CCNC, NC hospitals partner to improve care of children with complex health issuesRaleigh, NC (PRWEB) September 20, 2012 Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC), the award-winning program that provides medical homes to 1.2 million North Carolinians, has been awarded a three-year grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovations Center (CMMI) to implement the “Child Health Accountable ...

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Health Care Collaboration to Improve Care for North Carolina's Most Fragile Children

18-09-2012 14:10 Michigan Governor Rick Snyder explains Proposal Four, how it will force home health care workers to join unions, and why it's not good public policy for the state.

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Proposal Four - Forced Unionization - Video

Who's watching the health care professionals? A Johns Hopkins surgeon calls for a major paradigm shift.

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How Transparency Can Empower Patients and Fix Health Care

CHICAGO, Sept. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), and its wholly-owned subsidiary, HCSC Insurance Services Company (HISC), have filed applications and have received approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to offer Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MAPD) plans to Medicare beneficiaries in Illinois, New Mexico and Texas, effective January 1, 2013. HCSC has received approval to offer MAPD HMO plans in Illinois and New Mexico, while HISC has been approved to offer MAPD PPO plans in Texas.

Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plans allow individuals to combine health and prescription drug coverage under one single plan. These plans offer comprehensive medical benefits to help Medicare-eligible individuals save money while providing greater choice and flexibility to access health care options that meet their changing needs.

"For more than 75 years we have offered security and peace of mind to customers by developing products and services that meet their diverse and changing needs," said Jeff Tikkanen, president, retail markets, HCSC. "This is a tremendous opportunity to continue to offer seamless MAPD plans to Medicare-eligible individuals in select counties of Illinois, New Mexico and Texas."

The annual open enrollment period starts October 15, 2012 and ends December 7, 2012. Enrollment in a MAPD plan is not automatic, and eligible beneficiaries must enroll to receive benefits. MAPDplans, generally,offer beneficiaries their choice of physicians through an HMO or PPOnetwork, low monthly plan premiums, low co-payments for doctor visits,annual routine physicals, coverage for most annual screenings and emergency coverage throughout in the United States.

"We listened to Medicare-eligible individuals in our communities and using our experience and expertise designed health benefits to give them more options that fit their health needs," said Scott Sarran, MD, Chief Medical Officer HCSC. "Providing these individuals with more choice in their health care options is important and benefits them by providing greater flexibility."

About Health Care Service CorporationHealth Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company, is the country's largest customer-owned health insurer and fourth largest health insurer overall, with more than 13 million members in its Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. HCSC is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information, please visit http://www.HCSC.com, visit our Facebook page or follow us at http://www.twitter.com/HCSC.

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HCSC To Expand Medicare Product Offerings

YARDLEY, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Krames StayWell, the nations leading health care communication and engagement company, has released a new service designed to ensure health care organizations can fulfill the patient and family engagement pillars of meaningful use. With the release of its new Infobutton solution, Krames StayWell is making it easier for a healthcare organization to use their certified EHR to identify patient education resources (a current Stage 1 requirement) and provide those resources to the patient through that EHR (a Stage 2 requirement removes the if appropriate wording) utilizing the Infobutton Standard (a Stage 2 EHR Certification Criterion). Additionally, the Krames StayWell Infobutton Solution via a patient portal will help an organization to make the suggested patient education information available within 36 hours after a discharge for viewing, downloading, or transmitting (another Stage 2 requirement).

The Infobutton solution uses the 3M Healthcare Data Dictionary (3M HDD) from 3M Health Information Systems to encode and cross-reference Krames StayWells award-winning patient education content with clinical terminologies such as SNOMED, LOINC, and RxNORM, and major code sets including ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS. The 3M HDD is a controlled medical vocabulary server that translates and integrates data from diverse systems into a common language. It maps medical terms to give data context and meaning, and is used to standardize data to make it interoperable and computable.

