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Ethics guidelines for hand surgeons

The American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) Corporate Advisory Council recently gathered in Chicago to create the first ever, ethics guidelines, to be followed by hand surgeons.

11 Dec 2009

American Sentinel University offers new online healthcare degree programs for professionals

American Sentinel University (www.americansentinel.edu), an accredited online university that provides degree programs for professionals, announces two new online healthcare degree programs: Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics and Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) – Infection Prevention and Control specialization.

11 Dec 2009

FY2010 State and Foreign Ops bill expected to move on the Hill this month

The fiscal year 2010 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, which includes funding for global health-related measures, "is moving on the Hill as part of a mammoth catch-all spending bill that's expected to move through both chambers this month," Foreign Policy's blog, "The Cable," reports. "

10 Dec 2009

$6.5 million awarded to Esperanza Health Center for construction and renovation projects

President Obama announced yesterday nearly $600 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant awards to fund major construction and renovation projects at a total of 85 community health centers nationwide, including a $6.5 million award to Esperanza Health Center in North Philadelphia.

10 Dec 2009

Financial Times analyzes global approaches to debate over family planning

The Financial Times' Andrew Jack analyzes the debate over different approaches to family planning worldwide. According to Jack, there is a "growing worry that some developing countries have failed to follow the broader 'demographic transition' to lower fertility levels that has occurred in past decades in the western world and more recently across Latin America and much of Asia.

10 Dec 2009

Pelosi: Depending on Senate, House could work part of Christmas week

CQ Politics: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she wouldn't rule out keeping the House in session for part of Christmas week, if that could lead to final action this year on a health care overhaul. Right now, however, such a scenario appears unlikely." In the Senate, Democratic leaders are waiting for an updated Congressional Budget Office analysis -- a report not expected before next week -- that includes the most recent round of proposals to the bill they are considering.

10 Dec 2009

Psychologists can help people deal with anxiety and depression symptoms more effectively

From Thanksgiving to New Year's, there are many wishes for everyone to have a blissful and celebratory holiday season. But for many people, the holidays bring more misery than mirth, particularly at a time when the ailing economy can't seem to recover quickly enough and money worries remain on people's minds.

10 Dec 2009

MedPAC suggests recouping overpayments to hospitals

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission suggested Thursday that Congress should adjust what it pays hospitals for inpatient care in 2011 to recoup overpayments that have come from changes in documentation and coding used by Medicare, according to a report on Modern Healthcare.

10 Dec 2009

Michigan goes smoke-free

The Michigan Legislature today delivered a historic victory for health and the public's right to breathe clean air by passing legislation to make almost all workplaces, including all restaurants and bars, smoke-free. Gov. Jennifer Granholm has said she will sign the bill, which will make Michigan the 27th state to pass a strong smoke-free law that includes all restaurants and bars.

10 Dec 2009

Fewer Massachusetts taxpayers penalized for lacking health insurance

The Boston Globe: "Fewer Massachusetts taxpayers were penalized for lacking required health insurance last year than were fined in 2007, the state said yesterday in a report reflecting the second year that residents had to report on their tax returns whether they were covered under the state's near-universal-coverage mandate.

10 Dec 2009

Key Democratic Senators aren't yet committing to health bill

Some of the key players in the health care debate are featured in news articles today.

10 Dec 2009

Many questions remain on Medicare expansion proposal

The proposal to expand Medicare to include people aged 55 and older as part of an alternative to creating the public option may have expanded support for the Senate version of the overhaul bill, the Los Angeles Times reports.

10 Dec 2009

Medicare Advantage plans waste billions, report finds

Health insurance companies that offer private alternative Medicare plans, called Medicare Advantage, put billions of dollars toward profits and marketing rather than patient care, according to a report released Wednesday by House Democrats.

10 Dec 2009

Ford may use stocks to pay for retiree health fund

"The Labor Department said Wednesday that it would let the Ford Motor Company use stock instead of cash to pay some of the $13.1 billion that it owed to a new retiree health care fund, pending a period of public comment," The New York Times reports.

10 Dec 2009

Hospitals, insurers oppose health bill compromise on Medicare buy-in

Groups representing doctors and hospitals are coming out against the inclusion of a Medicare "buy-in" in the Senate health bill, The Washington Post reports. The groups joined Republicans in arguing "that a plan by liberal Democrats to allow uninsured individuals as young as 55 to buy into Medicare would be financially untenable and would jeopardize access to health-care services for millions of Americans."

10 Dec 2009

Senate Democrats express 'guarded optimism,' wariness on public option compromise

The New York Times: "Senate Democrats said on Wednesday that they were not sure exactly what was in a deal that the majority leader said would surmount a disagreement over a proposed government-run health plan. But they voiced guarded optimism that it would ultimately help them pass major health care legislation."

10 Dec 2009

Today's opinions and editorials: Public option, Catholic Bishops, nurses, Medicare

If we are to move forward, we must do a better job of providing policymakers, health care leaders and the public with the evidence showing the link between nursing care and patient safety. Any health care reform legislation must support the role of nurses in building a better system that provides the highest standard of care that is not only safer but is also likely to save money (Mary Nailer and Mark Paly, 12/10).

10 Dec 2009

Experts begin calculating Senate health bill impact on consumers

The Washington Post: "While confusion reigned on Capitol Hill on Wednesday over the prospects and details of a Senate deal to replace a government-run insurance plan with other measures, it is not too soon to ask what the proposal would mean for regular people."

10 Dec 2009

Drug importation takes center stage on Senate floor

Debate on a proposal that would make it easier to bring prescription drugs into the country from abroad is taking center stage on the Senate floor as part of the health care reform debate.

10 Dec 2009

Phytel’s Proactive Patient Outreach solution to be implemented at The Iowa Clinic

Phytel, the leader in empowering physicians to drive health improvement through technology, announced today that The Iowa Clinic, a large multispecialty group based in Des Moines, has agreed to implement Phytel’s Proactive Patient Outreach solution to make sure that all of its patients receive appropriate preventive and chronic disease care.

10 Dec 2009