We'd like to remind you about our latest website launched late 2008, Talk Medical (http://talk.news-medical.net). Here you can post news from your organization or company, post events you are involved in or feel would be of interest to the wider community, blog to your heart's content on current health issues or simply just share any interesting health stories you may have. Featured Posts Health of Women is Indeed Our Precious Wealth
W o r l d H e a l t h D a y 7 April 2009 Health of Women is Indeed Our Precious Wealth On this year's World Health Day, let us focus on addressing issues that can improve health status of women. A wide array of socio-economic, cultural and gender-based inequalities continue to aggravate risk for women. The latest effort in this direction was a symposium on ‘nutrition in women’ held in New Delhi . Its main aim was to draw attention to the very pertinent observations of a ‘Multi Centric Study on… Continue The Welcomed Medical Benefits Of Stem Cell Therapy
Over 100 years ago, a Russian histologist suggested stem cells be applied for scientific research. They are the human body’s equivalent of a generator, as they can renew, regenerate, and replicate under the right conditions. The apex of cellular therapy and regenerative/reparative medicine has been reborn after an 8 year moratorium that basically halted federal funding for stem cell research with most states in the U.S. Now the NIH can award grants to scientists involved with biomedical resear… Continue Breastfeeding reduces risk of childhood obesity
Three decades ago, it was proposed that disease risk in human adults may be programmed by environmental influences acting on hormones, metabolites and neurotransmitters, during sensitive periods of early development. Since then, much supporting evidence for this hypothesis has… Continue |
Latest News
Improving U.S. hospitals' efficiency could save at least $4 billion, Thomson Reuters says
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47982
U.S. hospitals can improve patient care and save at least $4 billion by being more efficient, according to Thomson Reuters, Reuters reports.
CMS announces $35.8 million for state health insurance assistance programs
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47985
CMS on Friday announced that State Health Insurance Assistance Programs will receive $35.8 million to provide health insurance information to Medicare beneficiaries, CQ HealthBeat reports.
GAO official names first 13 members of HIT Policy Advisory Committee
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47986
Government Accountability Office acting Comptroller General Gene Dodaro last week named 13 members to a policy committee on health care information technology established under the federal economic stimulus package, CongressDaily reports.
Lawmakers prepare for budget resolution conference committee, reconciliation likely will be sticking point
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47987
House Budget Committee Chair John Spratt (D-S.C.) on Thursday said he hopes the conference for the fiscal year 2010 budget resolution happens "as soon as possible" so that the appropriations process can begin quickly, CongressDaily reports.
Minorities more likely than others in California to be uninsured, families USA Survey finds
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47978
Minorities in California are more likely than others to be uninsured in the last two years, according to a Families USA survey released last week, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Georgia insurance commissioner launches inquiry into out-of-network payments
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47979
Georgia Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine (R) has ordered 18 insurers that operate in Georgia to report how they establish reimbursement rates for out-of-network services, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Mississippi Medicaid fraud-prevention rule criticized for eliminating beneficiaries from program
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47980
Mississippi state lawmakers last week rejected efforts to repeal a state rule requiring Medicaid beneficiaries to show up in person to renew their enrollment each year, the AP/Miami Herald reports.
Getting the word out when the need for speed is critical to public health
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47883
When the need for speed is critical, how can a public health department communicate with doctors and hospitals, sending alerts to help prevent or stop a public health crisis? How can thousands of health-care providers be notified about disease outbreaks, illness from food borne contaminants or even a possible pandemic?
Congress approves budget resolutions
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47901
The House and Senate on Thursday approved their respective versions of the fiscal year 2010 budget resolution (HConRes85, SConRes13), both of which include deficit-neutral reserve funds for health care, CongressDaily reports (Sanchez/Friedman, CongressDaily, 4/3).
Senate unlikely to vote on Gov. Sebelius' nomination as HHS Secretary until later this month
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47902
Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D), President Obama's choice for HHS secretary, "sailed through" a Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing on Thursday, but the Senate likely will not take up the nomination until later this month because of objections for an immediate vote by several Republican members, the New York Times reports (Pear, New York Times, 4/3).
Seattle not-for-profits awaiting stimulus funds to continue providing health care, other services to ethnic communities
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47894
Many Seattle not-for-profits that provide health care and other services to ethnic communities "are eagerly awaiting" the distribution of funds from the economic stimulus package, the Northwest Asian Weekly reports (Nguyen, Northwest Asian Weekly, 4/2).
Critics say Louisiana proposal to penalize doctors not meeting standards provides wrong type of incentive
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47895
A Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals proposal to implement performance standards for physicians who care for low-income residents has come under criticism from child care advocates who say the program will lead doctors to stop participating in the state's CommunityCARE program, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports.
About 500,000 Californians have lost health insurance during recession
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47896
About 500,000 working-age Californians have lost their health insurance since the economic recession began in November 2007, according to a report the University of California-Berkeley's Center for Labor Research and Education released Wednesday, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Congressional progressive caucus issues letter stating majority of members will only support health reform that includes public plan option
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47900
A majority of members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus will not support any health reform legislation that does not include a public plan option, according to a letter sent on Thursday by CPC co-chairs Reps. Lynn Woosley (D-Calif.) and Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) to Democratic leaders in the House and Senate, Roll Call reports (Bendery, Roll Call, 4/2).
