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Four largest insurers in Mass. post first-quarter losses

The Boston Globe's Business Updates: Massachusetts' "four biggest health insurers today posted first-quarter losses totalling more than $150 million, with three of the carriers blaming the bulk of their deficit on the Patrick administration's decision to cap rate increases for individuals and small businesses." Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Tufts Health Plan and Fallon Community Health Plan all reported loses.

18 May 2010

Democrats strategize by touting early benefits but in some areas party is facing tough fight

Democrats enlisted a reliable strategy by "front-loading their legislation with consumer-friendly, insurance industry reforms and other fixes they hope will generate support for the new law in the run-up to the pivotal midterm elections." Democrats are hoping that a skeptical public will come around to their side of the equation, but Republicans say voters will remember all the legislation, not just part of it, when they vote in November.

18 May 2010

USAID's Shah on six-day visit to Africa

"[O]n his first visit to Africa since taking charge as the administrator of USAID in January," Rajiv Shah said in Nairobi, Kenya on Saturday that the agency "is working to make Africa a bigger priority within the organization," the Associated Press writes. USAID, which "funds and runs programs to improve health, food security, democracy and entrepreneurship in Africa," has offices in 23 countries on the continent, according to the AP (5/15).

17 May 2010

Cardiocom releases new pulse oximeter

Cardiocom today announced the release of its new pulse oximeter. Cardiocom's internally developed pulse oximeter offers better integration with its telehealth platform. Cardiocom designs and manufactures telehealth communication devices and vital sign peripherals including: blood pressure system, weight scale, and now offers its new pulse oximeter.

17 May 2010

To achieve MDGs, economic policies must help poor, UNDP head says

Economic policies that help the poor will bring the world closer to meeting the Millennium Development Goals [MDGs] - "[g]lobal targets to halve poverty and improve basic health by 2015," Helen Clark, the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) administrator, said Friday at the end of a four-nation tour of Africa, Agence France-Presse reports.

17 May 2010

Medicare cuts for physicians loom, yet again

A 21 percent reduction in Medicare reimbursements that has loomed over physicians all year will go into effect on June 1, unless Congress acts to further delay the cuts, CNNMoney reports. "If the proposed cuts go through, physicians are worried their practices will be so strapped that they'll have to drop some of the 43 million Americans who are covered under Medicare."

17 May 2010

KHN Column: The health care cost problem we refuse to see

In his latest Kaiser Health News column, Austin Frakt writes: "I agree with those who think the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act doesn't do enough soon enough to control the rate of increase in health insurance premiums.

17 May 2010

Health law's affect on ERs, doctors' panel, young adults examined

Officials and stakeholders are examining the new health reform law for changes that the reform will mean for their organizations and industries.

17 May 2010

Today's Opinions and Editorials: Support for Berwick and health reform's next tests

He is well-qualified to make the many crucial decisions surrounding Medicare and Medicaid, and could end up being one of the most significant appointees in the administration (5/17).

17 May 2010

Hospitals to get more bargaining clout for medical devices

The Wall Street Journal: "Hospitals lack leverage when negotiating prices for high-cost implants like defibrillators and replacement hips because individual doctors, rather than hospitals, typically select the products they use in their patients. Since these doctors often aren't hospital employees, they have little incentive to bargain-hunt.

17 May 2010

IRS to announce tax credit rules for small business health premiums

The Associated Press: "Pitching President Barack Obama's health care law to skeptical business owners, the IRS on Monday will announce ground rules for small firms wishing to claim a new federal tax credit for health insurance." The tax credit, which was created by the new health overhaul law, "covers up to 35 percent of the premiums that certain small businesses pay on behalf of their workers.

17 May 2010

Dartmouth to start health care delivery research center

"Dartmouth College is getting $35 million to open a center it hopes will help the nation take the next big steps in health care reform: improving quality while lowering costs," The Associated Press reports.

17 May 2010

Halozyme announces voluntary HYLENEX product recall

Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that Halozyme and Baxter have confirmed the presence of small flake-like glass particles in a limited number of vials of HYLENEX® (hyaluronidase human injection) product at the Baxter manufacturing facility. Earlier today, Halozyme notified the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that it is voluntarily recalling affected lots of 150U HYLENEX product from distribution.

17 May 2010

Freescale Semiconductor receives ZigBee Certification for wireless health and wellness solutions

Freescale Semiconductor today announced it has received ZigBee Certified product status for its ZigBee Health Care wireless health and wellness processing platforms. The ZigBee Certified products status is awarded to products that have been tested and met criteria for interoperability that enable wireless devices to securely and reliably monitor and manage noncritical, low-acuity health care services.

17 May 2010

First Edition: May 17, 2010

Today's headlines highlight stories about efforts to advance the implementation of federal health reforms as well as the sweeping measure's political impact in primary races across the country.

17 May 2010

University of Freiburg to host symposium on fate

The Institute of Medical Ethics and Medical History of the University of Freiburg is hosting the 1st Freiburg Symposium on the topic "The End of Fate? The Human Condition Between the Facts of Life and Medical-Technological Design."

17 May 2010

Fraud, waste, and abuse

The Congressional Budget Office announcement May 11, 2010, that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) would cost, over the next ten years, $115 Billion more, brings the total cost over $1 Trillion. Imagine—Congress and the President spent a whole year jamming a 2,309 page monster down our throats on the pretense of “eliminating fraud, waste and abuse (in the delivery of medical care) at a lower cost”. This same Congressional Budget Office, using the contrived numbers given by Congress, had previously said Obamacare would REDUCE federal deficits by $143 Billion. I smell FRAUD.

17 May 2010

Sports physicals keep athletes healthy to play and avoid tragic occurrences, says sports medicine expert

While seemingly invincible teenage athletes at the height of good health and fitness aren't likely candidates for doctor's visits, even the fit need to visit a physician before practice. Sports physicals, often called pre-participation sports examinations, are key to making sure athletes are healthy enough to play and avoiding tragic occurrences, like sudden cardiac death, says a Saint Louis University sports medicine expert.

17 May 2010

Dartmouth College receives $35M to establish The Dartmouth Center for Health Care Delivery Science

Dartmouth College has received a $35 million commitment to establish The Dartmouth Center for Health Care Delivery Science, President Jim Yong Kim announced today. The anonymous gift will advance a new field of study, harnessing the knowledge and expertise of faculty across multiple disciplines from the arts and sciences as well as from the medical, business and engineering schools.

17 May 2010

Small business lobby, others join states' lawsuit against health law

"A national business lobbying group on Friday joined 20 U.S. states in a lawsuit challenging President Barack Obama's overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system. The joint lawsuit led by Florida and now grouping 20 states was filed on March 23 by mostly Republican attorneys general." The suit claims the law "violates state government rights in the U.S. Constitution and will force massive new spending on hard-pressed state governments" (Brown, 5/14).

17 May 2010