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Marijuana legalization in California will lower drug price and increase consumption

Legalizing the production and distribution of marijuana in California could cut the price of the drug by as much as 80 percent and increase consumption, according to a new study by the nonprofit RAND Corporation that examines many issues raised by proposals to legalize marijuana in the state.

8 Jul 2010

Aultman Health Foundation selects Courion's Access Assurance Suite

Courion Corporation, leaders in access governance, provisioning and compliance, today announced that Aultman Health Foundation has selected Courion's Access Assurance Suite to improve compliance, enhance customer service and reduce costs by automating user provisioning and password management capabilities.

8 Jul 2010

ASA provides tips to help parents protect children from over-the-counter drug abuse

In recent years, a growing and potentially life-threatening trend known as Robo tripping, the abuse of over-the-counter cough and cold medications, has emerged among America's youth. As the Society representing the front-line physicians responsible for treating patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) who have overdosed on over-the-counter medications, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has developed information to help parents recognize the signs of Robo tripping and to prevent overdose and longer-term health complications.

8 Jul 2010

Ingen to debut new Smart Nasal Cannula at 13th Annual Force Health Protection Conference

Ingen Technologies, Inc., a medical device manufacturer with an emerging new medical product line targeting the $8B respiratory market, announced today that the company's strategic government contract consultant, KGMA Business Solutions, has scheduled two major tradeshows for August and September, 2010.

8 Jul 2010

Heart attack death rates drop in hospitals; CDC reports increase in colon cancer screening rate

USA Today: Hospital heart attack death rates fell, according to new Medicare data. "Death rates at 4,569 hospitals that treat Medicare patients who suffer heart attacks fell by almost half a percentage point, from a national average of 16.6% last year to 16.2%. Death rates for most hospitals ranged from about 14.5% to 17.9%. ...

8 Jul 2010

HQA applauds public availability of hospital quality information at Hospital Compare website

The Hospital Quality Alliance today applauded the public availability of new information on hospital quality of care at the Hospital Compare website. The HQA is a broad working group of hospitals, consumer representatives, physician and nursing organizations, employers and payers, oversight organizations and government agencies dedicated to improving health care quality and making useful and understandable information about hospital quality available to the public.

8 Jul 2010

Decline in international medical graduates threatens patient access to quality surgical care

A decline in the number of international medical graduates (IMGs) is threatening patient access to quality surgical care, according to a new study in the June issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

8 Jul 2010

Obama uses recess appointment to install Berwick as head of Medicare, Medicaid

President Barack Obama Wednesday will use a recess appointment to install Harvard Professor Donald Berwick to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the White House announced Tuesday.

8 Jul 2010

Patients willing to travel for cheaper, better care; Especially when the boss pays

Employers, in search of better deals on surgeries, are in some cases sending employees they insure hundreds of miles for medical care, Kaiser Health News/USA Today reports. "Forget about traveling to Thailand or India for low-cost surgery. … By steering workers to facilities with high-quality care and lower prices, employers say they can reduce their costs 20% to 40% — more than enough to cover the travel expenses."

8 Jul 2010

Pelosi urges Democrats to talk up health care; Businesses feel early impact of law

"Speaker Nancy Pelosi is doubling down on healthcare reform, betting that it will do Democrats more good than harm in November's elections," The Hill reports.

8 Jul 2010

Advocates continue to push for Michigan to opt out of federal health law despite setback

The Detroit News: "A Michigan Healthcare Freedom Act allowing Michiganians to opt out of the federal healthcare bill will be introduced when the Legislature resumes session July 21." The proposal was announced Tuesday, after a petition drive against the federal healthcare plan fell short. The grassroots organizers of that effort "hoped to get a question on the November election ballot asking Michigan voters to decide if they want to opt out of the federal health care overhaul, but they failed to collect enough petition signatures by Monday's deadline".

