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Hip and knee specialist indicates five primary reasons why knee implant fails

While most knee replacements will function well for years, patients should be aware of the signs of failure—including increased pain or decreased function—that may require a corrective procedure known as revision total knee replacement, if necessary.

12 Jul 2010

GOP questions Berwick's ties to industry

The Hill reports that Republicans are charging the Obama administration with evading questions on Dr. Donald Berwick's ties to the health care industry. President Barack Obama used a recess appointment this week to install Berwick as head of the agency that oversees Medicare and Medicaid after key Republicans had raised concerns about Berwick's views.

12 Jul 2010

Resident nurses find tough search for jobs post-graduation

Though a national shortage of nurses is taking hold, newly minted resident nurses are having a hard time finding jobs as the economy struggles, "delaying the retirement of experienced nurses," USA Today reports.

12 Jul 2010

Study examines impact of universal HIV testing, immediate ART program in Washington, DC

Implementing a program of universal HIV testing and immediate antiretroviral treatment for infected individuals could have a major impact on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Washington, DC, but a new study finds that it would not halt the epidemic, something that a previous report had projected. In a paper that will appear in the August 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases and has been released online, researchers find that the so-called "test-and-treat" strategy could reduce new HIV infections by 15 percent over the next five years while conferring large survival benefits to HIV-infected patients.

12 Jul 2010

Axelrod defends recess appointment of Berwick to head Medicare

"This morning on ABC News' 'This Week,' Senior White House Advisor David Axelrod insisted that President Obama's recess appointment of Dr. Donald Berwick to be the administrator of The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services was simply 'too important' to wait for a Congressional hearing" (7/11).

12 Jul 2010

Multimedia talking touchscreens help end health disparities in underserved populations

Multimedia talking touchscreens, housed in computer kiosks at clinics and hospitals, are helping researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and clinicians at local health care centers enhance patient-centered care for patients with diverse language, literacy and computer skills.

12 Jul 2010

Obama announces VA will ease rules for vets to qualify for stress disorder benefits

"President Barack Obama said Saturday the country has a 'solemn responsibility' to ensure that veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder get the help they need. Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki is to announce new regulations Monday intended to make it easier for veterans with PTSD to receive government benefits. The new rules will not only apply to veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, but also those who served in previous conflicts. The regulations drop a provision requiring veterans to prove what caused their illness. Instead, veterans would have to show that the conditions surrounding the time and place of their service could have contributed to their illness" (Pace, 7/10).

12 Jul 2010

Medicaid: Generic drugs save money, dental care not always accessible

"When blockbuster drugs lose their patent protection, state Medicaid programs can save millions of dollars by switching patients to cheaper, generic versions of the medications." But, while some states have policies to shift people quickly to generics, others require permission from patients. "A new study tracking these policies concludes that some states, including Massachusetts, are quicker than others to bring down the costs of prescription drugs once alternatives are available. The difference has implications for expanding Medicaid coverage to more people after the national health care overhaul takes effect" (Cooney, 7/8).

12 Jul 2010

Diabetes reform plans do not please the AMA

In a bid to reform the way long term illnesses like diabetes are managed in Australia, the federal government announced a $436 million scheme to be introduced from 2012.

11 Jul 2010

Sebelius pushing insurance companies to help get more Americans covered

In an interview with Reuters, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius "said she is pushing [insurance] companies to help people gain insurance in the gap between now and 2014. That is when the healthcare law President Barack Obama signed in March mandates extensive changes. Sebelius struck a cooperative tone after publicly chastising insurers for high rate hikes ... and after repeatedly calling them to the White House for highly publicized talks. A more congenial relationship with insurers could help keep the major overhaul of the healthcare system on track and loosen strained relations between Democrats and big business ahead of the November midterm elections" (Richwine, 7/8).

9 Jul 2010

News roundup: NYC program to help poor, elderly with insurance gets cut; Colo. promotes wellness programs for small businesses

A program that for a decade helped New York City's poor and elderly navigate their way through insurance problems — and that became a model for a similar federal program — has become a casualty of city budget cuts, an administrator of the program said on Thursday. The $4 million program sent ombudsmen to 25 social service agencies across the city.

