Banks Move into Health Care Sphere
from The Salina Journal
Americans are spending on health care like never before: In the past 30 years, health care expenditures have gone from 8 percent of the economy to more than 16 percent. We now spend $2.4 trillion a year -- more than $4.5 million a minute, all day, every day. More

Study: Multifaceted Health Care Works Well
from UPI
A U.S. study suggests physicians using a variety of tools, including a personal digital assistant, provide better cholesterol care than do other physicians. The Wake Forest University study tracked adherence to clinical guidelines at 61 primary care practices. More

AHA is Accepting Applications for the 2009-2010 Patient Safety Leadership Fellowship
from The Boston Globe
A high-level commission will develop a blueprint this year for how to get the most out of record levels of global health aid, enlisting lawmakers, pharmaceutical executives, and a wide array of specialists to recommend ways the U.S. government can better coordinate what organizers say is now a fragmented approach to helping the world's most vulnerable people. More

Hospitals Work to Keep Hallways Quiet and Patients Relaxed
from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Alarms beeping, gurneys rattling and televisions blaring. It’s enough to keep hospital patients awake when all they want to do is sleep. To bring down the volume, Texas Health Fort Worth has installed stoplights in hallways throughout the hospital to warn workers when the noise level gets too high. More

Why Do Hospitals Charge Different Prices, and Why Do the Uninsured Pay More?
from KVUE
We compare prices on just about everything—electronics, cars and these days even groceries. But what about healthcare? More

SHCA Online Education Presents: Ethics Course: Managing Healthcare Dilemmas and Ethical Resolutions Wednesday, May 20, 2009, 1:00 p.m. CST Details will be released Friday so watch your mailboxes or visit SHCA Online for other educational opportunities
from U.S. News & World Report
Health insurance has its own language, as young adults entering the world of healthcare policies will find. You might want to print out these terms and definitions, adapted from a guide published by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, to consult when comparing different policies. More

Missouri Foundation for Health Study Says Cuts to Medicaid Added Strains to Health Centers Across State
from The Pioneer Press
Minnesota hospitals threatened Wednesday to cut health care services for patients suffering from diabetes, mental illness and other diseases if Gov. Tim Pawlenty and the Legislature approve steep budget reductions this year. Pawlenty's plan to remove as many as 93,000 Minnesotans from state-subsidized health programs would require hospitals to save every penny to care for the rising number of uninsured patients, hospital leaders argued. More

Budget Deal Includes Fast-track for Health Reform
from The Hill
Democrats in Congress and the White House have struck a tentative budget deal that includes reconciliation instructions that will make it easier to push through healthcare reform this year. The deal, which still needs approval from the full House and Senate, would allow Democrats to pass healthcare reform with just a simple majority in the Senate, instead of the 60 votes needed to pass most controversial legislation, according to a congressional aide. More