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MedAssurant enters agreement with NCQA to develop new measures of healthcare quality

MedAssurant Inc., a leading provider of data-driven healthcare solutions, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with the National Committee for Quality Assurance, the organization that maintains the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS ®)—the most widely used performance measurement tool in healthcare and a core component of the Medicare Star Rating system—to support the development of new measures of healthcare quality that NCQA is developing under a contract it has with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

13 Aug 2010

Floods: U.N. issues $459.7M appeal for Pakistan, China concerned about disease outbreaks after mudslides

The U.N. appealed for $459.7 million on Wednesday "to aid flood victims in Pakistan as the magnitude of the disaster widened, with about one-fifth of the country submerged and the annual monsoon season still potent," the New York Times reports (MacFarquhar, 8/11).

13 Aug 2010

Companies reorganizing under Chapter 11 battle with former employees over lifetime health benefits

The Wall Street Journal: "Linda Roberts thought she would enjoy lifetime health benefits after a dozen years lifting radiators and iron in a factory for Visteon Corp. But the car-parts maker won bankruptcy-court approval to terminate those retiree benefits, just months after Ms. Roberts, 62 years old, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and leukemia.

13 Aug 2010

European Association of Urology to publish first case series on RALP

In European Urology, the official journal of the European Association of Urology, a new section will be published as of the September issue: Case Series of the month. This series is dedicated to publishing promising studies which have so far only preliminary results. The Case Series reports on no more than 10 patients and includes illustrative images. A Continuing Medical Education question with multiple choice answers is also included to enable readers to earn CME points.

13 Aug 2010

Kibow to support KDAE week for educating policymakers about kidney disease

Kibow Biotech would like to show its support for Kidney Disease Awareness and Education (KDAE) Week 2010, organized by American Nephrology Nurses' Association (ANNA). Kidney Disease Awareness and Education Week is a week dedicated to educating policymakers and their staff members about the needs of patients suffering from or at risk for end stage renal disease (ESRD).

13 Aug 2010

NAC to deliver education program on asthma management for youth

As children with asthma head back to school this fall, the National Asthma Campaign Foundation (NAC) is partnering with Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago (RHAMC) to deliver Fight Asthma Now (FAN), an asthma education program that teaches youth to control and manage their asthma.

13 Aug 2010

Mass. docs will soon track patients who abuse prescription drugs; Wis. Catholic Church employees now eligible for birth control

The Boston Globe: "With a few computer keystrokes, Massachusetts physicians will soon be able to identify patients who travel from clinic to clinic in pursuit of potent prescription drugs that feed lethal addictions. State health regulators yesterday unanimously approved the new detection system designed to stop 'doctor shopping' by addicted patients who try to dupe doctors into prescribing narcotics. The practice, specialists said, has fueled a surge in drug-related deaths in Massachusetts" (Smith, 8/12).

13 Aug 2010

The Australian examines development of low-cost water purifiers by Indian companies

The Australian reports on how four large businesses in India are developing low-cost water purifiers for some of the country's "poorest of the poor."

13 Aug 2010

Education and screening of pregnant women recommended for prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Featured in the August edition of the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada is a new consensus clinical practice guideline which recommends that screening for alcohol consumption be done periodically for all pregnant women and women of child-bearing age.

13 Aug 2010

Prices drop for PBMs; Pharmacy lobby opposes survey regarding Medicaid prices

Prices are falling for major pharmacy benefit managers, such as Medco and CVS Caremark, as the firms compete for clients, but the falling rates "don't appear to be sliding into a frenzy of unreasonable pricing," The Wall Street Journal reports. "In the current 'selling season,' when PBMs look to sign customers for the following year, discounts on new contracts have deepened by one or two percentage points, on average, from a year ago.

13 Aug 2010

Visiting Nurse Service of New York to acquire 'Lombardi' Program from St. Vincent's Catholic Medical Center

The Visiting Nurse Service of New York, the nation's largest not-for-profit home health care organization, announced today that it has successfully bid for, and is set to acquire, the Long Term Home Health Care Program from St. Vincent's Catholic Medical Center. The transaction was filed at a closed, one-time bid auction on August 10, 2010. The purchase price of $30,150,000 is pending approval by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and the Attorney General's Office.

13 Aug 2010

GOP Rep. Ryan potential 'foil' for Obama; Candidates consider reform's role in races

The New York Times: Rep. Paul Ryan, "as you may have heard, is the Republican star of the moment. A 40-year-old from southeastern Wisconsin serving his sixth term in the House, Mr. Ryan has been getting a lot of attention for his 'Roadmap for America's Future,' an unusually austere proposal to vanquish the federal debt by, among other things, partly dismantling Social Security and Medicare as they currently exist."

