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Obama administration focuses on data-driven results in health care

NPR reports the budget office's use of pedometers to encourage employees to do more physical activity exemplifies "the Obama administration [reliance] on intensive data-gathering to help mold behavior." Peter Orszag, director of the Office of Management and Budget, says "'[w]hen you measure something and have a competition surrounding it, it creates a strong incentive to do more of it.' … Whether it's health care, education or even the war in Afghanistan, the president and his team are big believers in the power of information."

4 Jan 2010

The Ensign Group acquires Emmett Care & Rehabilitation Center and Parke View Rehabilitation & Care Center

The Ensign Group, Inc., announced today that it has acquired Emmett Care & Rehabilitation Center, a 72-bed skilled nursing facility in Emmett, Idaho, and Parke View Rehabilitation & Care Center, an 86-bed skilled nursing facility in Burley, Idaho. The acquisitions were effective January 1, 2010.

4 Jan 2010

Rally for passage of the Alcohol-Related Services Act

To advocate for the passage of AB 1019, the Alcohol-Related Services Act - Authored by Assembly Member Jim Beall (D-San Jose), the bill creates the Alcohol-Related Services Program within the California Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Drugs.

4 Jan 2010

Impending job cuts raises anxiety at Peterborough Regional Health Centre

The Central East LHIN, which oversaw a peer review that resulted in 220 job cuts in the Rouge Valley Healthcare system is deliberately downplaying the potential impact of the same process in Peterborough, says the union representing 540 employees at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre.

4 Jan 2010

COBRAGuard's free Webinar on new COBRA subsidy extension

President Obama signed the bill containing the COBRA subsidy extension into law on Dec. 19, 2009. With this extension, employers must act quickly to fulfill their notice obligations, update carriers and adjust administrative procedures. To smooth the transition, COBRAGuard Inc. is offering a free Webinar on Wednesday, Jan. 6 at 11 a.m. Central Time.

4 Jan 2010

Orthopaedic experts discuss strategies to improve care for wounded warriors

The fourth annual Extremity War Injuries Symposium was held in Washington, D.C., last January to bring together military and civilian orthopaedic surgeons, researchers, experts from governmental agencies, and others to discuss challenges faced by U.S. medical personnel working in Iraq and Afghanistan and to discuss ways to synergize resources and improve care for wounded warriors.

4 Jan 2010

No right to assisted suicide under the Montana Constitution, says AUL

Today, the Montana Supreme Court ruled that state law does not contain any policy restrictions to prevent physicians from legally prescribing lethal drugs to patients. This decision endangers the lives of the elderly, the sick, and the disabled.

4 Jan 2010

Virtual Education and Simulation Training Center serves as virtual hospital

At Christiana Care Health System's VEST Center, babies are born every day, just as they are in a real hospital. Adults and children are rushed to the emergency department with injuries suffered in accidents. Patients are intubated, have their blood drawn and get IV drips.

4 Jan 2010

Rising prevalence of dementia will cripple Canadian families, the health care system and economy

A report released by the Alzheimer Society today to mark Alzheimer Awareness Month reveals alarming new statistics about the projected economic and social costs of dementia in Canada. Rising Tide: The Impact of Dementia on Canadian Society, says that, if nothing changes the prevalence of dementia will more than double in 30 years, with the costs increasing ten-fold.

4 Jan 2010

Attorney General implores Congress to remove Nebraska provision from federal health care legislation

Attorney General Tom Corbett has joined 11 of his fellow attorneys general urging the leaders of Congress to delete the Nebraska provision from the pending federal health care legislation.

4 Jan 2010

Vascular Disease Foundation seeks nominations for 2010 Jacobson Award

The Vascular Disease Foundation is seeking nominations for the 2010 Julius H. Jacobson II Award for Physician Excellence. The deadline for nominations is Friday, January 29, 2010.

4 Jan 2010

CDC and USOC to hold H1N1 vaccination events in Colorado and Alaska

As America gears up for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the U.S. Surgeon General and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) leaders will team up with the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) to hold H1N1 vaccination events at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the 2010 U.S. Cross Country Championships in Anchorage, Alaska on Tuesday, January 5, 2010.

4 Jan 2010

Aegis Living provides guidance on senior living communities

It's a fact: each and every January senior living communities see an increase in inquiries from concerned family members looking for help and answers as to how to best care for an aging loved one that needs assistance

4 Jan 2010

HTA acquires Select Rehabilitation Hospital of Denton

Healthcare Trust of America, Inc. ("HTA"), a self-managed, non-traded, real estate investment trust, announced the completed acquisition of the Select Rehabilitation Hospital of Denton building located in Denton, Texas, for approximately $15,485,000.

3 Jan 2010

Organ donation gives a new life

Ten years ago, Dale Shippam got a new heart. It's taken him around the world, and, in the New Year, on a part of an Olympic journey across Canada.

31 Dec 2009

CMS and ONC issue regulations to implement widespread adoption of EHR incentive programs

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) encourage public comment on two regulations issued today that lay a foundation for improving quality, efficiency and safety through meaningful use of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology.

31 Dec 2009

Majority of physicians think EMRs can compromise patients' safety

Press Ganey Associates' 2009 Hospital Pulse Report: Physician Perspectives on American Hospitals found physicians' satisfaction with electronic medical records (EMRs) is decreasing. Many physicians actually consider this increasingly common technology to be time-consuming and fear that it may compromise patient safety.

31 Dec 2009

Young hunters most likely to suffer serious injuries in tree stand-related incidents than older ones

Young hunters between the ages of 15 and 34 are the most likely to suffer serious injuries in tree stand-related incidents, say researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Center for Injury Sciences (CIS).

31 Dec 2009

Rh-negative blood supply prioritized as tri-state area braces for winter months

New York Blood Center (NYBC) serving New York City, Long Island, Hudson Valley and New Jersey calls upon the community to please donate blood today. Blood drive cancellations from the weekend storm of December 19, 2009, coupled with unusually high demand from regional hospitals, have impacted Rh-negative blood supplies, especially type O-negative.

31 Dec 2009

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan includes U-M Health System in Medicare Advantage PPO plan

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has added the University of Michigan Health System to its growing network of Medicare Plus Blue(SM) PPO providers. The move gives seniors who purchase the competitively priced plan access to all of the U-M hospitals and approximately 2,200 providers.

31 Dec 2009