The Infobutton Standard has been around for a while, explained Stephanie Manning, Vice President, Digital Content for Krames StayWell. What weve done by working with 3M is made it possible for healthcare organizations to leverage a wide range of code sets and any health IT system to trigger our content. Now healthcare facilities can capitalize on their IT investment to intelligently deliver Krames StayWells patient education content which has been proven to engage patients, drive behavior change, and deliver better outcomes while improving patient satisfaction and quality of care.

Dr. Lee Min Lau, Chief Medical Informaticist for 3M Health Information Systems noted, The 3M Healthcare Data Dictionary (HDD) provides Krames StayWell the ability to organize its patient education content to leverage standard terminologies. Were excited to work with Krames StayWell to make its patient education content easily accessible and understandable across different health information systems.

For more information about Krames StayWell content integration services, visit their website at http://www.kramesstaywell.com/krames-staywell-content-licensing or call 800-920-0870.

About Krames StayWell

Krames StayWell is the largest provider of patient education, consumer health information, and population health management communications in the country. Combining extensive technology and content assets with vast consumer insights and a strategic approach, Krames StayWell is uniquely qualified to engage consumers across the entire spectrum of their health care experience. Our best-in-class health communication solutions integrate print, interactive, and mobile formats at multiple touch points to attract and retain consumers, improve health outcomes, and lower costs. We deliver measurable results for hospitals, health care professionals, health plans, employers, retail pharmacies, government agencies, and association clients with world-class design, commitment to health literacy principles, and a focus on custom development. For more information, please visit http://www.kramesstaywell.com.

About 3M Health Information Systems

Best known for market-leading coding solutions and ICD-10 expertise, 3M Health Information Systems also delivers innovative software and consulting services that raise the bar for clinical documentation improvement, computer-assisted coding, mobile physician applications, and document management. With a robust healthcare data dictionary and terminology services to support the expansion and accuracy of EHRs and 28 years of healthcare experience, 3M Health Information Systems is the go-to partner for organizations worldwide that want to improve quality and financial performance. For more information, visit http://www.3Mhis.com/meaningfuldata/.

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Krames StayWell Releases new Patient-Focused Health IT Solution Driven by 3M Terminology Content

Two health care groups are suing Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon, claiming he exceeded his authority with emergency insurance coverage changes made after Hurricane Isaac.

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Groups sue La. commissioner over Isaac action

17-09-2012 16:39 Margaret Warner sat down with former Supreme Court Justice David Souter, who carefully opined about one aspect of the recent Supreme Court decision concerning the controversial Affordable Care Act.

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Former Supreme Court Justice David Souter on Health Care Reform Law - Video

17-09-2012 20:32 Mitt Romney told a group of donors in a surreptitiously taped private fundraiser that voters who back President Obama are "entitled" and "dependent on government." Romney told the donors: There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what. ... These are people who pay no income tax. My job is is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives. Romney seems to be referring to the estimated 47 percent of Americans who did not owe federal income taxes in 2011 because their incomes were so low that they qualified for a tax credit, or because they didn't work at all. Last year, 22 percent of people who didn't owe income taxes were elderly people on Social Security, and an additional 17 percent were students, disabled people or the unemployed. More than 60 percent of the group were low-income workers, many of whom qualified for the child tax credit or the earned income tax credit. (These workers did pay payroll taxes for Social Security and other programs.) Romney campaign ...

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Mitt Romney Leaked Fundraiser Video "Full Video" - Video

A controversial new mandate will force thousands of health care workers in Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties to get flu shots this fall -- or wear a mask at work the entire influenza season.

San Francisco and Sacramento counties already have similar mask mandates aimed at curbing the spread of the deadly disease and convincing health care workers to practice what they preach. Alameda County is considering a similar rule.

While patient advocates applaud the new requirement, a nurses union said forcing employees to wear a mask on the job for five months of the year is ineffective and would stigmatize them with a scarlet letter.

The mandate comes after an analysis by this newspaper in December revealed that nearly one-third of employees at many Bay Area hospitals failed to get a flu shot during the 2010-11 season, and at some institutions, half of workers were unprotected.

"This is really to protect the most frail, and persons at highest risk in these facilities," said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, health officer for Santa Clara County.

"The vaccine compliance rates in health care workers are just too low."

