Tue, Jul 17, 2012, 2:43 PM EDT - U.S. Markets close in 1 hr 17 mins
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Showing posts with label Program. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Program. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Monday, July 16, 2012
☯ Rapid Weight Loss Program: Different, Fast and Easy Way ☯
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Health Dialog Announces Next Generation of DECISION Dialog® Program
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Friday, June 22, 2012
Best Diet - The Diet Solution Program
http://dietsolutiondiscount.com/ The Diet Solution Program is a very healthy diet solution that will help you to lose weight naturally while eating delicious fat burning foods. Men and women that have tried numerous diets have found the Diet Solution program to be the best diet for them and you'll find many positive reviews for weight loss. The Diet Solution Program is easy to follow and has a great list of delicious fat burning recipes to make healthy eating fun. You'll look forward to the meals you eat on The Diet Solution Program by Isabel De Los Rios.
Click here http://dietsolutiondiscount.com/ to get more information on the Diet Solution Program to see if it is the best diet for you and your weight loss goals.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Best Diet - The Diet Solution Program
http://dietsolutiondiscount.com/ The Diet Solution Program is a very healthy diet solution that will help you to lose weight naturally while eating delicious fat burning foods. Men and women that have tried numerous diets have found the Diet Solution program to be the best diet for them and you'll find many positive reviews for weight loss. The Diet Solution Program is easy to follow and has a great list of delicious fat burning recipes to make healthy eating fun. You'll look forward to the meals you eat on The Diet Solution Program by Isabel De Los Rios.
Click here http://dietsolutiondiscount.com/ to get more information on the Diet Solution Program to see if it is the best diet for you and your weight loss goals.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Rally in support of Texas Women's Health Program at Planned Parenthood in McAllen
A rally was held early Monday evening in support of the Texas Women's Health Program offered at Planned Parenthood clinics.
Julisa McCoy was a 23-year-old UTPA student who participated in the rally outside the McAllen clinic off Hackberry Street.
She's also 1 of about 6,500 women in Hidalgo County who relies on health services and contraception provided at Planned Parenthood.
"It's allowed me to seek the preventive and reproductive care that I need as a woman... as a young woman, without having to take on an additional load or responsibility which is a second job," she said.
Texas law bans Planned Parenthood from participating in the Texas Women's Health Program, federal-state Medicaid program for the poor, because the organization provides abortions.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the new Texas rule on Monday, citing it as unconstitutional.
Planned Parenthood's Hidalgo County CEO, Patricio Gonzales, says none of the clinics in the Rio Grande Valley offer abortions and calls the move to exclude the organization from funding, a political ploy.
"It does not subsidize in anyway...for that service... We can't even council on abortion with this program," he said.
"The injunction likely buys Planned Parenthood and the women they serve about 3 to 4 months before a judge rules again in the case.
The Texas Governor's Office has indicated the State will aggressively fight to keep that ban in place.
Catherine Frazier, Governor Rick Perry's Press Secretary sent this statement to Action 4 News: "Texas has a long history of protecting life, and we are confident in Attorney General Abbott's appeal to defend the will of Texans and our state law, which prohibits taxpayer funds from supporting abortion providers and affiliates in the Women's Health Program. We will continue to work with the Attorney General to pursue all available legal options."
There are fears an outright ban will burden an already fragile healthcare system and leave many of the 130,000 women enrolled in the program statewide with no basic health care and contraception.
"They would be displaced, they would not have a provider to go to," Patricio said.
Julisa has been using Planned Parenthood for the last four years.
"I don't know what I would do," she said in response to a possible ban. "I'd have to wait until the end of the month to see I have enough money... Or save enough money... Or just go without it... And it seems that more than likely it would be the latter."
The Texas Women's Health Program began in 2007 with the ban in place.
Texas only notified the federal government last year of its intent to begin enforcing the ban.
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Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Saint Thomas Health and The University of Tennessee Health Science Center Expand Joint Residency Training Program in ...
Mon, Apr 23, 2012, 10:30 PM EDT - U.S. Markets closed
Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.Allina Health launches Neighborhood Health Connection Program™
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Can a neighborhood work together to improve the health of individuals and families? That is a question Allina Health is intent on answering as it launches a broad-based neighborhood health program across Minnesota and western Wisconsin. This grass roots program is designed to support wellness and promote healthy lifestyles – one neighborhood at a time. Neighborhood Health Connection™ will provide tools and resources to help people join with their neighbors to improve health for themselves and their communities.
