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Lawmakers sound off on President's budget and health costs

While White House Budget Director Peter Orszag testified on Capitol Hill about President Obama's fiscal 2011 budget, some members expressed concern about health costs, McClatchy reports.

3 Feb 2010

House Dems' next step in health reform: Repeal of insurance antitrust exemption

Lawmakers "hoping to revive President Barack Obama's stalled health care overhaul have started writing a compromise bill, but it's unclear when the legislation will be ready for votes, a top House Democrat said Tuesday," The Associated Press reports. "The measure would change the massive Senate-approved health bill to what bargainers from the White House, Senate and House agreed to last month, Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., said in a brief interview.

3 Feb 2010

AP offers advice on choosing Medicare Advantage plans

Consumers can switch from original Medicare plans to Medicare Advantage plans until March 31 and to help them understand the options, The Associated Press offers answers to frequent questions about Medicare Advantage plans.

3 Feb 2010

Drug company CEOs under pressure

Dow Jones Newswires/The Wall Street Journal on Severin Schwan, chief executive of Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche Holding AG: "'It is difficult to gauge the impact of the planned U.S. healthcare reform on the pharmaceutical industry,' Schwan told reporters at a media conference to detail 2009 earnings. 'On the one hand, more U.S. citizens will be getting access to healthcare, which is positive. At the same time, pressure on drug prices will certainly increase,' he added." The wire service adds that he also said "decisions on generic biosimilars will be key" (Greil, 2/3).

3 Feb 2010

The debate over selling insurance across state lines

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz writes that Republicans in Congress have proposed this concept in the past "and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., embraced it as part of his 2008 presidential campaign. Advocates - including some insurers and small business groups - say it would give the more than 17 million Americans who buy individual coverage a greater choice of plans and the possibility of lower prices.

3 Feb 2010

First Edition: February 3, 2010

Today's headlines highlight what might be the Democrats' next health reform move in the House, where Speaker Pelosi plans to advance legislation next week to repeal insurance companies' antitrust exemption.

3 Feb 2010

Public policy implications in abstinence-only programs

Study focused on young African American preteens in an urban area: This is a legitimate public health study and it did show that a certain type of abstinence only program can help some very young adolescents (average age 12) delay sexual initiation for up to 24 months.

3 Feb 2010

DLA stocks USNS Comfort with medical supplies for Haiti in a day's notice

Getting the USNS Comfort stocked with needed supplies before it steamed out of the Baltimore harbor and headed for earthquake-stricken Haiti was a high priority for logisticians and acquisition specialists at the Defense Logistics Agency's supply center in Philadelphia.

3 Feb 2010

First medical center to alleviate snoring issues

Sereno™, The Center for Snoring Solutions, opened its doors to patients this month at its flagship practice in San Francisco. Sereno is the first medical center of its kind dedicated solely to resolving snoring issues by providing patients with a comprehensive, solutions-based approach.

3 Feb 2010

Inadequate staffing, interrupted rest breaks and retirement benefit changes impact patient care and nurse safety

Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA), representing more than 1,500 registered nurses at Sacred Heart Medical Center, held an informational picket today to highlight issues critical to patient safety. Contract negotiations have stalled over several key issues including the ability to take uninterrupted rest breaks, inadequate nurse staffing levels, and changes to retirement benefits.

3 Feb 2010

Innovative discharge program reduces congestive heart failure readmissions

An innovative discharge program developed by Saddleback Memorial Medical Center combining coordination of hospital and community resources, strong patient education and the IDEAL LIFE Bluetooth-enabled wireless remote health monitoring system has helped to reduce congestive heart failure (CHF) readmissions by 50 percent

3 Feb 2010

Penn Medicine experts available to offer medical insight and commentary during 2010 Winter Olympics

Experts from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine are available to offer expert medical insight and commentary during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver on issues ranging from the effects of performance enhancing drugs to concerns about the spread of novel H1N1, head trauma and more.

3 Feb 2010

Care levels in Ontario's homes will continue to decline without additional staff: OANHSS

Without funding for additional staff promised by the McGuinty government in its 2008-2009 Provincial Budget, care levels in homes will continue to decline and the sector will not have the capacity to ensure the success of the seniors' elements of the province's Emergency Room - Alternative Levels of Care Strategy (ER-ALC).

3 Feb 2010

Medpage Today provides clinical perspective on most read medical stories

Which medical news stories are physicians reading to stay informed about key developments? MedPage Today publishes the Most Read Stories for the Past Week.

3 Feb 2010

NPWT Expert Panel to host global teleconference to outline ongoing consensus process

The International Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) Expert Panel will be hosting a global teleconference.

3 Feb 2010

McKesson accelerates EHR adoption at independent physician practices with rebate offers

As part of its Achieve HIT stimulus program for physicians, McKesson today announced a limited-time offer to reduce the cost barriers associated with independent physician adoption of electronic health records (EHRs). Physicians may choose from two options on selected EHR/practice management solutions – 0% interest for 12 months with a 25% down payment, or a $1,000 cash rebate for the first provider with a $500 cash rebate for each additional provider in a practice.

3 Feb 2010

Effective implementation of clinical information systems to maximize health care IT investment

Marking the launch of its newly redesigned Web site, Informatics Corporation of America (ICA; www.icainformatics.com), provider of electronic solutions to hospitals, integrated delivery networks (IDNs), and health information exchanges (HIEs), announces the availability of an informative white paper, “Health Care IT Investment Heightens Need For Effective Implementation: Introducing five key elements for successful roll-out of clinical information systems (CIS),” http://www.icainformatics.com/news-and-events/white-papers/.

3 Feb 2010

AFGE lauds proposed $57 billion funding for VA

Today, the American Federation of Government Employees and its National VA Council applauded the White House's proposed funding increases for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The White House's proposed fiscal year 2011 budget provides $57 billion in funding for the VA. For more than two decades, AFGE, which represents over 180,000 employees in the VA, has joined veterans' groups in calling for full funding of veterans' services.

3 Feb 2010

Louisiana residents can now save money with free prescription drug cards

The Saints are going to the Super Bowl and we couldn't be any happier. We wanted to throw out a small lagniappe for our fellow Louisiana residents and offer the free drug card program titled the WhoDatDrugCard.com . This card is available to all residents and can save you as much as 75% off your medication purchase at over 2,000 pharmacies statewide.

3 Feb 2010

Majority of nurses experience workplace violence

Three-quarters of nurses providing private and public care experienced workplace violence, but only one in six incidents were formally reported, according to study published in the February issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

3 Feb 2010