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Texas whistle-blowing nurse is acquitted

The New York Times: "A West Texas jury took but an hour Thursday to acquit a nurse who had been charged with a felony after alerting the state medical board that a doctor at her hospital was practicing unsafe medicine. The uncommon prosecution had ignited deep concern among health care workers and advocates for whistle-blowers about a potential chilling effect on the reporting of malpractice.

15 Feb 2010

Community Health Centers step in to provide care for newly uninsured

Community Health Centers are providing a growing number of newly uninsured people with primary and preventive care. These centers are being tested by the growing patient load, MarketWatch reports.

15 Feb 2010

Wyoming lawkmaker pushes for reform, Mississippi Governor bans certain over-the-counter drugs

Associated Press/CNBC: "A veteran Wyoming state senator for the third time is pushing a bill he says would offer health insurance to people who couldn't afford it on the open market and also serve as an example to the rest of the nation of how to tackle rising health care costs. Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper, has proposed a pilot program that calls for allowing 500 participants to enroll in Medicaid beginning in July. It would be limited to people whose family income is below 250 percent of the federal poverty level — $55,125 for a family of four.

15 Feb 2010

Benefits of NaviNet Insurer Connect to be studied in New Jersey

NaviNet, America’s largest real-time healthcare communications network, today announced its participation in a landmark initiative to document the benefits of electronic health information exchange between healthcare providers and health insurers.

15 Feb 2010

Pelosi relationship with Obama strained, Sen. Kyl and Wyden see hope for bipartisanship

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's relationship with President Barack Obama is becoming strained over roadblocks Democrats are seeing on legislation and the treatment some Democrats view as "cavalier" from the White House, Politico reports. "For months, the California lawmaker has been pushing Obama hard in private while praising him in public. But now she's being more open in her criticism, in part because she feels the White House was wrong — in the wake of the Democrats' loss in Massachusetts — to push the Senate health care bill on the House when she knew there was no way it would pass.

15 Feb 2010

Simplex Healthcare to implement comprehensive wellness program for employees

Simplex Healthcare today announced that it is partnering with Onlife Health, a national personal health coaching company, to implement a comprehensive wellness program for its more than 300 employees.

15 Feb 2010

Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mich., Arizona plan Medicaid cuts; N.C.'s prison health costs

The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune: Louisiana "Gov. Bobby Jindal will present his 2010-11 budget request Friday, which is expected to call for cuts to health care, education and other areas of state government as his administration outlines plans for plugging a $1 billion shortfall. ... The general-fund growth is not nearly enough to offset a loss of about $650 million in federal health-care financing, the rising cost of state pensions, automatic pay raises for state workers and inflation in health-care programs."

15 Feb 2010

Polls: People like their own insurance but want reform, heart patients' cost worries

Lancaster Online: "Most Americans who have health insurance are pleased with their coverage, a new national Franklin & Marshall College poll shows. But many of those same people are worried about those who can't afford insurance, and overwhelmingly believe the health care system needs to be reformed, according to a survey of 920 adults. ... The survey found that 75 percent of Americans who have insurance rate their coverage as good or very good — the same percentage who believe the health-care system is in need of reform.

15 Feb 2010

Obama administration to announce $975 million in health IT grants

The Obama administration is awarding $975 million in grants to help states and health care providers adopt health information technology. The grant money being announced Friday comes from the economic stimulus legislation passed by Congress last year and is part of the administration's push to get doctors, hospitals and others to move from paper to computerized record-keeping.

15 Feb 2010

Administration rejects Anthem Blue Cross' defense of premium hike

WellPoint Inc., the parent company of Anthem Blue Cross of California, is defending its rate hike for customers with individual health insurance, but critics, including the Obama administration, are dubious.

15 Feb 2010

Federal health care tax credits going unclaimed

"Federal healthcare benefits are going unclaimed by an estimated 17,000 Californians whose jobs were moved overseas or retirees whose pensions are being paid by the government after their former employers terminated their retirement plans," the Los Angeles Times reports."

15 Feb 2010

GOP looks to make its case at health summit while Democrats remain skeptical

Politico reports that the White House's Feb. 25 health care summit with Democrats and Republicans "gives the GOP a venue to accomplish something it hasn't been able to do since President Barack Obama took the oath of office: Sell voters on Republican solutions to big problems." But Republicans have so far failed to capitalize because of the lack of a visible figure to champion their causes.

