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Universal American selects MedVentive's technology to enable increased collaboration among members, physicians

MedVentive announced today that Universal American Corp., a leading provider of Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, recently selected MedVentive's technology to enable increased collaboration among members, physicians, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals as a way to improve member health and confidence - and reduce member cost.

21 May 2010

Majority of patients satisfied with care, but doctors lack multicultural awareness

Most patients in the southeastern United States are satisfied with the care they get from their primary care doctor — though many doctors lack training for dealing with patients of different ethnic backgrounds and often fail to ask important questions that indicate multicultural awareness, according to results of two surveys presented at the American Heart Association's 11th Scientific Forum on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke.

21 May 2010

Online health and wellness resource for libraries, educational institutions

A.D.A.M., Inc., a leading provider of consumer health information, benefits technology solutions and online education resources, today announced the availability of Well-Connected, its online health and wellness subscription-based product for the public library and information dissemination markets, featuring enhanced functionalities and user-friendly interfaces for library patrons.

21 May 2010

Americans divided over nation’s drug approval process

Nearly three-quarters of Americans are confident in our system for reviewing the effectiveness and safety of new medicines and medical devices, yet 41% say it takes too long to approve a drug and allow it to be sold to consumers.

21 May 2010

More than 44% Canadian seniors living in residential care homes diagnosed with depression: CIHI study

More than two in five (44%) Canadian seniors living in residential care homes are diagnosed with or have symptoms of depression, according to a new study released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

21 May 2010

Restaurant Health Care Alliance launched to help restaurant employees gain access to health care coverage

The National Restaurant Association and UnitedHealthcare are launching the Restaurant Health Care Alliance, offering a suite of products that will help nearly 13 million restaurant employees gain easier access to health care coverage and related products and services. Today, 4 million to 6 million of the nation's nearly 13 million food service industry employees are uninsured at any given time.

21 May 2010

Caregivers can give complete clinical picture of brain cancer patients' condition

Despite grim prognoses and aggressive treatments, cancer patients suffering from malignant gliomas -- primary brain tumors -- often rate their quality of life more optimistically than their caregivers do, according to a new Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine study.

21 May 2010

Strata Health Solutions, Medworxx announce partnership agreement

Strata Health Solutions Inc. a leader in delivery of patient flow technology to global health organizations and Medworxx Inc., provider of healthcare solutions for patient flow, compliance and education announced today a partnership agreement that will provide a full view of the patient flow cycle, both inside and outside of the hospital.

21 May 2010

Media examines recent Oxfam report on impact of aid to developing countries

In a recent report, Oxfam "outlines how aid has contributed to economic growth in poor countries by getting 33 million more children into school, boosting access to HIV drugs tenfold, funding tens of millions of anti-malaria bed nets, and building up health services," Reuters AlertNet reports (Rowling, 5/20).

21 May 2010

British Columbia first in Canada to include Prevnar 13 in routine child immunization program

British Columbia is leading the way in vaccinations to protect children from serious disease. The province is the first in Canada to include Prevnar 13, the vaccine that provides the broadest coverage available against Streptococcus pneumoniae that may cause invasive pneumococcal disease, in the routine child immunization program.

21 May 2010

Aetna Foundation grants $331,133 for "Advancing Value-Based Purchasing in the U.S. Health System" project

As a nation we spend nearly $7,300 per person on health care each year - but are we getting the best possible value for our dollars? Exploring promising innovative approaches to getting high quality from health care purchases while ensuring that our annual $2.3 trillion in public and private health care spending is going as far as it should - in terms of top quality care, improved health outcomes and minimal waste - will be part of new work undertaken by the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at Brookings and supported by the Aetna Foundation.

21 May 2010

Not all small businesses will get tax benefits promised in health law

Tax credits to help small business pay for employee health coverage fall short of the "broad eligibility" White House officials promoted, The Associated Press reports. The credit was said to apply to firms "with fewer than 25 workers and average annual wages under $50,000 that provide health coverage," like Zach Hoffman's office supply company where 24 employees earn an average of $35,000.

