Tobacco still major concern as smoking declines begin to stall.
Adult smoking rates in the United States were at a standstill in 2006 for the second year in a row, leading public health advocates to call for a revitalization of efforts to snuff out the nation's number-one preventable cause of death. "We need to redouble our efforts,"...

IDX eCommerce Services(TM) Offers Integrated, All-Payer Solution that Supports HIPAA Compliance and Streamlines Workflow.
BURLINGTON, Vt., May 24 /PRNewswire/ -- IDX eCommerce Services(TM), a new Internet-based offering from IDX Systems Corporation (Nasdaq: IDXC), supports compliance with transaction regulations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996, reduces operational costs, expedites reimbursement, minimizes rejected claims, and allows providers to...

Sustainable collaboration for community outreach: lessons from the Spanish Access to Literature/Uso Directo (SALUD) project *.
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Health sciences librarians have an active interest in community health information outreach projects [1-8]. Successful community partnerships are guided by each partner clearly defining goals. Accomplishing these goals requires time and personal contact to develop trust, active engagement of all partners, and careful planning...

Academy health update.
2006 National Center for Health Statistics/AcademyHealth Fellowship Call for Application Application Deadline: Monday, January 9, 2006 This program brings visiting scholars in health services research-related disciplines to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) to use NCHS data systems and collaborate on studies of interest...

Put health records in the Vault.
Microsoft has launched HealthVault, a Web site where consumers can post and maintain their personal health records. Individuals can input their health and medical data on the free site and give permission for their health care providers to access it. The site can accept scanned copies of faxed and...

Free Interactive Web Site Gives Consumers Health Management Tools.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C., May 30 /PRNewswire/ -- From June 1 through November 30, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC), the state's largest health insurer, will offer a free, on-line service that provides consumers with a single site for interactive health and wellness information and...

Consumer health informatics: ethics, evaluation and standards.
Abstract: This article discusses the ethical issues involved in consumer health informatics -specifically those issues surrounding the provision of medical information for patients on the World Wide Web. The discussion includes concerns and suggestions relating to: quality control and error avoidance, Internet governance and Web site responsibility, and intellectual...

Stage of change for making an informed decision about Medicare health plans.
The Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997 authorized a number of new health plan options under the Medicare+Choice program, providing the nation's Medicare beneficiaries with a range of choices that could potentially offer more benefits at a lower cost than traditional fee-for-service Medicare. Individuals could elect to receive benefits...

Barriers to greater use of health IT remain.
WASHINGTON -- Although e-health activities are becoming commonplace, a variety of legal, financial, and logistical issues still must be addressed for the technology to realize its potential for physicians and patients, the American College of Physicians said in a position paper. The challenges for effectively implementing e-health...

Arcadia Resources Completes $10 Million Equity Funding.
SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Jan. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Arcadia Resources, Inc. , announced the completion of a new $10 million equity funding. The investment was made by one of the largest mutual fund families in the United States of America. The Shemano Group, an investment bank headquartered in San Francisco, acted...