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High-risk pools begin taking applications in some states

The Dallas Morning News: The federal government began accepting applications Thursday for coverage through high-risk insurance pools from people who have been unable to obtain insurance on the commercial market due to pre-existing conditions. "To be eligible, people must be uninsured for at least six months and have been turned down for coverage by a private insurer because of a medical problem. Applications for the insurance are available online at www.HealthCare.gov. Coverage starts Aug. 1" (Boderson, 7/2).

3 Jul 2010

ePlus subsidiary achieves HP PartnerONE Healthcare Elite status

ePlus inc. announced today that its subsidiary, ePlus Technology inc., has achieved HP PartnerONE Healthcare Elite status. HP partners who attain Healthcare Elite status are considered experts in the healthcare environment, with superior HP-validated industry qualifications in everything from small practices to large healthcare systems.

3 Jul 2010

Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center's new children's outpatient facility named in honor of Alex Rodriguez

Alex Rodriguez joined Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center President and CEO Miguel A. Fuentes, Jr., as well as board members, staff and pediatric patients at a ceremony to dedicate a new children's outpatient center named in his honor on Wednesday, June 30, 2010.

3 Jul 2010

Hospitals in Iowa, Kentucky and Massachusetts face new challenges, opportunities

Quad-City Times: "A proposed change in Medicare reimbursement could increase payments to Iowa hospitals by more than $12.5 million next year. At the same time, a rule change on reimbursement to doctors could boost their Medicare payments by 5 percent beginning next year. 'This will mean a great deal to Iowa hospitals that have been struggling for many years,' said U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa.

3 Jul 2010

Virginia challenge to health overhaul goes to court

Justice Department and the state of Virginia lawyers faced off Thursday in the first challenge of the federal government's authority to require people purchase health insurance.

3 Jul 2010

Today's OpEds: Insurance premium caps; Doc shortage; High-risk pool

The insurer's proposed premium hikes are staggering, but the problem is that medical costs have been growing considerably faster than inflation. AB 2578 would help put a check on unjustified hikes ... The Assembly passed the bill last month, and we urge the Senate to follow suit (7/2).

3 Jul 2010

PhenotypeIT launches integrated Corporate Health and Wellness Management Platform

PhenotypeIT, Inc. announced today the launch of its PhIT™ platform, the first truly integrated Corporate Health and Wellness Management Platform that predicts disease and chronic health conditions before their onset and provides critical aggregated data to employers to reduce costs. The PhIT platform accurately assesses the impact of current and future health conditions, and assesses the cost implications of these conditions and related loss of productivity for the employer.

2 Jul 2010

Over 28,000 patients access myMDAnderson web-based portal for personal health information in one year

Just one year after The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center launched its secured, Web-based portal for personal health information, more than 28,000 patients (57 percent) who logged into myMDAnderson - a personalized, online connection to the center - have accessed their personal medical information, test results and records.

2 Jul 2010

HMS acquires AMG-SIU for $26.2 million

HMS today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately-held Allied Management Group (AMG-SIU), a leading provider of fraud, waste, and abuse prevention and detection solutions for healthcare payors, in an all-cash transaction. AMG-SIU is based in Santa Ana, California.

2 Jul 2010

First Edition: July 2, 2010

Today's health policy headlines include the latest developments regarding Virginia's legal challenge to the federal health care overhaul.

2 Jul 2010

Two questions to identify families whose young children suffer from hunger

Asking parents just two simple screening questions could help health care providers and social workers to easily and quickly identify families whose young children are suffering from hunger, enabling early interventions that could prevent serious health consequences, according to a new study led by University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers. The study, published July 1 in the journal Pediatrics, analyzed data gathered from more than 30,000 families nationwide, about a quarter of whom suffered from hunger.

2 Jul 2010

MedAptus awarded U.S. patent for "Method and System for Processing Medical Billing Records"

MedAptus®, the market leader in charge capture technologies, announced today that it has been awarded U.S. patent number 7,685,002 entitled "Method and System for Processing Medical Billing Records." The patent pertains to MedAptus' automated process for completely and accurately capturing both professional and facility charges in outpatient settings.

