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Health law repeal murky as groups press officials, target specific provisions

In an analysis, The New York Times, reports that while "Republicans have a big majority in the House, Democratic control of the Senate and the presidential veto power make repeal [of the health law] or major change impossible. [But] there is another reason. More than a few Republicans know that while the politics of trying to nitpick provisions and curb funding are appealing, any wholesale repeal of major provisions of the health care overhaul is likely to generate a backlash.

23 Nov 2010

Health groups urge restrictions on tobacco additives

Following five days of deliberations aimed at fleshing-out the so-called Framework Convention for Tobacco Control, delegates on Saturday approved a proposal to limit the use of tobacco additives, which critics say improve the flavor of cigarettes, encouraging consumers to smoke more, Reuters reports.

23 Nov 2010

Medicare making changes to acknowledge telemedicine's growing use

American Medical News: Through teleconferencing technology, doctors are able to treat patients who live far away without access to a specialist. "Nationwide, telemedicine increasingly is being used to bridge gaps in access to care in rural and other medically underserved communities that have a hard time recruiting physicians.

23 Nov 2010

Arthritis Foundation, Covidien join forces to help Americans suffering from osteoarthritis

The Arthritis Foundation and Covidien have joined forces to help advance awareness and support for millions of people suffering from osteoarthritis in the United States.

23 Nov 2010

Debt woes keep harsh guidelines aloft, forge unlikely alliances

A controversial debt panel's advice was initially thought to be heading nowhere fast, but a surprisingly broad consensus that action must be taken to avoid a debt crisis has kept negotiators at the table and given the recommendations unexpected buoyancy, The Washington Post reports.

23 Nov 2010

Mergers among hospitals and doctors spur consumer concerns, The NY Times reports

The New York Times: "[E]ight months into the new law there is a growing frenzy of mergers involving hospitals, clinics and doctor groups eager to share costs and savings, and cash in on the incentives [provided in the overhaul]. They, in turn, have deployed a small army of lawyers and lobbyists trying to persuade the Obama administration to relax or waive a body of older laws intended to thwart health care monopolies, and to protect against shoddy care and fraudulent billing of patients or Medicare.

23 Nov 2010

First African tapped as new head of U.N. population fund

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced on Friday that former Nigerian Health Minister Babatunde Osotimehin has been appointed to head to head the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA), the U.K. Press Association reports.

22 Nov 2010

New law's health insurance regulations could mean rebates for consumers

Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby reports: "Millions of Americans might be eligible for rebates starting in 2012 under regulations released Monday detailing the health care law's requirement that insurers spend at least 80 percent of their revenue on direct medical care.

22 Nov 2010

HHS details health law MLR requirement: insurers must spend at least 80 percent on medical care

The medical loss ratio, also know as MLR, rule requires insurance companies to spend at least 80 cents of the premium dollar on medical care and quality. For employer plans covering more than 50 people, the requirement is 85 cents, according to The Associated Press.

22 Nov 2010

UC San Diego designated as Blue Distinction Center

UC San Diego Health System has been designated as a Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery and a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement. This honor is awarded to medical facilities that have demonstrated expertise in delivering quality health care in certain specialty medical areas by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

22 Nov 2010

The conservative way forward on health care

The landslide Republican victory, in taking the House and electing some strong conservatives to the Senate, can be interpreted as a mandate to rein in government spending, and specifically to repeal ObamaCare, as these issues were clearly behind the large turnout. There is still a very real possibility the Supreme Court will find the “individual mandate” to buy private insurance unconstitutional. If this provision is thrown out, it’s hard to see how the law survives, since the mandate is needed to finance it.

22 Nov 2010

Today's Op-Eds: The Ryan roadmap; Democrats and the doc fix; Health reform's failed promises; 'Don't litigate, innovate'

According to tax records unearthed by Bloomberg News, the health insurance lobby secretly gave $86.2 million to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 2009 to try to prevent the health care bill from becoming law. The huge contribution — 40 percent of the chamber's spending for that year — allowed the group to run ads against the bill without tainting the insurance industry, which was negotiating with Democrats on the bill at the same time (11/22).

22 Nov 2010

North Sunflower Medical Center to deploy McKesson health IT solutions

As part of its mission to become the first critical access hospital in Mississippi to demonstrate meaningful use of electronic health record EHR) technology, North Sunflower Medical Center plans to deploy a suite of McKesson information technology solutions. The new systems will replace paper-based records and disparate technologies and address duplicate data entry challenges with communications capabilities designed to automate outdated manual processes and better coordinate care.

22 Nov 2010

Big hospital clout dictates premiums

In a story for KQED, done in partnership with Kaiser Health News, Sarah Varney reports: "Over the last decade and a half, Sutter has gradually accumulated hospitals and amassed a roster of doctors who contract exclusively with the company.

22 Nov 2010

Employers scrutinize dependents for health coverage

The Wall Street Journal: "More employers are scrutinizing employees' health-insurance dependents in order to weed out ineligible beneficiaries" in an effort to cut costs. "Benefits-consulting companies say interest in dependent audits has been growing for the past few years, but has ticked up more recently. … These companies aim to verify the relationships of dependents such as spouses and children, soliciting documents including marriage and birth certificates. In many cases, employers haven't previously asked employees to verify dependents' eligibility" (Mattioli, 11/22).

22 Nov 2010

States mull Medicaid cuts, dropout possibilities

"Huge budget shortfalls are prompting a handful of states to begin discussing a once-unthinkable scenario: dropping out of the Medicaid insurance program for the poor," The Wall Street Journal reports. Officials in several states, including Washington, Texas, and South Carolina, have publicly pitched the idea.

22 Nov 2010

Research roundup: Health IT and malpractice; Wide variation in hospital rates; Income and insurance offerings

New England Journal of Medicine: Medical Malpractice Liability In The Age Of Electronic Health Records - "Providers can expect a varied and shifting landscape of medical liability risks and benefits as the adoption of [electronic health records] EHRs unfolds," write the authors who explore the ways EHRs may bring about long-term changes in standard of care and affect the course of malpractice litigation.

22 Nov 2010

Political cartoon: 'Waivers'

Kaiser Health News provides a fresh look at health policy developments with 'Waivers' by Lisa Benson.

22 Nov 2010

KHN column: The Roadmap lives

In his latest Kaiser Health News column, James Capretta writes: "Last year, Rep. Paul Ryan's 'Roadmap' -- his far-reaching plan to restore long-term budget balance through tax and entitlement reform -- was the subject of relentless attacks by those favoring a larger government role in American life. New York Times columnist Paul Krugman called Ryan the 'Flimflam Man' in a widely cited opinion piece in which he tried to dismiss the Roadmap as not a credible solution to the nation's budget problems.

22 Nov 2010

Cerner products achieve CCHIT Complete EHR certification

Cerner Corporation announced today that PowerChart®, FirstNet®, ProFile®, HealthSentry®, Cerner Healthe, Cerner® Health Record, IQHealth® and P2Sentinel™ 2007.19.12 and P2Sentinel™ v4.2.1 is 2011/2012 compliant and was certified as a Complete EHR on Oct.28, 2010 by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology, an Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology - Authorized Testing Certification Bodies, in accordance with the applicable Hospital certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

22 Nov 2010