U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) news and information

News
Insurance marketplace opening marked by delays, system problems

By Maureen McKinney | October 01, 2013 | Basic Web

It was a less than smooth start for the federal government's health insurance marketplace in 36 states, as heavy traffic to its website caused delays and system issues
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Magazine
Hunger as a health issue | Food insecurity adds to health systems' costs; October summit seeks solutions

By Steven Ross Johnson | September 28, 2013 | Print Magazine

Five years ago, ProMedica launched a campaign to address nutrition problems after finding the system's hospitals and services were being used to treat conditions associated with malnutrition.
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Magazine
The moment of truth | As the state insurance exchanges prepare to open Oct.1, proponents and opponents alike wonder what the response will be

By Maureen McKinney | September 28, 2013 | Print Magazine

It's the question on everyone's mind. With open enrollment on the state insurance exchanges starting Oct. 1, will uninsured and underinsured Americans flock in large numbers to sign up for the new coverage?
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Magazine
Ready or not | Exchange preparedness varies in GOP-led states

By Maureen McKinney | September 28, 2013 | Print Magazine

State-based Republican opposition to implementation of the healthcare reform law forced federal officials to scramble over the past six months to design and launch far more local health insurance exchanges than originally anticipated.
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Magazine
Premier's strong performance | Shares up 17% on second day of trading

By Beth Kutscher | September 28, 2013 | Print Magazine

Premier's $760 million IPO—priced above the upper end of its expected range and trading strong out of the gate—shows investor confidence in its diversified array of services and expectations under healthcare reform.
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Vital Signs
Contest seeks ideas for durable medical equipment systems

By Jessica Zigmond | September 23, 2013

HHS is searching for the best idea for a system that captures essential data from durable medical equipment, such as loss of power, GPS location and privacy-protected user information during emergencies.
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Magazine
Physicians and clinical trials | To avoid federal scrutiny, take care when determining fair market value

By Alex Morillo | September 21, 2013 | Print Magazine

Clinical trials are conducted under a growing constellation of state and federal regulations aimed at preventing conflicts of interest in the relationship between pharmaceutical companies and physicians.
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News
HHS makes last-minute changes to HIPAA privacy rule

By Joseph Conn | September 20, 2013 | Basic Web

In the run-up to the Sept. 23 enforcement date for a host of revisions to federal health information privacy laws, one group—clinical laboratories—will get something of a respite, and another—pharmaceutical manufacturers—some regulatory relief.
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Vital Signs
ACP asks HHS to make future meaningful-use criteria less prescriptive

By Andis Robeznieks | September 18, 2013

The American College of Physicians is nervous about where HHS is headed with the criteria for meaningful use of electronic health records.
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Magazine
Outliers: 3,500 years of HIPAA

By Modern Healthcare | September 07, 2013 | Print Magazine

It's the little things that add up. Like the minutes it takes annually to deal with each patient's HIPAA notice of privacy practices for protected healthcare information. Annually, that task eats up about 30.7 million hours of healthcare workers' and...
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