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Report: Violent crime increasing at hospitals and clinics

"More and more violent crimes are occurring in America's hospitals, clinics and other health care facilities, according to a new alert issued by the Joint Commission, an independent health care oversight group," USA Today reports.

15 Jun 2010

Study: Millions of cancer survivors put off care they can't afford

The Associated Press: A new study says about 2 million of the 12 million cancer survivors in the United States put off medical care because they cannot afford it. "The study is being called the first to estimate how often current and former patients have skipped getting care because of money worries. It was led by Kathryn Weaver, a researcher at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C.

15 Jun 2010

HHS issues interim rules for grandfathered health plans

The government suggested that under a highly complicated interim rule released today more than half of employer-sponsored health plans could lose their special status that shields them from some aspects of the new health overhaul. The administration outlined "a number of ways health plans could lose their grandfathered status. Plans that substantially eliminate benefits to diagnose or treat a particular condition would lose the status, for instance.

15 Jun 2010

Behind the Numbers report: Employers' medical costs to increase by 9% in 2011

The nation's employers can expect medical costs to increase by 9 percent in 2011, a decrease of 0.5 percent from the 2010 growth rate, according to the annual Behind the Numbers report published today by the PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Health Research Institute. For the first time, the majority of the American workforce is expected to have a health insurance deductible of $400 or more, as more employers return to "indemnity style" cost-sharing by raising out-of-pocket limits, replacing co-pays with co-insurance and adding high-deductible health plans.

15 Jun 2010

States, Feds look to expand ACOs and medical homes

Crain's New York Business, on ACOs in New York: "Authorized by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed into law by President Barack Obama in March, ACOs are intended to reward providers that shift their focus to preventive care and presumably reduce the need for expensive procedures.

15 Jun 2010

CMS to hold Medicare claims for four more days

Doctors treating Medicare patients won't be hit with a steep pay cut Tuesday, as previously scheduled, the Obama administration announced Monday. Instead, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is holding claims until Friday, anticipating that Congress will intervene this week. The move is the latest in a string of efforts to prevent Medicare doctors from receiving a 21 percent pay cut, which technically went into effect June 1."

15 Jun 2010

AMA adopts new policies to strengthen physician workforce

The American Medical Association adopted today at its Annual Meeting new policies to strengthen the physician workforce to meet the nation's growing health care needs. The United States faces a shortage of between 124,000 and 159,000 physicians by 2025. Already at least 22 states and 15 medical specialties have reported physician workforce shortages, including in medically underserved regions and front-line specialties including primary care and general surgery.

15 Jun 2010

Stryker's facilities in Michigan, US and Suzhou, China earn LEED certifications

Stryker Corporation announced today that two of its manufacturing facilities have earned Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system, developed by the USGBC, which provides a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

From Stryker 14 Jun 2010

Studies show rising health costs, ways to slow them

A PricewaterhouseCoopers report suggests a leap in the portion of health costs paid directly by employees will leave the majority of the American workforce with deductibles of $400 or more for the first time next year, The Associated Press/Los Angeles Times reports. "Two years ago, only 25 percent of companies participating in the annual survey said they asked employees to pay deductibles of $400 or more.

14 Jun 2010

My Insurance Expert to sell, distribute ING Term Life Insurance policies

My Insurance Expert, one of the country's leading online services for the comparison and purchase of affordable health insurance plans, is pleased to announce that it has been appointed to sell and distribute ING Term Life Insurance policies.

14 Jun 2010

KHN column – Medicare Advantage: You get what you pay for

In this column for Kaiser Health News, Austin Frakt writes: "The Obama administration seems worried. In an election year, any change to Medicare that adversely affects beneficiaries is a political liability for incumbents.

14 Jun 2010

Aesculap receives FDA clearance for SterilContainer product line for use in STERIS V-PRO systems

Aesculap, Inc. is pleased to announce that the SterilContainer S product line has been cleared by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), (510(k) number, K093649) for use in the STERIS Corporation's V-PRO 1 and V-PRO 1 Plus Low Temperature Sterilization Systems.

14 Jun 2010

Feds to issue rules on 'grandfathered' health plans and new law

The Wall Street Journal reports that draft regulations "being developed by the Obama administration say more than half of employer health care plans may lose their grandfathered status and be required to comply with the health overhaul bill approved March 23. The guidelines are likely to touch off fresh disputes between President Obama and opponents of the health care bill.

14 Jun 2010

Health overhaul skirmishes simmer over government fliers, drug benefits

Republicans are complaining that, while the IRS sent out 4 million fliers to publicize $40 billion in tax credits for small businesses, the agency did not make a similar effort to inform tanning salons and their customers about a new 10 percent tax on their services, Politico reports.

14 Jun 2010

Health reform continue to dominate campaigns

After voting "no" on the health reform bill earlier this year, Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga., has gotten significantly less support from colleagues than he did in previous re-election bids, The Hill reports. "Only five lawmakers ... have given money from their personal campaign funds to Barrow in the 2010 cycle. Five other elected Dems gave money to Barrow through their leadership political action committees."

14 Jun 2010

Desert Medical Imaging to implement XIFIN's revenue cycle management system

XIFIN Inc., the leading provider of revenue cycle management for diagnostic service providers, announced today that Desert Medical Imaging, (DMI) a multi-modality diagnostic imaging center located in Indian Wells, CA, has selected XIFIN's revenue cycle management system to optimize and help manage its expanding imaging and radiology billing and claims management needs.

14 Jun 2010

AMA's support for health law sparks infighting

A fissure has developed in the American Medical Association, the powerful physicians' lobby that backed the health reform bill earlier this year, about support for the sweeping measure, according to news reports.

14 Jun 2010

Today's Opinions: Medicare advantage to shrink; Insurers anti-trust protection; Health law regulations; The need for maternity leave

In the long run, there's no getting around the fact that Advantage plans will shrink in generosity and availability (Austin Frakt, 6/14).

14 Jun 2010

UMC introduces new software certification program for WHO Drug Dictionary Enhanced

Uppsala Monitoring Centre, a Collaborating Centre to the World Health Organisation and the global intelligence network for benefits and risk in medicinal products, today officially launches a software certification program that helps software developers integrate the WHO Drug Dictionary Enhanced quickly and easily.

14 Jun 2010

Phase Forward Central Coding application achieves UMC's new certification

Phase Forward, a leading provider of data management solutions for clinical trials and drug safety, today announced its Central Coding™ application has become the first product to achieve certification by the Uppsala Monitoring Center (UMC). Launched today ("Uppsala Monitoring Centre Launches Software Certification Program for WHO Drug Dictionary Enhanced"), UMC's new certification is designed to help software developers quickly and easily integrate the WHO Drug Dictionary Enhanced.

14 Jun 2010