Healthcare News

RSS

Florida plan to revamp Medicaid raises questions; Texas hospitals complain about Medicaid rate cuts

To visit the low-rise medical offices dotting the sun-bleached highways of Broward County is to meet doctors and patients who complain of being guinea pigs in a social experiment gone wrong.

12 May 2011

First Edition: May 12, 2011

Today's headlines include reports about the upcoming speech by GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, during which he is expected to confront what many say is his main vulnerability: his home state's health reform.

12 May 2011

With today's speech, Romney hopes to inoculate himself on health care issues

Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts and a likely GOP presidential hopeful, will deliver a speech today in which he will confront his biggest political vulnerability — the fact that the state health reform he signed into law as governor is often considered a prototype for the federal health law.

12 May 2011

Insurer rates spark attention

In Connecticut, Aetna is proposing rate cuts for this year, a move that reflects, at least partially, the impact of the federal health law. Meanwhile, The Hill reports that consumer groups are anxiously awaiting regulations that will allow the Department of Health and Human Services to review rates. These regs are likely to be out by the end of the month.

12 May 2011

InTouch Health applauds FDA for recent announcement on Medical Device Data Systems

In response to the recent announcement issued by the Food and Drug Administration regarding Medical Device Data Systems, InTouch Health affirms its position of compliance, and applauds the agency for issuing regulations governing the use of hardware and software in the healthcare information technology space.

12 May 2011

Children can benefit from The Asthma Management Plans in School Act

New legislation introduced by Rep. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) would provide grants for asthma management programs in schools across the U.S. in a step to ensure the nation's 7.1 million children with asthma have access to care that could save their lives.

12 May 2011

Kool Smiles inaugurates new San Angelo dental office

Kool Smiles, a leading dental health provider for children and adults, now has opened its doors to additional families in Texas with a new office location in San Angelo. Kool Smiles of San Angelo officially opened on February 7 as the organization continues to expand access to quality dental care for families in underserved communities across the nation.

12 May 2011

Oral health tips for fighting gingivitis

Those who faithfully brush their teeth each morning and night might feel as though they're doing enough to achieve a healthy smile. However, even people with good oral care habits may hear from their dentist or hygienist that they have signs of gingivitis, an early form of gum disease.

12 May 2011

Court finds feds fell short in providing veterans with mental health services

A federal appeals court Tuesday lambasted the Department of Veterans Affairs for failing to care for those suffering post-traumatic stress disorder and ordered a major overhaul of the behemoth agency. Treatment delays for PTSD and other combat-related mental illnesses are so "egregious" that they violate veterans' constitutional rights and contribute to the despair behind many of the 6,500 suicides among veterans each year, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said in its 2-1 ruling.

12 May 2011

Florida's largest insurer enters Medicaid system; Texas may ask feds for block grant

In a potentially huge change, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida plans to enter the Medicaid program and compete in what likely will become a statewide managed-care system. Blue Cross, the state's largest health insurer, has stayed out of Medicaid in the past. But its new stance comes as Florida lawmakers seek to enroll almost all Medicaid beneficiaries in managed-care plans -- and as last year's federal health law prepares to funnel more people into the system.

12 May 2011

Marylanders trust traditional media for health and medical research information

Most Maryland residents trust the health and medical research information provided by traditional media-newspapers (77%), television (71%), magazines (68%), radio (66%)-and the Internet (also 66%), according to a new state poll commissioned by Research!America.

12 May 2011

Study finds link between high prenatal BPA levels and infant's neurobehavioral abnormalities

A new case study examining an infant's neurobehavioral abnormalities and extremely high bisphenol A concentration of the baby's mother suggests a link between the two.

12 May 2011

Appeals Court judges appear skeptical of health law arguments, pepper lawyers with frequent questions

The first federal appeals court hearing related to the health overhaul offered a preview of how the Obama administration will likely approach the case before the Supreme Court, which is expected to be its final destination.

12 May 2011

Two new reports recommend core competencies for interprofessional education in health professions

Two new reports released today by six national health professions associations and three private foundations recommend new competencies for interprofessional education in the health professions, and action strategies to implement them in institutions across the country.

12 May 2011

HHS announces new initiatives to improve patient care and reduce Medicaid costs

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today announced a series of initiatives to work with states to save money and better coordinate care for the 9 million Americans enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid.

12 May 2011

NGOs urge Ugandan parliament to reject bill criminalizing homosexuality

Nongovernmental organizations on Wednesday called on the Ugandan parliament to reject a "proposed law that seeks to criminalize homosexuality ahead of an expected vote on a revised version of the legislation," Bloomberg reports.

12 May 2011

WCRI releases updated workers compensation medical cost containment strategies

With the costs of medical care provided to injured workers continuing to rise each year, the Workers Compensation Research Institute has released an updated compendium of cost containment strategies used in state workers' compensation systems titled Workers Compensation Medical Cost Containment: A National Inventory, 2011.

12 May 2011

Fourth U.N. Conference on the Least Developed Countries continues to examine development possibilities for LDCs

"More than 8,000 people - representatives of governments, international agencies, development partners and civil society - are attending the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC-IV), outlining a plan to lessen the burden of poverty, hunger and disease on the world's most vulnerable people," Inter Press Service reports.

12 May 2011

Minister for Health and Children launches first results from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing

The first results from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, a national study of 8,000 older people aged 50 and over in Ireland, were launched this week by the Minister for Health and Children, Dr James Reilly.

12 May 2011

LogisticsWeek examines PEPFAR's Supply Chain Management System

LogisticsWeek looks at how "PEPFAR's Supply Chain Management System, a project made up of 13 health and development institutions working to procure and provide quality essential medicines at affordable prices," has been able to assist countries in quickly scaling up HIV/AIDS treatment.

12 May 2011

Healthcare News

Florida plan to revamp Medicaid raises questions; Texas hospitals complain about Medicaid rate cuts

First Edition: May 12, 2011

With today's speech, Romney hopes to inoculate himself on health care issues

Insurer rates spark attention

InTouch Health applauds FDA for recent announcement on Medical Device Data Systems

Children can benefit from The Asthma Management Plans in School Act

Kool Smiles inaugurates new San Angelo dental office

Oral health tips for fighting gingivitis

Court finds feds fell short in providing veterans with mental health services

Florida's largest insurer enters Medicaid system; Texas may ask feds for block grant

Marylanders trust traditional media for health and medical research information

Study finds link between high prenatal BPA levels and infant's neurobehavioral abnormalities

Appeals Court judges appear skeptical of health law arguments, pepper lawyers with frequent questions

Two new reports recommend core competencies for interprofessional education in health professions

HHS announces new initiatives to improve patient care and reduce Medicaid costs

NGOs urge Ugandan parliament to reject bill criminalizing homosexuality

WCRI releases updated workers compensation medical cost containment strategies

Fourth U.N. Conference on the Least Developed Countries continues to examine development possibilities for LDCs

Minister for Health and Children launches first results from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing

LogisticsWeek examines PEPFAR's Supply Chain Management System

Exploring the nanoscale: How AFM is transforming cosmetic science

Innovating Texture and Culture in Plant-Based Foods

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

Latest News