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Georgia Gov. Perdue signs bill establishing tax exemptions for employer-provided high-deductible policies

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) on Wednesday signed into law two measures intended to make high-deductible health insurance plans more affordable and accessible, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

11 May 2008

UNISON welcomes assurances over NHS reform

UNISON has welcomed the government's assurances over future NHS reform as a helpful blueprint for handling change.

9 May 2008

Senate version of supplemental war appropriations bill would delay Medicaid regulations, increase FDA funds

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday plans to mark up a supplemental war appropriations bill that will include language to block for one year seven new Medicaid regulations proposed by the Bush administration, as well as additional funds for FDA, CQ Today reports (Higa, CQ Today, 5/7).

8 May 2008

Senate Finance Committee discusses offsets for estimated $15M to $18M cost of Medicare payment delay; Bush administration requests June 16 deadline

Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on Wednesday said a Medicare package that would delay for 18 months a 10.6% cut to physician fees would cost between $15 billion and $18 billion over five years, prompting committee members to begin discussions on how to offset those costs, CQ Today reports (Wayne/Armstrong, CQ Today, 5/7).

8 May 2008

House Energy and Commerce Committee approves bill to reauthorize community health centers program

The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday by voice vote approved a bill (HR 1343) that would reauthorize the federal community health centers program through fiscal year 2012, CQ Today reports (Mattingly [1], CQ Today, 5/7).

8 May 2008

Illinois Gov. Blagojevich to stop enrolling people in expanded FamilyCare program

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) will follow a judge's orders to stop enrolling uninsured residents in his expanded version of FamilyCare, a state program that subsidizes health care for families, the AP/Chicago Tribune reports (AP/Chicago Tribune, 5/6).

8 May 2008

ACP says Medicare cuts will hurt physicians in small practices - asks Congress to pass legislation to avert pending pay cut

Noting that many physicians across the country who lead small practices are at a business breaking point, David M. Dale, MD, FACP, president of the American College of Physicians (ACP) testified today before the House Small Business Committee. Dr. Dale emphasized that practices are medicine's small businesses, where much of their revenue is tied directly to Medicare's flawed reimbursement rates and formulas.

8 May 2008

Medicare fee cuts could devastate rehabilitation services

Pending cuts to the Medicare physician fee schedule could severely hamper the ability of physical therapists to serve the rehabilitation needs of seniors and people with disabilities -- driving up overall costs while decreasing quality of care, according to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and its Private Practice Section.

8 May 2008

New report says Australia's health system in need of renovation

A new report from the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission has found that Australia's health system is struggling to come to grips with communities' needs.

8 May 2008

U.S. manufacturers spend twice as much as foreign competitors on health care, report finds

U.S. manufacturers that offer health insurance to employees spend an average of $2.38 per worker per hour on health care, substantially more than the amount spent by foreign competitors, according to a report released on Tuesday by the New America Foundation, the Los Angeles Times reports.

7 May 2008

Senate Finance Committee holds first in series of Congressional hearings on U.S. health system overhaul

The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday hold the first of at least eight congressional hearings focusing on strategies to reform the U.S. health care system, featuring testimony by former HHS secretaries Tommy Thompson and Donna Shalala, CQ HealthBeat reports.

7 May 2008

New legislation would require mandatory Federal standards for physical, mental health care for detained immigrants

House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security and International Law Chair Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) on Tuesday announced that she has introduced a bill (HR 5950) to establish mandatory standards for medical care for immigrants in detention centers, the New York Times reports.

7 May 2008

Economic downturn prompts many nurses to work more shifts, helps address nursing shortage

The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday examined how the "ailing economy" has prompted many nurses to work additional shifts, delay retirement or return to the work force from retirement -- all of which have helped "ease the nursing shortage."

7 May 2008

Theft of medical information becoming more common, USA Today reports

Hospitals and other medical settings are becoming a "hunting ground for identity thieves" who "use medical information to get credit card numbers, drain bank accounts or falsely bill Medicare and other insurers," according to some experts, USA Today reports.

7 May 2008

Lawmakers, industry reps, officials discuss Medicare competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment

During a House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee hearing Tuesday, lawmakers, officials and representatives of the durable medical equipment industry discussed a Medicare competitive bidding program, including the application process and possible alternatives to the program, CQ HealthBeat reports (Carey, CQ HealthBeat, 5/6).

7 May 2008

Workers with no healthcare protecting Kaiser Permanente facilities

In the heart of California's leading healthcare provider, Kaiser Permanente, an increasing number of security officers report they either don't have health insurance or can't afford the plan for their families.

7 May 2008

Nurse care for schizophrenia patients

Drug and psychosocial interventions for the symptoms of schizophrenic disorders contribute to a lower incidence and prevalence of schizophrenia. Nurses will be able to offer better care through the use of nursing models and theories in the care of Schizophrenics.

6 May 2008

Nurse practitioners as entrepreneurs: constrained or liberated?

Nurse entrepreneurs today are a wonderful population of liberated professionals. Factors like subordination of nurses to the medical profession, frequent schedule changes, overloads, burnout, shift work, lack of appreciation by superiors and colleagues, lower wages, short staffing and poor working conditions have contributed towards a reduction of nursing professionals in USA and an increase in opportunities for nurse entrepreneurs.

6 May 2008

House hearing to address concerns over Medicare durable medical equipment competitive bidding program

The House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee on Tuesday plans to hold a hearing on a Medicare competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment, CQ HealthBeat reports (Carey, CQ HealthBeat, 5/5).

6 May 2008

Lawsuit filed to stop 10% Medicaid provider payment rate reduction in California

A number of groups that represent hospitals, physicians, dentists and other health care providers in California on Monday filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court to prevent a scheduled 10% reduction in reimbursements under Medi-Cal, the state Medicaid program, the Wall Street Journal reports.

6 May 2008

Healthcare News

Georgia Gov. Perdue signs bill establishing tax exemptions for employer-provided high-deductible policies

UNISON welcomes assurances over NHS reform

Senate version of supplemental war appropriations bill would delay Medicaid regulations, increase FDA funds

Senate Finance Committee discusses offsets for estimated $15M to $18M cost of Medicare payment delay; Bush administration requests June 16 deadline

House Energy and Commerce Committee approves bill to reauthorize community health centers program

Illinois Gov. Blagojevich to stop enrolling people in expanded FamilyCare program

ACP says Medicare cuts will hurt physicians in small practices - asks Congress to pass legislation to avert pending pay cut

Medicare fee cuts could devastate rehabilitation services

New report says Australia's health system in need of renovation

U.S. manufacturers spend twice as much as foreign competitors on health care, report finds

Senate Finance Committee holds first in series of Congressional hearings on U.S. health system overhaul

New legislation would require mandatory Federal standards for physical, mental health care for detained immigrants

Economic downturn prompts many nurses to work more shifts, helps address nursing shortage

Theft of medical information becoming more common, USA Today reports

Lawmakers, industry reps, officials discuss Medicare competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment

Workers with no healthcare protecting Kaiser Permanente facilities

Nurse care for schizophrenia patients

Nurse practitioners as entrepreneurs: constrained or liberated?

House hearing to address concerns over Medicare durable medical equipment competitive bidding program

Lawsuit filed to stop 10% Medicaid provider payment rate reduction in California

Clue's CEO Rhiannon White on the Future of Femtech and PCOS

Freezing Point Osmometry in Life Science Applications

Precision in every drop: Inside Hamilton’s syringe technology

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