“This kind of approach is exactly what is needed to improve the health of individuals and populations while lowering the cost of care,” said Dr. John R. Finnegan, Dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. “A large body of research clearly shows that social networks and social supports play a huge role in achieving better health. In many ways, communities are the means by which better health is created.”
Neighborhood Health Connection will give community members the tools to become champions of health in their neighborhoods. Neighborhood group leaders will have access to support and materials to start various healthy neighborhood activities. This will include free health screenings and social networking tools to share success stories and to provide personal support for health improvement.
"I’ve seen neighbors of all ages work together to achieve better health and have fun at the same time,” said Karen Koeppe of the Healthy West 7th group in St. Paul. “Activities like helping people get to their healthcare appointments, planting a community garden, walking dogs together, running grocery store errands or just getting a cup of coffee together all can contribute to better health.”
Neighborhood Health Connection also encourages participants to come up with their own ideas, such as hosting a yoga class. They can apply for grants from Allina Health for up to $250 to support their healthy neighborhood activities.
“Finding ways to engage people in healthy activities has always been a tough challenge,” said Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Edward Ehlinger. “Programs like this, that harness the power of social connections and support, may be just what many people need to take a more active role in their health.”
Allina Health will launch Neighborhood Health Connection at a family-friendly event Sunday, April 29 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Minneapolis Farmers Market, 312 East Lyndale Ave. N. At the event, people can learn more about the program and participate in healthy activities like gardening and yoga.
The first 500 families who attend the kick-off event on April 29 will receive free Wellness Kits from Allina Health with items to support healthy behaviors, such as vegetable seeds for planting, healthy recipe cards, pedometers and jump ropes. Additional kick-off events will take place in communities around Minnesota and Western Wisconsin in the coming weeks.
“We are entering a new era in health care, one which emphasizes health as much as care. They are equal partners that when taken together can produce stunning results,” said Dr. Courtney Baechler, medical director of the Penny George Institute for Health and Healing, a part of Allina Health. “We believe that we can truly help people to take control of their health by partnering with them at the neighborhood level. Programs like Neighborhood Health Connection and others to come are examples of how we can build relationships that extend beyond the walls of our hospitals and clinics to facilitate better health for our communities.”
For more information on the events, program and to apply for Neighborhood Health Connection support visit neighborhoodhealthconnection.org.
About Allina Health
Allina Health (formerly Allina Hospitals & Clinics) is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of illness and enhancing the greater health of individuals, families and communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. A not-for-profit health care system, Allina Health cares for patients from beginning to end-of-life through its 90+ clinics, 11 hospitals, 15 pharmacies, specialty care centers and specialty medical services that provide hospice care, oxygen and home medical equipment, and emergency medical transportation services. Learn more at allinahealth.org.
Those quoted in news release are also available to comment on this initiative:
Dr. John Finnegan, Dean, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota.
finne001@umn.edu
612-625-1164
Dr. Edward Ehlinger, Minnesota Commissioner of Health
john.stieger@state.mn.us
(651) 201- 4998
Karen Koeppe, Healthy West 7th Project, St. Paul
(651) 227-1942
Friday, March 23, 2012
Community Health Systems, Inc. Announces $300 Million Receivables Securitization Program
FRANKLIN, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Community Health Systems, Inc. (the “Company”) (NYSE: CYH - News) announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary, CHS/Community Health Systems, Inc. (“CHS”), and certain of CHS’ subsidiaries have entered into an accounts receivable securitization program (the “Receivables Facility”) with a group of conduit lenders and liquidity banks (the “Lenders”). Credit Agricolé Corporate and Investment Bank will serve as managing agent and the administrative agent and The Bank of Nova Scotia will also serve as managing agent. During the term of the Receivables Facility, these subsidiaries of CHS will sell all existing and future accounts receivable (the “Receivables”) to CHS, which will then sell or contribute the Receivables to CHS Receivables Funding, LLC, a bankruptcy-remote, special-purpose limited liability company. CHS Receivables Funding, LLC will in turn grant security interests in the Receivables to Credit Agricolé Corporate and Investment Bank in exchange for borrowings from the Lenders of up to $300 million outstanding from time to time based on the availability of eligible Receivables and other customary factors. Unless earlier terminated or subsequently extended pursuant to its terms, the Receivables Facility will expire on March 21, 2014, subject to customary termination events that could cause an early termination date.
