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Insurance execs defend rate hikes before Congress

Lawmakers said Anthem Blue Cross, the California insurer that proposed raising premium rates for some individual policyholders by as much as 39 percent, sought to boost profits at the expense of its insured, the Los Angeles Times reports. During a congressional hearing Wednesday, "Democrats said internal documents from [Anthem's parent firm] WellPoint Inc. showed that proposed rate increases of as much as 39% for California customers who buy individual policies would 'return California to a profit of 7%.'"

25 Feb 2010

FDA may set patient safety regulations for health IT

The Huffington Post Investigative Fund: "In the past two years, the agency has received reports of six patient deaths and several dozen injuries linked to malfunctions in the systems, Jeffrey Shuren, director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in testimony prepared for a government hearing on Thursday. ... The FDA has been studying the issue for several years. Its latest concerns are surfacing as the government ramps up an ambitious plan to spend as much as $27 billion in stimulus money helping doctors and hospitals across the country purchase electronic medical records systems that rely on digital software rather than paper medical charts."

25 Feb 2010

Anthem Blue Cross will go forward with rate hikes, execs tell Calif. lawmakers

Anthem Blue Cross executives told California lawmakers Tuesday that they plan to go ahead with a rate hike of up to 39 percent for individual health insurance policies.

24 Feb 2010

Consumer Watchdog calls for public release of Blue Cross premium hike investigation documents

Consumer Watchdog today condemned Blue Cross's transfer of $2.8 billion to its parent company since 2007, including approximately $719.5 million in 2009 alone, as a way of hiding its true financial condition from regulators scrutinizing steep rate hikes. Consumer Watchdog said Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner should seize on the transfers to invalidate recent premium hikes and should make Blue Cross documents available for public scrutiny.

24 Feb 2010

Early implantation of cochlear devices in deaf children leads to better overall quality of life

Profoundly deaf children with cochlear implants to help them to hear rate their quality of life equal to their normal-hearing peers, according to new research from UT Southwestern Medical Center auditory specialists.

24 Feb 2010

FEHBP PBM contracts: HR 4489 to reduce fraud and grant OPM greater power to audit

The House Subcommittee for the Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia heard testimony today on HR 4489, the “FEHBP Prescription Drug Integrity, Transparency, and Cost Savings Act.” The proposed bill would reform many aspects of how the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) contracts with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to provide prescription drug benefits to federal workers.

24 Feb 2010

Genetic link between schizophrenia and autism may help study effectiveness of drugs for both illnesses

A genetic link between schizophrenia and autism is enabling researchers to study the effectiveness of drugs used to treat both illnesses.

24 Feb 2010

Head and neck tumors in close proximity to sensitive areas may lead to brain injury, visionary risk or hearing loss

When head and neck tumors - from sinus tumors to acoustic neuromas attached to the hearing and balance nerve at the base of the skull - are located in close proximity to such sensitive areas such as the brain and eyes, they are particularly dangerous due to possible brain injury, visionary risk or hearing loss.

23 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

Early Cochlear implantation removes word-learning skill defects in deaf children

Learning words may be facilitated by early exposure to auditory input, according to research presented by the Indiana University School of Medicine at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting in San Diego, Feb. 18-22.

22 Feb 2010

Cash-strapped school districts are making mistake by cutting music from K-12 curriculum: Neuroscientist

At an 11 a.m. press briefing, Saturday, Feb. 20, at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting, a Northwestern University neuroscientist will argue that music training has profound effects that shape the sensory system and should be a mainstay of K-12 education.

22 Feb 2010

Let babies sleep: Napping supports abstract learning

Anyone who grew up in a large family likely remembers hearing "Don't wake the baby." While it reinforces the message to older kids to keep it down, research shows that sleep also is an important part of how infants learn more about their new world.

22 Feb 2010

GSI Group announces preliminary fourth-quarter fiscal 2009 bookings and cash balance

GSI Group Inc. today reported preliminary bookings for its fourth fiscal quarter of 2009 and its cash position at the end of the fourth quarter, December 31, 2009:

20 Feb 2010

National poll examines public health response to anthrax attack

In a national poll aimed at helping with planning efforts for a public health response to a possible bioterrorism attack, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have found that, in response to a fictional scenario describing a significant anthrax attack in their city or town, most Americans (89%) will likely follow public health recommendations to obtain prophylactic antibiotics.

20 Feb 2010

AMICAS postpones Special Meeting of Stockholders to vote on pending merger agreement

AMICAS, Inc., a leader in image and information management solutions, today announced that it will convene and adjourn its Special Meeting of Stockholders to consider and vote on the pending merger agreement with an affiliate of Thoma Bravo, LLC.

18 Feb 2010

Ear candles can cause serious injuries, warns FDA

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers to steer clear of ear candles -- hollow cones that are about 10 inches long and made from a fabric tube soaked in beeswax, paraffin, or a mixture of the two.

18 Feb 2010

Deaf and hard-of-hearing patients seeking treatment at OIP to receive interpreters for effective communication

Patients who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, who seek treatment at the Orthopedic Institute of Pennsylvania, will receive qualified interpreters when needed for effective communication as required by federal law under a Settlement Agreement reached with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

18 Feb 2010

Hearing News and Research

Insurance execs defend rate hikes before Congress

FDA may set patient safety regulations for health IT

Anthem Blue Cross will go forward with rate hikes, execs tell Calif. lawmakers

Consumer Watchdog calls for public release of Blue Cross premium hike investigation documents

Early implantation of cochlear devices in deaf children leads to better overall quality of life

FEHBP PBM contracts: HR 4489 to reduce fraud and grant OPM greater power to audit

Genetic link between schizophrenia and autism may help study effectiveness of drugs for both illnesses

Head and neck tumors in close proximity to sensitive areas may lead to brain injury, visionary risk or hearing loss

Insurers rebut criticisms of profits, rates

Early Cochlear implantation removes word-learning skill defects in deaf children

Cash-strapped school districts are making mistake by cutting music from K-12 curriculum: Neuroscientist

Let babies sleep: Napping supports abstract learning

GSI Group announces preliminary fourth-quarter fiscal 2009 bookings and cash balance

National poll examines public health response to anthrax attack

AMICAS postpones Special Meeting of Stockholders to vote on pending merger agreement

Ear candles can cause serious injuries, warns FDA

Deaf and hard-of-hearing patients seeking treatment at OIP to receive interpreters for effective communication

Sonova Holding AG anticipates organic sales growth of 17-18% for business year 2009/10

Taking zinc supplements reduces otitis media in healthy children: No clear evidence

Neuroimaging study may lead to new therapeutic treatments for stroke and hearing loss

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production

Exploring the G:Box and for high-quality imaging

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