8 Jul 2010

States, federal government move forward with high-risk pools

The federal government began accepting applications for the high risk pools it will run in 29 states and the District of Columbia last Thursday, PBS Newshour reports. The other 21 states chose to run their own pools and may be on different schedules.

8 Jul 2010

Experts propose solution to burden of medical school debt

The Wall Street Journal Health Blog: "Educational debt is a serious burden for young [and middle-aged] doctors — the median amount owed for both premedical and medical school was $145,000 for those graduating from public med schools in 2008 and a whopping $180,000 for private school grads.

8 Jul 2010

Patients cope with navigating the health care system

Americans who lose employer coverage between now and 2014, when much of the health overhaul kicks in, "may find buying insurance on their own unaffordable." But for those without coverage and who can't afford to buy it "there are ways to cope."

8 Jul 2010

What do EMRs mean for patient privacy?

The Miami Herald: The federal government is spending billions to make electronic medical records a standard feature of physician offices and hospitals, but the change is not without a cost — to doctors' balance sheets, and possibly to patient privacy.

8 Jul 2010

Finance Committee lawmakers press insurer on failing to pay Part D claims

In a recent letter, Senate Finance Committee leaders Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, demanded that an insurer that was kicked out of the Medicare Part D drug program pay its outstanding claims.

8 Jul 2010

Community Health Systems subsidiary acquires Marion Regional Healthcare System

Community Health Systems, Inc. announced today that a subsidiary has acquired substantially all of the assets of Marion Regional Healthcare System located in Marion, South Carolina. The system includes Marion Regional Hospital, a 124-bed, full service acute care hospital, Mullins Nursing Center, a 92-bed skilled nursing facility, and other ancillary services.

8 Jul 2010

Crooks defraud health care system with fake insurance plans and phony Medicare, Medicaid claims

"Massive unemployment and a changing health care system is creating a breeding ground for con artists." Fake health insurance is one of the "fastest growing scams." Advertisements for such products are "stapled to neighborhood telephone polls, flyers left on your car or maybe you'll get a phone call from someone who's selling health insurance at extremely low rates, as low as $29.99 a month in some cases, says Jim Quiggle of the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud. The sad truth is that often these bogus policies pay little or nothing on claims, leaving consumers with exorbitant medical bills" (Haley, 7/6).

8 Jul 2010

Australian health makeover over the next few years planned

Australian health is about to get a massive make over according to the four year time schedule and plans announced by the Federal Government. The plans include major reforms that will be undertaken over the next two years.

7 Jul 2010

In depth look at Victorian ambulance services before November

After quite a few cases of delayed ambulance services the Victorian Auditor-General has now agreed to have an in-depth look at Victoria's ambulance services before the November state election. This is in response to a communication made by the State Opposition earlier this year.

7 Jul 2010

Healthcare News

Marijuana legalization in California will lower drug price and increase consumption

Aultman Health Foundation selects Courion's Access Assurance Suite

ASA provides tips to help parents protect children from over-the-counter drug abuse

Ingen to debut new Smart Nasal Cannula at 13th Annual Force Health Protection Conference

Heart attack death rates drop in hospitals; CDC reports increase in colon cancer screening rate

HQA applauds public availability of hospital quality information at Hospital Compare website

Decline in international medical graduates threatens patient access to quality surgical care

Obama uses recess appointment to install Berwick as head of Medicare, Medicaid

Patients willing to travel for cheaper, better care; Especially when the boss pays

Pelosi urges Democrats to talk up health care; Businesses feel early impact of law

Advocates continue to push for Michigan to opt out of federal health law despite setback

States, federal government move forward with high-risk pools

Experts propose solution to burden of medical school debt

Patients cope with navigating the health care system

What do EMRs mean for patient privacy?

Finance Committee lawmakers press insurer on failing to pay Part D claims

Community Health Systems subsidiary acquires Marion Regional Healthcare System

Crooks defraud health care system with fake insurance plans and phony Medicare, Medicaid claims

Australian health makeover over the next few years planned

In depth look at Victorian ambulance services before November

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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