14 Feb 2010

Both parties see benefit of selling insurance across state lines, but they disagree on how to do it

With efforts to pass a national health care bill at a stalemate in Washington, two newspaper explore some of the options. The New York Times reports: "As Republicans and Democrats claim to be searching for common ground in the health care debate, one idea that lawmakers on both sides seem to agree on is that health insurance should be sold across state lines.

14 Feb 2010

Biden promises to listen to GOP's health care ideas, but some Republicans are not convinced

The health care reform legislation may have been eclipsed recently by the jobs bill and the war in Afghanistan for top billing on the Sunday morning news shows. But Democrats and Republicans still found time to push their positions on health policy Sunday.

14 Feb 2010

Anthem Blue Cross postpones California rate hike

The Los Angeles Times: - "Under pressure from state regulators, Anthem Blue Cross has agreed to postpone its controversial rate increases of up to 39% for individual health insurance policies set for March 1. In an unusual conference call, California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner said Anthem executives told him Saturday morning that its March rate hike would not take effect before May 1 for 800,000 individual policyholders in the state" (Lifsher, 2/13).

14 Feb 2010

Today's OpEds: Republicans and Medicare, small business health costs and changes to FEHBP

Republican leaders are now saying they will not participate in the meeting unless the president takes his health reform plan off the table to start over. I understand their concerns with a variety of issues in the current bills, but where you start is not nearly as important as where you finish. After all, fees continue to skyrocket and millions remain uninsured, costing our country in many ways. ... There is no time like the present for Washington to show America that it is interested in governing, not just in campaigning. The cameras will be rolling, and we will be watching (Christine Todd Whitman, 2/12).

14 Feb 2010

2 Seattle doctors accused of Medicare fraud; CNN offers advice for patients on checking out their doctors

Two Seattle-area doctors are accused of stealing millions from Medicare through fraudulent billing. "In separate grand jury indictments filed in U.S. District Court, federal authorities contend both men followed identical schemes in setting up shell companies designed to defraud the Medicare system."

14 Feb 2010

COBRA extension out of revised Senate jobs bill

"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is rewriting a jobs bill after Democrats complained of too many concessions to Republicans," The Hill reports. Unlike the bill unveiled hours earlier by Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., Reid's measure "does not extend unemployment and COBRA benefits that many in both parties want." Some Democrats are concerned by the change.

14 Feb 2010

Critical Conditions wins Mom's Choice Awards for best health/safety book of 2010

Critical Conditions: The Essential Hospital Guide To Get Your Loved One Out Alive by author Martine Ehrenclou, MA, has been awarded its 14th book award by Mom's Choice Awards for best health/safety book of 2010. http://www.momschoiceawards.com/celebrate09.php

12 Feb 2010

Spanish-language media campaign increases number of QuitLine callers

It pays to advertise. It especially pays to advertise in Spanish if you want Spanish speakers to use a telephone helpline to quit smoking.

12 Feb 2010

Healthcare News

Texas whistle-blowing nurse is acquitted

Community Health Centers step in to provide care for newly uninsured

Wyoming lawkmaker pushes for reform, Mississippi Governor bans certain over-the-counter drugs

Benefits of NaviNet Insurer Connect to be studied in New Jersey

Pelosi relationship with Obama strained, Sen. Kyl and Wyden see hope for bipartisanship

Simplex Healthcare to implement comprehensive wellness program for employees

Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mich., Arizona plan Medicaid cuts; N.C.'s prison health costs

Polls: People like their own insurance but want reform, heart patients' cost worries

Obama administration to announce $975 million in health IT grants

Administration rejects Anthem Blue Cross' defense of premium hike

Federal health care tax credits going unclaimed

GOP looks to make its case at health summit while Democrats remain skeptical

Both parties see benefit of selling insurance across state lines, but they disagree on how to do it

Biden promises to listen to GOP's health care ideas, but some Republicans are not convinced

Anthem Blue Cross postpones California rate hike

Today's OpEds: Republicans and Medicare, small business health costs and changes to FEHBP

2 Seattle doctors accused of Medicare fraud; CNN offers advice for patients on checking out their doctors

COBRA extension out of revised Senate jobs bill

Critical Conditions wins Mom's Choice Awards for best health/safety book of 2010

Spanish-language media campaign increases number of QuitLine callers

Digital pathology and the PathoVerse: A conversation with Dr. Singh

Bioprocess Efficiency with Cell Density Monitoring

Exploring electron microscopy for plant and microbial imaging at the John Innes Centre

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