Latest Health policy Stories

OTTAWA, May 23, 2012 /CNW/ - Home and community care currently accounts for approximately five per cent of total health spending in Canada, about a quarter of which is funded from out-of-pocket spending or private insurance. However, for every hour of paid care that home care recipients receive, at least 10 hours of unpaid care are provided by family, friends and volunteers. A new Conference Board of Canada report, Home and Community Care in Canada: An Economic Footprint,...

PITTSBURGH, May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Consultants from Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare information technology consulting firm, are helping Community Health Network, Central Indiana's leader in access to innovative and compassionate healthcare services, implement its enterprise-wide EHR (electronic health record) from Epic. Stoltenberg, an inventive healthcare consulting group, began working with Community in September 2011 and has several consultants undertaking...

HCCI's report shows facility prices outpaced general inflation for the privately insured under 65; report tracks trends in price, spending, utilization, and mix of services used Rising prices for care were the chief driver of health care costs for privately insured Americans in 2010, according to the first report from the newly formed Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI). The per capita spending on inpatient and outpatient facilities, professional procedures, and prescriptions drugs rose 3.3...

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, May 21, 2012 /CNW/ - The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, today affirmed the Government of Canada's commitment to universal health coverage during the plenary session of the 65th World Health Assembly. "Canada has long been a supporter of universal health coverage, and remains strongly committed to a publicly-financed system that ensures all Canadians benefit from access to health services based on need, not the ability to pay," said Minister...

Public Believes Much Aid Is Lost To Corruption MENLO PARK, Calif., May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Two-thirds of Americans say that the U.S. is spending too little or about the right amount on global health with one in five saying spending is too high, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation survey on the public's views of global health issues. Americans overall are divided on whether or not more spending by the U.S. and other major donors would lead to meaningful...

Agrees with Coalition that Federal Program Funding is Vital to Improved Population Health WASHINGTON, May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Association of Academic Health Centers (AAHC) continues to strongly and actively support sustained federal funding for biomedical research. "In this era of necessary research to meet population health needs, in our local communities and globally, any cuts in federal investment would be highly detrimental to advances in health care," said...

Health Council of Canada releases report on self-management support for Canadians with chronic conditions TORONTO, May 15, 2012 /CNW/ - Today the Health Council of Canada released Self-management support for Canadians with chronic health conditions: A focus for primary health care. The report explores how self-management support can improve patient outcomes and calls for health systems across Canada to provide self-management supports in a more systematic way. It profiles a range...

Nearly 1 in 5 lower-income parents report costs forced their children to cut back on sports, according to U-M's National Poll on Children's Health In an era of tight funding, school districts across the country are cutting their athletic budgets. Many schools are implementing athletic participation fees to cover the cost of school sports. But those fees have forced kids in lower-income families to the sidelines, according to a new poll that found nearly one in five lower-income parents...

Nearly 1 in 5 lower-income parents report costs forced their children to cut back on sports, according to U-M's National Poll on Children's Health ANN ARBOR, Mich., May 14, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In an era of tight funding, school districts across the country are cutting their athletic budgets. Many schools are implementing athletic participation fees to cover the cost of school sports. But those fees have forced kids in lower-income families to the sidelines,...

Findings Could Deliver Better Care, Reduced Costs, Shorter Waits PRINCETON, N.J., May 9, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the use of hospital emergency departments grows across New Jersey, a new project from the New Jersey Hospital Association examines the problem of individuals using the ED for non-emergency care. More than one-third of ED use is for non-emergency primary care conditions that could be treated more appropriately - and more affordably - in a doctor's office or...