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Medical travel is a cost-effective option for employers

In the quagmire of health care reform, with challenges to ensure quality, align costs with outcomes, and build incentives for consumers to shop for services, medical travel emerges as a solution that benefits employers, individuals and the U.S. health care system. BridgeHealth Medical, Inc. (www.BridgeHealthMedical.com), the nation’s premier provider of medical travel services, points to the expanded scope of domestic and international Centers of Excellence as the most compelling opportunities for accessing high quality care at lower cost, particularly for the under- or uninsured who need surgery.

2 Sep 2009

Mistrust of healthcare system could harm patients' health and raise overall health care costs

Mistrust among patients, providers and insurers could harm patients' health and raise overall health care costs, reports a new study.

2 Sep 2009

Financial rewards motivate America's workers to participate in wellness programs

America's workers will take greater responsibility for their health and participate in corporate wellness programs if there is a financial incentive, according to a survey released today by Virgin HealthMiles, a leading provider of health and productivity programs. Eighty nine percent of the 2,700 U.S. employees surveyed said financial rewards (e.g., cash, healthcare premium discounts) are important motivators for participating in wellness programs.

2 Sep 2009

Healthcare promises to be a sound investment

Amazing medical advancements are made almost every year and Americans are more health-conscious than they've ever been before. As a result, people are living longer lives. While that is unarguably a good thing, the combination of an aging population and new medical discoveries has created a huge demand for healthcare professionals.

2 Sep 2009

Expanding health centers to reach more patients will result in huge health care savings

Expanding health centers to reach an additional 20 million patients as part of national health reform would result in overall health care savings of $212 billion over the ten-year period 2010 to 2019, including federal Medicaid savings of $59 billion.

2 Sep 2009

The American Heart Association implements many community actions for preventing childhood obesity

The American Heart Association commends the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council for recommending a solid array of meaningful community actions in their new report Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity. Overweight children have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight adults.

2 Sep 2009

The Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Employers for Quality Health Care offer conditional support to health care reforms

The Michigan Chamber of Commerce has joined Employers for Quality Health Care, an unprecedented multi-state alliance of 20 state chambers of commerce and employer organizations formed to advocate for federal health care reforms that reduce costs, improve quality and extend coverage to more Americans - but not if it raises taxes, kill jobs or erodes employer-sponsored coverage.

2 Sep 2009

Patient perception of physician disclosure key to gaining trust

When reporting medical errors, patients' perceptions of their physicians' disclosure may be key to gaining their trust, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. However, a positive perception of the disclosure has little effect on the lawsuit risk a physician faces.

2 Sep 2009

Members of Independence Blue Cross will receive coverage for the administration costs of the H1N1 vaccine

In an effort to help keep members healthy and flu-free this year, Independence Blue Cross (IBC) will offer coverage for the administration costs of the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine when it becomes available. In addition IBC will continue to cover seasonal flu vaccine.

2 Sep 2009

Government, medical and community experts to discuss about prevention and detection of viral hepatitis

To address this public health challenge, government, medical and community experts will meet September 10-11 in Washington, D.C. to plan an improved national response to viral hepatitis. The conference "The Dawn of a New Era: Transforming our Domestic Response to Hepatitis B & C" will feature keynote addresses, panel discussions and scientific poster sessions focused on enhancing the prevention and detection of viral hepatitis and improving care for people who are already living with the disease.

2 Sep 2009

NCQA grants Wellness & Health Promotion accreditation to Gordian Health Solutions

Personal health coaching company Gordian Health Solutions, Inc. has received NCQA’s new Wellness & Health Promotion (WHP) Accreditation With Performance Reporting.

2 Sep 2009

Policymakers need to be educated on the radical difference between radiation therapy and diagnostic testing

Concerned members of the cancer community, including physicians, patient organizations and other care advocates, spoke out today in opposition to a proposed federal policy under consideration by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that would lump life-saving radiation therapy in with diagnostic testing services in receiving major Medicare funding cuts.