The Receivables Facility will be more fully described in, and the principal agreements establishing the program will be filed as exhibits to, a Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
About Community Health Systems, Inc.
Located in the Nashville, Tennessee, suburb of Franklin, Community Health Systems, Inc. is one of the largest publicly-traded hospital companies in the United States and a leading operator of general acute care hospitals in non-urban and mid-size markets throughout the country. Through its subsidiaries, the Company currently owns, leases or operates 134 hospitals in 29 states with an aggregate of approximately 20,000 licensed beds. Its hospitals offer a broad range of inpatient and surgical services, outpatient treatment and skilled nursing care. In addition, through its subsidiary, Quorum Health Resources, LLC, the Company provides management and consulting services to non-affiliated general acute care hospitals located throughout the United States. Shares in Community Health Systems, Inc. are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “CYH.”
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained in this press release regarding our financing arrangements, their impact on the Company, and other events may include forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual future events or results may differ materially from these statements. Readers are referred to the documents filed by Community Health Systems, Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K, current reports on Form 8-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. These filings identify important risk factors and other uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Friday, March 16, 2012
“Interconnected Health 2012” Program Highlights
Fri, Mar 16, 2012, 8:14 AM EDT - U.S. Markets open in 1 hr 16 mins
Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Health Net Boosts Buyback Program
In a bid to deploy its excess capital efficiently, the board of Health Net Inc. (NYSE:HNT - News) increased the company’s share repurchase authorization by $323.7 million to $400 million. The shares can be repurchased either through open market transactions, private placements or accelerated share repurchase programs, subject to corporate and regulatory restrictions.
The buybacks will take place periodically, depending on Health Net’s share value, market conditions, restrictions imposed by debt holders and the economic environment. Moreover, the board retains the authority to suspend or terminate the program as per requirement.
The previous $300 million share repurchase program was approved in May 2011, pursuant to which Health Net repurchased 8.7 million shares for an aggregate price of $223.7 million in 2011. Remaining authorization under repurchase program stood at $76.3 million as on December 31, 2011.
Health Net’s strong cash position aids the company’s capital deployment, thereby enhancing shareholder value. The company had cash and investments of approximately $1.8 billion at the end of 2011.
The increase in buyback authorization is expected to boost investors’ confidence in Health Net shares, as reflected in the company’s stock price. On Tuesday, the shares of the company closed at $38.56, up 0.84%, on the New York Stock Exchange.
Currently, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Health Net’s first-quarter earnings stands at 62 cents per share, up about 1.4% year over year. Five of the 15 analysts covering the stock revised their estimates downward in the last 30 days, while one upward revision was witnessed.
For 2012, earnings are pegged at $3.36 per share, climbing about 9.0% over 2011. Health Net competes with WellPoint Inc. (NYSE:WLP - News) and UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH - News).
Currently, Health Net carries a Zacks #3 Rank, implying a short-term Hold rating. Considering the fundamentals, we are also maintaining our long-term Neutral recommendation on the shares.
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EmpowHER Media Launches "HER Daily Dose" Health News Program
SCOTTSDALE, AZ--(Marketwire -03/14/12)- EmpowHER, an award-winning social health company for women, announces a new way to stay fresh and current on women's health topics. "HER Daily Dose" is an online news program offering innovative 90-second reports on topical issues affecting hundreds of millions of female health consumers. The daily feature is the latest addition to EmpowHER's premium health programming, adding to the largest library of original women's health and wellness content online with more than 7,500 videos and 13,500 articles.
According to the Nielsen Company, 76 percent of women ages 25-50 consume video online. As one of the fastest growing online resources for women's health and wellness, EmpowHER added "HER Daily Dose" to its lineup to meet the need of millions of women looking for help and resources. Other original online video programming from EmpowHER includes HER Week in Health, HER Health Minute, HER Health Stories.
