Tag: health care

Hobbs, Mayes allege massive billing fraud in Arizona’s health plan

Posted on by Helen E. Trevino

PHOENIX — Arizona is the victim of massive fraud in its health-care program, Gov. Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes said Tuesday, and they blamed their Republican predecessors for ignoring it.

The scheme involves “sober living homes’’ signing up Native Americans, often on the streets, with promise of treatment, the Democratic governor and attorney general, who took office in January, said at a news conference.

But they said when patients got to the homes there was no treatment and, according to Hobbs, some had to “escape out of windows and jump over fences in the middle of the night just to access a phone to reach the outside world.’’

Hobbs said the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the state’s Medicaid program, was billed for the “services.’’

Mayes said scammers used the names of Native Americans — some who were dead — to bill for services never provided.

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Lunds & Byerlys workers picket to keep their say over health care

Posted on by Helen E. Trevino

A couple of weeks after several hundred Lunds & Byerlys employees and family members staged a series of informational pickets, company leadership and union representatives are set to restart negotiations this week to determine workers’ health care benefits.

Pickets took place at Lunds & Byerlys stores in Eagan on May 25 and Golden Valley on May 26. Workers called for retaining their current union-protected health care plan and advocated for higher wages.

The contract between the union and the company expired in March, and the two groups have been negotiating since January.

The most recent round of talks took place earlier in May and were unsuccessful, said Michael Butler, an assistant deli manager at the Navarre location who serves on the union’s bargaining committee.

Lunds & Byerlys leadership wants to transition employees to a company-controlled health care program. The union opposes this proposal, Butler said, because they say it would

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Newsom and Democratic Lawmakers at Odds Over Billions in Health Care Funds

Posted on by Helen E. Trevino

By Angela Hart

SACRAMENTO — When Gov. Gavin Newsom took office four years ago, the Democrat went after Republicans on the national stage as they sought to gut the Affordable Care Act. Key to his ambitious health care agenda: Reinstating the fine on Californians who don’t have health coverage, which had been eliminated at the federal level.

It was a tough sell for a new governor, and Newsom needed strong allies among state Democratic leaders, who at the time, in 2019, voiced concern about essentially levying a new tax on Californians unable to afford the rising cost of health care. Democrats, who, then as now, controlled the state legislature, ultimately backed Newsom in exchange for a promise: The state would levy the fine but use that money to provide financial assistance to offset out-of-pocket costs for Californians purchasing health insurance on the state exchange, Covered California.

But Newsom,

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Study explores smartwatch potential in health care

Posted on by Helen E. Trevino
Study explores smartwatch potential in healthcare
Credit: University of Auckland

Smartwatches could soon benefit overstretched health practitioners and their patients, says Business School researcher Ruhi Bajaj, lead author of a preliminary study exploring the potential role of such devices in health care.

Integrating smartwatch data into clinical care and electronic medical records could provide a more comprehensive view of a person’s health and complement routine clinical data. This may lead to better patient or client engagement in self-care and increased health care efficiency by automating some diagnostic processes, says Ruhi.

However, concerns around the interpretation of smartwatch data analysis and the corresponding potential increase in workload are barriers to integrating smartwatch data into workflows.

As such, Ruhi’s study aimed to co-design, develop and evaluate a prototype of a health monitoring tool using smartwatch data analytics to assist health care professionals with clinical decision-making. The study is published in the March 2023 edition of Future Internet

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Phillips accuses Neudorf of supporting paid health care, Neudorf responds

Posted on by Helen E. Trevino

Phillips added, “While the UCP wants you to pull out your debit card at the emergency room, I promise you this: with an Alberta NDP government, led by Rachel Notley, the only card you will ever use to access care is your health care card.”

Neudorf responded to the accusation, saying his priorities are to keep health care public.

He explained in a news release from the UCP on May 11, “I have always been a strong supporter of public health care. I voted for a budget that added an additional $1 billion to Alberta’s public health care system and my wife is a proud registered nurse. I also supported the Public Health Guarantee and the $24 billion, 10-year health care funding agreement with the federal government. Because of these efforts, no Albertan will have to pay out-of-pocket to see a doctor or access needed health care services.”

