Healthcare News

RSS

Obama to rally support for his deficit-reduction plan

President Barack Obama will take his message on the road with a "series of campaign-style stops" in an effort to block a Republican deficit-reduction blueprint that would dramatically change Medicare and other social programs.

18 Apr 2011

Nathan Littauer Hospital selects ProVation Order Sets to deliver safe and high-quality care

Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information for healthcare professionals and students, announced today that Nathan Littauer Hospital has selected ProVation® Order Sets, powered by UpToDate® Decision Support, as the hospital's electronic order set solution.

18 Apr 2011

ValueOptions enters alliance with LifeSpeak

ValueOptions® is pleased to announce an alliance with LifeSpeak Inc. that is designed to proactively help member employees around the world work, learn and thrive. Through this partnership, ValueOptions® expands its health and wellness product portfolio to include the Life Speak online video library.

18 Apr 2011

Rural health providers get IT shopping tips

Medical providers, especially those in rural and small offices, who are shopping for an electronic health record vendor should consider the issue of data portability before making a decision, said David Blumenthal, who until this spring was the national coordinator for health information technology.

18 Apr 2011

California's state mental hospital will no longer be subject to hiring freeze

The freeze was lifted on Friday in response to concerns about rising violence in the state's system.

18 Apr 2011

Hospital consolidation trend continues in Atlanta

The Henry Medical Center announced last week that it would enter partnership talks with Piedmont Healthcare.

18 Apr 2011

How would Medicaid block grants work?

One of the most controversial ideas in Washington right now is to turn Medicaid into a block grant program. ... Instead of an entitlement with open-ended funding, Medicaid would be converted into a grant program with set funding levels.

18 Apr 2011

Colorado: Rural health care gets boost from Service Corps program

In other workforce news, a new law is working its way through the California Senate that would require background checks and "elementary care instruction" for all workers who help out in seniors' homes.

18 Apr 2011

State Roundup: Mass. considers new health payment system

The California Public Employees' Retirement System is negotiating a lucrative pharmacy benefits management contract with Caremark Rx Inc., a company being sued for defrauding the pension fund of tens of millions of dollars (Lifsher, 4/16).

18 Apr 2011

First Edition: April 18, 2011

Today's headlines include a report about President Barack Obama's plan to rally support for his deficit reduction plan and to block GOP changes to Medicare and other social programs.

18 Apr 2011

Flagship introduces end-to-end solutions for Medicare's reporting, recovery requirements

Flagship Services Group, Inc., a company providing expertise in Medicare compliance for insurance carriers, self-insured entities, attorneys, and state and local government agencies, today announced its unique end-to-end solutions for the compliance challenges the industry faces relating to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' reporting and Medicare Secondary Payer recovery requirements.

18 Apr 2011

Ascom to add alarm functionality to its i62 Protector for safe working environment

Ascom Wireless Solutions, the leading supplier of on-site wireless communications will add advanced alarm functionality to their VoWiFi handset, the Ascom i62 Protector, enabling personnel to feel secure when working in isolated environments or alone.

18 Apr 2011

Parents may chose predictive genetic tests for their children

Parents offered genetic testing to predict their risks of common, adult-onset health conditions say they would also test their children. That is the finding of a new study published in the May issue of Pediatrics.

18 Apr 2011

Blue Cross launches 'The Human Do.ing' project to improve communities' health

He danced. He grooved. He walked. He sweated. And in the end, he did something he wasn't sure was possible. He got healthy. On Saturday, Twin Cities man Scott Jorgenson, 45, ended his 30 days as "The Human Do.ing," a project developed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota as part of the company's do. Campaign to "groove your body every day" to achieve better health.

18 Apr 2011

Negative social environment linked to high suicide attempt rates in LGB youth

In the wake of several highly publicized suicides by gay teenagers, a new study finds that a negative social environment surrounding gay youth is associated with high rates of suicide attempts by lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth.

18 Apr 2011

House passes GOP 2012 budget, calls for big changes to Medicare, Medicaid

News outlets covered today's presidential and Republican weekly addresses, which reflected a week of tough deficit talk and a vote in the House on the 2012 budget.

18 Apr 2011

BC report addresses key human resource challenges in seniors care sector

A new report released today by the BC Care Providers Association represents the most comprehensive labour market survey ever conducted for the non-profit and private seniors care sector in British Columbia.

18 Apr 2011

Non-Hispanic black infants born with heart defects more likely to die within five years

Non-Hispanic black infants born with heart defects are more likely to die within the first five years of life than their non-Hispanic white and Hispanic peers. For certain types of congenital heart abnormalities, Hispanic children as well as non-Hispanic black children fare worse than non-Hispanic white children.

18 Apr 2011

New guidelines for cardiac specialists

A series of new guidelines for cardiac specialists has been developed to determine when heart failure patients should receive a mechanical heart-pumping device.

18 Apr 2011

Lawmakers tussle on Sunday news shows over budget options

Sen. Tom Coburn, a member of the Senate Gang of Six negotiations, and Rep. Chris Van Hollen, newly named to the Biden budget talks by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, disagreed starkly on whether the debt ceiling increase needs to be tied to a budget deal. Coburn said he supports the budget proposed by House Budget Commiteee Chairman Paul Ryan which turns Medicare into a type of voucher system, saying that consumer choice is needed to drive prices down.

18 Apr 2011