The new rule applies to all employees who have contact with patients in hospitals, clinics, ambulance companies, adult day health centers, nursing homes and other health facilities.

The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that nearly everyone age six months and older receive a flu vaccination

Each year in the United States, five to 15 percent of people become ill with the flu, and nearly 36,000 die. Seniors, infants, pregnant women and those with chronic health conditions are at greatest risk.

Fenstersheib issued an order in July imposing the vaccination mandate for the upcoming flu season in Santa Clara County, from Nov. 1 to March 31.

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Health care workers in Santa Clara county must get flu shot or wear a mask

Close on the heels of the acquisition of Sunrise Senior Living Inc. (SRZ) one of the largest providers of senior living services in the U.S., Health Care REIT Inc. (HCN), a leading health care real estate investment trust (:REIT) that operates senior housing and health care real estate, has decided to offload its management company business.

To materialize the decision, Health Care REIT has penned an agreement with the affiliates of investment firms Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR), Beecken Petty OKeefe & Company, and Coastwood Senior Housing Partners LLC, to form a new entity that would acquire the divested business. Health Care REIT would invest about $26 million for a 20% ownership stake in the joint venture.

The divested business would include the existing management contracts of Sunrise Senior Living along with the 125 communities set to be acquired by Health Care REIT. The newly-formed joint venture entity would subsequently induct all the employees of the erstwhile Sunrise Senior Living and operate under the Sunrise brand.

The current deal is effective within the framework of the previously announced merger of Health Care REIT and Sunrise Senior Living, under which the former would acquire all the outstanding shares of the latter for $14.50 per share in an all-cash transaction. The company expects to partially fund the acquisition from the proceeds of the divestment of the management business.

With a median age of eight years, the acquisition will enable Health Care REIT to own high-quality private pay senior housing communities in high-barrier-to-entry affluent markets. In addition, the company is likely to gain operational synergies as an experienced and dynamic management team from Sunrise Senior Living, with over 30 years of experience, comes on board.

Besides improving the economies of scale, the acquisition would further enable Health Care REIT to gain access to higher yielding embedded investment opportunities, as more ownership stakes in joint venture properties come up for grabs. The senior housing sector is a highly-fragmented market with limited new supply and positive growth indicators, with the over-85 demographic growing at three times the rate of the overall population.

Health Care REIT invests across the full spectrum of senior housing and healthcare real estate properties. Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, the company also provides an extensive array of property management and development services. Founded in 1970, the company was the first REIT to invest exclusively in healthcare facilities. Health Care REIT provides senior housing operators and healthcare systems with a single source for facility planning, design and turn-key development, property management, and monetization or expansion of existing real estate. We maintain our Neutral recommendation on Health Care REIT, which currently has a Zacks #3 Rank that indicates a short-term Hold rating.

Read the Full Research Report on HCN

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HCN to Sell SRZ Management Entity

(CNN)

America is getting fatter, according to a new report, and bulging waistlines will rack up big health care expenditures within the next two decades.

The report, from the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, draws on previously published government data to make predictions about what consequences an upward obesity trend would have for individual states.

It also projects that the health of the country -- and the dollars spent on the health care system -- would benefit from even a 5% reduction in the average body mass index. The report is called "F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2012."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found, in data published in August, that Mississippi is the country's leader in adult obesity, at 34.9%. That number could rise to 66.7% by 2030, the new report found.

The new analysis also projected that obesity rates in 13 states could rise above 60% among adults by 2030. By that year, every state in the nation may have adult obesity rates above 44%, including 39 states with rates higher than 50%, the report said.

This is consistent with a 2012 study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, which concluded that by 2030, 42% of adults will be obese. That study forecast $550 billion in health care spending from now to 2030 as a result of rising obesity rates.

Just how fat?

But some experts are skeptical about how accurately obesity trends can be predicted. Methods of calculating how fat Americans will be in the future vary greatly, and there's no accepted standard of determining it, said David B. Allison, director of the Nutrition Obesity Research Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who was not involved in the new study.

