Healthcare News

RSS

Wellness programs may face regulations to protect genetic information

Some employers using wellness and disease management programs to lower costs may soon face a new regulatory obstacle, the Wall Street Journal reports.

15 Oct 2009

Regional health care experts weigh in on health reform efforts

Health experts and officials from around America are weighing in on the health care reform efforts in Congress.

15 Oct 2009

Senator Snowe's continued fight to ensure stable Medicare funding for seniors praised

The long term care sector's ongoing concern with deep Medicare cuts, in conjunction with the state Medicaid funding crisis fueled by the recession, was reflected in Senator Snowe's comments on the Senate Finance Committee health care reform package. We thank her for focusing much-needed attention on the unique challenges our sector faces in the continued provision of quality care to the vulnerable patients we serve in Maine and across the nation.

15 Oct 2009

MDI Healthcare Solutions partners with Wolfram|Alpha to reduce employers' healthcare costs

The ability to predict future costs for member care and disease management is a top concern for most self-insured employers. A collaboration between MDI Healthcare Solutions and Wolfram|Alpha , LLC will deliver a Predictive Index (PI) and ultimately reduce companies’ annual healthcare costs significantly.

15 Oct 2009

Illness for uninsured adults in the United States nearing retirement age spells financial disaster: Study

For the more than four million uninsured adults in the United States nearing retirement age, a serious illness often spells financial disaster, according to a recent study.

15 Oct 2009

Shortage of general surgeons may be linked to higher rate of perforated appendix in rural areas

People who live in rural areas may run a greater risk of having perforated appendix than those in suburban and urban areas, according to a new study out of Dartmouth Medical School, Lebanon, NH. Not having enough general surgeons in rural regions may explain the disparity, according to researchers who presented their findings at the 95th annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons.

15 Oct 2009

New anesthesia information management system from iMDsoft

iMDsoft®, a global leader in clinical information systems for perioperative, critical and acute care, unveiled MVexpressTM, a complete anesthesia information management system designed for rapid deployment.

15 Oct 2009

Reform primers from both sides of the pond

The BBC offers a trans-Atlantic primer on American health reform: "Unlike other developed countries, the US does not have a universal system of healthcare coverage," the report explains. Though Obama made health reform his "top priority," members of Congress are "finding it difficult to agree on a bill."

15 Oct 2009

CalRHIO's statewide HIE system implemented in Orange County

The first site in CalRHIO's statewide health information exchange (HIE) system is live in Orange County at Coastal Communities Hospital. As a result of collaboration between CalRHIO and the local HIE effort, the Orange County Partnership Regional Health Information Organization (OCPRHIO), 23 hospital emergency departments over the next five months will have secure electronic access to critical medical information.

15 Oct 2009

Hoag Memorial Hospital implements PCTS' Amelior EDTracker software

Patient Care Technology Systems (PCTS), a subsidiary of Consulier Engineering, Inc., today announced that Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian has implemented the company's Amelior EDTracker® solution to automatically track patients in its 66,000-census emergency department.

15 Oct 2009

Required flu vaccines for New York health workers draws criticism

The New York Civil Liberties Union is criticizing a regulation that requires hundreds of thousands of state health workers to get both seasonal and swine flu vaccinations. Critics say it violates workers' right to decide their own medical treatment.

15 Oct 2009

Senate Finance bill protects some Medicare advantage patients

An amendment to the Senate Finance Committee bill, sponsored by Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., would allow most Medicare Advantage patients in southern Florida to keep their current benefits.

15 Oct 2009

Opinions: Pragmatic vs. moral approach to health care access; Pres. Bush's PEPFAR

"[T]he global campaign to equalise access to healthcare has had a surprising result: it has made global healthcare more unequal," William Easterly, a professor of economics at New York University and co-director of its Development Research Institute, writes in a Financial Times opinion piece.

15 Oct 2009

Unions run newspaper ad to critizice Finance Committee bill

Unions largely oppose the bill approved by the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday.

15 Oct 2009

Orthopedic device industry rattled by proposed tax

Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby, in partnership with USA Today, explores the impact health reform proposals could have on one part of the orthopedic device industry.

15 Oct 2009

Federal money for COBRA has helped many but may soon end

Keeping health care after being laid off from a job is a serious concern for many people. COBRA is a health insurance program that allows people to temporarily continue their coverage, although the worker must pick up the cost of the plan. "That price, however, is one that all but a fraction of laid-off workers find much too high.

15 Oct 2009

Press Ganey Associates collaborates with HMA to improve patient care

Press Ganey Associates, Inc. today announced a broad partnership with Health Management Associates, Inc. to help measure and improve satisfaction and engagement among patients, employees, and physicians. The company started working with HMA on October 1, 2009.

15 Oct 2009

Insurers' report backlash: Unified Dems, angry White House, dissenting experts

The insurance industry's study on the effects of health reform has incensed Democrats, given reformers a rallying point and inspired a wave of zippy one-liners in news reports.

15 Oct 2009

Medicaid enrollments jump but states are trying to cut costs

Several states are noting significant increases in Medicaid enrollment, even as they look to find ways to create savings in the programs.

15 Oct 2009

AAPA welcomes Senate Finance Committee's vote to approve the America's Healthy Future Act

The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), representing 75,000 clinically practicing physician assistants (PAs) in the United States, applauds the Senate Finance Committee's vote to approve the America's Healthy Future Act. AAPA is committed to seeking health care reform legislation that provides the American people with access to quality, affordable, cost-effective health care.

15 Oct 2009