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Dengue fever emerges as major health threat in Gulf coast cities

Several cases of dengue fever, a potentially fatal viral disease transmitted by the bite of urban dwelling Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, have recently been reported in the continental United States. Prevalent in Central America and the Caribbean, dengue fever's most common symptoms include fever, chills, headache, and body aches lasting several days. The disease's more threatening form, dengue hemorrhagic fever, can cause internal bleeding, loss of blood pressure, and death. Over the past five years, outbreaks of both forms of the disease have been reported in Texas and Florida.

28 Jul 2010

State governments expect tax collections to grow but still face budget gaps

The Wall Street Journal: "State governments expect tax collections to grow for the first time in two years as tax increases and a recovering economy lead to higher collections. But states are still likely to face at least two more years of financial troubles and about half will see gaps in this year's budgets if Congress doesn't extend special Medicaid payments that were part of the 2009 stimulus act, according to a report expected to be released Tuesday by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

28 Jul 2010

Abortion, other issues continue to stoke the politics surrounding health reform

Politico reports that "the issues of health care and abortion" are making the campaign tough for some Democrats. Among the vulnerable Democrats are Reps. Kathleen Dahlkemper, D-Pa.; Steve Driehaus, D-Ohio; and Indiana Reps. Joe Donnelly and Brad Ellsworth, who is running for Senate. "'We are going to do everything we can to point out that Democrats who said they were pro-life caved on the big one,' said Marilyn Musgrave, a former Colorado congresswoman.

28 Jul 2010

Seniors understand very little about health overhaul law, poll finds

The Hill: "The majority of the nation's seniors have little understanding of what the Democrats' newly enacted healthcare law actually does, according to poll results released Monday. The survey, sponsored by the National Council on Aging (NCOA), an advocate for seniors, found that only 17 percent of respondents could answer even half of the 12 questions about key provisions in the law selected by the NCOA.

28 Jul 2010

Maryland sees savings in federal health law, for a while at least

Maryland could spend $829 million less than expected on health care between next year and 2020 because of the federal health overhaul law, according to an analysis by a state-convened committee, The Associated Press/Washington Post reports. "The savings, however, last only until the end of the decade, when the federal law shifts a greater share of financial responsibility for Medicaid expansion to the states." The analysis was produced by the state's Health Care Reform Coordinating Council, a panel created by Gov. Martin O'Malley in March (Witte, 7/26).

28 Jul 2010

Industry still making sense of federal e-health regs

Health care industry players are still sorting out the latest regulations on an up-to-$36 billion federal program to encourage doctors and hospitals to use electronic medical records.

28 Jul 2010

Advocacy group critiques patient debt load in Indiana

A new survey has sparked an Indiana patient advocacy group to say hospitals in the state should earn their nonprofit status by providing more low-cost charity care, The Indianapolis Star reports. "Armed with a survey that showed close to half of hospital patients going into debt to pay their bills, the Consumer Action Coalition Education Fund and Indiana Legal Services said hospitals are doing too little to inform people about alternative payment plans." Medical debt is a large problem in the city, said the study's author and the education fund director.

28 Jul 2010

Report: Generic drugs offer savings for Medicaid

A new report suggests that expanding use of generic drugs could offer significant savings for Medicaid.

28 Jul 2010

WWHI participates in joint meeting to explore barriers to wireless communications, health care solutions

The West Wireless Health Institute today announced its participation in the first joint meeting hosted by the Federal Communications Commission and Food & Drug Administration to explore the potential barriers that may slow the convergence of wireless communications and health care solutions.

27 Jul 2010

Millennium Laboratories urges for increase in physician reimbursement for POC urine drug screening

Millennium Laboratories, Inc., a national, research-based medication monitoring company specifically focused on clinicians who treat chronic pain, strongly advocated for an increase in physician reimbursement for point-of-care urine drug screening at the Annual Clinical Laboratory Public Meeting of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on July 22, 2010.

27 Jul 2010

Free health, vision and dental screenings for children, adults at Family First Health in York

The Highmark Partners for a Healthy Community will offer free health, vision and dental screenings from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 7 at Family First Health in York. The event is open to children and adults who are uninsured or have minimal coverage.