"I don't mean for a moment that we should not be taking steps to reduce obesity," Allison said. "If it increases in prevalence, it would be a more serious problem. And even if it decreases in prevalence, without us intentionally doing anything in the immediate term, I'd be shocked if it's going to vanish."

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Health care costs to bulge along with obesity

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- America is getting fatter, according to a new report, and bulging waistlines will rack up big health care expenditures within the next two decades.

The report, from the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, draws on previously published government data to make predictions about what consequences an upward obesity trend would have for individual states.

It also projects that the health of the country -- and the dollars spent on the health care system -- would benefit from even a 5% reduction in the average body mass index. The report is called "F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2012."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found, in data published in August, that Mississippi is the country's leader in adult obesity, at 34.9%. That number could rise to 66.7% by 2030, the new report found.

The new analysis also projected that obesity rates in 13 states could rise above 60% among adults by 2030. By that year, every state in the nation may have adult obesity rates above 44%, including 39 states with rates higher than 50%, the report said.

This is consistent with a 2012 study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, which concluded that by 2030, 42% of adults will be obese. That study forecast $550 billion in health care spending from now to 2030 as a result of rising obesity rates.

Just how fat?

But some experts are skeptical about how accurately obesity trends can be predicted. Methods of calculating how fat Americans will be in the future vary greatly, and there's no accepted standard of determining it, said David B. Allison, director of the Nutrition Obesity Research Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who was not involved in the new study.

"I don't mean for a moment that we should not be taking steps to reduce obesity," Allison said. "If it increases in prevalence, it would be a more serious problem. And even if it decreases in prevalence, without us intentionally doing anything in the immediate term, I'd be shocked if it's going to vanish."

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Bulging waistlines, higher health costs

Congressman Bob Filners mayoral campaign has often aimed to portray him as a unifier and his competitor, City Councilman Carl DeMaio, as a divider. Filner argues he would be better than DeMaio at crossing party lines and solving problems at City Hall.

To bolster his argument, Filner has often pointed to his congressional record and specifically, his push to expand veterans' benefits. He was chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs from 2007 to 2010 and remains the committees ranking Democratic member today.

Talking about his tenure as chairman at an Aug. 9 mayoral debate, Filner claimed his leadership had resulted in substantial budget increases for veterans benefits and won unanimous support from Congress. Heres the full quote:

We decided to Fact Check the statement because Filner has repeatedly cited an increase in the budget for veterans health care to prop up his congressional record and in this case, also cited unanimous support from Congress, bolstering his campaign theme.

Weve rated part of his claim Mostly True, the other part as Huckster Propaganda.

Our analysis below is broken down by each claim. First well examine whether the budget increased by 65 percent while Filner was chairman of the House of Representatives committee, and then well review whether Congress unanimously approved the additional funds.

Claim: A 65 percent increase while Filner was chairman.

Analysis: Budget documents back up Filners percentage.

But its important to understand how it was calculated. He was chairman of the Committee on Veterans Affairs for four years, though the percentage describes how funding changed over six.

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Boosting the Veterans’ Health Care Budget: Fact Check

It has been a central campaign promise from Mitt Romney: His Medicare overhaul plan would not touch benefits for anyone older than 55. That may not, however, be the case with the Republican presidential nominee’s other health-care proposals. A growing body of research suggests that his plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act and cut Medicaid funding would have a direct impact on the health care ...

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Romney’s health care plans don’t exempt today’s seniors

CHICAGO, Sept. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana (BCBSMT), today announced their intention for BCBSMT to join forces with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans in Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico in a new alliance with HCSC, which operates these Plans. HCSC is an Illinois mutual legal reserve company, operates as a not-for-profit, and is the nation's largest customer-owned health insurer. BCBSMT is Montana's largest and longest standing health plan with approximately 272,000 members.

This alliance, once it receives regulatory approval, will bring together HCSC and BCBSMT in a business combination of dedicated people, best practices, innovative technology, and other assets to advance health care excellence in the state of Montana.

The two companies announced that they are in the early stages of planning how the alliance will come together. This alliance is expected to result in additional charitable benefits to the state of Montana.

