Travis Leonardi .com

ON – As called for under the HITECH Act, the Health & Human Services Department plans to release in May a proposed rule that strengthens existing privacy, security and enforcement requirements for organizations that handle patients’ health information.

The rule also toughens related provisions in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) as the adoption of electronic health records and health information exchange expands the number of organizations that may have access to personal data. click here

By Rob Stein

Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, April 24, 2010

Federal health officials are investigating the first hints of any possible significant complications from the H1N1 vaccine, but stressed that the concerns will probably turn out to be a false alarm.

The latest analysis of data has detected what could be a somewhat elevated rate of Guillain-Barré syndrome, which can cause paralysis and death; Bell’s palsy, a temporary facial paralysis; and thrombocytopenia, which is a low level of blood platelets, officials reported Friday. The data is being collected through five of the networks the government is using to monitor people who were inoculated against the swine flu.

for full story click here

Obama received overwhelmingly positive coverage of yesterday as Obama signed the Reconciliation Bill and the student loan program overhaul.

After accepting changes in the Senate, the house of representatives passed the reconciliation bill.  Now its off to the President for signature.

The signing of the health care reform legislation received extensive, and extremely positive, media coverage yesterday.

Republicans continued to appear confident that the new law will give them electoral advantage this fall.

Despite all the R and D proclamations, Americans continue to be less confident of the government representation and feel economic collapse is in our future.

Congressman Michael Acuri in NY 24th district and Congressman Stephen Lynch of the 9th Congressional District of Massachusetts. Has changed their vote on the health care Bill from YES to NO.

House Democrats may use a procedural tactic, already tagged with the label “the Slaughter Solution” to pass health-care overhaul.

” The President said, “The healthcare system has billions of dollars that should go to patient care and they’re lost each and every year to fraud, to abuse, to massive subsidies that line the pockets of the insurance industry.”

The Dems strategy is that the House would pass the Senate’s version of the bill then both chambers would approve changes under the budget reconciliation process, which could pass the Senate with a simple 51-vote majority

After 7 grueling hours of partisan lecturing it appears that health care reform is either dead, or will be passed with a minimal number of democrats voting and just barely passing the largest social program in the history of the United States.