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The Obama health summit: More reactions, details emerge

The Associated Press/Washington Post reports on Republicans' "chilly reception Monday to President Barack Obama's invitation to discuss health care in a bipartisan, televised setting later this month, part of the White House effort to revive the stalled legislation."

8 Feb 2010

SCL offers nonprofit orthodontic program for children and adolescents

There are two months until the April 15 tax deadline, and if your family has experienced a decrease in income due to the economic downturn, you may now qualify for a low-cost nonprofit orthodontic program. Smiles Change Lives (SCL) is looking for kids from low-income families who need braces.

8 Feb 2010

Dems may add health provisions - including COBRA subsidies and Medicare fixes - to jobs bill

Lawmakers may include a number of Medicare "fixes" in the jobs bill, now that the health overhaul bill has stalled, The Hill reports. They would include restoring Medicare provisions that expired Jan. 1 or are set to expire later this year. "Nursing homes and rehabilitation therapy providers, along with patient groups, are pushing legislation to undo a hard-dollar cap on Medicare coverage of physical, speech and occupational therapy. Hospitals are seeking to restore special payments to large rural and small urban hospitals.

8 Feb 2010

AmerisourceBergen offers rapid implementation methodology for meaningful use of EHRs

AmerisourceBergen announced a unique offering designed to help hospitals and health systems achieve meaningful use readiness for electronic health records (EHR), regardless of the technology they are using.

8 Feb 2010

Insurers bringing plans into compliance with new mental health rules

The Wall Street Journal reports that insurers are bringing their insurance plans in compliance with new rules and laws that make mental health and substance abuse insurance coverage available to millions of Americans.

8 Feb 2010

Hospitals selling uninsured drugs may negatively impact public system

Governments are under increasing pressure to provide access to expensive new drugs. Canadian patients who want access to drugs that are not publicly insured are seeking to pay for these drugs within public hospitals, states an article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only).

8 Feb 2010

Ending antitrust exemption for insurers may not affect consumers, analysts say

Kaiser Health News: "Proponents say that the legislation would spur competition among insurers and bring down costs for consumers. Reps. Tom Perriello, D-Va., and Betsy Markey, D-Colo., who are sponsoring the bill, said in a press release it would 'end special treatment for the insurance industry that allows them to fix prices, collude with each other, and set their own markets without fear of being investigated.' But many antitrust experts say that ending the exemption -- by repealing the 1945 McCarran-Ferguson Act -- wouldn't significantly increase competition or reduce premiums."

8 Feb 2010

First Edition: February 8, 2010

Today's headlines highlight news regarding President Obama's planned summit on health care -- Republicans will be invited.

8 Feb 2010

WHO Growth Charts recommended for monitoring growth of Canadian children

Four leading national health professional associations have collectively recommended the adoption of the World Health Organization (WHO) Growth Charts for monitoring the growth of Canadian children in all primary health care and clinical settings.

8 Feb 2010

Increased Medicare reimbursement leads to rise in outpatient bladder cancer surgeries

Increased Medicare payments to physicians for outpatient surgeries for bladder cancer have led to a dramatic rise in the number of these procedures being performed and an overall increase in cost to the healthcare system. That is the conclusion of a new study published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The findings indicate that some Medicare policies aimed at decreasing costs may instead be contributing to an increase in healthcare expenditures.

8 Feb 2010

Community Health Navigator Program for Houston's Burmese refugees may become a national model

The Physician Assistant Foundation (PAF), Baylor College of Medicine and other local partners today unveiled their unique approach to providing health care and social services to Burmese refugees in Houston, with hopes the program could become a model for meeting similar needs of refugees across the country.

8 Feb 2010

America’s wounded warriors to march on Capitol Hill: MOPH

The Military Order of the Purple Heart is stepping up to the call from Congress for input on how best to resolve the issues most important to the nation’s veterans. America’s wounded warriors from across the country will converge on Washington, D.C. during 8-12 February, 2010 to meet with their state’s Senators and Representatives to educate them on these important issues

8 Feb 2010

Obama: 'America can't afford to wait' for health reform, as Dems debate next steps

n the midst of a blizzard, health care is a major topic at the Democrats' winter meeting.

7 Feb 2010

Health reform big week ahead: Insurance antitrust exemption, COBRA, Obama's bipartisan meeting

While the talk in the Senate will largely be about jobs, both houses of Congress are expected to take some action on health reform.

7 Feb 2010

Stronger animal disease traceability system will help minimize harm to other food animals, food producers and the public

In response to a statement by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is reaffirming its call for a strong, national animal disease traceability program to help maintain and improve the health of U.S. livestock.

6 Feb 2010

Report on the Canadian heart health strategy

The Conference Board of Canada, the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society will hold a press conference on Monday, February 8 to announce the findings of the report, The Canadian Heart Health Strategy: Risk Factors and Future Cost Implications.

6 Feb 2010

HealthSpring nurse practitioner identifies impending heart attack

Olive Branch, Miss. resident Glenn Lusk has a special perspective on the value of his Medicare Advantage plan. It was a HealthSpring-contracted nurse practitioner who discovered during a home visit in November that Lusk was experiencing serious heart trouble.

6 Feb 2010

Innovative health text messaging applications launched

Health Txts assists people in changing unhealthy behaviors by sending text messages that encourage specific self-improvement goals at the times and in the places people need it most. For example, someone may receive a message at 10pm saying "only floss the teeth you want to keep." Health Txts can be used for nearly any self-improvement goal such as reducing drinking, eating healthier or even becoming more environmentally conscious.

6 Feb 2010

Haiti relief efforts: HFHN distributes $35M

"Hope for Haiti Now" (HFHN) today announced the distribution of $35M as the first installment of funds raised through the January 22nd telethon: "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief." Six of the telethon beneficiaries (Oxfam America, Partners In Health, the American Red Cross, UNICEF, United Nations World Food Programme, and Yele Haiti Foundation) submitted proposals last week.

6 Feb 2010

EuroHOPE study: Performance evaluation of the European healthcare system

The performance of the European healthcare system will be evaluated in the EuroHOPE study (European Health Care Outcomes, Performance and Effectiveness) coordinated by the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and funded by the EU.

6 Feb 2010