Policy news and information

A federally chartered special work group with representatives from three federal agencies has submitted its draft recommendations on establishing a regulatory framework for health IT.
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Three Catholic hospital systems can't deny abortion providers admitting privileges, the Wisconsin Department of Justice said in a legal filing.
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There may be new hope in the fight against obesity among American youth.
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There has been significant progress in getting health information technology systems to talk to one another, according to a new study on interoperability by HHS' Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
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Fledgling accountable care organizations have faced plenty of challenges. Now a group of economists and lawyers are calling for a close look at issues involving insurance, antitrust and other regulation to avoid “unintended consequences.”
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Joint replacement prices at the most costly California hospitals plunged by one-third after the state required its workers and retirees to pay out of pocket all costs above a “reference price” of $30,000 for orthopedic surgery, a new study said.
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Democratic governors say they are nervous about getting the new federal healthcare law implemented but add they will be better positioned in next year's elections than many of their Republican counterparts who have resisted the far-reaching and politically polarizing measure.
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Four key reforms to expand insurance coverage were intended to fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle; in reality, they fit like pieces from four different jigsaw puzzles.
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President Barack Obama has enjoyed strong support from labor unions. But he's now facing the wrath of some labor leaders who argue that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
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Federal legislators are pushing a ban on self-referral in radiation therapy in the wake of a U.S. Government Accountability Office report finding a massive jump in advanced radiation treatments for prostate cancer conducted at facilities owned by the referring physicians.
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