The UCP

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Readers’ letters, Victoria Times Colonist, May 30, 2023

Posted on by Helen E. Trevino

Voters want a liveable city, so stop complaining

There is a theme in recent letters that just won’t quit. The constant beating of the drum complaining about parking, bike lanes, traffic calming, Clover Point, Beacon Hill Park, and more.

The writers are saying how we have to elect no-nonsense people to council.

In case they missed it: We just had an election and it seems we elected, quite handily, people wanting a liveable city more than a driveable city.

Are they planning to complain for the next three and a half years?

Paul Best

James Bay

Victoria has changed, and not for the better

Both of us have spent our lives in Victoria. Growing up and going downtown until about 10 years ago was a fun experience.

A quiet town with lots of shopping, and places to visit like Clover Point and Beacon Hill Park. And there was never a

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Seacoast Healthcare Hero, Ride to end ALZ, grief support: Seacoast health news

Posted on by Helen E. Trevino

Kim Wolph from Oyster River High School named Seacoast Healthcare Hero

Kim Wolph from Oyster River High School was recently named Seacoast Healthcare Hero.

Kim Wolph from Oyster River High School was recently named Seacoast Healthcare Hero.

DURHAM – Little things matter so much for those receiving care. Beyond actual treatment, a smile, a helping hand or a casual conversation can be very welcoming and meaningful to those in need of care. It’s these and other elements that spawned the Healthcare Heroes community effort over three years ago to recognize dedicated individuals in healthcare who go above and beyond the call of duty when caring for patients and providing them with all the essentials needed to help them heal.

To shine a light on the work done not only in front-line but behind the scenes so that care can be delivered and maintained, regional 2023 NH Healthcare Heroes were recently selected. In the Seacoast Region, Kim Wolph, School Nurse at Oyster River High

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Bill to expand health care providers for veterans with H1-B hires

Posted on by Helen E. Trevino

Designates VA and State Veterans Homes as cap exempt institutions for the H1-B visa program

Two US Congresswoman have introduced a bill to make it easier for the VA and State Veterans Homes to hire foreign employees on H1-B visas when they cannot find a suitable applicant in the United States.

Introduced on May 25 by Rashida Tlaib and Delia Ramirez the Expanding Health Care Providers for Veterans Act specifically designates the Department of Veterans Affairs and State Veterans Homes as cap exempt institutions for the purposes of the H1-B visa program.

Read: New bill eliminates country caps for green cards; reforms H-1B program (May 11, 2023)

“Our veterans deserve high-quality health care,” said Tlaib. “We cannot just express our gratitude to our veterans for their service to our country, we must do more to ensure that every veteran has the support they need to live healthy lives.”

“I

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How Mental Health Services Can Improve the Patient and Employee Experience

Posted on by Helen E. Trevino

Medical treatments can disrupt a person’s emotional and mental well-being. The fear of the unknown, concerns about test results, financial accessibility to care, and medication side effects can amplify an already stressful situation.

The same can be said for health care providers treating patients. From physicians to nurses and office staff, health care workers at any level and in any field of medicine are prone to occupational stress resulting from a patient’s own stress, trauma, and loss.

To reach optimal patient outcomes, health care leaders should be committed to both the patient and employee experiences. Addressing the mental toll of health care — and providing supportive resources — can help an organization meet its patient satisfaction goals.

How Stress Impacts Fertility Care

Like most medical conditions, fertility care involves a constant stream of doctor visits, anticipated test results, and fluctuating financial costs. Considered a silent struggle, aspiring parents

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Kingston-area residents vote ‘no’ to health-care privatization

Posted on by Helen E. Trevino

Published May 30, 2023  •  Last updated 7 hours ago  •  3 minute read

Kingston Health Coalition referendum
A South Frontenac resident votes at a Kingston Health Coalition voting station in Sydenham on May 26, 2023, during a provincewide, community-led referendum asking Ontarians if they want to see the privatization of the province’s health-care system. The referendum was organized by the Ontario Health Coalition, and provincewide results will be announced on Wednesday.

More than 10,000 residents in the Kingston region voted against privatizing health care during a provincewide referendum vote organized by the Ontario Health Coalition.

During the voting process on May 26 and 27, Ontarians were asked at more than 1,000 polling stations across the province: “Do you want our public hospital services to be privatized to for-profit hospitals and

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