13 Aug 2010

WHO releases H1N1 Emergency Committee roster

Five of the 15 experts advising the WHO on H1N1 (swine flu) had ties to the pharmaceutical industry, "including for flu vaccine research," according to the Emergency Committee members' list released by the agency Wednesday, Agence France-Presse reports.

13 Aug 2010

Mobile and free clinics provide low cost medical care to uninsured patients

Reuters, on mobile clinics including the Family Van, a nonprofit clinic affiliated with Harvard University, in Boston: "The van -- which visits six low-income neighborhoods around Boston weekly -- is one of about 2,000 such mobile clinics in the United States. Advocates say the approach can help control the rising cost of health care by helping people with chronic diseases to stay out of the emergency room, often the first recourse for inner-city residents.

13 Aug 2010

Insurers, small businesses and ER care all affected by overhaul

News outlets consider the impact of health reform on insurers — who are seeking flexibility on mandates — as well as changes to premiums, small businesses and emergency room care.

13 Aug 2010

American Society of Hematology offers recommendations to propel collaborative research in regenerative medicine

The American Society of Hematology has developed specific recommendations to the scientific community and federal agencies to help propel collaborative research in regenerative medicine in order to make real strides in improving patient care. These recommendations were released today in Blood, ASH's premier scientific journal, in the article titled "Enhancing Research in Regenerative Medicine."

13 Aug 2010

Polls show public confusion continues regarding new health law

In three recent polls, large percentages of Americans said the health law would cut Medicare benefits, slash doctors pay and ration health care to patients, all false claims that remain pervasive despite reform supporters' efforts to educate the public, USA Today reports. "Six weeks before the nation's health care delivery system begins a huge transformation, confusion reigns.

13 Aug 2010

FTC works to crack down on health care 'discount' plans

Reuters: "The Federal Trade Commission said on Wednesday it is working with 24 states to crack down on sellers of medical discount plans that market them as health insurance that covers doctors, hospitals and other services." The prevalence of such plans has increased since March, when Congress passed its health overhaul.

13 Aug 2010

Today's Opinions: Health law's effect for Democrats; Canadians' view; Cutting Medicare costs; The health issue in Tenn. Governor's race

Despite lofty predictions that a broad-based Democratic constituency would be activated by the health care reform bill, recent polling shows that the bill has been a disaster for the party — with near 60 percent of voters saying that they oppose the measure (Douglas Schoen, 8/11).

13 Aug 2010

Nightingale to provide AIM Health Group with enterprise EMR and practice management solution

Nightingale Informatix Corporation, an application service provider of electronic medical record (EMR) software and related services today announces that it has signed a five-year agreement with the AIM Health Group to provide AIM's family practice, walk-in and pain management clinics with Nightingale On Demand, the Company's enterprise EMR and practice management solution.

12 Aug 2010

Healthcare News

MedAssurant enters agreement with NCQA to develop new measures of healthcare quality

Floods: U.N. issues $459.7M appeal for Pakistan, China concerned about disease outbreaks after mudslides

Companies reorganizing under Chapter 11 battle with former employees over lifetime health benefits

European Association of Urology to publish first case series on RALP

Kibow to support KDAE week for educating policymakers about kidney disease

NAC to deliver education program on asthma management for youth

Mass. docs will soon track patients who abuse prescription drugs; Wis. Catholic Church employees now eligible for birth control

The Australian examines development of low-cost water purifiers by Indian companies

Education and screening of pregnant women recommended for prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Prices drop for PBMs; Pharmacy lobby opposes survey regarding Medicaid prices

Visiting Nurse Service of New York to acquire 'Lombardi' Program from St. Vincent's Catholic Medical Center

GOP Rep. Ryan potential 'foil' for Obama; Candidates consider reform's role in races

WHO releases H1N1 Emergency Committee roster

Mobile and free clinics provide low cost medical care to uninsured patients

Insurers, small businesses and ER care all affected by overhaul

American Society of Hematology offers recommendations to propel collaborative research in regenerative medicine

Polls show public confusion continues regarding new health law

FTC works to crack down on health care 'discount' plans

Today's Opinions: Health law's effect for Democrats; Canadians' view; Cutting Medicare costs; The health issue in Tenn. Governor's race

Nightingale to provide AIM Health Group with enterprise EMR and practice management solution

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

How cohesin mechanics and nanotracker tech are redefining DNA research

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