"The premier health insurance company in Montana is about to get even better," said Michael E. Frank, President and CEO of BCBSMT, who will continue to lead the Montana Plan. "For more than 70 years we have been providing Montanans with access to affordable health care coverage and administrative services, and we will do so for 70 more. As we look to the future of health care in Montana, we believe HCSC will bolster our efforts to serve the unique needs of our state."

"We're pleased to be joining forces with BCBSMT to serve the people of Montana. What we bring to the table through this alliance are additional resources to offer affordable health care coverage to every corner of Montana in new and innovative ways," said Patricia Hemingway Hall, President and CEO of HCSC. "We look forward to working with Mike Frank and his leadership team."

Frank added, "Being part of the largest customer owned insurer in the country will allow us to take advantage of HCSC's scale, financial strength, and new collaborative technology and tools so that we can better serve our members and strengthen our partnership with Montana's outstanding physicians and hospitals."

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana is a not-for-profit health insurer that serves approximately 272,000 members through a provider network of nearly 2,000 physicians, all Montana hospitals, and 2,800 allied health care providers. BCBSMT is the state's largest and (oldest) health insurer.

About Health Care Service Corporation Health Care Service Corporation is the country's largest customer-owned health insurer and fourth largest health insurer overall, with more than 13 million members in its Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. A Mutual Legal Reserve Company, HCSC is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information, please visit http://www.HCSC.com, visit our Facebook page or follow us at http://www.twitter.com/HCSC.

About the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana, a not-for-profit mutual insurance company, is a leader in delivering innovative health insurance products, services and information to more than 270,000 members. For over 70 years, the company has served its customers by offering health insurance at a competitive price and has served the people of Montana through support of community organizations, programs and events that promote good health. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

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Health Care Service Corporation And Blue Cross And Blue Shield Of Montana To Join Forces

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The new leader of the LSU health care system, working with Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration to make deep cuts to the public hospitals, earlier this year slammed the governor for slashing funding to the facilities.

"Yes, he is saving money. But to save money and lose your soul in doing so, I have to ask if that is the Christian way?" Frank Opelka wrote in a letter printed by The Advocate newspaper in February - after midyear budget cuts hit university health programs.

Seven months later, Opelka is working side-by-side with the governor's health care secretary, Bruce Greenstein, to shrink far more spending on the safety net system of hospital and clinics that care for the uninsured.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Opelka said the newspaper letter was designed to draw attention to "our cut after cut strategy, which was not helping patients."

He said the Jindal administration isn't seeking such a strategy in the latest round of cuts, which Opelka is overseeing since his predecessor was ousted from the job after clashing with the administration over the budget reductions.

"I want us to be mindful of the impact. I don't think one cut after another is the best way to determine safety net care," said Opelka, LSU's executive vice president for health care and medical education redesign.

Opelka said the Jindal administration is pushing for collaborations with local community health providers to try to protect critical services and patient care.

"They don't want a cut strategy. They want a partnership strategy," Opelka said.

The Jindal administration has stripped a quarter of the health system's funding in response to a drop in federal Medicaid financing, and Jindal says LSU must change its model of providing services and embrace public/private partnerships.

The drop in funding is expected to reach more than $300 million in the next budget year that begins July 1.

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LSU hospitals chief once blasted Jindal for cuts

WASHINGTON Having trouble finding a doctor? You're not alone.

Tens of millions of adults under age 65 both those with insurance and those without saw their access to health care worsen dramatically over the past decade, according to a study abstract released Monday.

The findings suggest that more privately insured Americans are delaying treatment because of rising out-of-pocket costs, while safety-net programs for the poor and uninsured are failing to keep up with demand for care, say Urban Institute researchers who wrote the report.

Overall, the study published in the journal Health Affairs found that one in five American adults under 65 had an "unmet medical need" because of costs in 2010, compared with one in eight in 2000. They also had a harder time accessing dental care, according to the analysis based on data from annual federal surveys of adults.

"For decades, Americans have been facing costs rising well above wage levels," said Lynn Quincy, senior policy analyst for Consumers Union, a nonpartisan group. "These are real families. ... It's very concerning."

