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Sebelius: Medicare Advantage premium costs to decline slightly in 2011

The Associated Press: "Seniors enrolled in popular private health insurance plans through Medicare will pay a little less on average next year, the Obama administration said Tuesday. The average monthly premium in so-called Medicare Advantage plans will dip to $35.69 in 2011, a 45-cent reduction from $36.14 this year, Medicare officials said."

22 Sep 2010

Obesity hurts wallets and health, especially in women

The Associated Press: Obese women incur higher costs, both to their health and wallets, than men, according to a new study by researchers at George Washington University. "George Washington University researchers added in things like employee sick days, lost productivity, even the need for extra gasoline — and found the annual cost of being obese is $4,879 for a woman and $2,646 for a man.

22 Sep 2010

Few insurers provide coverage for weight loss treatment

Reporting for Kaiser Health News, in collaboration with The Washington Post, Sandra G. Boodman writes: "After her weight hit the obese range, her cholesterol level nudged the danger zone and her doctor urged her to lose weight, Melissa Moss, veteran of a decade of failed diets, decided she needed intensive help.

22 Sep 2010

Health overhaul details trigger uncertainty, debate

The Orlando Sentinel: "It's one of the most overlooked pieces of health-care overhaul, but a plan to help companies pay health-care costs for early retirees has proved popular in Florida, where 69 companies and government agencies have applied for federal help.

22 Sep 2010

AIG Co. caught selling 'bogus' health plans

Minneapolis Star Tribune: A subsidiary of American International Group — known as AIG — has been fined $100,000 by Minnesota regulators for selling "bogus" health policies and is now ordered to repay its customers.

22 Sep 2010

A slow, steady move to health IT

Reuters: More physicians are using health IT. "U.S. doctors increasingly are ditching pen and paper and sending prescriptions to pharmacies electronically, lured by up to $27 billion in government funds aimed at speeding the switch to electronic medical records. There are now 200,000 doctors who use e-prescribing, or roughly one in three office-based doctors." E-prescribing is only one piece of the health IT puzzle doctors must solve to get their share of the funds (Steenhuysen, 9/21).

22 Sep 2010

AMA launches new online tool to strengthen the financial health of physician practices

The American Medical Association (AMA) today announced a new online tool designed to help physician practices prepare for billing and payment audits by insurers and federal contractors. The AMA’s Practice Analysis Tools for Healthcare (AMA PATH™) puts self-auditing tools in the hands of physicians, allowing them to develop and evaluate fee schedules and billing safeguards without hiring an expensive consultant.

21 Sep 2010

Rising Medicare premiums and no cost-of-living adjustment can reduce Social Security payments

The combination of rising Medicare premiums and no annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) would reduce Social Security payments for about 23 million of the nation's seniors in 2011, according to The Senior Citizens League. This figure represents two-thirds of the 37 million seniors who receive Social Security benefits.

21 Sep 2010

Greenway announces advanced allergy module in integrated EHR solution

Greenway Medical Technologies, Inc. today announced the most advanced allergy module available in an integrated electronic health record (EHR) solution for ear, nose and throat (ENT) and allergy physician practices. Developed in conjunction with a leading ENT and allergy testing and treatment practice, the Greenway® Allergy Module for PrimeSuite® provides unmatched allergy testing, serum creation, allergy shot record, lot maintenance and reporting functionality for today's ENT and allergy practice groups.

21 Sep 2010

New provincial framework released to improve patient safety for Albertans

A new provincial framework released today will guide, direct and support continuous and measureable improvement of patient safety for Albertans. The purpose of the framework is to develop and advance patient safety strategies in Alberta's health care system with the goal of creating a safer system.

21 Sep 2010

Lehigh Valley Health Network automates IRB processes with Click Commerce eResearch Portal software

Click Commerce, the pioneer in customer-configurable solutions for the business of research, announced today that Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) will use the company's eResearch Portal software to automate its Institutional Review Board (IRB) processes, which monitor the safe and ethical conduct of research involving human subjects.

21 Sep 2010

HealthWarehouse.com, Columbia Medical Associates announce partnership to provide generic prescription medications

HealthWarehouse.com, Inc., a leading retail mail-order online pharmacy and Columbia Medical Associates, an outpatient clinic system offering medical services in the Spokane, Washington metropolitan area, announced a partnership to offer patients a 30-day supply of more than 300 generic prescription medications for $3.50 with free home delivery.

21 Sep 2010

Richmond Hill Children's Clinic patients to have real-time access to PHRs at mypatientaccess.ca

Canadian Patient Access Inc. and Nightingale Informatix Corporation, an application service provider (ASP) of electronic medical records (EMR) software and related services today announce that mypatientaccess.ca, Canada's first secure, interactive patient portal will soon be made available to parents of more than 10,000 pediatric patients treated at the Richmond Hill Children's Clinic (Richmond Hill, ON).

21 Sep 2010

First Edition: September 21, 2010

In today's headlines, news about major insurers' plans to stop offering child-only health policies in advance of new rules.

21 Sep 2010

Tips to protect physical health

Fifteen years ago, the non-profit Educational Television Network created Healthy Aging Month to focus attention on the positive aspects of getting older and to encourage people to learn how to increase longevity and avoid preventable declines in physical, mental and emotional health. Healthy aging is of particular interest as life expectancy in the United States continues to rise. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2007 the life expectancy was 75.4 for men and 80.4 for women .

21 Sep 2010

Project Blue Sky helps cancer patients to feel good

blue sky scrubs are making cancer patients feel good about themselves. Through Project Blue Sky, blue sky scrubs is able to provide patients with a fashion forward way to cover the most outward sign of sickness, hair loss.

21 Sep 2010

DCPC submits comments to DC Attorney General on proposed medical cannabis regulations

The District of Columbia Patients' Cooperative (DCPC), a non-profit, medical cannabis organization registered in the District of Columbia, has submitted comments to the Office of the DC Attorney General addressing numerous issues on proposed regulations announced 45 days ago.

21 Sep 2010

For-profit clinics charge patients unlawful user fees for health services already covered by Medicare

New research conducted by the BC Health Coalition has revealed evidence that for-profit clinics across the province continue to openly charge patients additional fees to jump the queue for health services already covered by Medicare.

21 Sep 2010

ADI releases World Alzheimer Report 2010

The World Alzheimer Report 2010 was released today to mark World Alzheimer's Day and heighten awareness of the global economic impact of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

21 Sep 2010

NIGMS director wins 2011 ASBMB Public Service Award

The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has named Jeremy M. Berg, director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the winner of the nonprofit's 2011 ASBMB Howard K. Schachman Public Service Award. Berg will receive the award this evening at an ASBMB Public Affairs Advisory Committee meeting in Arlington, Va.

21 Sep 2010