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First Edition: July 22, 2010

Today's headlines reflect news about health reform implementation activities, health information technology and sparring opinions about the Massachusetts experience.

22 Jul 2010

AHF calls upon Congress to immediately pass 'HIV/AIDS Saves Lives First Act of 2010'

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) will host a press teleconference on Thursday, July 22nd, at 1:00 PM Eastern (U.S.A.)/10:00 AM Pacific to urge the United States Congress to immediately pass the HIV/AIDS Saves Lives First Act of 2010. Introduced in the Senate Wednesday by Senator Tom Coburn, MD (R-OK), the bill seeks to save lives by making better use of existing resources for PEPFAR (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), the US' successful global AIDS program.

22 Jul 2010

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield launches initiative to educate consumers on how to best access ER alternatives

At a time when health care costs continue to rise and hospitals are advertising emergency room availability, it is becoming more important to educate consumers on how to best access ER alternatives and receive the same care with less out-of-pocket cost. If a primary care physician isn't available, retail health clinics, walk-in doctor offices and urgent care centers can take less time and cost about the same as a regular doctor visit.

22 Jul 2010

AHF hosts 'Test & Treat: Getting to 10 Million on ARVs' satellite session

As both cost containment of care and services and treatment-as-prevention gain greater prominence in the global fight against HIV/AIDS during the Vienna AIDS Conference, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), which currently provides AIDS medical care to more than 139,000 individuals in 23 countries worldwide, will host a satellite session today, July 21st, titled "Test and Treat: Getting to 10 Million on ARVs" (IAC Mini Room #5 at 6:30pm) preceded by a press conference (5pm, Media Center, Room PCR #2).

22 Jul 2010

Strong feelings alter one's ability to resist temptations: Study

While it may be convenient to add in a trip to the grocery store after a good workout at the gym, a recent study confirms it may not be the best idea for your waistline.The study in the current issue of the Journal of Consumer Research indicates mood, positive or negative, has a noticeable effect on the choices made by consumers. Co-authors Alexander Fedorikhin, of Indiana University's Kelley School of Business Indianapolis, and Vanessa Patrick, of the University of Houston, conducted three experiments to show how strong feelings alter one's ability to resist temptations.

22 Jul 2010

Study: Patient-centered health care lowers death rates from heart attacks

In 2001, the Institutes of Medicine named patient-centered health care — based on patient preferences and needs — as a major and necessary change in America's health care system to improve the quality of medical care.

22 Jul 2010

Tips to prevent water sport accidents

With hot summer weather comes an increase in activity in area waters. Paramedics with American Medical Response (AMR) ambulance service offer the following tips to help boaters, swimmers and divers prevent water sport accidents.

22 Jul 2010

Study: 17% of homeless people in Toronto report unmet health care needs

Most studies of healthcare for homeless people have been conducted in the United States, where it's not surprising that lack of money and insurance are the main barriers.

22 Jul 2010

UMHS selects Epic Systems for medical information technology overhaul

The University of Michigan Health System has just embarked on a multi-year journey to completely transform the way its physicians, nurses, other care providers and administrators use information technology in every U-M hospital, clinic and office.

22 Jul 2010

Burden of funding, driving research on rare diseases too often falls upon patients, families: NORD

An advocate for people with rare diseases today told a U.S. Senate committee that the burden of funding and driving research on rare diseases too often falls upon patients and their families.

22 Jul 2010

AstraZeneca provides medicines to patients at Grace Hill Neighborhood Health Centers

AstraZeneca announced today that it is providing medicines at no cost to qualifying patients at Grace Hill Neighborhood Health Centers, Inc. in St. Louis.

22 Jul 2010

Baby Boomers find secrets to fountain of youth

Baby Boomers - those born between 1946-1964 - have found that there is a recipe to increasing longevity, combating aging, and most importantly, feeling younger than their true age, according to the 2010 Del Webb Baby Boomer Survey.

22 Jul 2010

North Shore-LIJ selects Skire's Unifier solution to help manage capital improvement program

Skire, Inc., the leading provider of capital program, facilities, real estate and project portfolio management software, today announced that the North Shore-LIJ Health System has selected Skire's Unifier solution to help manage its five-year, $2 billion capital improvement program. Unifier will seamlessly work within all of North Shore-LIJ's construction business processes, including controlling budget and cash flow, tracking contracts, and managing schedules while creating transparency into its project portfolio.

