Report: Many health care providers still unhappy with Medicaid claims system 

One out of every three Medicaid providers is still unsatisfied with Idaho’s relatively new system for processing Medicaid claims in Idaho, which is a dramatic improvement from when the system went online.
The watchdog arm of the Idaho Legislature surveyed more than 1,400 health care providers as part of a follow-up study on Molina Healthcare’s Medicaid [...]

For headache device, a market of 35 million 

He’s not ready to leave his day job yet, but a Sandpoint chiropractor has sold 400 copies of a device he invented to ease the pain of headache sufferers.

Will Mihin invented his device, the Headache Hammock, after trying a new procedure on patients known as the occipital lift. The lift is performed by cradling the [...]

Medical airlift company Life Flight closes McCall base 

Life Flight Network, an Oregon-based not-for-profit that acts as an ambulance in the air, will no longer house a helicopter in McCall, though it will still provide transportation and rescue services for the region. Closing the McCall base, which employed several pilots and emergency medical staff, was necessary because the company didn’t have enough flights [...]

HIPAA audits have begun 

All entities covered under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act must get ready – audits of privacy and security compliance under the Act have officially begun.
Under the auspices of the 2009 HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health) Act, the Department of Health and Human Services was mandated to conduct periodic audits [...]

Department of Labor proposes rules to cut down on health care fraud 

The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration has proposed two new rules under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act aimed at cracking down on heath care fraud and protecting businesses and workers whose health benefits are provided through a multiple employer welfare arrangement.
Groups of unrelated employers, typically small businesses, often enter such arrangements, [...]

Healing at -200 degrees 

Boise chiropractor Dr. Jason Watson is hoping to heal patients and set his practice apart by offering a super-cold treatment called whole body cryotherapy.
The therapy has been used by topflight athletes in hopes of speeding recuperation from tough workouts. It’s a more advanced and more intensive version of an ice pack or ice bath, intended [...]

Saint Alphonsus ordered to pay $52M to former MRI partner

A jury has ordered a Boise hospital to pay $52 million to an MRI company for violating a partnership agreement it had with the company. The award is one of the largest to ever come out of the Idaho district courts.
It’s the second time the lawsuit, brought by MRI Associates against Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical [...]

Bill would cut regulatory red tape in U.S. for medical devices 

Legislation that would streamline the regulatory process for some medical devices has been filed in the U.S. Senate.
The Medical Device Regulatory Improvement Act, S. 1700, introduced by Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., would streamline the Food and Drug Administration’s regulation process for certain medical devices by clarifying some of [...]

Washington State breaks ground on new medical school in Spokane

Officials broke ground Oct. 5 on a new medical school building at Washington State University’s Spokane campus.
The $70 million building is intended to produce more doctors for Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho will also be the new home of a consolidated Washington State University College of Pharmacy.
Medical students from the five states will take classes in [...]

Annual IBR Health Care Heroes event draws community support

It took Nancy Casperson 30 tries to conquer her smoking habit. Then she founded Quit and Live Global, an organization devoted to helping people quit. So far, she’s worked with more than 10,000 tobacco users and helped nearly 4,000 kick the habit.
Caspersen was one of 18 honored Oct. 4 at an award ceremony and luncheon [...]