There are more than 45 "HER Daily Dose" segments featured on EmpowHER, the leading web site for women's health, including:
HER Daily Dose: Lead in Lipstick
HER Daily Dose: Breastfeeding and Caffeine Consumption
HER Daily Dose: A Simple Way to Shed 5 Pounds
HER Daily Dose: Can Being Thirsty Make You Cranky?
"HER Daily Dose," which addresses the day's biggest news stories in women's health, is hosted by EmpowHER Correspondent Bailey Mosier. Her passion for health awareness developed as a teenager, when she was diagnosed with a rare degenerative cartilage disorder to her knees. In her quest for wellness, Mosier channeled her energy into the athletic realm, playing Division I Golf on scholarship. Today, she proudly advocates women take wellness into their own hands.
"HER Daily Dose offers visitors to EmpowHER much more than the latest health tips and news stories," says Mosier. "The show encourages women to think differently about health, uncovering new truths and expanding our understanding of emotional and physical well-being."
"Our 'HER Daily Dose' program is a demand-driven short news format that fits nicely into our robust video library that we syndicate to over 160 million women across the web every month through a network of video syndication partners," says EmpowHER President & COO, Thom Brodeur. "EmpowHER's social health platform provides an opportunity for women to access gender-specific health information, share their stories, and ask questions. As well, we offer brands a unique opportunity to advertise their products and services through powerful video media to an audience specifically looking for female health products, treatments and procedures."
About EmpowHER Media http://www.empowhermedia.com/
EmpowHER Media is an award-winning, HON-certified, social health company for women. The Company's flagship -- EmpowHER.com -- is the third most visited women's health and wellness destination on the Web (comScore Media Metrix). As the online home for female health consumers, EmpowHER.com offers a unique value proposition of a peer health community and premium, original women's health and wellness content. Health care professionals, brands and agency professionals rely on EmpowHER Media for reaching the most influential health and wellness buyer on the Internet -- women. EmpowHER reached more than 60 million women onsite and through syndication in 2011, and expects to reach more than 250 million in 2012.
Embedded Video Available
Embedded Video Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=1916823
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Dovetail Health Selects Program Members Using DST Health Solutions' CareAnalyzer with Johns Hopkins ACGs to Achieve ...
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., March 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- DST Health Solutions, LLC, today announced the availability of a new case study highlighting the implementation and success of its CareAnalyzer system at Dovetail Health, a Needham, Mass.-based health care organization designed to provide critical support to high-risk patients at home. The report, entitled "Dovetail Health Prevents Re-Admissions in High-Risk Patients Using CareAnalyzer from DST Health Solutions," also features results from Dovetail's recent work with Health New England, including a reduction in Medicare Advantage readmissions by 36 percent annually.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120313/DE68752LOGO )
Dovetail Health used DST's CareAnalyzer to refine the process of selecting high risk health plan members by leveraging John's Hopkins ACGs (Adjusted Clinical Groups) and health plan administrative data. High risk plan members are then targeted for proactive case management and personalized treatment programs.
"High-risk patients represent an enormous financial obstacle for health plans," said Jeffrey Oberg, Director of Account Management, Dovetail Health. "That's why we work with health plans to identify patients with a high likelihood of returning to the hospital and then implement programs that stabilize and manage patients at home, keeping them out of the hospital."
As referenced in the case study, Dovetail Health uses DST's CareAnalyzer analytics to identify members at risk for adverse health outcomes after hospitalization. Industry research suggests that as much as two-thirds of adverse events that occur post-discharge are a result of medication issues. To mitigate these risks, Dovetail Health sends a clinical pharmacist into high-risk patients' homes to review medication therapies, identify potential interactions, and educate the patient on the importance of adherence. In addition, patients receive personalized chronic illness coaching to help them more effectively partner with the health plan and their doctors to better manage their own health.
The care coordination promoted by this program positively impacts both the cost and quality of care. Readmissions account for approximately 16 percent of patients discharged, and cost an average of $6,000 to $10,000 per readmission. Patient safety is improved as are health outcomes resulting from the clinical review of the medication therapy combined with the promotion of patient education and engagement.
"The majority of patients in our program have significant medication reconciliation and medication adherence issues," says Lara Terry, M.D., Medical Director for Dovetail Health. "This is a population where investing in more services and highly personalized interventions makes sense for both the health plan and the member."
