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States struggle to find solutions as Medicaid programs swell budget gaps

The (Louisville) Courier-Journal: "Passport Health Plan, often praised for its efficiency as Kentucky's only Medicaid managed care venture, costs the state far more per person than the state's regular Medicaid program.

19 Feb 2010

Standard checklist for home palliative sedation

Can patients near death safely receive sedation at home, fully respecting their own and their families' wishes? This practice, which is on the rise, is coming under increasing scrutiny and debate by palliative care researchers and practitioners.

19 Feb 2010

Study finds nearly a quarter of prescriptions go unfilled

Many people whose doctors start them on medications for conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure may never fill those prescriptions, a new study suggests. Researchers found that among more than 75,000 Massachusetts patients given drug prescriptions over one year, 22 percent of the prescriptions were never filled.

19 Feb 2010

Socioeconomic status can affect life expectancy, says VCU researcher

People who live in areas with lower household incomes are much more likely to die because of their personal and household characteristics and their community surroundings, according to Steven H. Woolf, M.D., M.P.H., director of the VCU Center on Human Needs, professor in the Department of Family Medicine and lead author of the study.

19 Feb 2010

Sens. Gregg, Baucus and Rep. Braley: Health care reform should happen

News outlets reports on the health care opinions of several lawmakers, including Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa.

19 Feb 2010

Report examines how medical technology changes state of health care

Federal researchers Wednesday released a report that examines how medical technology is changing the state of health care.

19 Feb 2010

Community health centers providing return on investment

Kaiser Health News staff writer Andrew Villegas writes about a hefty infusion of cash for community health centers in last year's federal stimulus package.

19 Feb 2010

Physicians look toward profitable Medicare services; Former Virginia official tapped for a position at CMS

A study finds physicians veer toward more profitable services amid lower Medicare fees. Meanwhile, Humana tests a patient-centered medical home program in Florida and a former Virginia official is chosen to take on a top position at the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services.

19 Feb 2010

Some Dems say single health reform bill is close, GOP settles on summit strategy

News outlets report on party politics in advance of the president's health care summit.

19 Feb 2010

University of Missouri to offer health literacy courses for health professionals

The cost of low health literacy - the difference between patients' abilities to understand health information and providers' abilities to effectively communicate complex medical information - is $106 billion to $238 billion annually, according to Pfizer, a leading biopharmaceutical company. To improve the health literacy of professionals and patients, the University of Missouri will offer a health literacy study emphasis beginning this fall.

19 Feb 2010

Beacon Partners continues to grow to meet the needs of healthcare industry

As the healthcare community continues to ready itself to make the most of the stimulus funds in accordance with the ARRA, healthcare management consulting firm Beacon Partners’ growth pattern continues with an aggressive hiring pattern to meet the needs of the healthcare industry.

19 Feb 2010

WHO recommends H1N1 be added to next year's seasonal flu virus

The WHO is recommending the H1N1 (swine flu) virus be added to the regular flu vaccine for the Northern Hemisphere's 2010-2011 regular flu season, the Associated Press reports (2/18).

19 Feb 2010

Nearly 3.3M more people enrolled in state Medicaid programs in June 2009: New analysis

With the country mired in a deep recession, nearly 3.3 million more people were enrolled in state Medicaid programs in June 2009 compared to the previous June, according to a new analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation's Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. It was the biggest ever one-year increase in terms of absolute numbers, and boosted the June monthly Medicaid enrollment by 7.5 percent to 46.9 million people nationally.

19 Feb 2010

HHS report scolds insurers for rate hikes, points to increases as reason for reform

According to an Obama Administration report released Thursday, double-digit insurance premium increases such as the proposed 39 percent one by Anthem Blue Cross in California are a "worrisome sign of the times," The Associated Press reports.

19 Feb 2010

GOP, Democrats staking out reform positions, strategies in advance of health summit

The Associated Press: The White House is preparing a bill "designed to win passage without Republican support if GOP lawmakers fail to embrace bipartisan compromises" during next weeek's White House health summit.

18 Feb 2010

Michigan sends letters to 500,000 warning COBRA expiration

Michigan's state unemployment insurance agency has sent letters to 500,000 residents warning them that their benefits could expire starting in March if Congress fails to act on extending jobless benefits including a federal subsidy for COBRA health insurance, The Detroit News reports.

18 Feb 2010

Dartmouth Atlas analyses of hospital spending called 'flawed'

The New York Times reports that certain hospitals, including the Mayo Clinic, are lauded "for delivering high-quality care at low costs" based on "a widely cited analysis called the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care."

18 Feb 2010

Obama admin. to redouble campaign against insurers' rate hikes

After criticizing California insurer Anthem for raising premiums 10 days ago, Obama administration officials are preparing for more, The Washington Post reports. "Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has scheduled a late-morning news conference, at which she is to cite half a dozen examples," where insurers have sought big rate hikes for individual coverage.

18 Feb 2010

A selection of today's opinions and editorials

The epic of health care evolution is complex and is worth reviewing over the last five decades. Having practiced medicine in the same community in Southeast Missouri for more than 30 years, I have seen changes in health care beyond the scope of imagination (Dr. S.D. Madduri, 2/18).

18 Feb 2010

Humana schedules layoffs as insurers struggle to cut costs

Dow Jones Newswires/Wall Street Journal reports that Humana, one of the nation's largest health insurers, "said it will shed nearly 1,400 jobs, or 5% of its work force, this year" because of declines in enrollment. The company will cut a total of 2,500 jobs, but plans to hire 1,100 new employees to help with such issues as controlling medical costs and managing pharmacy benefits.

18 Feb 2010