The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is asking for public comment on its multi-payor claims database (MPCD) project to receive information regarding the burden estimate, the necessity and utility of the proposed information collection for the proper performance of the agencys functions and the accuracy of the estimated burden.

A stolen laptop containing patient information spurred Fairview Health Services to send apology letters to nearly 14,000 patients concerning the July 25 incident.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced grants to 61 states and communities with more than 120 million residents to fight chronic disease. Created by the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act, community transformation grants help states and communities tackle the root causes of chronic disease, such as smoking, poor diet and lack of physical activity.

As more and more hospitals begin to join hospital systems and cluster, coordinated care has improved, according to a report published in the September issue of Health Affairs. In fact, researchers offered that these systems can help to restructure health services in the upcoming years.

Behavior modification can play a role in improving healthcare for Americans, Humana Chairman, President and CEO Michael B. McCallister said during his keynote address Reinventing Healthcare: From Covering Sickness to Creating Well-Being, at the Institute for Health Technology Transformation (iHT2) Summit in New York City on Sept. 20.

While the accountable care organization (ACO) model may not be formally pursued from a Medicare ACO designation standpoint, the majority of providers agree that accountable care is where the future of healthcare is going, according to a new report from market researcher KLAS.

The Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI), a health research initiative led by payors Aetna, Humana, Kaiser Permanente and UnitedHealthcare, was launched to allow researchers and policymakers access to a collection of health plan and government payor data. The HCCI said this initiative will offer new insights into healthcare costs, utilization and intensity, as well as inform the public policy process and assist in developing new solutions to long-term problems confronting the healthcare system.

BOSTONFor low-risk patients, mortality increases when the number of prior heart failure (HF) hospitalizations increase, however, long-term mortality impacts differ by baseline risk of death, Scott L. Hummel, MD, of the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor, Mich., said during the rapid fire abstracts session Sept. 19 at the 15th annual Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) scientific meeting. If HF hospitalization data are acquired, HF resources may be better utilized.