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State round-up: New Jersey hospitals, Utah's Medicaid troubles, and more

Wednesday's state news includes a hospital demonstration in New Jersey, Medicaid fraud in Utah, an abortion ruling in Oklahoma, and a White House decision to maintain Wisconsin's unique drug program for seniors.

20 Aug 2009

MedImmune, WPS and AYSO collaboratively launch a national health awareness campaign

MedImmune, Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) and the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) today officially launched "Don't Play with the Flu,"((TM)) a national health awareness campaign that aims to highlight the importance of getting a seasonal influenza vaccination every year.

20 Aug 2009

Public option is necessary for consumers says Congressman Chaka Fattah

"There is no option when it comes to reforming America's ailing healthcare system. We must do it. And there is no option for inclusion of a public plan. We must have it. Real reform requires real choice. A public option provides consumers a critical alternative to private plans.

20 Aug 2009

US physicians talk on short fallings in the current healthcare reform bills

Physicians across the nation are speaking out on Sermo, the world's largest online physician community, about the short fallings in the current healthcare reform bills working their way through Congress.

20 Aug 2009

Wellcare discloses to Florida Elections Commission questionable campaign contributions

WellCare Health Plans, Inc. announced that it voluntarily disclosed to the Florida Elections Commission questionable campaign contributions by certain subsidiaries from 2003 through 2007.

20 Aug 2009

White paper outlines how to maintain quality of care while effectively managing costs

ECRI Institute, an independent nonprofit that researches the best approaches to improving patient care, reveals some of the processes that hospital c-suite administrators can implement to better manage the high cost of PPIs in a just-released white paper, Wasting Millions by Making Illogical Purchases Based Solely on Physician Preference: Not in My Hospital You Don't!(C).

20 Aug 2009

Physician shortage limits even insured patients' access to care

CBS News reports that just having insurance coverage "doesn't guarantee access" to health care, because there is s shortage of primary care doctors to provide treatment. "Baystate Medical Center is the second busiest emergency room in Massachusetts. They treat over 100,000 patients a year, but here's the thing: according to Dr. Niels Rathlev, who runs the ER, a quarter of them don't need his services." Rathlev says it would be "more appropriate" for those people to see a primary care doctor. "'The majority of patients who are frequent utilizers of the emergency department actually have insurance,' Rathlev said. 'They have a primary care physician, but they choose to come to the ER because they don't have access.'"

20 Aug 2009

Poll reveals that thin majority of Americans continue to support health care reforms

A slim majority of Americans continues to favor moving forward on health care reform now despite an intensifying ad war and a political climate of contentious town hall meetings that coincide with rising concerns about the reform effort, according to the August Kaiser Health Tracking Poll.

20 Aug 2009

HHS issues new regulations to notify individuals on health information

New regulations requiring health care providers, health plans, and other entities covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to notify individuals when their health information is breached were issued today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

20 Aug 2009

Co-op proposal continues to draw White House defensiveness, Liberals' ire

The Hill reports on Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius' backpedaling on comments she made Sunday that a public option "isn't essential" to a reform package: "'Here's the bottom line. Absolutely nothing has changed. We continue to support the public option that will help lower costs, give American consumers more choice and keep private insurers honest,' Sebelius said. 'The public option is a very good way to do this,' she added" (Youngman, 8/18).

20 Aug 2009

WSNA launches new website as part of outreach campaign for health care reform

Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA), the professional organization representing more than 16,000 registered nurses in Washington State, has announced a new outreach and education campaign to support meaningful health care reform in 2009. Launching on Wednesday, August 19, the campaign will feature television ads across the Pacific Northwest and a new website, www.Nurses4HealthReform.org, with information and tools for both nurses and the general public to get involved in the health care debate.

20 Aug 2009

Diarrhea remains second leading cause of death among children, despite effective interventions

Despite the introduction of new treatments for diarrhea more than four years ago, few children in developing countries are receiving these interventions and the disease is still the second leading cause of death among children, according a Bulletin of the World Health Organization report, BMJ reports.

