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Reform law gives major boost to community health centers, medical homes

The Washington Post: "The health-care legislation signed into law in March provides a major boost to community health centers: $11 billion over five years. The first of these federally supported primary-care clinics opened in 1965." The law also provides funding designed to increase the supply of primary-care providers. And, "[o]n Wednesday, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius announced that the federal government will spend $250 million in programs to increase the number of doctors, nurses and other care providers.

21 Jun 2010

Angeion launches new TRUcal resting metabolic rate system

Angeion Corporation announced that it has launched its new TRUcal™ resting metabolic rate system. Part of its New Leaf® product line, TRUcal includes an analyzer that gently measures one's breath for oxygen and carbon dioxide which gives consumers their true individualized daily calories their body requires. The TRUcal™ system also includes a compact netbook with Bluetooth® technology, adding the benefit of wireless connectivity.

21 Jun 2010

Hospitals and researchers test programs to stop readmissions

The Boston Globe reports on hospital readmissions: "In Massachusetts, more than 10 percent of patients are back in the hospital for the same or unrelated complaints within a month, according to the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, a Cambridge-based nonprofit think tank. Over two years, more than a quarter of all patients end up paying a repeat visit to the hospital, a new 12-state study by the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found.

21 Jun 2010

Malpractice reformers get grants, but fear of lawsuits remains ER scourge

A New York judge's unusual technique — listening to the families of injured people, knowing something about medicine — for dealing with difficult medical malpractice cases will be among 20 explored with $3 million grants as part of the health overhaul, The Associated Press reports. The judge, Douglas McKeon, said, "I don't discuss settlement offers with families right away. … I just say, 'Tell me a little bit about your loved one.'"

21 Jun 2010

CareGroup Healthcare System to implement InterSystems Ensemble rapid integration, development platform

InterSystems Corporation, the global leader in software for connected healthcare, today announced that CareGroup Healthcare System, a Boston-based integrated delivery network (IDN) comprised of four hospitals, has selected the InterSystems Ensemble® rapid integration and development platform to replace its legacy eGate platform for strategic integration throughout the organization.

21 Jun 2010

Doctors, Pelosi pan Senate-passed 'doc fix' plan

USA Today: Doctors are limiting the number of new Medicare patients they are seeing, concerned about reimbursements pay from the federal program. "Recent surveys by national and state medical societies have found more doctors limiting Medicare patients, partly because Congress has failed to stop an automatic 21% cut in payments that doctors already regard as too low.

21 Jun 2010

Also in Global Health News: WHO scraps drug development group; Access to medication in Philippines; Yellow fever vaccine shortage; HIV-positive employee protection

Lancet World Report examines how "[d]isappointment over a long-awaited report on improving drug research and development for neglected diseases" led the WHO to form a new Consultative Expert Working Group (CEWG) to strategize around drug research and development. The formation of the new group comes after the report from the previous working group (EWG) was questioned due to "what some perceived to be a missed opportunity, unclear methods, a lack of transparency and signs of industry interference" and after "suspicions of impropriety" surfaced.

21 Jun 2010

Today's OpEds: Medicare reimbursements threaten health care; Battling health care fraud; A national standard on nurse-patient ratios

The Senate on Friday passed the annual "doc fix" -- but this short-term stay on the reimbursement rates for physicians who treat Medicare patients does not resolve the underlying problem: Those reimbursements are woefully below market. And if Congress does not address this, the much-heralded health-care reform is at risk (Dr. Michael Newman, 6/19).

21 Jun 2010

Select Medical to acquire Regency Hospital

Select Medical Holdings Corporation, the parent of Select Medical Corporation, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire all of the issued and outstanding equity securities of Regency Hospital Company, L.L.C., an operator of long-term acute care hospitals, for approximately $210 million, including certain assumed liabilities. Regency is a portfolio company of Waud Capital Partners.

21 Jun 2010

Keane Healthcare Solutions Division announces partnership with Ormed Information Systems

Keane, Inc., a U.S.-based IT services and healthcare technology firm, today announced a partnership between its Healthcare Solutions Division (HSD) and Ormed Information Systems, Ltd. against the backdrop of the Healthcare Financial Management Annual National Institute conference (HFMA ANI). Ormed is a leading supplier of human resources, supply chain, E-commerce, and accounting management software, and is entering their 21st year in supporting only the healthcare industry.

