Healthcare News

RSS

House lawmakers press Senate to take action on 1099 repeal

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has put the measure back on the Senate's calendar and hopes to move it forward after the chamber completes it work on the 2011 continuing resolution.

11 Mar 2011

Number of patients needing home health care after hospital discharge surges by 70%

The number of patients who needed home health care after being discharged from hospitals surged by about 70 percent (2.3 million to 4 million) from 1997 to 2008, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

11 Mar 2011

New coalition challenges candidates to 'take a stand' for child and youth mental health

A new coalition has formed to challenge candidates for the next Ontario election to "take a stand" and end the crisis in child and youth mental health in a province where the equivalent of three school busloads of children and youth commit suicide every year.

11 Mar 2011

FMCNA encourages high blood pressure, diabetes people to learn about risk of CKD

Diabetes and high blood pressure are the two leading causes of chronic kidney disease, a health problem that is growing at an alarming rate in the United States. There are 26 million Americans who have CKD, and millions more are at increased risk and may not even know it.

11 Mar 2011

House bill introduced to allow individuals to apply for health law waivers

The measure, introduced by Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., would allow consumers the same exemption process being exercised by some employers and unions. Meanwhile, House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., has raised questions about waivers granted to "mini-med" plans.

11 Mar 2011

Defunding strategy takes aim at health law's mandatory spending provisions

The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee held a hearing yesterday to begin the process of marking up legislation to remove certain parts of health law funding.

11 Mar 2011

CHF signs agreement with Global Fund to implement HIV/AIDS program in Colombia

CHF International, the Silver Spring-MD based international development and humanitarian assistance organization, announced it signed an agreement with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to implement a two-year HIV and AIDS program in Colombia, with the possibility to extend it for another three years.

11 Mar 2011

International conference to address African health issues in Geneva

Gateway to Africa is the first annual, international conference which will tackle pressing issues that Africa faces today through an integrative and multidimensional approach.

11 Mar 2011

Walgreens sells Pharmacy Benefits Manager to Catalyst Health Solutions

Catalyst Health Solutions Inc said it will buy Walgreen Co's pharmacy benefits management unit for about $525 million in cash, a deal that might spur more consolidation before big generic drug launches that could boost the business.

11 Mar 2011

Regence Foundation offers eight grants to hospitals for palliative care programs

The Regence Foundation announced today it has made eight palliative care grants to hospitals in Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington totaling more than $1.5 million.

11 Mar 2011

Layton, LHP partner to construct new Seton Medical Center in Texas

LHP Hospital Group, Inc. of Plano, Texas, has announced the selection of Layton Construction Company, Inc. of Sandy, Utah, for construction of the new Seton Medical Center Harker Heights being developed in Harker Heights, Texas, by a joint venture between LHP and the Seton Family of Hospitals.

11 Mar 2011

Texas Children's completes first phase of certification to implant SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart

Texas Children's Hospital and SynCardia Systems, Inc. announced today that Texas Children's has become the world's first pediatric hospital to complete the first phase of certification to implant the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart. The hospital intends to use the Total Artificial Heart as a bridge to transplant for their patients who received a heart transplant as children and now require mechanical support as a bridge to their second transplant.

11 Mar 2011

Australian, U.S. Department of VA to collaborate on new military deployment research project

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will collaborate with the Australian Department of Veterans Affairs on a new research effort focused on investigating the impact of recent conflicts on the health of returning Servicemembers.

11 Mar 2011

SAMHSA study finds 51.5% drug-related hospital visits by older patients

Adults aged 50 and older comprise 51.5 percent of all emergency department visits each year related to adverse reactions to medications, according to a study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

11 Mar 2011

Sec. Clinton launches global partnership to improve maternal, child health

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday announced the launch of a global partnership between USAID, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the non-profit Grand Challenges Canada, the World Bank, and the government of Norway to reduce the number of deaths among mothers and infants in developing countries, the Globe and Mail reports.

11 Mar 2011

Experts ponder questions regarding law's 'essential benefits' package

When it comes to health insurance, deciding what is an essential benefit — and what isn't — is a political and medical minefield, with far-reaching consequences.

11 Mar 2011

Medicare fraud costs taxpayers big money

Medicare could wrench as much as $70 billion a year in savings by cracking down on fraud, experts told Congress this week.

11 Mar 2011

Infant formulas with fluoridated water increase risk of discolored teeth: HHS

All infant formulas, either concentrated or ready-to-feed, already contain some fluoride and, when routinely mixed with fluoridated water, increase the risk of dental fluorosis, according to Dr. Howard Koh, Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in a video commentary published on Medscape.com, March 8, 2011.

11 Mar 2011

Justice Dept. seeks fast consideration of health law appeal

The Justice Department is asking for quick action on its appeal of a Florida judge's decision that declared the health overhaul unconstitutional.

11 Mar 2011

CWRU: Postmenopausal women need more dental checkups

Postmenopausal women have a new health message to hear. Two annual dental checkups aren't enough. Older women need more, according to research findings from the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine and the Cleveland Clinic.

11 Mar 2011