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States grapple with Medicaid problems in access, improper payments

The Washington Post reports on the District of Columbia's Medicaid program and mental health coverage. "The federal government handed [the city] an opportunity to save $56 million over four years by expanding Medicaid this summer and they jumped at it. They switched 35,000 low-income residents from the city-funded D.C. Health Care Alliance insurance plan to a Medicaid plan and reaped the reward.

14 Oct 2010

Health care workforce faces strains, shifts

Kaiser Health News / NPR "Last year, half of new doctors were hired by hospitals, according to the Medical Group Management Association, a professional organization for physician practices. According to a 2009 report by the American Medical Association, one in six doctors works for a hospital, and the number is quickly growing.

14 Oct 2010

Risingsun signs consent decree to stop selling unapproved drugs

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that Toby McAdam and Greta Armstrong, doing business as Risingsun Health and The Center for Complimentary and Alternative Health of Livingston, Montana, have signed a consent decree that prohibits them from manufacturing and selling unapproved new drugs and adulterated or misbranded dietary supplements in violation of the law.

14 Oct 2010

Forum allows healthcare professionals to consider probiotics for patient wellbeing

GPs who have a chance to evaluate the current evidence on probiotics and hear from experts firsthand on their relevance to clinical practice are much more likely to consider them, according to the findings of an interactive debate at the RCGPs Annual Primary Care Conference in Harrogate this week.

14 Oct 2010

Insurance companies denied policies to 1 of every 7 applicants, probe finds

The Wall Street Journal: The four largest for-profit health insurers in the U.S. -- Aetna Inc., Humana Inc., UnitedHealth Group Inc., and WellPoint Inc. -- "on average denied policies to one out of every seven applicants based on their prior medical history," according to a congressional investigative report released yesterday by Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.).

14 Oct 2010

Yoga program improves fibromyalgia symptoms and functional deficits

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a debilitating condition affecting 11󈝻 million individuals in the US alone. FM carries an annual direct cost for care of more than $20 billion and drug therapies are generally only 30% effective in relieving symptoms and 20% effective in improving function. Standard care currently includes medications accompanied by exercise and coping skills approaches. In a study published in the November 2010 issue of PAIN, researchers report patients participating in a "Yoga of Awareness" program showed significantly greater improvement in FM symptoms and functioning compared to patients on a standard FM care program.

14 Oct 2010

Anger, seniors and Ad campaigns: Health reform politics

A poll released Tuesday shows most seniors in Medicare's prescription drug benefit program don't know that the health law "closes Part D's coverage gap," The Hill's Healthwatch blog reports.

14 Oct 2010

Justices wrestle with issue of protecting vaccine makers

The Supreme Court is grappling with the question of how much protection the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act was meant to provide vaccine manufacturers against lawsuits. The case involves Hannah Bruesewitz, whose parents claim that a Wyeth-manufactured D.T.P. vaccine she received as an infant in 1992 led to developmental problems.

14 Oct 2010

Researchers seek to end disparities in cancer, stroke care

HealthDay/U.S. News & World Report: Research has shown that there is a racial gap in breast cancer care, "with black and Hispanic women less likely to get recommended breast cancer treatments than white patients."

14 Oct 2010

NextGate and NextGen Healthcare partner to advance health information exchange

NextGate, the Enterprise Master Index leader, today announced a partnership with NextGen Healthcare, a leading provider of healthcare information systems and connectivity solutions, aimed at improving healthcare organizations' ability to combine data from disparate systems and create a unified, complete record for each patient.

14 Oct 2010

State roundup: N.Y.'s retiree health benefits crisis; Colorado referendum

The New York Times: "The cities, counties and authorities of New York have promised more than $200 billion worth of health benefits to their retirees while setting aside almost nothing, putting the public work force on a collision course with the taxpayers who are expected to foot the bill. … The total cost appears in a report to be issued on Wednesday by the Empire Center for New York State Policy, a research organization that studies fiscal policy.

14 Oct 2010

Today's Opeds: Individual mandate in court, on ballot and in campaigns

The first federal court decision on the constitutionality of the new health care reform law upheld its validity and dealt a well-deserved setback to opponents who are trying to overturn it.

14 Oct 2010

NHS bonuses under scanner

The NHS bonus scheme is being criticized. The scheme originated in 1948 when the NHS was created. They are available to consultants and are designed to reward excellence in research, teaching and, of course, clinical care.

13 Oct 2010

AusBiotech 2010 set to demystify the impact of US Healthcare Reforms on Australian biotech

Australian biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies are seeking to understand the implications of the US Healthcare Reform Bill, says Australia’s biotechnology industry organisation, AusBiotech. In order to remain compliant and globally competitive, biotechs need to identify and work within a gamut of new requirements, complications and hurdles imposed by this new regulatory environment.

13 Oct 2010

ALFA sponsors short films competition about ageism in America

The Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA), representing senior living providers and the seniors and families they serve, is sponsoring a short films competition about ageism in America. Ageism includes discriminatory and prejudicial practices, attitudes and stereotypes perpetuated particularly against seniors.

13 Oct 2010

Four British Columbia students awarded 2010 UCBeyond Scholarship

For four students from British Columbia, their stories of perseverance in pursuing their hopes and dreams despite their illnesses is why they have been awarded $5,000 CAN each as the 2010 recipients of the UCBeyond Scholarship.

13 Oct 2010

NCQA reports two new findings on nation's health care

The new State of Health Care Quality report from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has two new findings about the nation's health care.

13 Oct 2010

Studies highlight high Medicare costs for people in nursing homes

Kaiser Health News staff writer Aimee Miles reports on three new studies exploring Medicare costs for beneficiaries living in long-term care facilities.

13 Oct 2010

Humanitas Clinic treats first cancer patient using TrueBeam technology

A 54-year-old head & neck cancer patient has become the first person in Italy to be treated using a revolutionary new linear accelerator that can deliver radiotherapy twice as fast as conventional therapy machines. The Humanitas Clinic in Rozzano-Milan carried out the treatment last week, becoming only the third hospital in Europe to begin clinical treatments using TrueBeam from Varian Medical Systems.

13 Oct 2010

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services awards HP $26M task order to maintain IDR

HP Enterprise Services today announced it has been awarded a task order worth up to $26 million by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to maintain its Integrated Data Repository (IDR) and provide data quality services to improve the accuracy of Medicare payment data.

13 Oct 2010