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FDA issues warning letters to three companies for claiming plaque removal by mouth rinse products

The FDA today issued warning letters to three companies that manufacture and market mouth rinse products with claims that they remove plaque above the gum line or promote healthy gums. These claims suggest the products are effective in preventing gum disease when no such benefit has been demonstrated.

29 Sep 2010

Former Geisinger head to run CMS Innovation Center

CQ HealthBeat reports that Richard Gilfillan, a former head of the Geisinger Health Plan in Pennsylvania, will run the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Innovation Center that was created by the health law. Gilfillan was chosen Monday. At Geisinger, Gilfillan ran a plan that "many health policy analysts see as a national model for delivering quality, affordable care" (Reichard, 9/27).

29 Sep 2010

Medicare Advantage plans draw attention

The Boston Globe: "Harvard Pilgrim Health Care has notified customers that it will drop its Medicare Advantage health insurance program at the end of the year, forcing 22,000 senior citizens in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine to seek alternative supplemental coverage." The reason is that federal reimbursements for such plans have been frozen, and Harvard's particular Advantage product, a private fee-for-service plan, would have to develop a network of contracted providers for the first time under the new rules (Weisman, 9/28).

29 Sep 2010

Text: The Republican 'Pledge' on health care

With an eye on the midterm elections, Republicans in the House of Representative released "A Pledge to America" -- an outline of what they plan to do if they gain control of Congress.

29 Sep 2010

Today's Opinions: Challenging health law critics' words; The case for Calif. health exchange; Holes in the GOP pledge

If critics really want to go back to the days when insurance companies ran wild with no accountability, they should have the courage to say so openly instead of hiding behind distracting attacks. In the meantime, we're going to keep standing up for American families and small business owners who deserve a system that works for them (Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, 9/28).

29 Sep 2010

IAPP Privacy Academy attendees to preview findings on healthcare, data privacy

Attendees at the International Association of Privacy Professionals Privacy Academy will preview early findings of The Ponemon Institute's latest research that examines healthcare providers' compliance with the HITECH Act data breach privacy provisions. They will also learn how to protect patients' medical privacy and how to comply with the latest regulations.

28 Sep 2010

Healthcare professionals need appropriate training, support to help people who self-harm: Research

Healthcare professionals are still not receiving the appropriate training and support they need to help people who self-harm and this can result in negative attitudes and inadequate levels of care.

28 Sep 2010

Study finds that 90% of EDs nationwide also offer preventive-care services

People go to emergency departments when they've broken a leg, been stabbed or otherwise need urgent care. But a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine finds that 90 percent of EDs nationwide also offer preventive-care services.

28 Sep 2010

$IOF report reveals poor state of post-fracture care in Russian Federation$

IOF report reveals poor state of post-fracture care in Russian Federation

Preliminary findings from an upcoming new report by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) show alarming projections and reveal the poor state of post-fracture care in the Russian Federation and many other countries in the region. The findings were announced today at a press conference in St. Petersburg at the IOF Summit of Eastern European and Central Asian Osteoporosis Patient Societies.

28 Sep 2010

Plackers joins OHA campaign to promote oral health awareness

Plackers, a leading brand of consumer oral care products, has partnered with Oral Health America, the nation's leading independent organization dedicated to eliminating oral disease through access, education and advocacy, on the Fall for Smiles program to promote oral health awareness nationwide.

28 Sep 2010

New Formulary Forum reports market growth of immune biologics

HealthLeaders-InterStudy and Fingertip Formulary find that the market growth of immune biologics will come from the expansion of indications for immune biologics in response to limited off-label use and competition for preferred status.

28 Sep 2010

NIH Stroke Scale helps to predict mortality risk in hospitalized stroke patients

A new study finds a risk model developed using Get With The Guidelines-Stroke data is a practical bedside tool that can identify patients at the highest risk for dying when hospitalized after a stroke.

28 Sep 2010

ManagementPlus' EHR 5.0 software achieves CCHIT certification

On the heels of its pre market and ePrescribing conditional CCHIT certification, ManagementPlus' electronic health record software, ManagementPlus EHR 5.0, has now achieved full certification for its product, CCHIT Certified 2011 Ambulatory EHR.

28 Sep 2010

Kindred Healthcare completes acquisition of nursing and rehabilitation centers in Dallas-Fort Worth market

Kindred Healthcare, Inc. today announced that its subsidiaries have completed the previously announced acquisition of three nursing and rehabilitation centers in the Dallas-Fort Worth market for a purchase price of $38 million in cash. The Company financed this transaction with proceeds from its revolving credit facility.

28 Sep 2010

Intellidose expert to moderate a panel of EMR champions at ACCC

The economics of private oncology practices have fundamentally changed in the past three years - driving practice consolidation, specialty diversification, and hospital affiliations. While dealing with these external pressures, oncology practices also need to automate key practice processes with technology - and plan that investment wisely in expectation of continued change.

28 Sep 2010

Health Council of Canada releases report on how physicians' decisions affect healthcare services in Canada

A report released today by the Health Council of Canada, Decisions, Decisions: Family Doctors as Gatekeepers to Prescription Drugs and Diagnostic Imaging in Canada, calls for better management of prescription drugs and diagnostic imaging services in this country.

28 Sep 2010

Cintas’s new white paper offers EVS tips to reduce hospital-acquired infections

Cintas Corporation today announced the availability of a new white paper that offers Environmental Service Directors (EVS) tips to improve the handling of cleaning materials to reduce hospital-acquired infections (HAIs).

28 Sep 2010

HCC report supports implementation of medical imaging guidelines for physicians

The Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR) recently contributed to a report produced by the Health Council of Canada (HCC) entitled “Decisions, Decisions: Family Doctors as Gatekeepers in the Use of Prescription Drugs and Diagnostic Imaging in Canada.” This report, which was released today, supports one of the CAR’s main objectives: to implement medical imaging guidelines at a national level to guide physicians in selecting the most effective diagnostic imaging exam the first time.

28 Sep 2010

Study reveals hunger costs Minnesotans $1.62 billion per annum

A University of Minnesota Food Industry Center study funded by Target and released today reveals that hunger is costing Minnesotans upwards of $1.62 billion annually in direct and indirect health and education costs. The Cost/Benefit Study also suggests that interventions aimed at preventing hunger are sound moral, social and financial investments.

28 Sep 2010

African-Americans less likely to ban smoking at home

Prohibiting tobacco use at home could reduce adolescent smoking rates, but the practice might be less common in black families than in white ones, a new study found.

28 Sep 2010