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NCPDP offers compelling testimony on Proposals for a National Health Plan Identifier

The National Council for Prescription Drug Programs offered compelling testimony to the National Committee on Vital Health Statistics last week on Proposals for a National Health Plan Identifier, citing the existing operational processes that have been successfully used in the pharmacy industry for over 25 years.

27 Jul 2010

Physicians often guess wrong about patients' beliefs about health

US physicians are often poor judges of their patients' health beliefs, according to a new study by Dr. Richard Street from Texas A&M University and Paul Haidet from The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, USA. However, physicians' understanding is better the more patients are involved by asking questions, expressing concerns, and stating their beliefs and preferences for care. Their analysis of how patients' health beliefs differ from their physicians' perception of these beliefs was just published online by Springer in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

27 Jul 2010

Life-saving interventions can save 11 million African women, children over next five years: Countdown report

In the next five years, 11 million African women and children could be saved by creating near-universal availability of key life-saving interventions, according to The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health and the Countdown to 2015 Decade Report (2000-2010).

27 Jul 2010

President Obama launches new series of television, radio PSAs to mark the 20th anniversary of ADA

To coincide with the twentieth anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act today, President Obama is joining the Ad Council and the American Association of People with Disabilities to launch a new series of television and radio public service advertisements. The ads, which feature the President, celebrate the progress that has been made during the last two decades and remind the public that there is still a lot of work to do so that all Americans have equal opportunity and full participation in this country.

27 Jul 2010

Psychologists to host China's first-ever conference on positive psychology

The ranks of China's millionaires continue to grow, but the increased wealth has done little to boost the country's gross domestic happiness, according to psychologists at the University of California, Berkeley. They say the pursuit of prosperity in the nation is fast outpacing mental health and well-being, and are seeking to correct that imbalance by spreading the science of happiness in China.

27 Jul 2010

Glaxosmithkline to implement new compensation program for sales professionals

GlaxoSmithKline today confirmed that it will implement a new system for evaluating and compensating its sales professionals beginning in 2011.Under the new system, bonuses for sales professionals who work directly with healthcare professionals and other customers will no longer be based on individual achievement of sales targets, but will be based primarily on the service they deliver to customers. Bonuses will be determined, in part, by customer feedback, and by a sales professional's adherence to the company values of transparency, integrity, respect and patient-focus.

27 Jul 2010

Cash-strapped local governments threaten to hold back payments to N.Y.; Oakland council approves 4 marijuana factories

The Wall Street Journal: "Frustrated by Albany's backlog of unpaid bills, cash-strapped local governments around New York are threatening to suspend their Medicaid payments to the state. Last week, an upstate county announced that it was freezing Medicaid payments to Albany. The move, which was closely watched by other county leaders, may be the start of a broader revolt, as the consequences of the state's chronic cash shortage trickle down to the local level.

27 Jul 2010

Some insurers will stop offering individual coverage for children after implementation of health law provision

"Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty said that in his state UnitedHealthcare and Blue Cross Blue Shield have stopped issuing new policies that cover children individually. Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland said a couple of local insurers in her state have done likewise." The law requires insurers to accept children regardless of medical problems, worrying insurers that parents won't seek coverage for their kids until the kids get sick.

27 Jul 2010

Report by Sen. Lugar criticizes Haitian leadership, calls for reforms

Senator Richard Lugar, the senior Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released a paper (.pdf), which "sharply criticized Haiti's president Thursday, portraying him as an ineffectual leader who is hindering recovery from January's devastating earthquake," the Canadian Press reports. Lugar "advised U.S. legislators to reconsider sending money to Haiti if reforms are not made."

27 Jul 2010

Insurers, young, uninsured all prepare for different changes under health reform

Insurers, the young, the uninsured and lawmakers are just a few of the groups sorting out what the implementation of health reform means for them as details emerge on changes to the system.

27 Jul 2010

Local chapters raise $100,574 with the help of CAHU CCF

California Association of Health Underwriters is proud to announce that local chapters raised $100,574 this year with the assistance of CAHU CCF, through events including a fashion show, golf tournaments and Holiday Meetings.

27 Jul 2010

Primary care shortages affect even doctor-heavy Massachusetts

The Boston Globe: Despite being home to the largest number of doctors per person, finding a primary care physician has been getting more difficult for Massachusetts residents since 2006, according a report released by the state. "Last year 60 percent of family-medicine doctors' offices were accepting new patients, down from 70 percent in 2007, the first full year after the state mandated near-universal health insurance coverage. Last year only 44 percent of internal medicine practices were accepting new patients, down from 66 percent in 2005.

