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Georgia insurance commissioner launches inquiry into out-of-network payments

Georgia Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine (R) has ordered 18 insurers that operate in Georgia to report how they establish reimbursement rates for out-of-network services, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

6 Apr 2009

Minorities more likely than others in California to be uninsured, families USA Survey finds

Minorities in California are more likely than others to be uninsured in the last two years, according to a Families USA survey released last week, the Los Angeles Times reports.

6 Apr 2009

Senate unlikely to vote on Gov. Sebelius' nomination as HHS Secretary until later this month

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D), President Obama's choice for HHS secretary, "sailed through" a Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing on Thursday, but the Senate likely will not take up the nomination until later this month because of objections for an immediate vote by several Republican members, the New York Times reports (Pear, New York Times, 4/3).

5 Apr 2009

Congress approves budget resolutions

The House and Senate on Thursday approved their respective versions of the fiscal year 2010 budget resolution (HConRes85, SConRes13), both of which include deficit-neutral reserve funds for health care, CongressDaily reports (Sanchez/Friedman, CongressDaily, 4/3).

5 Apr 2009

Congressional progressive caucus issues letter stating majority of members will only support health reform that includes public plan option

A majority of members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus will not support any health reform legislation that does not include a public plan option, according to a letter sent on Thursday by CPC co-chairs Reps. Lynn Woosley (D-Calif.) and Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) to Democratic leaders in the House and Senate, Roll Call reports (Bendery, Roll Call, 4/2).

5 Apr 2009

More large employers offer chronic disease management programs to reduce health care costs

Eighty percent of large U.S. companies this year are offering chronic disease management programs for workers in an effort to reduce health care costs, up from 51% last year, according to a new survey by Hewitt Associates, the Houston Chronicle reports.

5 Apr 2009

Massachusetts spent $793.7 million in FY 2008 on health coverage for employees of large businesses, report finds

The cost of providing subsidized health coverage to Massachusetts residents and their families who work for large companies increased by 24.6% to $793.7 million in the last fiscal year, according to a state Division of Health Care Finance and Policy report released on Wednesday, the Boston Globe reports.

5 Apr 2009

About 500,000 Californians have lost health insurance during recession

About 500,000 working-age Californians have lost their health insurance since the economic recession began in November 2007, according to a report the University of California-Berkeley's Center for Labor Research and Education released Wednesday, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

5 Apr 2009

Critics say Louisiana proposal to penalize doctors not meeting standards provides wrong type of incentive

A Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals proposal to implement performance standards for physicians who care for low-income residents has come under criticism from child care advocates who say the program will lead doctors to stop participating in the state's CommunityCARE program, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports.

5 Apr 2009

Seattle not-for-profits awaiting stimulus funds to continue providing health care, other services to ethnic communities

Many Seattle not-for-profits that provide health care and other services to ethnic communities "are eagerly awaiting" the distribution of funds from the economic stimulus package, the Northwest Asian Weekly reports (Nguyen, Northwest Asian Weekly, 4/2).

5 Apr 2009

Getting the word out when the need for speed is critical to public health

When the need for speed is critical, how can a public health department communicate with doctors and hospitals, sending alerts to help prevent or stop a public health crisis? How can thousands of health-care providers be notified about disease outbreaks, illness from food borne contaminants or even a possible pandemic?

4 Apr 2009

One out of five Medicare patients readmitted to hospital within a month

When a patient is discharged from the hospital, just about the last thing he or she wants is to be back in again within the next month.

1 Apr 2009

Compassion fatigue: Impact on healthcare providers of caring for the terminally ill

Compassion fatigue in nurses, doctors and other front line cancer-care providers significantly impacts how they interact with patients, with patient families, with other healthcare workers, and with their own family, according to analysis by Indiana University School of Medicine and Regenstrief Institute researchers published in the March issue of the Journal of Health Psychology.

1 Apr 2009

One of five hospitalized Medicare patients readmitted to hospital within 30 days

One of five Medicare beneficiaries discharged from the hospital is readmitted within 30 days, and half of non-surgical patients are readmitted to the hospital without having seen an outpatient doctor in follow-up, according to a Commonwealth Fund-supported study in today's New England Journal of Medicine.

1 Apr 2009

Brightly coloured uniforms improve perceptions of hospital nurses among children and parents

Putting hospital nurses in brightly coloured, unconventional uniforms makes children more comfortable and parents more confident, according to a study in the April issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

1 Apr 2009

What patients really think of intensive care unit follow-up services

Former patients believe that intensive care unit (ICU) follow-up services are important for their physical, emotional and psychological recovery.

1 Apr 2009

Hospital-to-hospital health information exchange begins

LifeBridge Health has begun an electronic exchange of health information between its two hospitals, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore and Northwest Hospital, and Saint Agnes Hospital, a community hospital with an overlapping service area.

1 Apr 2009

Higher hospital safety rating not associated with lower risk of in-hospital death

Hospitals that reported higher scores on measures of safe practices did not have a significantly lower rate of in-hospital deaths compared to hospitals that reported lower scores on these measures, according to a study in the April 1 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

1 Apr 2009

Minorities underrepresented in New York state physician workforce, study finds

Few minorities in New York state are entering the health care field despite an increase in the number of minorities moving there, according to a study recently published by the University at Albany's Center for Health Workforce Studies, the Albany Times Union reports.

31 Mar 2009

California stimulus funding not enough to stave off cuts to some health care services

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Friday signed five bills into law that allow California to receive more than $17.5 billion in federal economic stimulus aid, but the funding will not be enough for the state to avoid $3 billion in tax increases and cuts to services to balance its budget, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

31 Mar 2009

Healthcare News

Georgia insurance commissioner launches inquiry into out-of-network payments

Minorities more likely than others in California to be uninsured, families USA Survey finds

Senate unlikely to vote on Gov. Sebelius' nomination as HHS Secretary until later this month

Congress approves budget resolutions

Congressional progressive caucus issues letter stating majority of members will only support health reform that includes public plan option

More large employers offer chronic disease management programs to reduce health care costs

Massachusetts spent $793.7 million in FY 2008 on health coverage for employees of large businesses, report finds

About 500,000 Californians have lost health insurance during recession

Critics say Louisiana proposal to penalize doctors not meeting standards provides wrong type of incentive

Seattle not-for-profits awaiting stimulus funds to continue providing health care, other services to ethnic communities

Getting the word out when the need for speed is critical to public health

One out of five Medicare patients readmitted to hospital within a month

Compassion fatigue: Impact on healthcare providers of caring for the terminally ill

One of five hospitalized Medicare patients readmitted to hospital within 30 days

Brightly coloured uniforms improve perceptions of hospital nurses among children and parents

What patients really think of intensive care unit follow-up services

Hospital-to-hospital health information exchange begins

Higher hospital safety rating not associated with lower risk of in-hospital death

Minorities underrepresented in New York state physician workforce, study finds

California stimulus funding not enough to stave off cuts to some health care services

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

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