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Global rules barring TB patients from flying are too stringent, study says

A "controversial" study, released on Sunday, "suggests international rules that bar potentially infectious tuberculosis patients from flying are too stringent and airline passengers are really at little risk from catching TB from a fellow traveler," the Associated Press/Washington Post reports. The paper is being published in the March edition of Lancet Infectious Diseases (Stobbe, 2/21).

23 Feb 2010

KHN column - Malpractice Reform: A test case for bipartisanship at the health summit

In his latest Kaiser Health News column, done in collaboration with The New Republic, Jonathan Cohn writes: "Ever since President Barack Obama announced he'd be having a bipartisan meeting to talk about health care reform, Republicans have been denouncing it as a charade.

23 Feb 2010

Senate, FDA reports increasing concerns about controversial diabetes drug

"Hundreds of people taking Avandia, a controversial diabetes medicine, needlessly suffer heart attacks and heart failure each month, according to confidential government reports that recommend the drug be removed from the market ... ," The New York Times reports. "The internal F.D.A. reports are part of a fierce debate within the agency over what to do about Avandia, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline."

23 Feb 2010

Maine studies prospects for state reform efforts while N.Y. experience shows impact of guaranteeing access to coverage

In Maine, insurance regulators say measures aimed at expanding health coverage to more people in that state should wait for final action in Congress, The Associated Press/WBZ reports. A Maine report "released last week, stems from a 2009 law that asks the superintendent to review ways to improve the availability and affordability of Maine's individual health insurance market." In the report, the authors write that Maine's options to expand access and make coverage more affordable will depend on what Congress does.

22 Feb 2010

Ritter Pharmaceuticals to discuss lactose intolerance and associated health risks at NIH Conference

Ritter Pharmaceuticals, a company dedicated to helping individuals live a healthier and happier life style through improved digestion, announced today that it will join the leading lactose intolerance experts around the country at the NIH Consensus Development Conference for Lactose Intolerance and Health in Bethesda, Maryland from February 22-24.

22 Feb 2010

Obama's health plan to target insurers' rates

President Obama will propose a regulatory crack down on insurers' rate hikes this morning, as the administration seeks to set the stage for a week-long push to reinvigorate the health care debate, The New York Times reports.

22 Feb 2010

GOP plans to attend health summit as Obama calls for compromise

President Barack Obama warned during the weekend that both Republicans and Democrats should be careful not to turn this week's health care summit into "political theater" but to work to find "common ground" on the issues, The Washington Post reports. "The Thursday event, scheduled to be televised live on C-SPAN, could prove a pivotal moment in the year-long effort to overhaul the health-care system.

22 Feb 2010

Insurers rebut criticisms of profits, rates

As the Obama Administration seizes on a proposed 39-percent rate hike by a California insurer earlier this month to rally new support for a health overhaul, that insurer's top executive is preparing to go before Congress, The Associated Press/Los Angeles Times reports.

22 Feb 2010

Full text: Obama's health care proposal

Kaiser Health News reports the "proposal President Barack Obama will bring to his Thursday health 'summit' with Congressional leaders contains many of the ideas from the bills already passed by the Democratic House and Senate, including a mandate that individuals buy insurance and a promise to 'end discrimination' from pre-existing conditions."

22 Feb 2010

U.S. HealthWorks expands its footprint in Arizona by acquiring three healthcare centers

U.S. HealthWorks, a leading operator of occupational healthcare centers in the nation, today announced the acquisition of all three Tucson Occupational Medicine healthcare centers.

22 Feb 2010

VA focuses on female veterans' struggles, disability claims backlog

News outlets explore issues at the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is seeking to cut a backlog in disability claims and also address the needs of female veterans.

22 Feb 2010

Governors on health reform: 'We want in'

"Some governors, frustrated by halted federal efforts to overhaul the U.S. health-care system" and by lingering budget shortfalls deepened by rising health costs, "are introducing their own changes at the state level," The Wall Street Journal reports. While some states, such as Massachusetts, have already taken on health care, others, such as Colorado, Pennsylvania and Republican-led Utah, are now tackling the issues, including cost. "Some governors suggested they may be better equipped to work with one another on health care than congressional leaders who have been at an impasse over federal legislation" (Thiruvengadam, 2/22).

22 Feb 2010

First Edition: February 22, 2010

Peter Orszag, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, tells POLITICO that it is "absolutely" still possible to pass a comprehensive health reform bill, insisting that "to really reform the health care system" would be "best for the economy and the American public" (Politico).

22 Feb 2010

Elsevier to celebrate medical education innovation at 60th AMSA convention

Elsevier, the leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information, today announced it is celebrating medical education innovation at the American Medical Student Association's 60th Annual Convention, March 11-14, 2010, at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California.

22 Feb 2010

Weekly meal plan will help improve nutrition from ground up and aviod food waste

What America doesn't eat is becoming as concerning as what it does, and meal-planning tools from MealsMatter.org can help reduce food waste and build "Nutrition From the Ground Up," this year's National Nutrition Month® theme.

22 Feb 2010

StatCom chooses Arketi Group as agency to help elevate its corporate brand

Arketi Group, a high-tech business-to-business public relations and marketing firm, announced it has been selected by StatCom, www.statcom.com, which provides comprehensive patient throughput software solutions to hospitals, as its agency to help elevate the company's corporate brand.

22 Feb 2010

Axolotl has the most live HIE clients in acute-to-acute space, KLAS reports

Axolotl Corp. was identified as one of the early leading Health Information Exchange (HIE) solution providers with a fast-growing client base in the new KLAS report “Health Information Exchanges: The Reality of HIE Adoption.”

22 Feb 2010

Capitol Connection summit calls upon elected officials to recognize PAs' vital role in health care reform

Hundreds of physician assistants (PAs) will converge in Washington, D.C. on February 23 during the American Academy of Physician Assistants' Capitol Connection summit to deliver the message to Capitol Hill that PAs are integral to a strong health care system that delivers the highest possible care to patients.

22 Feb 2010

HHS Secretary reviews H1N1 response at NACCHO conference

Thank you, Tom. I also want to thank NACCHO for hosting this important conference and for inviting me to speak here today. Public health is a top priority for this administration. So is strengthening our partnerships across government. So I’m glad I could come talk with you about how we can work together to keep Americans healthy and safe.

22 Feb 2010

Survey shows nearly half of healthcare organizations already compliant with federal privacy laws

In a survey of more than 200 unique hospitals from across the US, nearly half of healthcare organizations (or 47.3 percent) believe their organization is already compliant with federal privacy laws such as ARRA HITECH and HIPAA and is audit ready.

22 Feb 2010