News From Around the Web
> Engineers at Stanford have created a new flexible, tiny sensor that can be worn under a bandage and can monitor a wearer's pulse, the university announced this week. According to researchers, the tool could provide doctors a safer method for measuring the vital signs of newborns and high-risk surgery patients. Announcement
> Nearly $1 billion will be allocated by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to fund the second round of Health Care Innovation Awards, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced this week. The funding is made possible by the Affordable Care Act. Announcement
Health Insurance News
> Utah is set to become the only state in the country with a dual-model health insurance exchange, which will be split into two parts that will be run separately by Utah and federal officials. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services approved the unique exchange model, allowing the state to continue operating its small business exchange, called Avenue H, which was already in place before the reform law was passed. Article
> Republican lawmakers are trying to discern whether the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has been requesting insurers donate money to help it promote the reform law and the health insurance exchanges, in particular. HHS Spokesperson Jason Young disclosed that Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has been in touch with healthcare companies, private foundations and businesses in other industries since late March, requesting they provide donations to Enroll America, a non-profit group that promotes health reform. Article
Provider News
> Emergency physicians are sending more patients to intensive care units than ever before, according to a study released by George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) and published in the journal Academic Emergency Medicine. The study examined admissions to the ICU at hospitals across the nation and found that nearly 50 percent came from emergency departments. Article
And Finally… "R" does not stand for drive. Article