Since 2004 Texas has run a disease management program they believed would improve care for Medicaid patients and save the state money. “The company said it would use persistent phone calls, a 24-hour hotline, and house visits if necessary to persuade Medicaid patients to take better care of themselves, saving the state an estimated $14 million a year in hospitalizations and other costs.”
Some evangelical Christian groups in America are driving down health care costs in their own way, by helping each other pay medical bills instead of paying premiums.
In releasing a new report on maternal health nationwide, Amnesty International today revealed that flaws and shocking disparities in maternal health care that the government is ignoring lead to two to three women dying daily in the United States from pregnancy-related complications, with half of these deaths believed preventable, according to the Centers for Disease Control. A state-by-state examination shows that the District of Columbia is 51st on a maternal mortality ranking, with 34.9 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Democrats Thursday looked for a way forward on a health reform bill as colleagues in the House worried about abortion, other provisions and Senate passage of a reconciliation measure.
Premier Purchasing Partners, LP, today announced new agreements for reposable surgical instruments have been awarded to ConMed Corporation of Utica, N.Y.; Genicon Inc. of Winter Park, Fla.; Microline Surgical Inc. of Beverly, Mass.; and Surgical Innovations U.S., LLC of Virginia Beach, Va.
Health reform is back from the dead. … But reform still has to run a gantlet of misinformation and outright lies. So let me address three big myths about the proposed reform, myths that are believed by many people who consider themselves well-informed, but who have actually fallen for deceptive spin (Paul Krugman, 3/11).
In releasing a new report on maternal health nationwide, Amnesty International today revealed that flaws and shocking disparities in maternal health care that the government is ignoring lead to two to three women dying daily in the United States from pregnancy-related complications, with half of these deaths believed preventable, according to the Centers for Disease Control. A state-by-state examination shows that Louisiana is 46th on a maternal mortality ranking, with 15.9 deaths per 100,000 live births.
President Obama’s demand to delete ’special deals’ in the health care package would eliminate $500 million in extra Medicaid cash for Massachusetts, but Bay State lawmakers say they are confident the state would recoup that and probably more once negotiations are complete.
CNN reports that specialist nurses last year were paid higher average salaries than primary care doctors. “Primary care doctors were offered an average base salary of $173,000 in 2009 compared to an average base salary of $189,000 offered to certified nurse anesthetists, or CRNAs, according to the latest numbers from Merritt Hawkins & Associates, a physician recruiting and consulting firm.”
Vermillion, Inc. today announced that Medicare will cover OVA1™, a test to help assess the likelihood that an ovarian mass is benign or malignant. Highmark Medicare Services is the CMS contractor that will process Medicare claims for OVA1. Yesterday Highmark announced its decision to cover this new service.
Today’s headlines reveal more reactions to President Obama’s bi-partisan health care summit. Chief among them are low expectations.
Rapid developments in the pharmaceutical industry have led to a steady increase in the use and cost of “specialty” medications to treat chronic conditions such as arthritis and psoriasis.
The Risk Management and Patient Safety Institute (RM&PSI), a national leader in clinical risk management practice and patient safety programs for health care institutions and providers, today announced the dates and focus for its 2010 national risk management seminar.
LiveData and KARL STORZ Endoscopy- America, Inc. today announced that East Cooper Medical Center will install the companies’ Patient-Aware OR solution in the eight operating rooms in East Cooper’s new hospital to be opened this quarter. KARL STORZ is a global leader in minimally invasive endoscopic technologies and operating room integration. LiveData is a leader in real-time data integration and display technology.
A new assessment tool, reported recently by the Journal of Hospital Medicine, may help hospitals avoid under- or over-treating patients who are admitted through hospital emergency departments (EDs).
In a new survey of 178 companies in Minnesota and western Wisconsin, employers identify affordable health care as the greatest obstacle to business expansion. Other barriers to growth were government regulations, weak investment markets and taxes.
PriceDoc.com, a free, transparent healthcare pricing service and Web site, announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued PriceDoc patent #7,657,479 for its online system of healthcare service acquisition and negotiation, making PriceDoc.com the only online site where patients can “make an offer” for healthcare services with verified providers.
MedeAnalytics, a leading provider of healthcare performance management solutions, announced that Orlando Health has added Quality and Compliance Analytics (QCA) to their suite of MedeAnalytics solutions.
Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., won an upset election last month that has reshaped the health debate and that new dynamic could be a boon for lobbying firms, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Law Review columnist writes. “The thousands of lobbyists on and off Capitol Hill who labor on behalf of health-industry clients can now count on at least a few more monthly retainers.
Long term care costs in Washington continue to rise at a rate outpacing inflation in much of the state, putting significant financial pressure on those in or near retirement. As a leader in the long term care insurance industry, Genworth offers a suite of insurance products to help people proactively plan for their future. Now, AARP® members that reside in Washington can take advantage of a new program designed to simplify the process of purchasing affordable long term care insurance.
The National Council on Disability (NCD) will release a report on workforce infrastructure for people with disabilities at the JW Marriott Houston, 5150 Westheimer, Houston, TX, from 9:15 a.m. until 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday, January 20, 2010.
The Canadian Physiotherapy Association (CPA) was surprised and dismayed to read articles in two of North America’s most prestigious newspapers which question the use of certain commonly used physiotherapy treatments for musculoskeletal injuries. The articles, titled “Some physical therapy may be a stretch” and “Treat me, but no tricks please” suggest that ice, heat, ultrasound and other modalities are “voodoo” treatments.
Achieving the secure nationwide exchange of health information and patient medical information using the Internet will be advanced by adopting existing standards, technology and currently used approaches to authenticate digital identities, according to testimony presented today to the National Health Information Network (NHIN) committee advising on the development of a nationwide health information infrastructure. The testimony was delivered by SAFE-BioPharma Association, the non-profit that developed and maintains the SAFE-BioPharma® digital identity and signature standard.
Frailty is a geriatric condition marked by weight loss, low energy and strength, and low physical activity. UCLA researchers followed 1,072 healthy adults aged 70 to 79 between 1988 and 1991 to determine if productive activities – specifically volunteering, paid work and child care – prevent the onset of frailty.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered a major speech today to mark the 15th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). Her strong message showed top-level U.S. Government support for the ICPD and other such UN goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, by 2015.
