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Mich., R.I. look for cuts in Medicaid costs; Mass. Governor suggests taxes, fees to cover rising costs

The Holland (Mich.) Sentinel reports on possible Medicaid cuts in Michigan: "After an 8 percent reduction in Medicaid reimbursement for 2010, state health organizations say additional cuts for 2011 could be overwhelming.

2 Feb 2010

Nursing jobs no longer recession-proof

"A few years ago, hospitals were offering nurses $10,000 signing bonuses, loan payoffs, even cars as incentives to battle a nursing shortage in Texas. Today, some nursing school graduates say they're fortunate to find a job," The Star-Telegram reports. "Three years ago there were three job offers for every graduate, said Dr. Pamela Frable, director of nursing at Texas Christian University's Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences. But at graduation last summer, there were more students without a job than ever before.

2 Feb 2010

Companies may hit new anti-discrimination law when asking workers about health issues

Employers offering wellness and preventive health programs can sometimes run afoul of a new anti-discrimination law restricting their ability to ask workers about family medical histories, The Wall Street Journal reports.

2 Feb 2010

NYBC urges people to donate blood

New York Blood Center (NYBC), serving New York City, Long Island, the Hudson Valley, and New Jersey, calls upon people of diverse backgrounds to please donate blood. The need for blood is constant.

2 Feb 2010

Lawmakers seek details of Obama's closed-door meetings with health industry groups

"In a rare display of bipartisanship,… Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said he'd help Dr. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) seek information on the names of representatives from the pharmaceutical, device, hospital, doctor, and insurance sectors, who met with White House officials regarding healthcare reform," Medpage Today/ABC News reports.

2 Feb 2010

Obama's budget to boost Medicaid funding, broaden global health approach

President Obama's budget proposal tops $3.8 trillion, and would draw a $1.3 trillion shortfall in 2011 despite efforts to freeze and cut spending and channel an extra $100 billion to immediately attack the high unemployment rate, The Washington Post reports.

2 Feb 2010

Some sectors of health care industry are booming

The Sacramento Bee: "The gleaming new tower at Mercy San Juan Medical Center bustles with patients, nurses and doctors. ... Opened a month ago, Mercy's tower was cited in a recent report ranking Sacramento as the nation's fastest growing market for health care jobs. The six-story project added 110 beds and nearly 200 new jobs to the hospital. ... Already, the health care sector accounts for a fifth of the region's payroll." That could be poised to grow: "Aging baby boomers, coupled with the region's population growth, virtually guarantee that the demand for health services won't diminish" (Caina Calvan, 2/1).

2 Feb 2010

American Diabetes Association announces 2010 schedule for free community health events

In an age of soaring health care costs and staggering diabetes prevalence, the American Diabetes Association announced today its 2010 schedule for free community health events throughout the country -- the American Diabetes Association EXPO.

2 Feb 2010

State Department authorization bill introduced

"Senate Foreign Relations Committee leaders John Kerry, D-MA, and Richard Lugar, R-IN, introduced a State Department policy bill for both fiscal 2010 and fiscal 2011" on Friday, Foreign Policy's blog, "The Cable," reports.

2 Feb 2010

Health IT roundup: Buyers' remorse, usage survey

Huffington Post Investigative Fund: The federal government has made investing in electronic medical records a priority by channeling billions of dollars to help doctors and hospitals go paperless, "[b]ut there's also concern that the government may not be doing enough to ensure that taxpayer money isn't wasted on faulty systems. What's more, doctors often have little expertise in buying electronic health records, commonly called EHRs, and do not always know what questions to ask or what protections they should push for in their contracts, several industry consultants said in interviews."

2 Feb 2010

States continue push back against mandates in stalled health bills

Conservative lawmakers in 34 states "are forging ahead with constitutional amendments to ban government health insurance mandates" despite the idling health reform measures in Congress, The Associated Press reports.

2 Feb 2010

U.N. Secretary-General focuses on MDGs during African Union Summit

Addressing the 14th African Union (AU) Summit on Sunday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for African countries to maintain their commitment to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), "which include reducing poverty, disease and child mortality, ahead of their target date of 2015," BBC reports (1/31).

2 Feb 2010

More details on Obama's global health strategy expected along with budget release, Wall Street Journal reports

"The Obama administration is expected to propose in its fiscal 2011 budget Monday new funding to combat preventable and tropical diseases, malnutrition and other conditions afflicting the world's poor, as part of a strategy to broaden its approach to global health," the Wall Street Journal reports.

2 Feb 2010

Health and Human Services would get boost under Obama's 2011 budget plan

News outlets report on how Health and Human Services fares under Obama's 2011 budget request.

1 Feb 2010

Florida scholars criticize media coverage of health reform

Journalism researchers criticized media coverage of the health care bills saying it may have added to consumers' confusion, Health News Florida reports. "Very little broadcast time or print space has been devoted to explaining, point-by-point, the major parts of the legislation, say three top researchers in the field from University of Florida, Florida State University and University of South Florida.

1 Feb 2010

Ecolab launches EnCompass Environmental Hygiene program to improve patient room hygiene

Ecolab Inc. today announced the launch of its new EnCompass™ Environmental Hygiene program, a comprehensive clinical program that helps hospitals improve patient room hygiene and prevent the spread of infections.

1 Feb 2010

Congressional leader stresses the importance of annual dilated eye exam for diabetes patients

In recognition of Black History Month, House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn is urging African Americans with diabetes to get an annual diabetic eye exam during February.

1 Feb 2010

Survey: Medicaid beats private insurance when it comes to prevention

Sen. Lamar Alexander - as well as other conservative lawmakers - characterized Medicaid as a "medical ghetto" during Senate floor speeches on the health overhaul debate last year, American Medical News reports. But, the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health contradicts that common perception. "Based on nearly 92,000 interviews, it found that in 36 states, children in Medicaid and CHIP were as likely or more likely than privately insured kids to have had at least one preventive health care visit over a 12-month period."

1 Feb 2010

Congress faces one-month deadline on doctor payment fix

The doctor payment fix and several marketplace issues, such as insurance red tape and malpractice cases, continue to loom while health care reform efforts stall.

1 Feb 2010

Democrats work to restart health bill

Health care reform legislation "has a heartbeat," Roll Call reports, adding that Democrats are hoping a "breather" helps cool emotions, but that their focus will continue to be on eventually passing legislation.

1 Feb 2010