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Few hospitals have adopted a no-cost electronic health records system offered by VA

Few U.S. hospitals have taken advantage of a no-cost, open-source electronic health records system developed by the Veterans Health Administration, the Boston Globe reports (Wangsness, Boston Globe, 5/4).

5 May 2009

CMS announces series of proposed regulations, including payment cuts

CMS last week announced a series of proposed regulations, including a proposal to reduce Medicare payments for inpatient hospital care by 0.5% in fiscal year 2010, CQ HealthBeat reports. The agency said the proposed cut primarily is the result of adjustments for excessive payments to hospitals in past years.

5 May 2009

Social security benefits likely will not increase in 2010, would have 'major implications' on Medicare Parts B, D

The Obama administration and the Congressional Budget Office have indicated that Social Security beneficiaries will not receive a cost-of-living increase in 2010 or 2011, which would have "major implications for Medicare," the New York Times reports.

5 May 2009

Kaiser Health News/Philadelphia Inquirer examines proposal that would allow people ages 55 to 64 to buy into Medicare

Kaiser Health News/Philadelphia Inquirer on Monday examined a plan being touted by Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) that would allow people ages 55 to 64 to buy into Medicare. The plan would target people who purchase insurance on the individual market or have no insurance because of unemployment.

5 May 2009

Hospital volume an imperfect proxy for healthcare quality

A new review finds hospital volume to be a useful, albeit imperfect, predictor of short term mortality. While studies, when combined, show a quantifiable and statistically significant inverse association between case volume and mortality, the review finds that individual studies often fail to show such an association, leading the authors to conclude volume is at best an imperfect proxy for healthcare quality.

4 May 2009

e-prescribing boosts efficiency, may lead to improved quality of care

New research published in the May issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons indicates that the adoption of electronic prescribing systems may allow for greater efficiency at hospitals, which could result in long-term cost savings and improved quality of care.

4 May 2009

Private Medicare Advantage to receive $11.4 billion more in 2009

Private Medicare Advantage (MA) plans will be paid $11.4 billion more in 2009 than what the same beneficiaries would have cost in the traditional Medicare fee-for-service program, according to a new report released today by The Commonwealth Fund.

4 May 2009

VA electronic health records system could be low-cost option for non-VA hospitals

The Veterans Health Administration's open-source electronic health records system could be an effective and low-cost option for non-Veterans Affairs hospitals that are seeking to implement such a system but have been held back by the cost, the Wall Street Journal reports.

30 Apr 2009

Sen. Baucus proposes Medicare changes he says could drive 'transformation of the health care delivery system'

The Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday during a six-hour meeting discussed proposed changes to the Medicare system from committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the New York Times reports (Pear, New York Times, 4/30).

30 Apr 2009

Congress approves $3.5 trillion budget resolution that includes reconciliation language

Congress on Wednesday -- President Obama's 100th day in office -- passed a $3.5 trillion fiscal year 2010 budget resolution (S Con Res 13) that includes budget reconciliation as an option for passing health reform legislation, the Wall Street Journal reports.

30 Apr 2009

Global health organizations are doing too little to support health system strengthening

Existing health systems in the developing world are fragile and many are unable to provide effective health services - and so there is growing consensus that the success of global health initiatives will depend on "health system strengthening" (a recent buzzword in global health).

30 Apr 2009

New cancer centre launched in Southampton

Southampton joins a unique chain of Cancer Research UK Centres that are being launched across the UK.

29 Apr 2009

IT to enhance healthcare across Europe

European healthcare is threatened by soaring costs and limited resources.

26 Apr 2009

Change to Medicare reimbursement policy may pose risks to black kidney patients

A change in Medicare reimbursement policy could make it more difficult for African Americans with kidney disease to access dialysis services, suggests a study in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

23 Apr 2009

Policy brief outlines hurdles of access to health care for people with mental disorders in Europe

Poverty and social exclusion continue to be serious challenges across the European union and for health systems in member states.

23 Apr 2009

Many people skipping health care in the past year

As economic conditions remain poor, a majority of the public continues to say that they or a member of their household have delayed or skipped health care in the past year, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation's April health tracking poll.

23 Apr 2009

Palliative care skills training needed for health-care staff in sub-Saharan Africa

A new study, led by Lucy Selman and colleagues from King's College London, has found that patients with incurable, progressive diseases and their family carers in sub-Saharan Africa often do not receive enough information about the patient's disease and its management, which impacts negatively on their ability to cope with illness.

22 Apr 2009

Medicare recipients see declines in continuity of care

According to a study by researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, elderly Medicare recipients transitioning from outpatient to hospital settings were more likely to experience lapses in continuity of care in 2006 than 1996.

22 Apr 2009

Continuity of care for older adults from outpatient to hospital is low, and decreasing

The proportion of Medicare patients experiencing continuity of care between outpatient and inpatient settings decreased substantially between 1996 and 2006, with decreases occurring in all areas of the country and in all types of hospitals, according to a study in the April 22/29 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

22 Apr 2009

Surgical education programs have demand for physician assistants and nurse practitioners

New research published in the April issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons indicates that large numbers of physician assistants and nurse practitioners – collectively known as physician extenders (PEs) – have been hired by general surgery residency programs in the last five years to enable the resident education experience, and these professionals continue to be in demand.

21 Apr 2009

Healthcare News

Few hospitals have adopted a no-cost electronic health records system offered by VA

CMS announces series of proposed regulations, including payment cuts

Social security benefits likely will not increase in 2010, would have 'major implications' on Medicare Parts B, D

Kaiser Health News/Philadelphia Inquirer examines proposal that would allow people ages 55 to 64 to buy into Medicare

Hospital volume an imperfect proxy for healthcare quality

e-prescribing boosts efficiency, may lead to improved quality of care

Private Medicare Advantage to receive $11.4 billion more in 2009

VA electronic health records system could be low-cost option for non-VA hospitals

Sen. Baucus proposes Medicare changes he says could drive 'transformation of the health care delivery system'

Congress approves $3.5 trillion budget resolution that includes reconciliation language

Global health organizations are doing too little to support health system strengthening

New cancer centre launched in Southampton

IT to enhance healthcare across Europe

Change to Medicare reimbursement policy may pose risks to black kidney patients

Policy brief outlines hurdles of access to health care for people with mental disorders in Europe

Many people skipping health care in the past year

Palliative care skills training needed for health-care staff in sub-Saharan Africa

Medicare recipients see declines in continuity of care

Continuity of care for older adults from outpatient to hospital is low, and decreasing

Surgical education programs have demand for physician assistants and nurse practitioners

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