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Inability of Mass. to curb health costs could be harbinger for national efforts

Last week, Massachusetts health reform "advocates celebrated a new report showing that, despite the devastating economic slump, the vast majority of Massachusetts residents had not dropped health insurance coverage." But also in the headlines were reports that "a state official called Massachusetts's decision to reject the vast majority of insurer rate hikes a 'train wreck' that would very likely lead to the insolvency of some companies.

16 Jun 2010

UOHI tests Canada's first in-hospital program to screen and treat patients for diabetes

The University of Ottawa Heart Institute is testing Canada's first in-hospital program to screen and treat patients for diabetes, a growing epidemic in much of the Western world. The program is expected to lead to new ways to identify and cope with one of the most important risk factors for heart disease, particularly in women.

16 Jun 2010

Employer health costs slowing, but still face 9 percent increase in 2011

PriceWaterhouseCoopers is estimating that employer health costs will rise 9 percent in 2011, slightly less than they rose in 2010, Reuters reports. "The PriceWaterhouseCoopers team questioned 700 companies in 30 industries for the report. About 60 percent of Americans under the age of 65 get health insurance through an employer. Health benefits are often a major part of any employee compensation package. Most employers, 63 percent, offer a [managed-care] preferred provider organization or PPO, the survey found. And many have raised the deductible, with 43 percent having a deductible of $400 or more, compared to 25 percent in 2009."

16 Jun 2010

WellPoint to begin offering 'electronic' house calls

The Indianapolis Star: "Indianapolis-based health insurance giant WellPoint unveiled a new program to give its members access to doctors and other health-care providers via the Internet. The house call would be initiated by a patient logging in for a video chat from work to describe a sore throat, or a parent at home texting about a child with poison ivy.

16 Jun 2010

AMA: 20 percent of medical claims paid incorrectly, wastes billions

The American Medical Association said Monday that private insurers pay 20 percent of physician claims incorrectly in its third annual 'report card' on the insurance industry, The Associated Press reports.

16 Jun 2010

Elite medical schools rate poorly on social mission

A new study ranking the social mission of medical schools puts historically black colleges on top and some Northeast private schools at the bottom.

16 Jun 2010

FDA cautions on infant overdose risk with liquid Vitamin D

The Food and Drug Administration today alerted parents and caregivers that some liquid Vitamin D supplement products are sold with droppers that could allow excessive dosing of Vitamin D to infants.

16 Jun 2010

Cheers, jeers for new federal rules on changes in health benefits

Kaiser Health News staff writers Phil Galewitz and Mary Agnes Carey report on the new "grandfather" rule: "Business groups gave mixed reviews Monday to new Obama administration rules limiting how much employers and insurers can change their health insurance plans - while remaining exempt from potentially costly new consumer protections.

16 Jun 2010

UIC receives $3M grant to evaluate comprehensive process for responding to patient harm events

The University of Illinois at Chicago's Institute for Patient Safety Excellence has received a $3 million grant to evaluate its comprehensive process for responding to patient harm events at nine other Chicago area hospitals.

16 Jun 2010

eHGT announces eHealth Access Indexing

eHealth Global Technologies, Inc. (eHGT) announces eHealth Access Indexing™. This latest service further simplifies the way physicians obtain clinical records using eHGT's already successful eHealth AccessTM Record Retrieval Service. Having patients' records fully indexed and organized, by date and type of report, and delivered in digital format, saves valuable staff time. This provides physicians the ability to quickly and easily access critical clinical data in minutes instead of hours.

15 Jun 2010

AmWINS Group Benefits re-launches EGWP program to help reverse negative effects of RDS

AmWINS Group Benefits launched the nation's first Employer Group Waiver Plan in 2006, and now in the wake of health care reform is re-launching their program as a direct and immediate approach to help reverse the negative effects of the Retiree Drug Subsidy, now taxable under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

15 Jun 2010

Oakwood Healthcare selects RL Solutions as partner for infection control and prevention

RL Solutions, makers of innovative and easy-to-use healthcare quality and safety software, today announced that Oakwood Healthcare has selected RL Solutions as its partner for infection control and prevention. A long-time client, Oakwood is currently using RL Solutions products for risk management, patient feedback and medical claims management.

