, report says

"Water shortages are worst in Africa and the Middle East, and the hardest hit are nations in the Gulf, including Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, according to a study released Wednesday by risk analysis firm Maplecroft," the Associated Press reports in an article examining the firm's "Water Stress Index."

20 May 2011

Parliamentarians issue call for G8 nations to focus on role of women in development

Ahead of next week's G8 summit in Deauville, France, "parliamentarians from 35 countries have issued a strong call for leaders of the world's major economies to focus on the role of women and girls in development," Inter Press Service reports.

20 May 2011

Funding shortages mean WFP will stop food aid to nearly 1 million Nepalese

On Wednesday, the World Food Program (WFP) said "it does not have enough funds to continue flying supplies by helicopter to western Nepal, where road access is patchy and around a million people rely on U.N. food aid," Agence France-Presse reports. According to the WFP, an estimated 41 percent of people in Nepal are undernourished.

20 May 2011

OMB review could lock-in ACO rule; Long-term care providers say health law doesn't help with their problems

If there's a fight between CMS and the Office of Management and Budget over the final shape of the accountable care organization regulations, OMB may have an ace in its pocket.

20 May 2011

HHS issues finalized health insurance rate review regulation

The Health and Human Services Department finalized regulations Thursday that will require insurance companies to disclose and justify rate increases of 10 percent or more.

20 May 2011

Medicare politics play out as possible presidential candidates vie for position and in a special congressional election

Medicare is again a hot-button issue as news outlets speculate on how Republican plans to revamp the program could play into the upcoming election season.

20 May 2011

North Shore-LIJ implements new program to ensure safe radiation therapy

Radiation oncologists took a blow in a series of front-page newspaper stories published last year on injuries that occurred nationwide in the delivery of radiation treatment. Radiation oncologists at North Shore-LIJ Health System responded to the public charge with a series of steps that will ensure that patients are protected at all points in the treatment process.

20 May 2011

Outlook dims for GOP-backed malpractice reform

When it comes to health care policy, there isn't much that brings the two parties together. But at the outset of the 112th Congress, it seemed like medical malpractice reform was one area ripe for bipartisan compromise.

20 May 2011

Monitoring adherence to mandatory hand-washing protocols can help stop outbreaks of C. diff bacteria

Just like intelligence agents watching for the real terrorists threatening to attack, monitoring healthcare worker adherence to mandatory hand-washing protocols via hand-washing squads in hospitals can go a long way to stop outbreaks of the opportunistic C. diff bacteria, says Irena Kenneley, an infection prevention and control expert and assistant professor of nursing from the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University.

20 May 2011

Roundup: Private prison costs; GOP lawmakers in Wis. break with Governor on cuts to senior services

The conviction that private prisons save money helped drive more than 30 states to turn to them for housing inmates. But Arizona shows that popular wisdom might be wrong: Data there suggest that privately operated prisons can cost more to operate than state-run prisons — even though they often steer clear of the sickest, costliest inmates (Oppel, 5/18).

20 May 2011

Health Endeavors releases ACO WebCenter 1.0 and Physician Alignment WebCenter 2.0

ACO WebCenter Version 1.0 is a web-based product developed to assist hospitals, IPAs and physicians with the implementation of a Medicare or Non-Medicare Accountable Care Organization. Physician Alignment WebCenter 2.0 is a web-based product utilized by hospitals to enhance physician alignment with medical staff members. The 2.0 version includes a communications portal and Meaningful Use/EMR Center.

20 May 2011

Reid seizes political opportunity, readies Senate vote on Ryan budget plan

Seizing on a political opportunity, the Senate's top Democrat, Harry Reid, told USA TODAY on Wednesday that he will schedule a vote next week in an effort to tie Senate Republicans to a House GOP plan to dramatically revamp the popular Medicare health care program.

20 May 2011

The Chartis Group and HPMG partner to help providers improve outpatient care delivery systems

HealthPartners Medical Group and Clinics and The Chartis Group today announce a unique collaboration to help hospitals and health systems achieve superior performance in health care quality and patient service, while simultaneously lowering costs.

20 May 2011

Healthcare News

Coburn writing his own budget, Sebelius helps Dems refine Medicare message

House GOP plans vote on canceling health bill provision on medical education

Most paediatric paracetamol prescriptions fails to comply with BNFc recommendations

HHS rule says insurers must justify double-digit rate increases

State health care 'compact' advances; Some states wrestle with exchanges, MLR

Research roundup: Closing E.R.S; Predicting future health costs; Providing rural residents with specialized care

Survey finds consumers face higher health care costs; Employer costs also expected to rise in 2012

Water shortages most extreme in Middle East, African regions, report says

Parliamentarians issue call for G8 nations to focus on role of women in development

Funding shortages mean WFP will stop food aid to nearly 1 million Nepalese

OMB review could lock-in ACO rule; Long-term care providers say health law doesn't help with their problems

HHS issues finalized health insurance rate review regulation

Medicare politics play out as possible presidential candidates vie for position and in a special congressional election

North Shore-LIJ implements new program to ensure safe radiation therapy

Outlook dims for GOP-backed malpractice reform

Monitoring adherence to mandatory hand-washing protocols can help stop outbreaks of C. diff bacteria

Roundup: Private prison costs; GOP lawmakers in Wis. break with Governor on cuts to senior services

Health Endeavors releases ACO WebCenter 1.0 and Physician Alignment WebCenter 2.0

Reid seizes political opportunity, readies Senate vote on Ryan budget plan

The Chartis Group and HPMG partner to help providers improve outpatient care delivery systems

Exploring the nanoscale: How AFM is transforming cosmetic science

Innovating Texture and Culture in Plant-Based Foods

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

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