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Democrats close to health bill deal as some Democrats - and all Republicans - hold out

Congressional Democrats, reportedly closing in on a final health reform agreement, are seeking to alleviate concerns of reluctant members.

12 Mar 2010

Hamilton Health Sciences establishes new research facility

Hamilton's role as one of the world's leading centres in cardiac, vascular and stroke research was amplified today with the grand opening of the David Braley Cardiac, Vascular and Stroke Research Institute at the Hamilton General Hospital site of Hamilton Health Sciences.

12 Mar 2010

Senate passes extension of COBRA, other unemployment benefits

The Senate passed a $140 billion "jobs bill" Wednesday that will extend unemployment coverage, increase federal Medicaid funding, block cuts to physician pay and preserve numerous tax breaks and credits that would have expired without congressional action, The Christian Science Monitor reports. "Jobs trump the national debt. That's the message from a robust, bipartisan Senate vote…" (Chaddock, 3/10).

12 Mar 2010

PhRMA spends $6.3 million lobbying in fourth quarter, slight increase from year before

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America spent $6.3 million lobbying Congress and other government arms on health care in the fourth quarter of 2009, The Associated Press reports. PhRMA "spent just 2 percent more than the $6.17 million it paid out for lobbying in the year-ago period.

12 Mar 2010

Does Medicare 'doughnut hole' spur increase in foreign drug imports?

Medill Reports: "Unless federal legislation closes the Medicare coverage gap colloquially known as the 'doughnut hole,' seniors may opt for online drug imports to alleviate steep prescription costs. ... 'As seniors start falling into the doughnut hole, they are going online to find deals on prescription drugs, whether they're based in the U.S. or in other countries,' said Gabriel Levitt, vice president of PharmacyChecker.com LLC, a leader in the evaluation of online and mail-order pharmacies in both the U.S. and abroad.

12 Mar 2010

Sebelius attacks health insurers, they fight back

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius "pleaded with insurance companies on Wednesday to scrap their campaign against President Obama's health care bill and to work with the White House to pass it," The New York Times reports.

12 Mar 2010

Powerful Catholic quietly shaping abortion, health bill debate

Kaiser Health News reports on Richard Doerflinger, who doesn't look the part of a high-powered political strategist. Bearded and bespectacled, he works in a small, cluttered office out of one of Washington's less fashionable neighborhoods, far from the lobbying bastions of K Street.

12 Mar 2010

Hospitals cope with losing money

Kentucky's Jewish Hospital and St. Mary's HealthCare is eliminating 500 jobs this month. The layoffs represent the first large-scale cuts in a Louisville-area hospital system since the recession began.

12 Mar 2010

Congress, Obama continue health reform push

"Health care reform takes center stage Thursday as President Obama and top congressional Democrats work behind closed doors to nail down a final agreement," CNN reports. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., hosted a "meeting of the entire House Democratic caucus in the morning," while Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid plans to hold a news conference that will "build public momentum by framing the issue in more personal terms."

12 Mar 2010

Obama makes impassioned argument for health reform, tough measures to combat health fraud

A shirt-sleeved President Barack Obama took his closing arguments for health care reform to the St. Louis area Wednesday.

12 Mar 2010

Detroit federal jury convicts doctor in Medicare fraud scheme

Farmington Hills, Mich., physician Jose Castro-Ramirez was convicted today by a Detroit federal jury on all 13 charged counts in connection with his role in an $18.3 million Medicare fraud scheme.

12 Mar 2010

Survey: Employers plan to shift more health costs to workers

The Washington Post: "Most big employers plan to shift a larger share of health-care costs to their workers next year, according to a survey to be released Thursday. ... Meanwhile, employees at many companies can expect significantly higher premiums, deductibles and co-payments, according to the annual survey by the National Business Group on Health, a coalition of big employers, and Towers Watson, a consulting firm that advises companies on employee benefits."

12 Mar 2010

Today's OpEds: Rove on reconciliation, an imagined plea from Kennedy, vulnerable Hispanics

The Trouble With 'Reconciliation' The Wall Street Journal House Democrats would be foolish to trust a process that has deeply alienated the American public. Republicans know that and are determined to make House Democrats think hard about the price they will pay for passing this health-care monstrosity (Karl Rove, 3/11).

12 Mar 2010

Restrictions on physician work hours may lead to more miscommunication

As shifts change in a hospital, outgoing physicians must "hand off" important information to their replacements in a brief meeting. But a new study of this hand-off process finds that the most important information is not fully conveyed in a majority of cases, even as physicians rate their communication as successful.

11 Mar 2010

Children's National Medical Center implements Streamline's Audit Integrity Manager Solution

Streamline Health Solutions, Inc. a leading provider of document workflow solutions for hospitals, today announced that Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC, will be implementing its Audit Integrity Manager Solution for more efficient enterprise compliance with government and healthcare related regulations.

11 Mar 2010

New insurance plan to link a patient's cost to effectiveness of treatments

Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby, working in collaboration with USA Today, writes about potentially controversial policies that are a trend toward value-based design.

11 Mar 2010

M. D. Anderson Cancer Center recommends colonoscopy screening to reduce risk of colon cancer

M. D. Anderson Cancer Center are encouraging men and women to learn more about colon polyps and how they affect a person's risks for cancer.

11 Mar 2010

Intel, Mayo Clinic and GE launch new initiative to study care and benefits of home-based telemedicine

Emerging Healthcare Solutions, Inc. was pleased on learning the news that Intel, The Mayo Clinic and GE Healthcare have launched a new initiative to study the care and cost benefits of home-based telemedicine for elderly patients with chronic illnesses.

11 Mar 2010

NHS to improve response to violence against women and children

The role of the NHS in responding to violence against women and children is the subject of a new report by an independent taskforce of experts including Gene Feder, Professor of Primary Health Care at the University of Bristol.

11 Mar 2010

Florida Hospital Patient Protection Act of 2010 filed in state legislature

National Nurses Organizing Committee-Florida and National Nurses United today announce that the Florida Hospital Patient Protection Act of 2010 has been filed in the state legislature by authors Rep. Oscar Braynon and Sen. Tony Hill and will be known as HB 1283 and S 2316.

11 Mar 2010