27 Jul 2010

Braun Corporation presents key themes, recommendations discussed at symposium for the disabled

The Braun Corporation, the world's largest manufacturer of wheelchair-accessible vans, ramps and wheelchair lifts, today published key insights from a symposium hosted recently in Washington, D.C. titled "ADA 20/20: Looking Back, Looking Forward on Mobility." In anticipation of the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the panel of key thought leaders from government, medicine, academia and business exchanged insights on current thinking around future mobility needs for Americans with disabilities.

27 Jul 2010

Interactive weight management website program helps weight loss maintenance

The more people used an interactive weight management website, the more weight loss they maintained, according to a Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research study published online today in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.The National Institutes of Health-funded study evaluated an Internet-based weight maintenance intervention involving 348 participants. Consistent website users who logged on and recorded their weight at least once a month for two-and-a-half years maintained the most weight loss, the study found.

27 Jul 2010

Health care industry and professionals respond to seniors' growing health needs

The explosive growth of the USA's older population is fueling a grass-roots 'village' movement in neighborhoods across the country to help people age in their own homes. More than 50 villages in a neighbor-helping-neighbor system have sprouted in the past decade from California and Colorado to Nebraska and Massachusetts.

27 Jul 2010

AACP, FDA and HRSA partner to introduce study that positively impacts patient health

The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, in partnership with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Office of Pharmacy Affairs in the Health Resources and Services Administration, has completed a baseline evaluation of the integration of the "Science of Safety" into the curriculum of the Doctor of Pharmacy degree at accredited colleges and schools of pharmacy.

27 Jul 2010

Federal prosecutors drop long-standing fraud charges against doctor from the Philippines

"Federal prosecutors have dropped charges against a doctor from the Philippines who went into hiding after being accused of scamming a military health program out of more than $1 million in the 1990s," The Associated Press reports.

27 Jul 2010

Australian medical devices market to grow at 9% CAGR in 2009-2012

The consequences as a result of the major Australian healthcare reform plan will impact the outlook of the medical devices industry, and possibly precipitate a series of rapid changes for the market.

27 Jul 2010

Medical device complications send more than 70,000 kids to ER annually

The Associated Press: The first detailed national estimate on complications in medical device use by children says that more than 70,000 kids a year have to go to emergency rooms because of complications from medical devices, with contact lenses the leading culprit. "About one-fourth of the problems were things like infections and eye abrasions in contact lens wearers.

27 Jul 2010

Safety-net hospitals fear fiscal effects of health overhaul

"The hard-fought health reforms slowly taking shape across the country are intended to help provide better access to care -- but they could mean financial trouble for so-called 'safety-net' hospitals that take care of the poor," The Fresno Bee reports. "Already, hospital officials say millions in payments have been cut this year for Medicare patients in California, and they expect billions of dollars in cuts over the next 10 years for Medicare and Medi-Cal, as government tightens spending to help cover more people.

27 Jul 2010

Healthcare News

NCPDP offers compelling testimony on Proposals for a National Health Plan Identifier

Physicians often guess wrong about patients' beliefs about health

Life-saving interventions can save 11 million African women, children over next five years: Countdown report

President Obama launches new series of television, radio PSAs to mark the 20th anniversary of ADA

Psychologists to host China's first-ever conference on positive psychology

Glaxosmithkline to implement new compensation program for sales professionals

Cash-strapped local governments threaten to hold back payments to N.Y.; Oakland council approves 4 marijuana factories

Some insurers will stop offering individual coverage for children after implementation of health law provision

Report by Sen. Lugar criticizes Haitian leadership, calls for reforms

Insurers, young, uninsured all prepare for different changes under health reform

Local chapters raise $100,574 with the help of CAHU CCF

Primary care shortages affect even doctor-heavy Massachusetts

Braun Corporation presents key themes, recommendations discussed at symposium for the disabled

Interactive weight management website program helps weight loss maintenance

Health care industry and professionals respond to seniors' growing health needs

AACP, FDA and HRSA partner to introduce study that positively impacts patient health

Federal prosecutors drop long-standing fraud charges against doctor from the Philippines

Australian medical devices market to grow at 9% CAGR in 2009-2012

Medical device complications send more than 70,000 kids to ER annually

Safety-net hospitals fear fiscal effects of health overhaul

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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