9 Jul 2010

Length of average Medicare-certified hospice stay in nursing home doubled: Study

Researchers at Brown University have found that the length of an average Medicare-certified hospice stay in a nursing home has doubled during the last 10 years. The study, which will appear in the August issue of The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, evaluated hospice use in U.S. nursing homes between 1999 and 2006. It found the typical treatment time has increased from 46 to 93 days. The researchers cited a standard daily payment rate for most Medicare hospice enrollment days as an incentive for some of the longer stays.

9 Jul 2010

HHS proposes stricter patient privacy rules

New rules have been proposed by the Department of Health and Human Services to stregthen patient privacy protections.

9 Jul 2010

CVS Caremark awarded gold medal for Best Customer Service, silver medal for Best Community Spirit

CVS Caremark's Pharmacy Benefit Management Customer Care team was awarded a gold medal for Best Customer Service (America's region) and a silver medal for Best Community Spirit by ContactCenterWorld.com at the organization's Top Ranking Performers Awards Conference in Orlando. The awards recognize the best in the contact center industry.

9 Jul 2010

Maryland raises hospital rates; D.C. may reenter hospital business

"Maryland patients will pay hundreds of dollars more for hospital stays under price hikes made final Wednesday by the state agency that sets rates for the medical institutions," The Baltimore Sun reports.

9 Jul 2010

Research roundup: Improving hospital processes can improve care; E-mailing the doctor; Medicaid savings with generic drugs

Public Reporting On Hospital Process Improvements Is Linked To Better Patient Outcomes - This study analyzed "data from 3,476 acute care, nonfederal U.S. hospitals that publicly reported quality information on the CMS Hospital Compare Web site from 2004 through 2006" and "evaluated the hospitals' performance every six months during the study period, using the ten original measures from Hospital Compare."

9 Jul 2010

Seven health care changes you might have missed

Kaiser Health News staff writers Mary Agnes Carey and Andrew Villegas explore some lesser-known provisions of the new health overhaul that will take effect in coming months.

9 Jul 2010

Today's OpEds: More commentary on the Berwick appointment, the financial and political costs of health reform, thoughts on hospital consolidation

President Obama got serious this week about the ticking time bomb in his new health-care legislation -- the lack of any clear plan to reduce costs and improve quality. What he did was install someone who can use our behemoth Medicare and Medicaid programs as laboratories for change -- so that reform doesn't bankrupt the country (David Ignatius, 7/9).

9 Jul 2010

Second round of checks to close Medicare doughnut hole sent out

"The Obama administration is sending $250 checks to more than 300,000 older Americans who paid higher drug costs in the Medicare coverage gap known as the 'doughnut hole,' officials announced Thursday. The one-time, tax-free checks are the first tangible benefit of the health care package that became law this year."

9 Jul 2010

Initiatives launched to increase transparency, strengthen oversight in health care group purchasing industry

The Healthcare Group Purchasing Industry Initiative, an organization dedicated to promoting the highest ethical standards and practices in the health care group purchasing industry, today announced the launch of two major initiatives to further increase transparency and strengthen oversight in the health care group purchasing industry.

9 Jul 2010

Healthcare News

Hip and knee specialist indicates five primary reasons why knee implant fails

GOP questions Berwick's ties to industry

Resident nurses find tough search for jobs post-graduation

Study examines impact of universal HIV testing, immediate ART program in Washington, DC

Axelrod defends recess appointment of Berwick to head Medicare

Multimedia talking touchscreens help end health disparities in underserved populations

Obama announces VA will ease rules for vets to qualify for stress disorder benefits

Medicaid: Generic drugs save money, dental care not always accessible

Diabetes reform plans do not please the AMA

Sebelius pushing insurance companies to help get more Americans covered

News roundup: NYC program to help poor, elderly with insurance gets cut; Colo. promotes wellness programs for small businesses

Length of average Medicare-certified hospice stay in nursing home doubled: Study

HHS proposes stricter patient privacy rules

CVS Caremark awarded gold medal for Best Customer Service, silver medal for Best Community Spirit

Maryland raises hospital rates; D.C. may reenter hospital business

Research roundup: Improving hospital processes can improve care; E-mailing the doctor; Medicaid savings with generic drugs

Seven health care changes you might have missed

Today's OpEds: More commentary on the Berwick appointment, the financial and political costs of health reform, thoughts on hospital consolidation

Second round of checks to close Medicare doughnut hole sent out

Initiatives launched to increase transparency, strengthen oversight in health care group purchasing industry

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

How cohesin mechanics and nanotracker tech are redefining DNA research

Todd Bauman and Chris Povich

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