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Today's OpEds: Shift entitlement spending to the states; The lack of a GOP health plan; Battling tobacco

The U.S. fiscal path is unsustainable, primarily because of out-of-control entitlement spending. … At some point, therefore, the economy is due to crash unless Washington reins in spending. One way to avoid this outcome would be to transfer entitlement programs to the states ... failure to slash entitlements could mean a bankrupt economy. When that happens, it's sure to be the poor who suffer the most (Jeffrey Miron, 7/16).

17 Jul 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

As part of a series in advance of AIDS 2010, the "Science Speaks" blog features an interview with U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Eric Goosby "about his expectations for the conference, what was behind the Uganda problem with shortages of AIDS medicine, and whether The New York Times was right when it reported in May that the Ugandan drug shortfall was 'the first example … of how the war on AIDS is falling apart.'"

16 Jul 2010

First Edition: July 16, 2010

Indiana's Medicaid chief told lawmakers Thursday that the federal government has largely left states in the dark on implementing the federal health care overhaul because it hasn't yet provided needed guidelines (The Associated Press).

16 Jul 2010

Joint statement to help patients, physicians make informed decisions about use of rosiglitazone

The Endocrine Society, American Diabetes Association and American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists issue joint statement in response to an FDA panel's recommendation to keep rosiglitazone (Avandia) on the market

16 Jul 2010

Philadelphia to host 52nd annual meeting of American Association of Physicists in Medicine

Next week the city of Philadelphia will host the 52nd annual meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), the premier organization in medical physics, a broadly-based scientific and professional discipline encompassing physics principles and applications in medicine and biology.

16 Jul 2010

Picis commends inclusion of ED in final rules for ARRA HITECH meaningful use criteria

Picis executives today weighed in on the final rules for the ARRA HITECH meaningful use criteria issued this week. The company commends policy makers for their comprehensive and diligent work to create a flexible, workable solution that lays the foundation for a strong electronic health record (EHR) plan for the future of U.S. health care.

16 Jul 2010

Johns Hopkins Hospital takes top spot in annual rankings of American hospitals for 20th year in a row

Once more — and for the 20th year in a row — The Johns Hopkins Hospital has taken the top spot in U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings of American hospitals, placing first in five medical specialties and in the top five in 10 others.

16 Jul 2010

Current global economic crisis finds few bright spots in mental health spending: Study

As the current global economic crisis drives up the demand for mental health care services, cash-strapped agencies are slashing mental health budgets, according to a new Brandeis University study out this month in the International Journal of Mental Health. However, while most nations are cutting spending, a handful of countries are earmarking funding to meet the anticipated growth in mental health problems.

16 Jul 2010

VCU Medical Center ranked in 2010-2011 Best Hospitals

The Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center on Thursday was ranked in the 2010-2011 Best Hospitals in the country by U.S. News and World Report, making it one of 152 medical centers nationwide selected out of nearly 2,000 eligible institutions.

16 Jul 2010

N.C. firms show health sector jobs not as recession-proof as advertised

Are health jobs recession proof? Try recession resistant. The Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal reports, "Health-care jobs might not be as recession-proof as was once thought, but they are still safer than jobs in many other fields, employment experts said yesterday, after Forsyth Medical Center announced a day earlier that 48 people would lose their jobs through layoffs… Large layoffs in the health-care industry have taken place elsewhere. In January, for example, Southeastern Regional Medical Center in Lumberton laid off 112 employees" (Graff, 7/15).

16 Jul 2010

ANA, HealthStream partner to expand and deliver online continuing education

HealthStream, Inc., a leading provider of learning and research solutions for the health care industry, today announced that the American Nurses Association (ANA) has partnered with HealthStream to expand the offering and streamline the delivery of its online continuing education (CE).

16 Jul 2010

WHO releases guidelines for countries on how to attract, retain doctors, health care workers to rural areas

BMJ News reports on the WHO's recent release of a set of recommendations for countries on how to attract and retain doctors and other health care workers in rural areas (Zarocostas, 7/14).

16 Jul 2010

New initiative to improve children's nutrition education, help them make smarter food choices

A new initiative to improve children's nutrition education and increase the amount of healthy foods available in schools is a collaboration among Penn State researchers; Pennsylvania's Departments of Health, Education, and Agriculture; Pennsylvania food manufacturers and food distributors; and school districts across the state.

