National Library of Medicine launches MedlinePlus Connect:  Free tool links patient portals and EHRs to consumer health information The National Library of Medicine, the world’s largest medical library and a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has formally...

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued the following news release on June 22, 2011: Up to $500 million in Affordable Care Act funding will help health providers improve care The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that up to $500...

Florida's AARP ripped Governor Scott's veto of SB 1992, which would have lifted the burden of statutory fingerprinting costs and thus freed up desperately needed funds from charities such as Meals on Wheels, which provides meals for needy seniors.  The 2010 Legislature...

The Florida Current reported last week that, in an effort to stop the State of Florida's plan to force seniors, disabled and poor into an HMO plan that has already failed, State Senator Nan Rich sent a two-page letter to U.S. Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius...

The Florida Current reports that Mercer Edged Milliman to get the $2 million Florida Agency for Health Care Administration contract to implement the State's Medicaid $22 billion overhaul: AHCA signs $2 million Medicaid contract Christine Jordan Sexton, 6/24/2011 Mercer Health...

The Florida Legislature rejected $36 million in Bush-era federal grant money that would have helped get seniors out of nursing homes and into better care. Their excuse?  The money was part of federal health care reform:  The Florida Current reports: Legislature rejects federal grant money again Christine Jordan Sexton, 6/24/2011 Florida...

The Florida Current provides a timely update on Florida's Medicaid Reform experiment . . . . State asks to extend Medicaid reform experiment for another month Christine Jordan Sexton, 6/20/2011 www.thefloridacurrent.comThe Agency for Health Care Administration signed paperwork for the federal government on Monday asking for a 30-day extension on...

latimes.com Helping seniors live at home longer The new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act aims to provide at-home alternatives to nursing home care. By Tammy Worth, Special to the Los Angeles Times June 19, 2011 Patricia McGinnis has six brothers and sisters who help her take care of their 89-year-old mother. Though their mother is alert...

The Congressional Budget Office ("CBO") recently revised its report on "Medicare’s Payments to Physicians: The Budgetary Impact of Alternative Policies." To view the report, click here. The CBO projects that, under current law, payment rates for physician services will be reduced by 29.4 percent in 2012. That large reduction called for under current...

The U.S. Government Accountability Office ("GAO") issued the following June 14, 2011 report (GAO-11-756T) on "Disability Insurance: Preliminary Observations on SSA Efforts to Detect, Prevent, and Recover Overpayments." A summary and hyperlinks to the full report are below:Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 22 pages) Accessible Text Summary The...

Above:  General Bob Milligan Florida veterans agency gets new interim leader From the Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Former Florida Comptroller Bob Milligan is retiring as interim executive director of the state Department of Veterans Affairs. Gov. Rick Scott...

Five Questions All Caregivers Should Ask Themselves Preparing for Caregiving: What Caregivers Should Know By Carol Bradley Bursack Reprinted from AgingCare.com in TCPalm.com June 15, 2011 Are you prepared to take on the responsibility of caregiving? How do you know if you can handle the commitment of having your parent move in? What signals alert...

Florida Governor Rick Scott signed CS/HB 843 on Friday, June 17, 2011. Effective July 1, 2011, the bill creates new Florida law s. 430.81, F.S., which authorizes the Florida Department of Elder Affairs to designate a home health agency as a teaching agency for home and community-based care if the home health agency meets certain requirements. The...