21 Jun 2010

KHN column: Even with the 'grandfather clause' protection, change is coming to most health plans

In his latest Kaiser Health News column, done in collaboration with The New Republic, Jonathan Cohn writes: "Now that Karl Rove doesn't have a Republican president to advise anymore, he's been picking up some new hobbies. One of them is health care policy. In a recent column for the Wall Street Journal editorial page, Rove made the latest in a series of attacks on the new reform law.

21 Jun 2010

Emdeon's Assistant, Claim Master solutions earn HFMA Peer Reviewed designation

Emdeon Inc., a leading provider of healthcare revenue and payment cycle management solutions, today announced that its automated patient eligibility and benefits verification tool, Emdeon® Assistant™, and web-based billing management solution, Emdeon Claim Master®, have earned the Peer Reviewed designation of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA). The HFMA Peer Reviewed designation places these Emdeon solutions on a short list of prestigious products that have been proven effective by industry expert volunteers and independent HFMA staff.

21 Jun 2010

MDT aligned with AAP position statement on efforts to be made to save patient's natural dentition

Millennium Dental Technologies, Inc. (MDT), pioneers of the patented LANAP™ protocol for the treatment of gum disease and the manufacturer of the PerioLase® MVP-7™ digital dental laser, are aligned with the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) position statement that "efforts should be made to save a patient's natural dentition."

21 Jun 2010

Antibacterial lab coats to help prevent spread of disease in hospitals

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 99,000 people die every year from infections acquired while in hospitals. "The goal in our profession is to help cure you not introduce you to another deadly infection," said Dr. Charles Kinder, Heart Rhythm expert and Director of Heart Rhythm Program at Heart Care Centers of Illinois.

21 Jun 2010

PHCG recognized with CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation in fight against cancer

Publicis Healthcare Communications Group, the world's largest healthcare communications group, has received CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation, recognizing the organization's commitment to reducing the risk of cancer for employees and their families by promoting healthy lifestyle choices, encouraging early detection through cancer screenings, and ensuring access to quality treatment.

21 Jun 2010

FDA grants EarlySense marketing clearance for EverOn Touch system

EarlySense announced today that its EverOn Touch system has been cleared for marketing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA clearance covers several key additions to the traditional EverOn contact-free patient supervision system value proposition. For the first time, the EverOn system includes an online display that alerts medical staff regarding a patient's motion level and verifies patient turns as indicated by nurses. Identifying low patient movement and then turning patients methodically are key elements in the prevention of pressure ulcers, the most costly patient safety risk in U.S. hospitals.

21 Jun 2010

Healthcare News

Reform law gives major boost to community health centers, medical homes

Angeion launches new TRUcal resting metabolic rate system

Hospitals and researchers test programs to stop readmissions

Malpractice reformers get grants, but fear of lawsuits remains ER scourge

CareGroup Healthcare System to implement InterSystems Ensemble rapid integration, development platform

Doctors, Pelosi pan Senate-passed 'doc fix' plan

Also in Global Health News: WHO scraps drug development group; Access to medication in Philippines; Yellow fever vaccine shortage; HIV-positive employee protection

Today's OpEds: Medicare reimbursements threaten health care; Battling health care fraud; A national standard on nurse-patient ratios

Select Medical to acquire Regency Hospital

Keane Healthcare Solutions Division announces partnership with Ormed Information Systems

KHN column: Even with the 'grandfather clause' protection, change is coming to most health plans

Emdeon's Assistant, Claim Master solutions earn HFMA Peer Reviewed designation

MDT aligned with AAP position statement on efforts to be made to save patient's natural dentition

Antibacterial lab coats to help prevent spread of disease in hospitals

PHCG recognized with CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation in fight against cancer

FDA grants EarlySense marketing clearance for EverOn Touch system

First Edition: June 21, 2010

MediConnect Global's PHR system now compatible with a wide array of mobile devices

Thomson Reuters identifies top 10 U.S. health systems from second annual study

PHS offers special discounted program for clients utilizing Milliman Care Guidelines

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

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