27 Jul 2010

SBHCS deploys MedeAnalytics platform to automate patient access process of health system

MedeAnalytics, a leading provider of healthcare performance management solutions, today announced that the Saint Barnabas Health Care System has selected MedeAnalytics Patient Access Intelligence solution to automate the complete patient access process of the health system.

27 Jul 2010

VillageReach announces $5.6M program to strengthen national health system in Mozambique

VillageReach, the Seattle-based social enterprise that increases access to healthcare for remote, last mile communities in low-income countries, today announced a $5.6 million program to strengthen the national health system in Mozambique. Contributions for the six-year program total $1.2 million to date.

27 Jul 2010

First Edition: July 27, 2010

Today's health policy news includes reports about the continuing Senate backlash to Dr. Donald Berwick's appointment to head the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services as well as findings from a new poll that reveal seniors really don't understand health reform.

27 Jul 2010

Age-in Study 2010 shows how age 65 has become irrelevant to boomers' retirement plans

Leading boomers (aged 63-64) want to continue working, but three times as many are unemployed today as were two years ago. They face high unemployment, unwanted early retirement, and early draws on Social Security, meaning less retirement income. This critical finding is from Deft Research's just-released Age-in Study 2010.

27 Jul 2010

SeeChange Health Insurance to offer value-based HSA products to California employers

SeeChange Health Insurance Company, a provider of value-based health insurance plans to employers, will offer a variety of Health Savings Account products in parts of California beginning August 1, 2010. The product launch will make SeeChange Health the first insurance company to offer value-based HSA products to California employers.

27 Jul 2010

Rockport adds 25,000 OptumHealth physical medicine specialists to workers' compensation PPO network

Rockport Healthcare Group announced it is adding more than 25,000 OptumHealth physical medicine specialists to its workers' compensation Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) network. The PPO program launched May 1, 2010.

27 Jul 2010

USDA to facilitate virtual public discussion on power of telemedicine

Agriculture Under Secretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager announced late last week that the USDA will facilitate a virtual public discussion in the field of telemedicine. "The Power of Telemedicine" web discussion is an extension of the USDA's Open Government effort and Rural Development's latest effort to encourage a more widespread use and understanding of telemedicine.

27 Jul 2010

Economic uncertainty, healthcare issues have hit nation's cardiologists, survey shows

The economic uncertainty and healthcare issues affecting millions of Americans have hit the nation's cardiologists as well, according to a new survey: they are seeing more "baby boomer" patients than ever as Americans get older and demand more care. But they are being reimbursed less for those services by Medicare and insurance firms, in what one cardiologist calls "a revenue roller coaster of uncertainty."

27 Jul 2010

NPMA releases results of 2010 Comprehensive Global Bed Bug Study

A new survey conducted by the National Pest Management Association and the University of Kentucky, confirms what pest management professionals across the U.S. and around the world have been seeing in the field - bed bugs are back in a very big way, with 95 percent of U.S. survey respondents indicating that their company has encountered a bed bug infestation in the past year. Prior to 2000, only 25 percent of U.S. survey respondents encountered a bed bug infestation.

27 Jul 2010

Healthcare News

Dengue fever emerges as major health threat in Gulf coast cities

State governments expect tax collections to grow but still face budget gaps

Abortion, other issues continue to stoke the politics surrounding health reform

Seniors understand very little about health overhaul law, poll finds

Maryland sees savings in federal health law, for a while at least

Industry still making sense of federal e-health regs

Advocacy group critiques patient debt load in Indiana

Report: Generic drugs offer savings for Medicaid

WWHI participates in joint meeting to explore barriers to wireless communications, health care solutions

Millennium Laboratories urges for increase in physician reimbursement for POC urine drug screening

Free health, vision and dental screenings for children, adults at Family First Health in York

SBHCS deploys MedeAnalytics platform to automate patient access process of health system

VillageReach announces $5.6M program to strengthen national health system in Mozambique

First Edition: July 27, 2010

Age-in Study 2010 shows how age 65 has become irrelevant to boomers' retirement plans

SeeChange Health Insurance to offer value-based HSA products to California employers

Rockport adds 25,000 OptumHealth physical medicine specialists to workers' compensation PPO network

USDA to facilitate virtual public discussion on power of telemedicine

Economic uncertainty, healthcare issues have hit nation's cardiologists, survey shows

NPMA releases results of 2010 Comprehensive Global Bed Bug Study

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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