"DST Health Solutions is proud to be part of the Dovetail Health transition management program provided to Health New England's members, and of the positive impact of DST's CareAnalyzer to measure and reduce clinical and financial risk," said Steve Sabino, President of DST Health Solutions. "We believe the use of this analytical solution is resulting in significant gains in the quality of patient care and an efficiency to provide that care."
To order a PDF of the case study, "Dovetail Health Prevents Re-Admissions in High-Risk Patients Using CareAnalyzer from DST Health Solutions," click here.
About Dovetail Health
With a sole focus on preventing readmissions among the highest risk patients, Dovetail Health is a leading provider of transitional care services. Combining unique in-home pharmacist care managers with comprehensive infrastructure and customized technology systems, Dovetail has delivered reductions in readmissions for its health plan, provider group and hospital partners. For more information, contact Dana McNally at dmcnally@dovetailhealth.com or visit www.dovetailhealth.com.
About DST Health Solutions
DST Health Solutions, LLC delivers systems and services that help improve efficiency, reduce operational costs, increase speed to market, and facilitate medical cost management and price containment. Our clients include commercial health plans, consumer-directed plans, government plans (Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D and Medicaid) and physician practices. DST Health Solutions' enterprise applications and outsourcing services include claims processing, member and provider management, benefit plan management, new product development, care management and medical management, and decision support/analytics. DST Health Solutions is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DST Systems, Inc. For more information about DST Health Solutions, contact 800.272.4799, email inforequests@dsthealthsolutions.com or visit www.dsthealthsolutions.com.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Health program losing federal funds, clinics
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Delia Henry was tired but had no idea her blood sugar was high when she went to Planned Parenthood for her annual gynecological exam. The clinic referred her to a doctor, who diagnosed her with diabetes.
The 31-year-old nursing student said she would have skipped the exam since she has no insurance, but she had just signed up for Texas' Women's Health Program, which provides cancer screenings, contraceptives and basic health care to about 130,000 low-income women through Medicaid.
But under a state law taking effect Wednesday, Henry and other eligible women won't be able to get care at Planned Parenthood clinics — which treat about 44 percent of the program's patients — or other facilities with ties to abortion providers, meaning those women will have to find new health-care providers.
The $40 million program is at the center of a faceoff between conservative Republican lawmakers and the federal government, which provides 90 percent of the program's funding. Although Texas already forbids taxpayer money from going to organizations that provide abortions, the law will cut off clinics with any affiliation to a provider, even if it's just a shared name, employee or board member.
"The program is vital. But now when women call another clinic and are told they have to wait to get an appointment, it will deter them from going and will be detrimental to their health," said Henry, of Austin, who credits the program with saving her life. "It infuriates me what the lawmakers are doing. You have to question: Do they really care?"
The nonpartisan Center for Public Policy Priorities, which works to alleviate poverty, said poor women would have difficulty finding new doctors who participate in the program. Doctors and clinics must be qualified Medicaid providers and enrolled in organizations that manage the program.
Plus, more than a dozen facilities that provided health care to poor women recently closed because of budget cuts. Lawmakers last year slashed state funding for women's health and family planning programs by $73.6 million, cutting services to 160,000 women. They also took $10 million out of a another family planning budget line and shifted responsibility for providing those services onto the managed care organizations that administer Medicaid in Texas.
That means clinics run by local hospitals have already seen an increase in patients. Those health clinics, including nine run by Parkland Hospital in Dallas, expect to be even more crowded after next week.
"As more clinics close, more patients come to Parkland requesting services," said Paula Turicchi, the hospital's senior vice president for women and infants specialty health. "And we will have to weigh what services we can continue to provide."
Gov. Rick Perry pledged last week to find state money to keep the program afloat, but he hasn't offered specifics. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Friday that the federal funding would be phased out this year because the Texas law violates federal Medicaid regulations requiring that women be allowed to choose a qualified health-care provider. Perry disputes that claim, saying Medicaid rules give states the right to determine which clinics are qualified.
His administration said it would go into a deeper deficit to keep the program running. But that doesn't prevent the law from creating at least a temporary shortage of health-care clinics.
"No one should think this solution is adequate," the Center for Public Policy Priorities said of the governor's plan.
