CMS study examines changes in healthcare spending by age – November 2007
As baby boomers become eligible for Medicare, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services projects the changing age-mix of the nation’s population will account for only 0.1% of annual growth in the program’s spending through 2050, according to a study published online today in Health Affairs.

Poll finds strong public support for SCHIP bill– November 2007
Two-thirds of U.S. adults oppose the president’s veto of legislation to reauthorize and expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program to cover more uninsured children, according to a poll last week by National Public Radio, the Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard School of Public Health.

Tool compares presidential candidates’ healthcare proposals – November 2007
The Kaiser Family Foundation has released an online toolto compare the health care proposals of presidential candidates. The tool presents a summary of the candidates’ positions on access to health care coverage, cost containment, quality of care and financing. The summaries are based on information on the candidates’ Web sites and from speeches, debates and news reports. They will be updated as the campaign unfolds.

Baby boomers start applying for Social Security benefits - November 2007
The nation’s first baby boomer filed Monday for Social Security retirement benefits, the Social Security Administration announced.The Maryland woman, who applied online, was the first of nearly 80 million Americans who will become eligible for Social Security benefits in the next two decades, the agency said, noting that amounts to more than 10,000 people per day.

Webcast:Best Practices for Healthcare Strategic Planning – November 2007
December 3, 2007 - Noon CT

The Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development and Health Strategies & Solutions, Inc.  collaborated on a study of the state of the art in strategic planning in healthcare organizations. This webcast will present findings of the survey of 440 healthcare organizations. Twelve will be profiled that exemplify advanced planning approaches, and best practices in organizations outside of healthcare will be compared to practices of those within healthcare. For additional information and to register, click here.

New Fact Sheet Available for Healthcare Workers - Dececmber 2007
The latest addition to OSHA's ongoing series of safety and health fact sheets is Seasonal Influenza Vaccination-Important Protection for Healthcare Workersdocument discusses the importance of employers encouraging influenza vaccination for their healthcare employees to help reduce the risk of contracting influenza and spreading the illness to their families and patients.

December 2007 Consumer Health World Award Winners - December 2007
The Consumer Health World Awards, held Tuesday, December 4, 2007, recognized excellence and advancement in service, products and programs that enhance consumers' abilities to manage their healthcare expenditures and enhance healthcare quality.  View the entire list of winners.

AHA Seeks to Educate Members on RACs – December 2007
The AHA today sent members the first in a series of advisories on the Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor program. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services plans to expand the demonstration program from five states today to all 50 by March 2008. “It is critical that hospitals be prepared if CMS proceeds with its RAC rollout as planned,” the advisory notes, adding that AHA has serious concerns with the demonstration and “will continue to urge CMS to make changes before rolling out a permanent RAC program.” RACs are authorized by Congress to identify improper Medicare payments – both overpayments and underpayments – and are paid on a contingency fee basis, receiving a percentage of the improper payments they identify and collect. AHA members should watch for additional AHA outreach and educational strategies on the RAC issue in coming weeks, including member conference calls. They can access today’s advisory online.

NIH Program Helps Nurses Communicate with Parents about SIDS – December 2007
The National Institutes of Health has created a continuing education program to help nurses communicate the risk factors for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome to parents and child caregivers. "Nurses who care for infants and families in the hospital are in a unique position to educate parents and influence health and safety practices," said Duane Alexander, M.D., director of NIH’s National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. "This curriculum provides proven strategies that nurses can communicate to parents, families, and caregivers to help them reduce the risk of SIDS." The program reviews the most current research on SIDS and provides answers to the most common questions new parents ask about safe sleeping.

IHA, AHA Blast Misleading Letter to Candidates From Limited-service Hospitals – December 2007
A letter recently sent to presidential candidates by Physician Community Hospitals of America is “full of misrepresentation and does a great disservice to the full-service hospitals across the nation that care for patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” the Iowa Hospital Association and AHA today told candidates. In a letterto set the record straight, the IHA and AHA note that physician-owned limited-service hospitals typically offer the most profitable services to less acutely ill patients, and serve few uninsured or Medicaid patients. “Limited-service hospitals, if left unchecked, can threaten a community’s health care safety net, which community hospitals anchor,” the groups said. The letter goes on to refute various myths being circulated by limited-service hospitals

CBO: $1.4 Billion Needed to Maintain SCHIP Enrollment Levels for 2008 – December 2007
Congress would need to provide an additional $1.4 billion in funding to maintain projected 2008 enrollment levels in the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Congressional Budget Office estimatedyesterday. However, the net federal cost of that funding would be just $800 million, because it would keep states from expanding Medicaid eligibility, CBO said. “Under current law, we expect that states that exhaust their SCHIP funds will respond in part by expanding Medicaid eligibility,” CBO said. “…The provision of additional SCHIP funding would keep states from expanding Medicaid eligibility, and thus generate about $600 million in savings in the Medicaid program.”

Study: Few RHIOs Exchanging Clinical Data – December 2007
A study reported onlinetoday by Health Affairs raises concerns about the ability of regional health information organizations to achieve widespread electronic clinical data exchange. Harvard researchers surveyed 145 RHIOs early this year and found only 15 were exchanging clinical data across a range of patient populations. Five exchanged data for a specific population, such as Medicaid enrollees, the uninsured or patients with a chronic illness. Hospitals and ambulatory care practices most frequently provided and viewed the data being exchanged. Laboratories and imaging centers were also common providers of clinical data. Public health departments and payers provided and viewed data in nearly half of the 20 RHIOs exchanging data. Seventeen of the RHIOs exchanged test results, 14 exchanged inpatient data and medication history, and 12 exchanged outpatient care data.