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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

Differences between Senate and House health bills increase

CNN reports that the Senate's public option "compromise appears to be a far cry from the government-backed public health care option offered in the House bill. The Senate's original health care bill included a public option similar to that of the House version.

10 Dec 2009

VISN 19 to deploy CliniComp’s Essentris Critical Care solution

CliniComp Intl., a global provider of clinical documentation systems, announced today that VA Rocky Mountain Network (VISN 19) selected CliniComp’s Essentris® Critical Care™ solution. VISN 19 will deploy CliniComp’s clinical documentation application to enhance patient care and safety.

10 Dec 2009

Department of Veterans Affairs renews license for QuadraMed's HIM and Revenue Cycle Management solution

QuadraMed® Corporation, today announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs has renewed its annual Task Order contract under its existing Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA), with a value of approximately $24 million for the current option period.

10 Dec 2009

Health IT investments continue as security experts express concern

As the federal government prepares to invest up to $34 billion in health information technology and develop a plan to oversee it that includes special measures to protect privacy, a rash of news stories about e-health security breaches has raised questions, Modern Healthcare reports.

10 Dec 2009

St. Vincent's Medical Center ensures OSHA compliance with Streamline Health's workflow solution

Streamline Health Solutions, Inc. a leading provider of document workflow solutions for hospitals, today announced that St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport, Connecticut, has selected Streamline Health to provide a workflow solution to ensure compliance with OSHA Voluntary Protection Programs.

10 Dec 2009