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First Edition: January 7, 2010

Today's health policy news coverage focuses on the continuing efforts to blend together the House- and Senate-passed health reform bills and the key issues in play.

7 Jan 2010

Apoteket and Medco Health Solutions develop centralized prescription safety program

Apoteket, Sweden's largest pharmacy chain, and Medco Health Solutions, Inc. today announced that it has developed one of the first national centralized drug utilization review (DUR) programs outside of the United States to improve prescription safety by reducing adverse drug events and thereby reducing the risk of costly hospitalizations.

7 Jan 2010

IHPM and i.e. join to form MAGNETT Health to improve employees' health

The Institute for Health and Productivity Management (IHPM) and i.e., LLC have joined to form MAGNETT Health, LLC using innovative engagement techniques and mobile health messaging technologies to inspire employees in improving and maintaining their health with achievable, lasting behavior change.

7 Jan 2010

BUSM researchers develop mathematical methodology to reduce biologic variation in clinical status

Clinicians rely on laboratory tests to monitor the progression or remission of disease, or to identify pathologic alterations in physiology that may precede clinical events. Monitoring quantitative laboratory results represents a crucial component in the assessment of response to therapy.

7 Jan 2010

MedLink qualifies for 2010 PQRI programs

MedLink announced today that the MedLink EHR has been "qualified" by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for eligible providers to submit quality data to CMS for 2010 PQRI reporting.

7 Jan 2010

New Sermo Event Report assesses physicians' perception of multiple sclerosis drugs

Sermo (http://www.sermo.com), the world's largest online physician's community, today announced a new Sermo Event(TM) Report assessing physician perception of FDA's "refuse to file" (RTF) letter on EMD Serono's Cladribine tablets and its potential impact, if any, on Novartis' oral MS agent in development; Fingolimod. Cladribine is expected to be one of the first oral agents to be approved for the treatment of relapsing and remitting multiple sclerosis.

7 Jan 2010

Virginia elementary school children will receive their second dose of H1N1 vaccine

On Thursday, January 7, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin will visit a school-based flu vaccination clinic at Carlin Springs Elementary in Arlington, Virginia, where local elementary schoolchildren will receive their second dose of the H1N1 vaccine.

7 Jan 2010

MSHA selects Allscripts EHR and PM solutions to enhance patient care

Allscripts announced today that Mountain States Health Alliance (MSHA) has selected the Allscripts Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Practice Management (PM) solutions for 300 employed and affiliated physicians and mid-level providers to enhance the quality of patient care, improve patient communications, and better manage the cost of care delivery.

7 Jan 2010

Diabetes patients with Part D coverage gap are less likely to stick to their medications

Medicare recipients with diabetes who have a gap in their Part D prescription drug benefits—known as the "doughnut hole" — have higher out-of-pocket drug costs and are less likely to stick to their medications than those who have supplemental drug benefits, a new study confirms.

7 Jan 2010

New public-private electronic records sharing program for some San Diego patients

Two major medical systems in the San Diego area, the private HMO Kaiser Permanente and the Department of Veterans Affairs, will announce a program to share patient records, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

7 Jan 2010

New research shows healthcare organizations can achieve impressive gains in profitability

The newly published research on business intelligence from Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS), shows that healthcare organizations can achieve impressive gains in profitability, accounts receivables performance and nurse retention through the use of reporting and analytics capabilities.

7 Jan 2010

Assembly Health Committee removes $1.4 billion alcohol mitigation fee program; Assembly Member vows to carry on with new charge for harm bill

While California scrambles to fill another multi-billion dollar budget hole, the Assembly Health Committee killed a $1.4 billion mitigation fee program to charge the alcohol industry for some of the state's annual $38 billion in alcohol-related harm.

7 Jan 2010

Authors explain why health care reform initiative should include CER

The current health care reform bills approved by the House and the Senate seek to expand health insurance coverage while containing costs; however, the proposed policy changes are not guaranteed to improve health for individuals or society, according to a "Perspective" article by faculty of Weill Cornell Medical College in the Jan. 6 New England Journal of Medicine.

7 Jan 2010

Concentra Urgent Care launches redesigned website to educate people on various health conditions

The launch of Concentra Urgent Care's redesigned Web site is just in time for the start of winter and those unexpected sniffles and sneezes that are common during the coming months. With a focus on ease-of-use for the consumer, the new site offers navigation features aimed at streamlining the online experience.

7 Jan 2010

Nancy Pelosi holds brief press availability after House Democrats' meeting

Speaker Nancy Pelosi held a brief press availability with Chairman Charles Rangel, Chairman Henry Waxman, Chairman George Miller, and Chairwoman Louise Slaughter following their meeting this afternoon with President Obama at the White House to discuss health care legislation.

7 Jan 2010

NCC Construction Sweden to build new forensic psychiatric care facility in Gothenburg

NCC Construction Sweden has been commissioned to construct a new forensic psychiatric care facility in Olofstorp, 15 kilometers north-east of Gothenburg, Sweden. The client is Västfastigheter and the order value is slightly more than SEK 500 million.

7 Jan 2010

CMS launches annual provider satisfaction survey

Modern HealthCare reports that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid "has launched its fifth annual healthcare provider-satisfaction survey regarding Medicare fee-for-service contractors that process and pay more than $370 billion in Medicare claims each year."

7 Jan 2010

The Methodist Hospital offers web-based tool to help patients understand their health care better

The interactive program from Emmi Solutions describes and illustrates upcoming procedures for patients to help educate them on procedures such as cardiac bypass or knee replacement. It also helps patients understand how to manage chronic conditions like diabetes or heart failure.

7 Jan 2010

Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute selected as top 25 hospitals for cardiac bypass surgery

Worth magazine has selected Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute as one of the United States' top 25 hospitals for cardiac bypass surgery.

7 Jan 2010

Rural health care advocates struggle for attention in Texas

The Texas Tribune reports on politics surrounding rural health care in Texas in a three part series: "Politically speaking, it's no time to be an advocate for rural health care. In the last House Speaker's race and on the state's health care regulatory boards, rural lawmakers say they've been outnumbered and under-represented.

7 Jan 2010

Healthcare News

First Edition: January 7, 2010

Apoteket and Medco Health Solutions develop centralized prescription safety program

IHPM and i.e. join to form MAGNETT Health to improve employees' health

BUSM researchers develop mathematical methodology to reduce biologic variation in clinical status

MedLink qualifies for 2010 PQRI programs

New Sermo Event Report assesses physicians' perception of multiple sclerosis drugs

Virginia elementary school children will receive their second dose of H1N1 vaccine

MSHA selects Allscripts EHR and PM solutions to enhance patient care

Diabetes patients with Part D coverage gap are less likely to stick to their medications

New public-private electronic records sharing program for some San Diego patients

New research shows healthcare organizations can achieve impressive gains in profitability

Assembly Health Committee removes $1.4 billion alcohol mitigation fee program; Assembly Member vows to carry on with new charge for harm bill

Authors explain why health care reform initiative should include CER

Concentra Urgent Care launches redesigned website to educate people on various health conditions

Nancy Pelosi holds brief press availability after House Democrats' meeting

NCC Construction Sweden to build new forensic psychiatric care facility in Gothenburg

CMS launches annual provider satisfaction survey

The Methodist Hospital offers web-based tool to help patients understand their health care better

Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute selected as top 25 hospitals for cardiac bypass surgery

Rural health care advocates struggle for attention in Texas

How microRNA is transforming science: From discovery to diagnostics

Advancing benzodiazepine detection

The Surgeon-Scientist Pioneering Regenerative Engineering

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