Massachusetts spent $793.7 million in FY 2008 on health coverage for employees of large businesses, report finds
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47897
The cost of providing subsidized health coverage to Massachusetts residents and their families who work for large companies increased by 24.6% to $793.7 million in the last fiscal year, according to a state Division of Health Care Finance and Policy report released on Wednesday, the Boston Globe reports.
More large employers offer chronic disease management programs to reduce health care costs
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47899
Eighty percent of large U.S. companies this year are offering chronic disease management programs for workers in an effort to reduce health care costs, up from 51% last year, according to a new survey by Hewitt Associates, the Houston Chronicle reports.
One out of five Medicare patients readmitted to hospital within a month
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47812
When a patient is discharged from the hospital, just about the last thing he or she wants is to be back in again within the next month.
One of five hospitalized Medicare patients readmitted to hospital within 30 days
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47751
One of five Medicare beneficiaries discharged from the hospital is readmitted within 30 days, and half of non-surgical patients are readmitted to the hospital without having seen an outpatient doctor in follow-up, according to a Commonwealth Fund-supported study in today's New England Journal of Medicine.
Compassion fatigue: Impact on healthcare providers of caring for the terminally ill
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47770
Compassion fatigue in nurses, doctors and other front line cancer-care providers significantly impacts how they interact with patients, with patient families, with other healthcare workers, and with their own family, according to analysis by Indiana University School of Medicine and Regenstrief Institute researchers published in the March issue of the Journal of Health Psychology.
What patients really think of intensive care unit follow-up services
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47729
Former patients believe that intensive care unit (ICU) follow-up services are important for their physical, emotional and psychological recovery.
Brightly coloured uniforms improve perceptions of hospital nurses among children and parents
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47734
Putting hospital nurses in brightly coloured, unconventional uniforms makes children more comfortable and parents more confident, according to a study in the April issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing.
Hospital-to-hospital health information exchange begins
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47726
LifeBridge Health has begun an electronic exchange of health information between its two hospitals, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore and Northwest Hospital, and Saint Agnes Hospital, a community hospital with an overlapping service area.
Higher hospital safety rating not associated with lower risk of in-hospital death
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47724
Hospitals that reported higher scores on measures of safe practices did not have a significantly lower rate of in-hospital deaths compared to hospitals that reported lower scores on these measures, according to a study in the April 1 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.
U.S. Supreme Court denies request for emergency injunction to block healthy San Francisco employer contribution mandates
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47701
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Golden Gate Restaurant Association's request for a temporary order barring San Francisco from requiring restaurant owners to contribute toward workers' health care costs, the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 3/31).
California stimulus funding not enough to stave off cuts to some health care services
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47702
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Friday signed five bills into law that allow California to receive more than $17.5 billion in federal economic stimulus aid, but the funding will not be enough for the state to avoid $3 billion in tax increases and cuts to services to balance its budget, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Minorities underrepresented in New York state physician workforce, study finds
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47705
Few minorities in New York state are entering the health care field despite an increase in the number of minorities moving there, according to a study recently published by the University at Albany's Center for Health Workforce Studies, the Albany Times Union reports.
HHS report says health reform vital to U.S. economy as costs rise, quality of care worsens
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47696
Comprehensive health care reform is necessary this year because of rising costs and the declining quality of care, according to an HHS report released on Monday, Reuters/Boston Globe reports.
President Obama meets with house Democrats, links passage of budget with ability to move on health reform
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47695
President Obama on Monday met with House Democrats in closed-door sessions to discuss his fiscal year 2010 budget proposal, during which he linked the passage of his budget to the ability to act on major issues including health care reform, Politico reports.
Pennsylvania health system decreasing complications, costs with 'warranty' system emphasizing best practices
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47700
The Washington Post on Tuesday examined how Pennsylvania's Geisinger Health System has successfully improved outcomes for elective heart surgery patients through its 90-day warranty program, which charges a flat fee covering the cost of the procedure and any needed follow-up care. Geisinger operates its own insurance plan and has 41 clinics, three hospitals and 650 staff physicians.
Couples retiring this year need $240,000 to cover medical expenses
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47697
65-year-old retired couple this year would need $240,000 on average to cover medical expenses, according to a recent study by Fidelity Investments, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports.
CMS announces new rules for Medicare Advantage plans that aim to protect sick beneficiaries from high out-of-pocket costs
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47698
CMS on Monday announced that insurers looking to offer Medicare Advantage plans this year must cap out-of-pocket charges and that the agency will eliminate MA plans that have 10 or fewer beneficiaries, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Retention is part of the answer to the nursing shortage
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47638
A new research study, published in the March/April issue of the journal Nursing Economics, has determined what factors can help keep new nurses from leaving their jobs and - in doing so - save health systems money.
Low-income families with sick children often enrolled in high-deductible health care plans
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=47641
High-deductible health plans are increasingly used by healthy people who are unlikely to incur high medical expenses.
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