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White House reform strategy includes e-mail lists, union counterattack

President Obama and the White House are preparing e-mail lists to rally support while also trying to gain control of the nation's health care reform debate, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.

16 Aug 2009

Palin defends 'death panel' claim; Clinton, Dean, Giuliani, Murkowski weigh in

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin defends her "death panel" claim, which is sparking reaction from powerful people.

16 Aug 2009

Obama heads west to gain momentum for reform

President Barack Obama is again heading West in hopes of winning support for his health reform push, The Associated Press reports.

16 Aug 2009

Grassley: Senate will not include end of life care provision, controversy continues

Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, says a Senate health bill will not include end-of-life care consultation, as the dispute over the provision continues to swirl.

16 Aug 2009

Obama presses health overhaul case to country

President Barack Obama is continuing his anti-insurance, pro-health reform pitch to town hall meetings and in his weekly address to the country.

16 Aug 2009

Lawmakers investigate hospital purchasing practices

Health care institutions spend $60 billion a year on medical supplies, but little information is available about how that money is spent – often through "group purchasing organizations" that hospitals join – because of opaque contracting and negotiating practices, the New York Times reports.

16 Aug 2009

Obama criticizes media coverage, insurance companies during Montana Town Hall meeting

Reuters: "U.S. President Barack Obama, pushing for healthcare reform during a trip to conservative Montana, said on Friday the country was 'held hostage' by insurance companies that deny coverage to sick people." In what Reuters described as a "half-work, half-play trip with his family," Obama will highlight the benefits of his "$1 trillion plan to overhaul the insurance industry, expand healthcare coverage and cut costs to consumers."

16 Aug 2009

Doctors overiding end of life counseling see benefit in current controversy

The paragraphs, buried deep in the 1,000-page House health reform bill, appear innocuous, but they have ignited a firestorm among critics predicting government-sponsored euthanasia.

14 Aug 2009

Updated, evidence-based guidelines highlight primary care needs of HIV patients

With HIV patients living longer thanks to advances in treatment, the primary care needs of those living with HIV have never been more important. Updated, evidence-based guidelines from the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) are designed to help providers manage the care of those living with this complex chronic infection.

14 Aug 2009

Verizon introduces new security capabilities for health care industry

As the health care industry moves from paper-based to electronic record-keeping, protecting confidential patient information becomes vastly more complex. To address this issue, Verizon is unveiling two new capabilities designed to help safeguard the growing exchange of electronic patient data between hospitals, clinics, physicians, insurers and patients.

14 Aug 2009

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow misleading viewers on who's funding the anti-Obama health care ads

The National Republican Trust PAC announced Monday a national television ad buy hammering official Washington on irresponsible spending and the trillions planned for government-run health care. NRTP accepts no corporate money and is funded solely by the donations from average Americans, mostly in the amounts of $25 to $50. During the 2008 campaign season, the Center for Responsive Politics noted that in just one month of activity, NRTP surpassed left-wing billionaire George Soros' MoveOn.org in independent expenditures.

13 Aug 2009

Florida’s health centers filling critical gaps

Since its establishment, National Health Center Week has celebrated the work of community health centers that provide health services to the working poor, the uninsured, the medically underserved, and many high risk and vulnerable populations. This year’s National Health Center Week takes place from August 9 – 15.

13 Aug 2009

Obama's public pitches may be different than behind-the-scenes messages

"In pursuing his proposed overhaul of the health care system, President Obama has consistently presented himself as aloof from the legislative fray, merely offering broad principles," The New York Times reports.

13 Aug 2009

Polls: Protests fuel opposition to health reform bills

"The raucous protests at congressional town-hall-style meetings have succeeded in fueling opposition to proposed health care bills among some Americans," USA Today reports on USA Today/Gallup poll.

13 Aug 2009

African American groups call on health insurers to dismiss restrictive practices

To protect the health of African Americans in Maryland, the Black Nurses Association of Baltimore and the Greater Baltimore Urban League have joined together to support a National Health Insurer Code of Conduct from the American Medical Association.

13 Aug 2009

MedPlexus announces creation of “Cash for Clunkers” program

MedPlexus today announced the creation of their “Cash for Clunkers” Program. The “stimulus package,” which is available September 1, 2009, grants cash payments of $3,000 to $5,000 to doctors who replace their previous EHR and/or practice management platforms with MedPlexus integrated platforms.

13 Aug 2009

CVS Caremark announces results of 2009 Health IQ study

CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) announced today the results of its 2009 Health IQ study which examined consumer attitudes and behaviors around health care and prescription usage. Among its findings, the study underscores the need for expanded health care coverage along with cost savings realized by improving health care delivery.

13 Aug 2009

Britons getting irritated by health-reform rhetoric

U.S. health care reform efforts garner attention and reaction from around the globe especially from Britain.

13 Aug 2009

Schwarzenegger: Health worker discipline delays 'absolutely unacceptable'

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger [of California] on Wednesday conceded that long-standing delays in disciplining errant health professionals were 'absolutely unacceptable' and promised broad reforms to better protect patients from dentists, pharmacists, therapists and others accused of misconduct," ProPublica/The Los Angeles Times reports.

13 Aug 2009

Grassley: No end-of-life counseling provision in Senate finance plan

Congress Daily reports that the Senate Finance Committee will not include in its version of health overhaul legislation House-backed provisions aimed at helping people plan for end-of-life care.

13 Aug 2009