16 Jul 2010

Judge says FTC likely overstepped authority in sharing drugmaker pay-for-delay info

A judge Wednesday criticized the Federal Trade Commission for the "strong possibility" that it "overstepped its bounds and shared confidential information" in a pay-for-delay case between the government and a generic drug company, Reuters reports.

16 Jul 2010

Republicans demand hearing on CMS head Berwick, block other nominees

Senate Republicans are still angry over President Obama's recess appointment of Dr. Donald Berwick to head the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

16 Jul 2010

Insurers will pick up preventive care costs under new rules

The recommendations of a federal task force on preventive care - once just suggestions for doctors - will soon become coverage requirements for private insurers under regulations unveiled Wednesday by the Obama administration, according to Kaiser Health News and The Washington Post. "Under the new health care overhaul law, insurers will be required to pay fully for services that get an "A" or "B" recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a volunteer group made up of primary care and public health experts."

16 Jul 2010

Sumner M. Redstone donates $24M to Keck School of Medicine of USC to support cancer research

The Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California has announced a $24 million charitable gift from media executive and philanthropist Sumner M. Redstone. The multi-million dollar gift will support cancer research directed by renowned oncologist David Agus, M.D., professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and director of the USC Center for Applied Molecular Medicine and the USC Westside Prostate Cancer Center.

16 Jul 2010

Can abortion-rights activists return the procedure to mainstream medicine?

In the early 90s, anti-abortion activist Randall Terry declared doctors were "the weak link" in the fight against the procedure, The New York Times reports. Soon, the first of eight deadly attacks on doctors who perform abortion occurred, marking one facet of a shift of mainstream medicine away from abortions and leaving women seeking that type of care to go to specialty clinics operated by sympathetic feminists.

16 Jul 2010

Feds approve more funding for Medicaid recipients in Ohio while health costs strain town budgets in New Jersey

Federal regulators have approved a state plan to pay hospitals an additional $87 million this year for the care they provide to low-income Ohioans on Medicaid. The funds will be disbursed to hospitals by the end of this month. The bulk payment and a 5 percent increase in Medicaid reimbursement fees effective in October were included in last year's state budget to let hospitals recoup some of the money they were losing through a new state franchise fee. The fee is projected to cost hospitals statewide $718 million over the two-year budget ending June 30, 2011.

16 Jul 2010

Early HIV treatment reduces death, likelihood of TB, study finds

"Early treatment for HIV cuts patients' risk of death by about 75 percent," according to a study conducted in Haiti and published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, Bloomberg Businessweek reports. The study also demonstrated that "early antiretroviral treatment reduces the likelihood of tuberculosis, a leading cause of death among HIV patients, by 50 percent," the news service writes (Aquino, 7/14).

16 Jul 2010

Health Care News and Research

Today's OpEds: Shift entitlement spending to the states; The lack of a GOP health plan; Battling tobacco

Recent releases in Global Health

First Edition: July 16, 2010

Joint statement to help patients, physicians make informed decisions about use of rosiglitazone

Philadelphia to host 52nd annual meeting of American Association of Physicists in Medicine

Picis commends inclusion of ED in final rules for ARRA HITECH meaningful use criteria

Johns Hopkins Hospital takes top spot in annual rankings of American hospitals for 20th year in a row

Current global economic crisis finds few bright spots in mental health spending: Study

VCU Medical Center ranked in 2010-2011 Best Hospitals

N.C. firms show health sector jobs not as recession-proof as advertised

ANA, HealthStream partner to expand and deliver online continuing education

WHO releases guidelines for countries on how to attract, retain doctors, health care workers to rural areas

New initiative to improve children's nutrition education, help them make smarter food choices

Judge says FTC likely overstepped authority in sharing drugmaker pay-for-delay info

Republicans demand hearing on CMS head Berwick, block other nominees

Insurers will pick up preventive care costs under new rules

Sumner M. Redstone donates $24M to Keck School of Medicine of USC to support cancer research

Can abortion-rights activists return the procedure to mainstream medicine?

Feds approve more funding for Medicaid recipients in Ohio while health costs strain town budgets in New Jersey

Early HIV treatment reduces death, likelihood of TB, study finds

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Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

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