15 Jun 2010

DATATRAK premieres Safety Case Manager at 46th Annual DIA Meeting

DATATRAK International, Inc., a technology and services company focused on global eClinical solutions for the clinical trials industry, premiered the release of its safety system Monday at the 46th Annual DIA Meeting. The DATATRAK Safety Case Manager™ collects individual case safety report (ICSR) data and exports the data in E2B XML format for transmission to regulatory authorities.

15 Jun 2010

SBE Council: New regulations may impact health coverage for small businesses

Basic common sense made clear that ObamaCare would present major cost problems and lost insurance coverage and choices for small businesses and their employees. While the President and his supporters denied or ignored these facts during the debate over health care legislation, now internal administration documents confirm reality. Up to 80% of all small businesses may be forced to switch health care plans in order to conform to government requirements.

15 Jun 2010

Wisconsin CLTS Medicaid Waiver covers Rethink Autism program for children and youth

The State of Wisconsin has expanded the State's care for children with autism through its Children's Long-Term Support Medicaid Waiver, which now covers a family's use of the Rethink Autism program. This will be an important source of continued services for families who are no longer receiving intensive services.

15 Jun 2010

Diversity publication recognizes UH as a leader among health care institutions

DiversityInc, a leading publication on diversity and business, has recognized University Hospitals as a leader among health care institutions in its first ever Top Hospital Systems listing.

15 Jun 2010

First Edition: June 15, 2010

Susan Jaffe, writing for Kaiser Health News in collaboration with The Washington Post, reports: "For consumers looking for bargains on refrigerators or restaurants, ratings can be helpful. But a score card doesn't work as well for selecting a Medicare private health plan" (Kaiser Health News).

15 Jun 2010

AIDS activists to protest BMS' Reyataz pricing, policies at Goldman Sachs Global Healthcare Conference

“All of AHF's efforts, including this protest, are designed to let people know that BMS is causing great harm to people with HIV/AIDS with its unwarranted pricing of Reyataz”

15 Jun 2010

HealthPrize Technologies takes fresh approach to prescription non-adherence problem

HealthPrize Technologies, a web-based software company that motivates people to fill and stay on their prescription medications, announced its official launch today. HealthPrize takes a fresh approach to the problem of medication non-adherence: it tracks users' medication taking and prescription refilling, educates consumers on the importance of taking medication properly, and rewards them for doing so.

15 Jun 2010

CRH Medical's marketing program provides new patient inquiries to physicians

CRH Medical Corporation announced today that its innovative marketing program is providing significant new patient inquiries to physicians listed on the Company's website who have been trained in the use of the Company's proprietary technology and methods known as the CRH O'Regan System.

15 Jun 2010

Healthcare News

Inability of Mass. to curb health costs could be harbinger for national efforts

UOHI tests Canada's first in-hospital program to screen and treat patients for diabetes

Employer health costs slowing, but still face 9 percent increase in 2011

WellPoint to begin offering 'electronic' house calls

AMA: 20 percent of medical claims paid incorrectly, wastes billions

Elite medical schools rate poorly on social mission

FDA cautions on infant overdose risk with liquid Vitamin D

Cheers, jeers for new federal rules on changes in health benefits

UIC receives $3M grant to evaluate comprehensive process for responding to patient harm events

eHGT announces eHealth Access Indexing

AmWINS Group Benefits re-launches EGWP program to help reverse negative effects of RDS

Oakwood Healthcare selects RL Solutions as partner for infection control and prevention

DATATRAK premieres Safety Case Manager at 46th Annual DIA Meeting

SBE Council: New regulations may impact health coverage for small businesses

Wisconsin CLTS Medicaid Waiver covers Rethink Autism program for children and youth

Diversity publication recognizes UH as a leader among health care institutions

First Edition: June 15, 2010

AIDS activists to protest BMS' Reyataz pricing, policies at Goldman Sachs Global Healthcare Conference

HealthPrize Technologies takes fresh approach to prescription non-adherence problem

CRH Medical's marketing program provides new patient inquiries to physicians

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

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