| States tailor Medicaid to meet individual needs
Medicaid is being redefined throughout the country. Some states are cutting or eliminating the federal health insurance program for the poor, while others are expanding it to reach previously uninsured populations.
Last week, the Missouri Senate passed legislation that would move the state's Medicaid patients into three health plans, two of which would be administered by managed-care companies. The new benefit packages would replace the state's existing Medicaid program by 2013.
Missouri is taking advantage of new federal rules, which took effect last year, that allow states to modify their Medicaid programs on their own rather than through the burdensome process of petitioning the federal government for approval.
For the first time since the Medicaid program began in 1965, states have the ability to take their Medicaid programs from a one-size-fits-all system to a customized format that offers specific benefits to certain populations based on age and health conditions.
The US Food And Drug Administration Approves New Actonel Dose To ...
On April 16, 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new dose for Actonel(R) (risedronate sodium tablets) that will give patients the option of taking one Actonel 75 mg tablet on two consecutive days, for a total of two tablets monthly, to treat and prevent their postmenopausal osteoporosis. Actonel, a therapy proven to reduce the risk of both vertebral and nonvertebral fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, will soon be available in this monthly two-day dose option. In previous clinical trials of daily Actonel 5 mg, nonvertebral fracture reduction was demonstrated at a composite endpoint of six sites commonly associated with osteoporotic fractures - leg, humerus, hip, wrist, collarbone, and pelvis.
The approval of Actonel 75 mg is based on an active-controlled, double- blind clinical trial of 1,229 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis aged 50 years or older with a lumbar spine bone mineral density (LS BMD) T-score less than or equal to -2.5 OR a LS BMD T-score less than or equal -2.0 and at least one prevalent vertebral fracture.
Police files third chargesheet in Kashmir staged gun battle
Srinagar, April 18 (IANS) The police Wednesday filed a third chargesheet against nine security force officials in the infamous case of killing a civilian in a staged gun battle in Dodwan village of north Kashmir's Baramulla district last year. Five police officers and four army personnel, accused of kidnapping and subsequently murdering Ghulam Nabi Wani, were framed, Anand Jain, chief investigating officer told IANS here. "Today we presented the challan against the former senior superintendent of police H.R. Parihar, deputy superintendent Bahadur Ram, assistant sub-inspector Farooq Ahmad Gudoo, selection grade constable Farooq Ahmad Paddar and constable Bansi Lal of the state police," Jain said. "We have also charged Colonel Vikram Singh, Adjutant Major Narayan Yadav and two soldiers of the 13 Rashtriya Rifles," he added.
Life at the dentist from the hygienist's side of the chair
Dental staff dont lift much, do they? I innocently asked at a recent hygienists meeting I attended. I was there to talk about ergonomics, how to keep staff, clients and the office in a state of wellness by prevention of Musculo Skeletal Disorders or MSDs. Being an Occupational Therapist, I am used to having to transfer non ambulatory clients from one surface to another but had not thought through what happens in the dental office when a non mobile, often elderly, client attends for treatment. Often, the clients are overweight, with stiff muscles and arthritic joints so that even if they are willing, their bodies struggle to offer the help we need. I have also noted that borrowed wheelchairs are often unsafe in themselves, having less than good brakes to hold the wheelchair in place while moving its occupant.
'High-Risk' Health Plan Seeks $8m From State
Apr. 18--PHOENIX -- A state-sponsored health-care plan that covers more than 7,000 Southern Arizonans says it needs $8 million in public money this year to stay afloat. And that's just a fraction of a $23 million deficit the program faces. The request, sent in the form of a letter to legislators, comes just weeks after a debate about how best to regulate Healthcare Group of Arizona. Now, debate about Healthcare Group's future has been reignited -- leaving those enrolled unsure about their future coverage. Healthcare Group covers more than 25,000 Arizonans statewide, mostly those who are self-employed or who work for businesses with fewer than five employees. It's most attractive to "high-risk" patients who can't find coverage elsewhere because of pre-existing conditions. Earlier this year, legislators debated a bill that would have placed more regulations on Healthcare Group.
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