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Minnesota Health Care Group to launch pilot 'pay-for-performance' initiative to reduce treatment costs for depression

The Buyers Health Care Action Group, a health care purchasing coalition in Minnesota for large employers, on Wednesday announced a pay-for-performance pilot program that will reward physicians who effectively treat depressed patients, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

30 May 2008

Maine Democratic Rep. Allen proposes mix of public, private health plans to achieve universal coverage

U.S. Rep. Tom Allen (D-Maine) on Wednesday announced a health care proposal that would aim to provide health coverage for all U.S. residents using a combination of public and private plans, the Portland Press Herald reports. Allen is running against sitting Sen. Susan Collins (R).

30 May 2008

Consumers Union to launch hospital ratings service

Consumers Union, the not-for-profit group that publishes Consumer Reports magazine, plans to offer a new online service that will rate hospitals, the Wall Street Journal reports.

30 May 2008

Report ranks Aetna, Cigna most efficient, accurate among health insurers in reimbursements to physicians

Aetna ranked first among 130 large health insurers in efficiency and accuracy in reimbursements to physicians, and Cigna ranked second, according to a report scheduled for release on Thursday by Athenahealth, the Wall Street Journal reports.

30 May 2008

Sen. Kennedy to introduce bill to revise national cancer act

Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), who recently was diagnosed with brain cancer, previously had begun work on legislation that would revise the 1971 National Cancer Act, and supporters hope that the "fact that Kennedy has fallen victim to this disease will generate public support and lend new urgency to the need to update the bill," the AP/Chicago Tribune reports.

30 May 2008

Maine Democratic Rep. Allen proposes mix of public, private health plans to achieve universal coverage

30 May 2008

South Carolina House fails to override veto of cigarette tax increase that would have funded health care programs

The South Carolina House on Tuesday failed to override Gov. Mark Sanford's (R) veto of legislation that would have increased the state cigarette tax to expand health care coverage for low-income residents, the Columbia State reports (O'Connor, Columbia State, 5/28).

30 May 2008

NewYork-Presbyterian ranks top in U.S. News children's hospital survery

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is the only New York hospital to rank in all seven clinical areas reported in the 2008 U.S.News & World Report "America's Best Children's Hospitals" issue. The Hospital also ranks among the top 10 nationally in three categories: Neonatal Care (#4), Heart & Heart Surgery (#6) and Digestive Disorders (#8).

30 May 2008

Cancer survivors are living "in limbo" with unmet needs for care

Many long-term survivors of cancer are not receiving the necessary symptom management that they require to help them live with the consequences of their disease, its treatment, or both, according to a leading professor of palliative medicine.

28 May 2008

CQ's Carey discusses Medicare legislation, Medicaid regulations, bipartisan health care summit

Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat, discusses Senate Democrats' plans to craft legislation that would stop a scheduled reduction in Medicare physician payments; a provision in a supplemental war spending bill that would block for one year new Medicaid regulations; and a bicameral, bipartisan health policy summit set for June in this week's "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ."

28 May 2008

Hospitals hire 'nocturnists' to improve patient care during night, weekend hours, Wall Street Journal reports

The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday examined how some hospitals have begun "taking steps to improve safety and reduce their own legal liability from mishaps" that occur during "thinly staffed" night and weekend shifts, when patients "suffer higher rates of death, complications and medical errors."

28 May 2008

CMS approves Pennsylvania Medicaid Waiver Program to help residents with autism

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) on Thursday announced that CMS earlier this month granted approval of a waiver program that allows the state to allocate part of its federal Medicaid funds toward services for adult residents with autism, the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

28 May 2008

AARP to work with Hollywood to include health care issues in viewing

AARP's Divided We Fail campaign will work with more than 500 Hollywood writers and producers to include messages about health care in the story lines of popular television shows and movies, the groups planned to announce Wednesday, USA Today reports.

28 May 2008

Federal Judge prevents 'sneaky attempt' by Bush administration to implement Medicaid rule, editorial states

Judge James Robertson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Friday "slapped down a sneaky attempt by the Bush administration to impose an onerous Medicaid regulation despite the clear intent of Congress that it be deferred," according to a New York Times editorial.

28 May 2008

SEC says companies must allow shareholders to vote on universal health coverage proposal

The Securities and Exchange Commission, in a reversal of a previous position, has told companies that they cannot exclude a health care proposal from proxy materials provided to shareholders, the New York Times reports.

28 May 2008

Medical errors - Is healthcare getting worse or better?

Most would say worse. And one of the many reasons is medical errors. Most Americans say the quality of care has not improved, and dissatisfaction among patients and caregivers has increased. The perceptions exist despite the efforts across the country to reduce medical errors.

28 May 2008

Netherlands bears part of the costs of ageing in other EU countries

Countries in the European Union with fully funded pension schemes, such as the Netherlands, will in the long term bear part of the burden of an ageing population in countries operating a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) system.

27 May 2008

Digital Healthcare appointed to major NHS Framework contract

NHS Connecting for Health, on behalf of the NHS, has appointed Digital Healthcare to the NHS Additional Supply Capability & Capacity (ASCC) Framework following open competition bids to provide additional capacity and capability in the supply of IT products and services to the NHS.

27 May 2008

Americans believe wounded Iraq war veterans generally neglected

As part of the ongoing poll series, Debating Health: Election 2008, a recent survey by the Harvard Opinion Research Program at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and Harris Interactive finds that a majority of Americans (62%) believe that wounded Iraq war veterans do not receive high quality care in military and Veteran's Administration (VA) hospitals once they return to the U.S. Similar majorities feel that veterans requiring rehabilitation care and mental health care do not receive high quality care (62% and 65% respectively).

26 May 2008

FDA will monitor medical records of Medicare beneficiaries to identify potential prescription drug, medical device safety problems

HHS on Thursday announced the creation of a new program that will allow FDA, state agencies and academic researchers to use medical record data to ensure drugs and medical devices are safe for consumers after they enter the market, the Washington Post reports (Stein, Washington Post, 5/23).

25 May 2008

Healthcare News

Minnesota Health Care Group to launch pilot 'pay-for-performance' initiative to reduce treatment costs for depression

Maine Democratic Rep. Allen proposes mix of public, private health plans to achieve universal coverage

Consumers Union to launch hospital ratings service

Report ranks Aetna, Cigna most efficient, accurate among health insurers in reimbursements to physicians

Sen. Kennedy to introduce bill to revise national cancer act

Maine Democratic Rep. Allen proposes mix of public, private health plans to achieve universal coverage

South Carolina House fails to override veto of cigarette tax increase that would have funded health care programs

NewYork-Presbyterian ranks top in U.S. News children's hospital survery

Cancer survivors are living "in limbo" with unmet needs for care

CQ's Carey discusses Medicare legislation, Medicaid regulations, bipartisan health care summit

Hospitals hire 'nocturnists' to improve patient care during night, weekend hours, Wall Street Journal reports

CMS approves Pennsylvania Medicaid Waiver Program to help residents with autism

AARP to work with Hollywood to include health care issues in viewing

Federal Judge prevents 'sneaky attempt' by Bush administration to implement Medicaid rule, editorial states

SEC says companies must allow shareholders to vote on universal health coverage proposal

Medical errors - Is healthcare getting worse or better?

Netherlands bears part of the costs of ageing in other EU countries

Digital Healthcare appointed to major NHS Framework contract

Americans believe wounded Iraq war veterans generally neglected

FDA will monitor medical records of Medicare beneficiaries to identify potential prescription drug, medical device safety problems

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