Texas is among several states where Republican-controlled legislatures have voted to cut off Planned Parenthood's funding. Wisconsin has withheld funding for family planning and breast cancer screenings. Lawmakers in Indiana and Kansas voted to bar Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid or other federal funding, but judges blocked the laws. North Carolina's Legislature voted to withhold state and federal money for non-abortion services, such as contraception and teen pregnancy programs, but a judge blocked that law, too.
In Texas, supporters of the law taking effect Wednesday argue that it will keep taxpayer money out of organizations that support abortion, which they believe should be banned in the state.
Planned Parenthood issued a statement saying that if Perry had found state funding to support women's health, he should "immediately restore the $73 million for breast and cervical cancer screenings, HIV tests, birth control and health screenings that was eliminated." The organization kicked off a "Don't Mess with Texas Women" bus tour last week to raise awareness and has not said if it is considering a lawsuit to block the Texas law.
Patients caught in the middle are clearly frustrated.
Alexis Lohse, 31, of Fort Worth, said she lost her health insurance when she quit her job to return to college and was about to enroll in the Women's Health Program before hearing about the impending loss of federal funds.
"I'm working hard every day raising two kids and taking classes at night while my husband works two part-time jobs ... and (our financial situation) is a balancing act," she said. "It's frustrating that my choices are being limited."
___
Associated Press writer Chris Tomlinson in Austin contributed to this report.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Feds to stop funding Texas women's health program
HOUSTON (AP) — The federal government will stop funding a Texas health program that serves 130,000 low-income women because of a state law that bars abortion-affiliated clinics from getting public money, a top U.S. health official said Friday.
The federal money, which covers 90 percent of the state's $40 million program, will be phased out between May and September because the law violates federal regulations requiring that women have a choice in medical care, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said during a trip to Houston. That means the Women's Health Program will join a long list of programs nationwide on the chopping block because of their affiliations with Planned Parenthood or other groups that offer abortions.
The announcement came a day after Texas Gov. Rick Perry pledged to find state money to keep the program afloat, though details remain scarce about where the money would come from. Texas suffered massive spending cuts last year due to a $15 billion deficit, though a state health services official said Friday that Texas would prefer to increase its deficit than completely eliminate the program.
Perry blasted Sebelius' announcement, insisting Medicaid rules give states the right to determine which clinics are qualified to provide women's health care.
"The fact that the Obama administration would announce its decision to deny care for more than 100,000 low-income women during a press event before giving official notice to the state is a clear demonstration of the political motivation behind this decision," he said in a written statement, adding that Texas officials are still waiting for official word on the decision.
As is the case with other programs now in the national spotlight, the Women's Health Program provides cancer screenings, family planning and other women's health services. About 44 percent of women in the Texas program go to Planned Parenthood clinics, although none that accept funding from the program may perform abortions, and no federal funds are used to terminate pregnancies.
The problem in Texas is being caused by lawmakers' desire to prevent state funds from going to Planned Parenthood. The state is implementing a law that bars public funds from going to any programs, organizations or groups that are affiliated with abortions, even if they don't perform them.
After touring a hospital in Houston, Sebelius said the state law violates federal Medicaid regulations that require women be allowed to choose where they go for health care. Federal funds flowed to Texas under a waiver, but "we plan to let Texas know that that waiver will not be extended," Sebelius said.
The money will be phased out so women have time to find alternative care, she said.
The state was warned that implementing the law would jeopardize federal funding, and Texas chose not to immediately enforce it when it was passed, Sebelius added.
"They knew ... they are not allowed to deny women the right to choose," Sebelius said. "Women would be losing their doctor, their medical home, their choice."
Stephanie Goodman, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Health and Human Services, said money to pay for the program would be diverted from others that are under budget — though she didn't offer specifics. If that doesn't cover the costs, she said, the state would increase its deficit to pay for the services because officials believe that if low-income women don't have access to birth control, the birth rate would rise and cost the state another $57 million in maternity bills.
Last year, Texas lawmakers slashed state funding for women's health and family planning programs by $73.6 million — cutting services to 160,000 women. They also took $10 million from a separate family planning budget line and shifted those responsibilities to organizations that administer Medicaid in Texas.
Now, with the expected cut in federal funds, "there's a huge gap in family planning" in Texas, Sebelius said.
State Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, D-Houston, said she and members of Congress are negotiating with Sebelius and federal officials to find a way to ensure that the funds don't stop flowing.
And while Sebelius said her department has been trying to work with the state to provide a solution, she didn't indicate that would happen before March 14, when the state plans to begin enforcing the law.
"We have been working with Texas. We're eager to work with Texas to find a solution," Sebelius said. "But if Texas chooses to go down a road that violates the law, we really have no choice."
___
Plushnick-Masti can be followed on Twitter at https://twitter.com//RamitMastiAP.
___
Associated Press writers Chris Tomlinson in Austin and Angela K. Brown in Fort Worth contributed to this story.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Healthy U Program Aims to Reduce Childhood Obesity
Childhood obesity in New Jersey has become a major concern. A Rutgers University study found that nearly one in three children in the state between the ages of 10 and 17 are overweight or obese and that number is even higher in urban areas. YMCAs throughout the state implemented a program called Healthy U in 2008 with the help of a $1 million grant from the Horizon Foundation of New Jersey to help combat the problem. The goal of the program is to reduce childhood obesity by 10 percent in four years by promoting physical activity, good nutrition and family involvement.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
ICSA Labs Certifies First Hospital Under Its Electronic Health Record Testing Program
LAS VEGAS, Feb. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- At the HIMSS Conference on Tuesday (Feb. 21), ICSA Labs announced its first certification of an IT system that is currently deployed by a hospital. The hospital, Via Christi Health, earned the certification under ICSA Labs' electronic health record program. Previous certifications had been limited to commercial off-the-shelf and open-source solutions.
Via Christi Health, which provides a network of health care services via hospitals, doctors, specialty clinics and senior centers in Wichita and south central Kansas, demonstrated that its custom software is compliant with standards set forth by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology for electronic health records. This certification from ICSA Labs demonstrates that Via Christi Health's software follows patient-care best practices and enables the secure exchange of patient records.
Via Christi Health uses its internally developed health IT software to help manage patient records throughout its facilities. In preparing to earn its ONC certification, Via Christi Health had to decide whether to invest in new software that was already certified or to certify and use the custom software the hospital system already had in place.
"Certifying our own software not only proved more cost effective for Via Christi Health, it was significantly less disruptive for our doctors and caregivers," said Dave Gestenslager, application architecture manager, Via Christi Health. "Instead of asking our doctors to switch to a new solution, our physicians were able to continue to use software with which they were already familiar. This enabled them to focus on delivering excellent patient care, instead of learning new technology."
Amit Trivedi, health care program manager, ICSA Labs, said: "By certifying its own software versus transitioning to new software, Via Christi Health is a great example of how certification for electronic health records promotes technology use in a meaningful way to allow for better economics and improved access to patient information. The testing of custom EHR solutions for eligible providers and hospitals like Via Christi Health enables physicians and staff to effectively use certified health technology."
ICSA Labs is designated as an Authorized Testing and Certification Body by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, and is authorized to test complete EHR solutions as well as modular ones that address a specific IT function. To learn more or enter a product into the testing process, visit ICSA Labs' Electronic Health Record Testing and Certification page.
NOTE: During HIMSS, follow us on Twitter @icsalabs and @verizonbusiness, hashtag #VZHIMSS. Visit us on Facebook for all the latest show activity.
About ICSA Labs
ICSA Labs, an independent division of Verizon, offers third-party testing and certification of security and health IT products, as well as network-connected devices, to measure product compliance, reliability and performance for many of the world's top security vendors. ICSA Labs is an ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accredited and 9001:2008 registered organization. Visit http://www.icsalabs.com and http://www.icsalabs.com/blogs for more information.
About Via Christi Health
Via Christi Health, a Catholic-sponsored ministry affiliated with Marian Health System and Ascension Health, is the largest provider of health care services in Kansas. Via Christi employs more than 10,000 in its hospitals, senior villages, physician offices and health services. In fiscal year 2011, it provided more than $82 million in community benefit to those it serves, including the poor. Visit viachristi.org.
About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with nearly 109 million total connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500. A Dow 30 company with $111 billion in 2011 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of nearly 194,000. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.
VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high-quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by email, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.