22 Jul 2010

Sec. of State Clinton addresses Afghan women's rights during visit to Kabul

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton "used part of her address to a key conference in Kabul on Tuesday to defend Afghan women concerned that peace efforts with the Taliban could jeopardise their rights," Agence France-Presse reports.

22 Jul 2010

Penn. official urges Bill to prohibit 'health profiling' and limit rate hikes; Nev., Ariz. wrestle with rising costs for public employees' benefits; McCollum releases health plan

"Pennsylvania's insurance commissioner is urging state legislators to pass a bill that would prohibit 'health profiling' and limit rate increases in advance of the 2014 enactment of the main provisions of the federal health-care reform law. Testifying before the House Insurance Committee, ... Joel Ario said he arrived at those recommendations following the department's investigation on the rating practices and premium increases of the top nine health insurance companies operating in Pennsylvania" (Toland, 7/21).

22 Jul 2010

OhioHealth selects CredenceHealth as partner in real-time clinical surveillance initiative

CredenceHealth, a provider of real-time clinical intelligence for hospitals and health plans, announced today that OhioHealth, an 8-hospital, 2000+bed, not-for-profit hospital system in Columbus, Ohio, has selected CredenceHealth for its latest real-time clinical surveillance initiative.

22 Jul 2010

WHO, IOC team up to promote healthy lifestyle choices for noncommunicable disease prevention

WHO and the International Olympic Committee are teaming up to promote healthy lifestyle choices, including physical activity, sports for all, Tobacco Free Olympic Games, and the prevention of childhood obesity. As outlined in a memorandum of understanding signed today in Lausanne, the WHO and IOC will work at both the international and country level to promote activities and policy choices to help people reduce their risk of noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancers, and diabetes.

22 Jul 2010

Herbal dietary supplements may contain toxic metals

Millions of people are taking herbs and other plant-based dietary supplements to improve their health, but they have precious little information on the actual effectiveness or potential ill effects of these products. That's the topic of an article in the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News weekly newsmagazine.

22 Jul 2010

Saskatchewan nursing homes to test improvement program to increase patient care time in hospitals

Three Saskatchewan nursing homes will be the first long-term care facilities to test the effectiveness of an improvement program that has been shown to increase the amount of time providers spend on direct patient care in hospitals.

22 Jul 2010

Calif.'s Anthem Blue Cross president resigns following sharp criticism of rate increases

The Los Angeles Times: Leslie Margolin, the president of California's Anthem Blue Cross, is resigning. "During her 2 1/2-year tenure at the helm of California's largest for-profit insurer, Margolin tried to cast Anthem as a responsible corporate leader that cared for customers and sought to contain costs by forging collaborative relationships with hospitals, doctors and other medical providers.

22 Jul 2010

Healthcare News

First Edition: July 22, 2010

AHF calls upon Congress to immediately pass 'HIV/AIDS Saves Lives First Act of 2010'

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield launches initiative to educate consumers on how to best access ER alternatives

AHF hosts 'Test & Treat: Getting to 10 Million on ARVs' satellite session

Strong feelings alter one's ability to resist temptations: Study

Study: Patient-centered health care lowers death rates from heart attacks

Tips to prevent water sport accidents

Study: 17% of homeless people in Toronto report unmet health care needs

UMHS selects Epic Systems for medical information technology overhaul

Burden of funding, driving research on rare diseases too often falls upon patients, families: NORD

AstraZeneca provides medicines to patients at Grace Hill Neighborhood Health Centers

Baby Boomers find secrets to fountain of youth

North Shore-LIJ selects Skire's Unifier solution to help manage capital improvement program

Sec. of State Clinton addresses Afghan women's rights during visit to Kabul

Penn. official urges Bill to prohibit 'health profiling' and limit rate hikes; Nev., Ariz. wrestle with rising costs for public employees' benefits; McCollum releases health plan

OhioHealth selects CredenceHealth as partner in real-time clinical surveillance initiative

WHO, IOC team up to promote healthy lifestyle choices for noncommunicable disease prevention

Herbal dietary supplements may contain toxic metals

Saskatchewan nursing homes to test improvement program to increase patient care time in hospitals

Calif.'s Anthem Blue Cross president resigns following sharp criticism of rate increases

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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