2 Jul 2010

EU requirement for HIV, hepatitis screening of ART couples at each donation unnecessary, distressing

European legislation that requires all couples undergoing assisted reproduction treatment (ART) to be screened for HIV and hepatitis at the time of every sperm or egg donation is unnecessary, expensive, and potentially distressing for patients, the 26th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology heard Monday.

2 Jul 2010

Imaging algorithm distributed in top-down fashion reduces unnecessary cervical spine radiographs

An imaging algorithm produced by a radiology department and distributed through the medical director's office, in a top-down fashion, enabled a large, academic medical center to significantly reduce the number of unnecessary cervical spine radiographs (X-rays) in the emergency department, according to a study published in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

2 Jul 2010

Suggestions to reduce impact of anesthesia care on global warming

Inhaled anesthetics widely used for surgery—particularly the anesthetic desflurane—make a measurable contribution to global warming, according to a study in the July issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

2 Jul 2010

ISHLT issues first international consensus formulation of standardized nomenclature for CAV

Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV), the major limitation to long term survival after heart transplantation, occurs when blood vessels in a transplanted heart progressively narrow and lead to dysfunction of the heart muscle or sudden death. Ascertaining benefit from appropriate treatment for this condition has been hampered in part because of the lack of a standard nomenclature.

2 Jul 2010

Continua champions use of personal connected healthcare technologies at House Committee on Veterans Affairs hearing

Continua Health Alliance championed the use of personal connected healthcare technologies to increase veteran access to quality healthcare during last week's hearing of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health. President and Chair of the Continua Board of Directors, Rick Cnossen, testified on behalf of the Alliance to address the issues facing veterans living in rural areas who typically receive lower quality healthcare than the general population due to lack of access.

2 Jul 2010

Online health insurance broker that once feared overhaul now sees new opportunities

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz reports: "EHealthInsurance, a large online health insurance broker, had once feared that its business might be imperiled by the health care overhaul.

2 Jul 2010

Cambridge Heart announces CMS reimbursement modification for MTWA test

Cambridge Heart, Inc., today announced that effective July 1, 2010, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will allow full reimbursement for both a Microvolt T-Wave Alternans (MTWA) test and a stress test when both tests are performed during the same patient visit. The CMS update removes a previous restriction that substantially limited reimbursement when a patient underwent an MTWA test on the same day as the patient underwent a standard cardiac stress test, echocardiography stress test, nuclear cardiac stress test, or pulmonary stress test.

2 Jul 2010

Federal officials ask judge to order upgrade of Georgia's mental health system; VA. officials in court today on suit against health law

Atlanta Journal Constitution: "Talks to settle a federal investigation of Georgia's mental health system came down to a single meeting Wednesday." And, "the talks failed. Federal authorities immediately went to court, asking a judge to force Georgia to make substantial and potentially expensive improvements in its state psychiatric hospitals and in its community-based treatment services — the same measures state officials rejected during the negotiations.

2 Jul 2010

Healthcare News

High-risk pools begin taking applications in some states

ePlus subsidiary achieves HP PartnerONE Healthcare Elite status

Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center's new children's outpatient facility named in honor of Alex Rodriguez

Hospitals in Iowa, Kentucky and Massachusetts face new challenges, opportunities

Virginia challenge to health overhaul goes to court

Today's OpEds: Insurance premium caps; Doc shortage; High-risk pool

PhenotypeIT launches integrated Corporate Health and Wellness Management Platform

Over 28,000 patients access myMDAnderson web-based portal for personal health information in one year

HMS acquires AMG-SIU for $26.2 million

First Edition: July 2, 2010

Two questions to identify families whose young children suffer from hunger

MedAptus awarded U.S. patent for "Method and System for Processing Medical Billing Records"

EU requirement for HIV, hepatitis screening of ART couples at each donation unnecessary, distressing

Imaging algorithm distributed in top-down fashion reduces unnecessary cervical spine radiographs

Suggestions to reduce impact of anesthesia care on global warming

ISHLT issues first international consensus formulation of standardized nomenclature for CAV

Continua champions use of personal connected healthcare technologies at House Committee on Veterans Affairs hearing

Online health insurance broker that once feared overhaul now sees new opportunities

Cambridge Heart announces CMS reimbursement modification for MTWA test

Federal officials ask judge to order upgrade of Georgia's mental health system; VA. officials in court today on suit against health law

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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