Health Fidelity Introduces Solution Partner Program
MENLO PARK, Calif., Feb. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Fidelity, Inc., provider of a breakthrough natural language processing (NLP) platform for healthcare, today announced the launch of its Solution Partner Program, designed to help qualified healthcare organizations automate, leverage, and extract the value of unstructured clinical data.
A wide array of HIT applications are fueled by clinical data, but are constrained by the limited codified content available. Unstructured clinical data is codified through Health Fidelity's NLP platform, massively increasing usable data. Together, Health Fidelity and its Solution Partners can tap the hidden value of narrative content to leapfrog the current generation of HIT applications in ease of development and power to address current and future needs.
"Health organizations have vast amounts of unstructured data that are currently unusable. We are making it easier for HIT vendors to harness that information," said Dan Riskin, M.D., CEO of Health Fidelity. "The majority of physicians' narrative notes, nurses' comments and other unstructured content has yet to be utilized for analytics, presenting an enormous opportunity to improve the efficiency and quality of our healthcare system. By offering this Partner Program to the HIT community, we can accelerate the integration and measurable benefits of NLP across the full spectrum of solutions, applications and services."
As much as 80 percent of medical information stored by healthcare organizations is unstructured and therefore unusable for extraction, automation, and analytics. Healthcare organizations seeking ways to comply with meaningful use, ICD-10 conversion and other quality improvement requirements can capitalize on the data they already have to perform more accurate analytics, driving their performance improvement and cost reduction initiatives. Health Fidelity provides organizations with a cloud-based platform that is adaptable and easy to integrate, facilitating the extraction and application of vast amounts of clinical information.
The Health Fidelity NLP platform incorporates MedLEE, the most accurate, reliable, and extensively validated clinical NLP engine. In January 2012, Health Fidelity announced an exclusive license in healthcare to commercialize Columbia University's MedLEE technology, leaving the company poised to be a NLP market leader.
Health Fidelity's Solution Partner Program has three levels of partnership:
Developer Partner – (By invitation only.) This level includes the market's leading HIT companies, committed to developing solutions that extract measurable value and actionable structure from clinical data. Health Fidelity engages with Development Partners in joint initiatives on multiple fronts, including engineering, marketing, and sales.Integration Partner – This level includes companies with significant expertise and market presence in a focused area of HIT that is strategic to Health Fidelity. Qualifying partners must have a presence in one or more of the following solution markets: Quality Analytics, Decision Support, Predictive Modeling, Care Management, EMR, Medical Management, or Billing. Health Fidelity works with selected partners on both technical and marketing activities to help them capture first mover advantage and new revenue streams.Alliance Partner – This level includes companies and organizations committed to accelerating the application of NLP toward improving healthcare quality and efficiencies. Becoming an Alliance Partner is a great way to get started, with full access to technical information, opportunities for joint collaboration, and marketing exposure.Health Fidelity's Partner Program delivers structure and resources that enable HIT solution providers to develop and deliver high performance customer solutions that leverage the value of unstructured clinical data. Lean more about qualifying for the Partner Program by contacting Health Fidelity at partnership@healthfidelity.com.
About Health Fidelity
Health Fidelity, Inc. (www.healthfidelity.com) offers a clinical natural language processing (NLP) platform that enables HIT solution providers and healthcare organizations (Payers, Providers, Pharmaceutical Companies and Government) to effectively make use of unstructured clinical data, a valuable asset they already own or access. The company works with solutions partners to provide end-user applications built on the robust clinical data extracted and rendered usable by the powerful Health Fidelity platform. As a result, end-users can make better medical decisions, monitor and improve the quality of care, and enable R&D that will bring us to the next frontier in healthcare.
For partnership inquiries, contact Lauryn Jones at partnership@healthfidelity.com.
Media Contact
Christopher Capot
KNB Communications
203-379-8019, ccapot@knbpr.com
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Insignia Health Helps Medica Health and Wellness Coaching Program Improve Member Health, Reduce Costs
Tue, Feb 7, 2012, 7:16 AM EST - U.S. Markets open in 2 hrs 14 mins
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Health Net’s & UCLA’s Health Literacy Social Media Program Opens to All Teens Nationwide
Tue, Jan 31, 2012, 8:46 AM EST - U.S. Markets open in 44 mins.
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