21 May 2010

AORN develops new Comprehensive Surgical Checklist

The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) has developed a comprehensive surgical checklist to help reduce the number of wrong-site surgeries and other preventable mistakes that occur in U.S. operating rooms. The new AORN Comprehensive Surgical Checklist includes the safety checks outlined in the World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist, and also meets the safety checks included in The Joint Commission Universal Protocol that meet the accreditation requirements.

21 May 2010

MEDSEEK first-quarter net revenue up 38%

MEDSEEK, the industry's only provider of the eHealth ecoSystem, today announced the continuation of its record-setting pace in 2009 with the announcement of a first quarter net revenue increase of 38 percent over the same period last year.

21 May 2010

Lawmakers agree to extend COBRA benefits, delay Medicare cuts and give states more money for Medicaid

Democratic committee leaders unveiled a tax extensions package today that would continue to allow laid-off employees "to get subsidies to buy health insurance through the COBRA program" and would also "spare doctors from a scheduled 21 percent cut in Medicare payments," The Associated Press reports. It would also give states money to cover Medicaid costs (Ohlemacher, 5/20).

21 May 2010

Medco: Big jump in kids' prescription drug use last year

Children's prescription drug use rose "several times faster" than adult use last year, "due in part to swine flu drugs and Type 2 diabetes medications, according to Medco Health Solutions Inc," The Associated Press reports. The "pharmacy benefits manager said a 5 percent increase in prescription drug use for children contributed to a 10.8 percent spending increase last year. In contrast, overall prescription drug use rose 1.3 percent, and drug spending climbed 3.7 percent. Medco released its annual drug trend report Wednesday" (Murphy, 5/19).

21 May 2010

Ariz. tax hike only a band-aid, and other state tales of budget woes

The Wall Street Journal: States are being squeezed by "shrinking state budgets and rising health-care costs" and often vulnerable residents are paying the price. Barbara Hickey, 67 of Florence, S.C., is one of them. She is confined to a motorized wheelchair, lives alone and "relies on certified nurse's assistants to get her in and out of bed, bathed, clothed and fed."

21 May 2010

Today's Opinions and Editorials: Legal challenges to health reform; Medicare pay fix; California's budgetary 'Sophie's Choice'

We believe the reform law has been carefully framed to stay within constitutional bounds (5/19).

21 May 2010

Analysis looks at how Democrats won health reform battle

In an analysis in The New Republic, Jonathan Cohn examines how Democrats ultimately won the health reform battle. "Of course, we know how this narrative concludes, with Obama sitting in the East Room, inscribing his signature onto the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 — completing a quest that eluded Harry Truman and a trio of his successors.

21 May 2010

Medicare to evaluate how beneficiaries used personal health records

The Department of Health and Human Services is preparing to evaluate a 17-month-old pilot program that has tested whether beneficiaries use personal health records (PHR) in Utah and Arizona, Modern Healthcare reports.

21 May 2010

Healthcare News

Universal American selects MedVentive's technology to enable increased collaboration among members, physicians

Majority of patients satisfied with care, but doctors lack multicultural awareness

Online health and wellness resource for libraries, educational institutions

Americans divided over nation’s drug approval process

More than 44% Canadian seniors living in residential care homes diagnosed with depression: CIHI study

Restaurant Health Care Alliance launched to help restaurant employees gain access to health care coverage

Caregivers can give complete clinical picture of brain cancer patients' condition

Strata Health Solutions, Medworxx announce partnership agreement

Media examines recent Oxfam report on impact of aid to developing countries

British Columbia first in Canada to include Prevnar 13 in routine child immunization program

Aetna Foundation grants $331,133 for "Advancing Value-Based Purchasing in the U.S. Health System" project

Not all small businesses will get tax benefits promised in health law

AORN develops new Comprehensive Surgical Checklist

MEDSEEK first-quarter net revenue up 38%

Lawmakers agree to extend COBRA benefits, delay Medicare cuts and give states more money for Medicaid

Medco: Big jump in kids' prescription drug use last year

Ariz. tax hike only a band-aid, and other state tales of budget woes

Today's Opinions and Editorials: Legal challenges to health reform; Medicare pay fix; California's budgetary 'Sophie's Choice'

Analysis looks at how Democrats won health reform battle

Medicare to evaluate how beneficiaries used personal health records

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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