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Insurers paying doctors faster but inefficiency remains, especially with Medicaid

"US health insurers are paying doctors seven days faster, on average, and denying 12 to 18 percent fewer claims than last year, but the claims reimbursement system remains saddled with inefficiency, according to a new ranking of payers set to be released today," The Boston Globe reports.

27 May 2010

Senate Foreign Relations Committee passes 2-year, $2B measure to aid Haiti rebuilding

The Senate Foreign Affairs Committee passed a $2 billion aid package to assist with Haiti's rebuilding from the January 12 earthquake, Agence France-Presse reports (5/25).

27 May 2010

Lawyers, doctors team to ensure health safety net for poor

In the District of Columbia, "[a]s part of a medical-legal partnership that began in 2002, lawyers work alongside doctors at four District clinics run by [Children's National Medical Center]. Their shared goal is to overcome legal and social challenges that threaten the care of their patients — low-income children, predominantly African American, and virtually all covered by Medicaid."

27 May 2010

Feds will pay much of Medicaid expansion costs for states, study finds

The Washington Post: "The federal government will bear virtually the entire cost of expanding Medicaid under the new health-care law, according to a comprehensive new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation that directly rebuts the loud protests of governors warning about its impact on their strapped state budgets.

27 May 2010

Employers: Health insurance coverage to remain, but costs may rise

Business Insurance reports that, in the wake of health reform, 88 percent of employers "responding to a Towers Watson & Co. survey said they definitely or likely will continue providing coverage to employees. Just 3% said they are likely to drop coverage and instead pay the annual $2,000-per-full-time-employee penalty that starts in 2014.

27 May 2010

Impulse Monitoring signs agreement to provide Tufts Medical Center IONM services

Impulse Monitoring, Inc. (IMI), a leading provider of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) services to hospitals, today announced that it has signed an agreement with Tufts Medical Center, Boston to provide comprehensive IONM services, including real-time physician oversight.

27 May 2010

FDA, Drugs.com collaborate to expand online distribution of Agency's consumer health information

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that it will collaborate with the Web site Drugs.com to expand access to the FDA's consumer health information.

27 May 2010

Demand rises for graduates of health information technology programs

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that the Atlanta Technical College is expanding its health information technology program because demand for graduates is expected to grow by 20 percent through 2018.

27 May 2010

Stimulus package leaves states limited options to cut Medicaid

News outlets report on the limited options states can employ to reduce Medicaid costs, including cutting adult dental care.

27 May 2010

OpEds: Missouri vote on insurance mandate, Sacramento's 'rabbit hole,' Venter on synthetic cells

A group of organizations with self-funded insurance plans is putting pressure on Southern Nevada's hospitals to improve care. The Health Services Coalition wants better quality and is asking for ideas on how it could provide incentives for good care (5/26).

27 May 2010

Feds crack down on health care fraud in California, Florida

The Sacramento Bee reports: "Three Sacramento-area residents are among 11 people, including five doctors, accused of participating in a Medicare fraud ring. ... From February 2006 through August 2008, the defendants are alleged to have operated three health-care clinics -- in Sacramento, Carmichael and Richmond -- that submitted more than $5 million in allegedly fraudulent claims to Medicare" (Locke, 5/25).

27 May 2010

More on Queensland Nurses pay bungle

The Queensland Nurses Union (QNU) is bristled and protesting against the fact that even 12 weeks after the Queensland health staff pay bungle, nothing has been done to fix the problem.

27 May 2010

Sen. McConnell blasts Medicare brochure touting health overhaul

Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, is blasting the Obama administration for using flyers to tout the new health law to seniors, The Hill reports. "McConnell took offense to the flyers for saying the new law will 'preserve and strengthen' Medicare. And he pointed out that the Department of Health and Human Services lambasted private Medicare Advantage plans when they used similar communications to their members to raise concerns with the health reform law before it was passed" (Pecquet, 5/25).