2 Sep 2009

Healthcare reform bill should overhaul the current litigation-based system, says Michigan physicians

Michigan physicians disagree with the healthcare reform package proposed by the Obama administration.

2 Sep 2009

Liberal hospice insurance benefits improve health care for patients with advanced illnesses

Patients with advanced illnesses more than doubled their use of hospice care when a major national health plan made hospice care more readily accessible, according to the results of a comparative study published in Journal of Palliative Medicine, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.(www.liebertpub.com).

2 Sep 2009

VisionShare joins select group of EHNAC HNAP-accredited organizations

Health IT connectivity leader VisionShare® Inc. announces it has achieved full accreditation with the Healthcare Network Accreditation Program (HNAP) from the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC). EHNAC’s HNAP accreditation recognizes excellence in health data processing and transactions and indicates compliance with industry-established standards and HIPAA regulations.

2 Sep 2009

White paper stresses the need for healthy living and prevention to be included in healthcare reform

Healthy living and pharmacy Expert and Commentator Marc Isaacson, CEO of Village Green Apothecary, the leading integrative pharmacy in the United States, announced today the release of their white paper, which provides a statistical analysis that explains why healthy living and prevention should be included, if not the focus of Healthcare Reform.

2 Sep 2009

Health care providers can register online for H1N1 influenza vaccines

Health care providers may now pre-register online if they are interested in receiving pandemic H1N1 influenza vaccines and supplies when those materials become available, the Pennsylvania Department of Health said today.

2 Sep 2009

Union leaders hope to restore relevance in push for health reform

"The man expected to become the AFL-CIO's next president said Monday that lawmakers would pay a political price if they abandon a government-run option in any health care overhaul. 'We need to be a labor movement that stands by our friends, punishes its enemies and challenges those who, well, can't seem to decide which side they're on,' said Richard Trumka, currently the AFL-CIO's secretary-treasurer."

2 Sep 2009

Study: Retail clinics offer quality care

Retail walk-in medical clinics offer quality care, according to a new study. U.S. News & World Report reports: "Writing in the Sept. 1 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, study author Dr. Ateev Mehrotra said that retail clinics — which are typically staffed by nurse practitioners and found in drug stores and other retail chain stores such as Target and Wal-Mart — provide a good standard of care for sore throat, ear infections and urinary tract infections. Mehrotra is an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and a policy analyst at Rand Health."

2 Sep 2009

Single-dose H1N1 vaccine wins approval in China

The Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech Ltd. on Monday announced its H1N1 (swine) flu vaccine won the approval of a panel of experts from China's State Food and Drug Administration, the Associated Press/Forbes reports. The company expects to obtain a production license later this week. According to the company, clinical trials of the H1N1 vaccine showed a single shot produced an immune response capable of protecting against H1N1 (8/31).

2 Sep 2009

Healthcare News

Medical travel is a cost-effective option for employers

Mistrust of healthcare system could harm patients' health and raise overall health care costs

Financial rewards motivate America's workers to participate in wellness programs

Healthcare promises to be a sound investment

Expanding health centers to reach more patients will result in huge health care savings

The American Heart Association implements many community actions for preventing childhood obesity

The Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Employers for Quality Health Care offer conditional support to health care reforms

Patient perception of physician disclosure key to gaining trust

Members of Independence Blue Cross will receive coverage for the administration costs of the H1N1 vaccine

Government, medical and community experts to discuss about prevention and detection of viral hepatitis

NCQA grants Wellness & Health Promotion accreditation to Gordian Health Solutions

Policymakers need to be educated on the radical difference between radiation therapy and diagnostic testing

Healthcare reform bill should overhaul the current litigation-based system, says Michigan physicians

Liberal hospice insurance benefits improve health care for patients with advanced illnesses

VisionShare joins select group of EHNAC HNAP-accredited organizations

White paper stresses the need for healthy living and prevention to be included in healthcare reform

Health care providers can register online for H1N1 influenza vaccines

Union leaders hope to restore relevance in push for health reform

Study: Retail clinics offer quality care

Single-dose H1N1 vaccine wins approval in China

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