The 2010 health care law, which will expand health coverage to 30 million people starting in 2014, won't necessarily solve all those access problems, the study said. That's because the law, which is under review by the Supreme Court, may not alter the trend toward private insurance policies with larger deductibles and higher co-payments or address some of the barriers within public coverage. While the law does increase payments temporarily to primary care doctors who see people covered by Medicaid, it will not force more doctors into the program, or require states to provide dental coverage to adults.

Quincy noted that the law does offer several new strategies, such as new payment methods to control rising costs, which could help improve access, but there's no guarantee they will work.

The study underscores what's at stake in the law's coverage expansion: People with private or public health insurance have significantly better access to care than the uninsured. If the law is overturned or scaled back, "we would be likely to see further deterioration in access to care for all adults uninsured and insured alike," it concludes.

The percent of adults with private insurance who reported an "unmet medical need" doubled to 10 percent from 2000 to 2010, while those who delayed seeking care because of cost rose from 4 percent to 7 percent in the same period, according to the study.

Genevieve Kenney, lead author and senior fellow at the Urban Institute, speculated that higher cost sharing and deductibles that shift more of the cost onto individuals could be driving those changes.

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Health, dental care increasingly out of reach for millions

(MENAFN - Arab News) Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah urged health care providers in the private sector yesterday to enhance their services to residents and citizens in the Kingdom.

The minister said the government is keen to provide them with the best possible health care and there should be coordinated efforts.

Ali Azzawwawi, undersecretary to the ministry of health for the private health sector, said that the Ministry of Health organizes field visits to private health care institutions to ensure that they maintain the ministry's standards. "Violators of health care regulations were subject to various penalties and even closure of private medical clinics," he said, adding that the licenses of medical clinics were also withdrawn and violating health personnel was suspended from regular services.

The motto of the health ministry is "Patients First", hence, he said, the ministry would take all measures to look after the welfare of the patients and to enhance the services and health facilities provided to them. The official said that the ministry treats members of the private sector as strategic partners in providing the best health care to the people in the Kingdom. "Such measures are adopted as a remedial action to discourage practices that jeopardize the health of the people," he added.

In 2012, he said, the ministry closed down 140 medical clinics in the private sector and took action against 351 medical personnel, who had violated the Kingdom's health regulations.

During this year, he said 14,078 new licenses were issued to medical institutions, which included 672 pharmacies. "We have also given licenses to 2,295 medics and paramedics to practice in the private sector in the Kingdom.

Early this year, the Ministry of Health (MOH) closed a private medical center in the capital for alleged professional mistakes.

The ministry found a series of mistakes carried out by the center in its cosmetic surgical section. Besides the death of a woman following a cosmetic surgery, the ministry found that the administration of the medical center too had violated the Kingdom's labor regulations.

"Some of the center's medics and paramedics were also working for the public sector," the ministry said. The center had allegedly also not complied with the health ministry's regulations to maintain health standards. The center in the north of Riyadh has several affiliates in the city. The ministry also banned all one-day surgeries in all these facilities.

According to the Kingdom's labor regulations, it is illegal for members of the private sector to work part-time in the private sector.

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Saudi- Private hospitals urged to provide better services

America's health care system is unsustainable. It's not one problem, but three combined: high cost, uneven quality and millions uninsured. Major changes will keep coming. Every family will be affected.

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WHY IT MATTERS: You'll feel it whether that health care law stays or goes

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) Hundreds of business leaders from around the region are expected at the fourth annual health care forum presented by New Hampshire Business Review and MVP Health Care on Oct. 2.

The forum is being held 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord.

Dr. Aaron Carroll, director of the Center for Health Policy and Professionalism Research, will be the keynote speaker. He plans to offer an analysis of the Affordable Care Act and how it will impact the nation's economy and New Hampshire's business climate.

There also will be a panel discussion on legal and operational issues that will impact employers and employees, and on reform efforts that go beyond the ACA to curb spending, contain costs and reform the health care industry.

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NH health care forum to draw business leaders