Healthcare News

RSS

Senate confirms Benjamin as surgeon general

The Senate confirmed Alabama doctor Regina Benjamin as surgeon general Thursday night. Her confirmation, which was approved with a voice vote, comes at a critical time as the nation deals with a swine flu emergency.

30 Oct 2009

Wellness programs can be costly, but have proven successful at one corporation

Wellness and prevention programs, part of the health care legislation moving through Congress, are not easy to implement but at least one corporation says they are cost-effective.

30 Oct 2009

Health industry stakeholders focus on pain, not gain

Businesses, including medical device makers, insurers and pharmaceutical companies are bracing for tax and fee provisions in the House health care reform bill.

30 Oct 2009

Obama woos small business to support health reform

Obama told small business owners Thursday that Democrats' health reform plans would mean million of their peers would get new tax credits to help pay for insurance and that the smallest firms could save around 25 percent on insurance costs through new exchanges, BusinessWeek reports. In addition to the president's speech to business people in Washington, the White House published a report pitching those and other benefits. It places the number of businesses in line for tax credits at 3.6 million (Tozzi, 10/29).

30 Oct 2009

House Democrats hail, grumble about health reform bill

News outlets detailed the House health care reform bill and reaction from members. The Congressional Budget Office estimated its net cost to be $894 billion over 10 years.

30 Oct 2009

60 Plus Association calls upon Sen. Lieberman not to support any bill which cuts Medicare

Today, the 60 Plus Association released a new TV ad targeting Senator Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.). The ad features members of our Greatest Generation begging Sen. Lieberman not to cut Medicare to pay for health care reform. The :30 second TV ad will run in conjunction with a :60 second ad that began airing on Wednesday.

30 Oct 2009

State watch: Virginia's pharmacy for mentally ill, Michigan dental care lawsuit, Rhode Island insurers

In today's state watch, Virginia plans to close a pharmacy for the mentally ill, Medicaid patients in Michigan are suing over dental care and Rhode Island reports that insurers remain relatively healthy.

30 Oct 2009

House GOP's "Better ideas" remain under wraps

"House Republicans said the newly released Democratic health care reform bill would create an expensive government-run heath care system paid for by those who could least afford it, but they declined to say whether they would introduce a conference alternative," Roll Call reports.

30 Oct 2009

New York and Louisiana crack down on Medicaid fraud

The New York Times reports on unlikely Medicaid fraud suspects including a Manhattan painter and mime with properties in the Hamptons, a freelance artist whose two Manhattan apartments are valued at more than $1 million each and a dentist in the Bronx, all "were among 11 people indicted recently on charges that they fraudulently obtained Medicaid benefits.

30 Oct 2009

CDC study finds swine flu may have infected as many as 5.7 million Americans

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released new swine flue estimates that suggest the number of people affected by the disease is much greater than the 43,677 cases confirmed earlier.

30 Oct 2009

Today's opinions and editorials

The legislation on the table isn't perfect, but it's as good as anyone could reasonably have expected. History is about to be made — and everyone has to decide which side they're on (Paul Krugman, 10/29).

30 Oct 2009

Aetna’s Medicare Advantage members to benefit from agreement with WellStar Health System

Aetna and WellStar Health System of Marietta, Ga. announced today that they have reached agreement on a three-year contract that provides access for Aetna’s Medicare Advantage members to the hospital’s facilities and physicians.

30 Oct 2009

Explaining the new House bill

Several news outlets have explainers on the House bill, which was unveiled yesterday.

30 Oct 2009

Government to decide on payment for doctors who use medical-imaging

The government is weighing whether to cut Medicare payments to physicians who use medical-imaging machines to screen patients for diseases like cancer and heart problems. The decision could come as early as Friday. Lawmakers and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services see the cuts as a way to prevent overuse of the technology, which drives up health care costs.

30 Oct 2009

A selection of recent studies and surveys

Health Affairs: Uninsured Adults With Chronic Conditions Or Disabilities: Gaps In Public Insurance Programs - This study examines patterns of uninsurance for low-income working-age adults with chronic health conditions or disabilities, as documented in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS).

30 Oct 2009

America's Minority Health Network achieves first milestone, performs 100th installation

AMHN, Inc., parent company of America’s Minority Health Network, Inc., announced today that its network reached its first milestone by completing its 100th installation. America's Minority Health Network, Inc. is a place-based provider of digital video education for medical practices that primarily serve minorities.

30 Oct 2009

StoneArch Creative wins the Gold Award for Best Agency Self-Promotion Advertisement/Campaign

For the second year in a row, StoneArch Creative is bringing home the gold. The Minneapolis-based agency received a Gold Award at the prestigious 2009 Medical Marketing and Media (MM&M) Awards gala at Tavern on the Green in New York City on Thursday, October 29.

30 Oct 2009

PIMCO Foundation awards grants to 30 US charities and community organizations

The PIMCO Foundation, the charitable arm of the Newport Beach-based money management firm PIMCO, today announced it has awarded $549,375 in 2009 grants to 30 US charities and community organizations.

30 Oct 2009

BCBSA's statement on the new government-run health plan

The 39 independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies strongly support passing bipartisan comprehensive healthcare reform this year that will expand access to affordable coverage and rein in costs for everyone. We agree with the goal of the legislation to cover all Americans.

30 Oct 2009

New cost-effective and user-friendly healthcare management system from ClinicTools

Implementation of electronic medical records (EMR) by healthcare providers and facilities remains at an all-time low. According to so many reports, the determining factor responsible for this type of low implementation of EMR is cost. As reported by USA Today, upfront costs (which include purchasing servers, computers and software) can be as high as $36,000 per physician. In addition, the learning curve for these programs is steep, increasing the amount of time a physician spends per patient. All of these are true until now.

30 Oct 2009