27 May 2010

Lymphoma Foundation Canada applauds Ontario government's decision to publicly fund Rituxan for CLL

Lymphoma Foundation Canada (LFC) applauds Ontario's recent decision to publicly fund Rituxan (rituximab) in combination with Fludarabine-based chemotherapy for patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

26 May 2010

IPC The Hospitalist Company acquires Continuum Geriatric Services

IPC The Hospitalist Company, Inc., a leading national hospitalist physician group practice company, announced today that it has acquired Continuum Geriatric Services PLLC (CGS), headquartered in Livonia, Michigan. CGS practices in more than 60 nursing and assisted living facilities in Michigan, where IPC has an established presence. CGS has an annualized volume of approximately 105,000 patient encounters.

26 May 2010

First Edition: May 26, 2010

Today's headlines detail the latest developments regarding legislation moving through Congress that would prevent scheduled cuts in Medicare physician payment and extend health insurance subsidies for unemployed people.

26 May 2010

athenahealth releases the fifth annual PayerView Rankings

athenahealth, Inc., a leading provider of internet-based business services to physician practices, and Physicians Practice, America's leading practice management journal for physicians, today released the fifth annual PayerView Rankings, which indicate that health insurers are paying physicians on average seven days faster and denying 12-18% fewer claims than revealed in last year.

26 May 2010

CareerStaff Unlimited completes rollout of Adapt Healthcare web-based staffing solution across 26 locations

CareerStaff Unlimited, a Division of Sun Health (SUNH) and a leading provider of healthcare staffing solutions, has completed a rollout of Adapt Healthcare, a web-based staffing solution specific to the healthcare industry provided by Bond International Software. The successful implementation of Adapt includes CareerStaff's 26 locations and allows for over 175 of CareerStaff's employees to utilize the application.

26 May 2010

IDC Health Insights report predicts paradigm shift toward collaborative care through HIE models

As health care organizations across the country begin to adopt technology solutions in response to the approximately $20 billion in state incentive payments for health care, Informatics Corporation of America endorses an April 2010 report, Vendor Assessment: Industry Short List for Health Information Exchange Technologies, released by IDC Health Insights, an advisory services and market research firm.

26 May 2010

Personal injury claims solicitors call for more GP accountability

First Personal Injury's team of personal injury claims solicitors has called for more GP accountability following the recent compensation payout to the family of a man killed by an overdose. David Gray was administered an accidental overdose of a painkilling drug by a GP in 2008. His family have recently been awarded 40,000 pounds sterling in compensation.

26 May 2010

Healthcare News

Insurers paying doctors faster but inefficiency remains, especially with Medicaid

Senate Foreign Relations Committee passes 2-year, $2B measure to aid Haiti rebuilding

Lawyers, doctors team to ensure health safety net for poor

Feds will pay much of Medicaid expansion costs for states, study finds

Employers: Health insurance coverage to remain, but costs may rise

Impulse Monitoring signs agreement to provide Tufts Medical Center IONM services

FDA, Drugs.com collaborate to expand online distribution of Agency's consumer health information

Demand rises for graduates of health information technology programs

Stimulus package leaves states limited options to cut Medicaid

OpEds: Missouri vote on insurance mandate, Sacramento's 'rabbit hole,' Venter on synthetic cells

Feds crack down on health care fraud in California, Florida

More on Queensland Nurses pay bungle

Sen. McConnell blasts Medicare brochure touting health overhaul

Lymphoma Foundation Canada applauds Ontario government's decision to publicly fund Rituxan for CLL

IPC The Hospitalist Company acquires Continuum Geriatric Services

First Edition: May 26, 2010

athenahealth releases the fifth annual PayerView Rankings

CareerStaff Unlimited completes rollout of Adapt Healthcare web-based staffing solution across 26 locations

IDC Health Insights report predicts paradigm shift toward collaborative care through HIE models

Personal injury claims solicitors call for more GP accountability

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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