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Aetna ends two Medicare advantage programs while a Medicare experiment grabs attention

A health insurer ends two Medicare Advantage programs in Connecticut, while providers nationwide examine a Medicare demonstration program in Texas.

14 Oct 2009

Global food price increases are 'realistic possibility,' FAO says at high-level forum

There is a "realistic possibility" that the world could see a repeat of the 2007-2008 upsurge in food prices that "caused a sharp rise in the number of hungry people around the world," the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Monday at a forum of experts who are meeting in Rome through Tuesday, Reuters reports. "Food commodities prices are likely to stay high and volatile in the medium term," according to the FAO.

14 Oct 2009

Today's selection of opinions and editorials

"Yes, we are going to crack down on health insurance company abuses and extend health insurance coverage. But, just as important, we are going to give our citizens access to a 21st century health care system — one that is focused on preventing obesity and disease, and helping us to live healthy, active, productive lives" (Sen. Tom Harkin, 10/12).

14 Oct 2009

New ambulatory EMR and practice management solution from HMS

Healthcare Management Systems, Inc. ® (HMS) will launch a new, proprietary ambulatory electronic medical record and practice management solution called HMS Ambulatory EMR this month.

14 Oct 2009

Department of Veterans Affairs selects Aquilent for health IT support

Aquilent, the recognized leading provider of Web-based solutions shaping the next generation of technology for the federal government, today announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has chosen Aquilent for two health IT support contracts valued at more than $2.7M combined. Under the terms of the contracts, Aquilent will provide healthcare revenue data migration and health risk assessment solutions.

14 Oct 2009

Timely and individualized publicly funded therapy denied to children with autism

With October being Autism Awareness Month in Canada, Ontarians should be aware of the increasingly large gaps in services for children with autism in this province.

14 Oct 2009

States eye budget cuts and health reform

Pennsylvania's hospitals got a small piece of good news when an overdue budget came with smaller than expected cuts. But there and in other states, programs continue to find programs and budgets on the chopping block.

14 Oct 2009

Studies examine H1N1 treatment, outcome differences in Mexico, Canada

New studies suggest that "[d]eveloping countries with limited access to advanced health-care facilities may be in for a rough ride with swine [H1N1] flu and even countries with high-tech ICUs may find themselves pushed to the limit as their hospitals struggle to save gravely ill H1N1 patients," the Canadian Press reports.

14 Oct 2009

Social networking sites can empower consumers to make informed decisions and improve quality of life

Can social networking sites help people make wise health decisions? A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research says it depend on people's willingness to take action on the information they gain from the sites.

14 Oct 2009

NIH awards $2.2m grant to Smiths Detection to develop a test for multiple types of influenza

Smiths Detection today announces the award of a $2.2m, two-year grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), to develop a test for multiple types of influenza.

14 Oct 2009

NIH awards Gladstone Institute consortium $3.7M for Huntington's disease research

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a "Grand Opportunity" grant of $3.7 million to a consortium formed with the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND) and the Taube-Koret Center for Huntington's Disease Research to use stem cell technology to better understand Huntington's disease (HD) and to develop potential therapies.

14 Oct 2009

AHIP supports bipartisan health care reform that covers all Americans

"We strongly support comprehensive, bipartisan health care reform that covers all Americans, improves quality, and puts the health care system on an affordable, sustainable path. Health plans have proposed guaranteed coverage, elimination of pre-existing condition exclusions, and no longer basing premiums on health status or gender. Experience in the states has shown that market reforms need to paired with universal coverage to make health care as affordable as possible.

14 Oct 2009

African leaders, Chirac unite to fight fake drug manufacturing, distribution

Leaders from Benin, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Congo-Republic, Niger and Senegal on Monday joined former French President Jacques Chirac in Cotonou, Benin, in a campaign against the manufacturing and sale of fake pharmaceutical products, Reuters reports (Lewis, 10/12).

14 Oct 2009

BRIC nations spend $500 billion in 2009 for health care despite economic downturn

According to Millennium Research Group (MRG), the global authority on medical technology market intelligence, sustained economic growth since 2003 in Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC) has enabled massive increases in health care expenditures with an astounding $500 billion spent in 2009 alone.

14 Oct 2009

Ahead of key Committee vote, Democrats attack insurers' claim that health premiums will rise

White House officials and Democratic lawmakers are fighting assertions from insurers that the Senate Finance Committee health bill would push health insurance premiums higher.

14 Oct 2009

Automotive technology used to develop a high tech medical tool

Research at the University of Warwick have taken high tech gas sensors normally used to test components for premium cars and applied the same techniques to human blood, human urine, and even cow dung samples from local cow pats.

14 Oct 2009

Bioluminescence imaging distinguishes tumor growth in vivo; leads to early treatment of eye cancer

At the moment, doctors rely on biopsy analysis to determine the progression of eye cancer. However, researchers now believe that a new technology, bioluminescence imaging (BLI), will allow doctors to detect tumors earlier and quickly choose a method of treatment that doesn't necessarily involve eye surgery.

14 Oct 2009

Consumer reports survey shows health plans get lukewarm response

A recent survey shows health insurance plans get "lukewarm" responses while other articles examine how to choose a good plan. The Washington Post reports: "Consumers aren't that enthralled with their current insurance to begin with. In a recent Consumer Reports survey, only 64 percent of readers said they were very or completely satisfied with their plan. That's a lukewarm response and a slight drop from the 67 percent who responded the same way in CR's 2007 report."

14 Oct 2009

Core administrative costs in Medicaid plans decreases by 1.4% in 2008: SEER study

Core per member administrative costs in Medicaid plans decreased by 1.4% in 2008, compared with 8.2% in 2007. Adjusting for changes in product mix, administrative expenses grew by 1.4% in 2008 compared with 4.2% in 2007.

14 Oct 2009

Used hotel soaps help prevent disease in developing countries

The Associated Press/Washington Post profiled the efforts of Atlanta-based Derreck Kayongo, a Ugandan "anti-poverty advocate." Kayongo has launched "the Global Soap Project, an effort to help his country's poorest - one used bar of hotel soap at a time," the AP/Washington Post writes.

14 Oct 2009

Medical News

Aetna ends two Medicare advantage programs while a Medicare experiment grabs attention

Global food price increases are 'realistic possibility,' FAO says at high-level forum

Today's selection of opinions and editorials

New ambulatory EMR and practice management solution from HMS

Department of Veterans Affairs selects Aquilent for health IT support

Timely and individualized publicly funded therapy denied to children with autism

States eye budget cuts and health reform

Studies examine H1N1 treatment, outcome differences in Mexico, Canada

Social networking sites can empower consumers to make informed decisions and improve quality of life

NIH awards $2.2m grant to Smiths Detection to develop a test for multiple types of influenza

NIH awards Gladstone Institute consortium $3.7M for Huntington's disease research

AHIP supports bipartisan health care reform that covers all Americans

African leaders, Chirac unite to fight fake drug manufacturing, distribution

BRIC nations spend $500 billion in 2009 for health care despite economic downturn

Ahead of key Committee vote, Democrats attack insurers' claim that health premiums will rise

Automotive technology used to develop a high tech medical tool

Bioluminescence imaging distinguishes tumor growth in vivo; leads to early treatment of eye cancer

Consumer reports survey shows health plans get lukewarm response

Core administrative costs in Medicaid plans decreases by 1.4% in 2008: SEER study

Used hotel soaps help prevent disease in developing countries

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

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