Published by In Touch, News from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission Dual-eligible clients in Texas’ most populous counties may soon have the chance to combine their Medicare and Medicaid services into one health plan. On March 1, HHSC began enrolling people who get both Medicare and Medicaid benefits into a new STAR+PLUS Medicare-Medicaid demonstration… Continue reading Demo Project to Streamline Delivery of Medicare, Medicaid Services

By Parkland Hospital Staff Accessing care can be a major challenge for patients with diabetes. A complex disease, diabetes is difficult to manage and patients often need frequent interaction with medical providers. But the average patient spends less than six hours a year with a health care provider for diabetes management. With diabetes’ rates soaring, health… Continue reading Parkland’s New Global Diabetes Program Improves Patient Access, Care

By Alexa Ura for The Texas Tribune Kathleen Riley has had 14 rounds of chemotherapy and seven surgeries since she first found a lump in one of her breasts in April. It’s a regimen Riley says she wouldn’t have started if it weren’t for the medical team at Memorial Health System of East Texas. Unable to afford… Continue reading In Funding Fight, Cancer Care Could Be Collateral Damage

By Julie Appleby for The Washington Post Starting immediately, the federal government is making it harder for nursing homes to get top grades on a public report card, in part by increasing scrutiny of the facilities’ use of anti-psychotic drugs and raising the bar on an array of quality measures. The grades — in the form… Continue reading Government Raising Bar on Ratings Of Nursing Homes

By W. Scott Bailey of the San Antonio Business Journal for BizJournals The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) has awarded 58 new grants worth more than $111 million to a number of organizations across the state — including several to the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. CPRIT has awarded more… Continue reading CPRIT Awards Nearly $7 Million to San Antonio Cancer Researchers

Originally published by Kaiser Health News. Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a nonprofit national health policy news service. By Carrie Feibel, Houston Public Media As the health law’s second open enrollment season barrels to a close on Sunday, nearly a million Texans have purchased or applied for health insurance. This time around, insurance brokers are aggressively marketing… Continue reading Texas Insurance Brokers Play Bigger Obamacare Role

By Sherry Jacobson for The Dallas Morning News Federal and local officials announced Wednesday that 969,461 people in Texas have signed up so far for insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act. The enrollment effort already exceeds last year’s statewide enrollment by nearly a third. And a major sign-up push is underway as the Feb.… Continue reading Nearly 1 Million Texans Sign Up Under Affordable Care Act

By Chad Swiatecki of Austin Business Journal for BizJournals.com The Seton Foundation component of the Seton Healthcare Family has announced new leadership roles for three of its executives to help the organization with its latest fundraising goals. Donna Budak has been named executive director of The Seton Fund and will continue in her role as executive director of… Continue reading Seton Foundation Makes Changes to Executive Team

By Sherry Jacobson for The Dallas Morning News The new Parkland Memorial Hospital will officially open its doors to patients on Aug. 20, two months later than expected, the hospital announced Monday. Without explaining the delay, leaders of Dallas County’s lone public county hospital said the move remained on schedule for next summer. Earlier move… Continue reading Dallas County’s New Parkland Hospital Won’t Open to Patients until Aug. 20

When Home And Health Are Just Out Of Reach By Sarah Jane Tribble of WCPN for Kaiser Health News Donna Giron is frail. She has Crohn’s disease and uses a wheelchair to get around because walking exhausts her. But she doesn’t want to be in the nursing home where she has lived since May. Giron, 65,… Continue reading When Home And Health Are Just Out Of Reach