20 Aug 2009

Perot Systems to provide back-office functional support to Community Health Plan of Washington

Community Health Plan of Washington (CHP Washington) and Perot Systems Corporation (NYSE: PER) (www.perotsystems.com) today announced an agreement where Perot Systems will provide technology and business process services to improve the Seattle-based health plan's back-office functions. The scope of services to be managed by Perot Systems includes claims processing, claims adjustments, enrollment, premium billing, and configuration.

20 Aug 2009

Blankenships receive $6 million compensation for infant son's death due to medical negligence

A couple who alleged that Saint Louis University failed to diagnose and treat a bacterial infection that led to their 6-month-old son’s death were awarded $6 million by a St. Louis jury on Aug. 17. The parents were represented by attorneys David M. Zevan and Kevin J. Davidson of St. Louis-based Zevan & Davidson.

20 Aug 2009

Arizona finalizes health care contract

CIGNA HealthCare announced today that it is one of four companies to have been awarded a contract to provide medical benefits to Arizona's state employees, university employees and retirees. The contract becomes effective October 1, 2009.

20 Aug 2009

Incentive Federation launches campaign on the benefits of health care incentives

With national attention focused on health care, the Incentive Federation recently launched a nationwide effort to convince members of Congress that incentives can improve health care behaviors and reduce spending at the same time they enhance overall health.

20 Aug 2009

Covering Kids & Families Michigan campaign aims to enroll 50,000 children in healthcare coverage plans

As Michigan's children head back to school, the Michigan Cover the Uninsured Network (MCTUN) and some of the state's leading organizations are making a special outreach effort to ensure that eligible children and families have access to free and/or low cost health coverage through the state's Medicaid and MIChild programs.

20 Aug 2009

H1N1 vaccine administration coverage for eligible members of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine has announced that it will offer coverage for the administration of the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine when it becomes commercially available to the general public. The vaccine administration will be covered for members whose benefit plans provide coverage for vaccines.

20 Aug 2009

African Americans receive less mental illness treatments and diagnoses than Caucasian Americans

According to the Surgeon General, only one-third of Americans with a mental health problem seek treatment; the percentage of African Americans getting help is only half that of non-Hispanic whites.

19 Aug 2009

Phrma brushes off Republican leader's attacks

"The prescription drug industry's lobbying arm is defending its deal with President Barack Obama in the wake of criticism from House Minority Leader John Boehner, who charged it with 'appeasing' the Obama administration," The Hill reports.

19 Aug 2009

Healthcare News

State round-up: New Jersey hospitals, Utah's Medicaid troubles, and more

MedImmune, WPS and AYSO collaboratively launch a national health awareness campaign

Public option is necessary for consumers says Congressman Chaka Fattah

US physicians talk on short fallings in the current healthcare reform bills

Wellcare discloses to Florida Elections Commission questionable campaign contributions

White paper outlines how to maintain quality of care while effectively managing costs

Physician shortage limits even insured patients' access to care

Poll reveals that thin majority of Americans continue to support health care reforms

HHS issues new regulations to notify individuals on health information

Co-op proposal continues to draw White House defensiveness, Liberals' ire

WSNA launches new website as part of outreach campaign for health care reform

Diarrhea remains second leading cause of death among children, despite effective interventions

Perot Systems to provide back-office functional support to Community Health Plan of Washington

Blankenships receive $6 million compensation for infant son's death due to medical negligence

Arizona finalizes health care contract

Incentive Federation launches campaign on the benefits of health care incentives

Covering Kids & Families Michigan campaign aims to enroll 50,000 children in healthcare coverage plans

H1N1 vaccine administration coverage for eligible members of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine

African Americans receive less mental illness treatments and diagnoses than Caucasian Americans

Phrma brushes off Republican leader's attacks

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