Footing the Bill for Undocumented Immigrants
from Bucks County Courier Times
Taxpayers footed a $25.3 million bill in 2007-08 to pay for emergency health care for non-citizens in Pennsylvania. Tax-funded subsidies of $2 million went to seven area hospitals. More    

White House Touts Supportive Republicans on Health Care
from Reuters
The Obama administration has adopted a new tactic in its push for health care reform: touting the support of Republicans outside of Washington after failing to win any backing for overhaul plans in Congress from members of the party on Capitol Hill. More    

Expert Offers Assessment of Baucus Plan
from the United Press International
Proposed Medicare changes in the U.S. Senate Finance Committee's healthcare reform bill would grow government at taxpayer expense, a healthcare expert says. More    

AHIMA Releases Bill of Rights for Health Data Privacy Protections
from Modern Healthcare
As the nation gears up for the mass digitization of personal health information, patients ought to have a right to know exactly who accesses their records, and that those who gain unauthorized access will be held accountable for violations, a leading health-information technology group says. Privacy and security are among the top points outlined in a new Health Information Bill of Rights for patients being promoted by the Chicago-based American Health Information Management Association. The seven-point platform is offered as a model to encourage providers to give strict protections to personal health information and to assuage patients’ fears about information security by increasing transparency. More    

Most ERs Don't Meet Recommended Wait Times, Study Says
from Modern Healthcare
A study published in the American College of Emergency Physicians' journal found that most patients wait longer than triage standards would dictate when they go to receive treatment at hospital emergency departments. The study, US Emergency Department Performance on Wait Time and Length of Visit, found that only one-quarter of all patients who need admission for inpatient hospital treatment are actually admitted within four hours of arriving at the emergency room. More    
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