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State roundup: Fla. seeks MLR waiver; hospitals struggle

Alabama's Robert Bentley is one of two current governors to have "doctor" on his résumé. In an interview with Stateline last week, Bentley elaborated on his health care agenda. His plan emphasizes individual health savings accounts, which he says will lower costs by letting patients decide how they want to spend their health care dollars. He wants to give state tax breaks to businesses that purchase insurance for their employees and state-based incentives to attract more insurance carriers.

16 Mar 2011

Human growth, height, size: Reasons to be small

Almost everybody these days thinks that it is best to be tall, meaning much taller than the average traditional height of Asian populations, and even taller than the current average height of populations in high-income countries. It is also often believed – though people might be shy to admit this – that tall people are intrinsically superior to short people. The expressions 'look up to' and 'look down on' are significant.

15 Mar 2011

15 million people caring for 5 million Alzheimer’s sufferers: U.S. report card

According to a report released on Tuesday by the Alzheimer's Association, nearly 15 million Americans are now caring for a family member or friend with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias. The Association warns that these figures may rise if new therapies for Alzheimer’s are not found.

15 Mar 2011

First Edition: March 15, 2011

Today's headlines include reports about the pace of legal challenges to the health law as well as ongoing congressional attempts to reach partisan agreement on a short-term budget bill to avert a government shutdown.

15 Mar 2011

New research: Aging population triggers a boom in Chinese nursing home industry

A nursing home industry is booming in China as a rapid increase in the proportion of its elderly population forces a nationwide shift from traditional family care to institutional care, according to new research by Brown University gerontologists.

15 Mar 2011

Innovative orthopedic operation using 'telescoping rods' performed at HSS

An innovative operation using "telescoping rods" performed at Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan enabled a young Long Island boy to walk for the first time, and the child and his mother are going to Washington, D.C., to tell their story.

15 Mar 2011

Hospital VIHrtual is a safe and effective tool for HIV patients

The Hospital Cl-nic of Barcelona presented today the results of the telemedicine program "Hospital VIHrtual", coordinated by Dr. Felipe Garcia and Dr. Agata Le-n, from the Hospital Cl-nic Service of Infectious Diseases directed by Dr. Josep M - Gatell.

15 Mar 2011

Depressed Dads more likely to spank their infants: Study

Until now it has been seen that post partum depression affects women in nearly 25% of cases. However latest research shows that new dads experience baby blues too. The results show that 7% of new fathers reported recent major depression, and many of them said they had spanked their 1-year-old babies. This new study appeared Monday in the journal Pediatrics.

14 Mar 2011

Baby Joseph’s flight to US from Canada

Baby Joseph Maraachli all of one year of age, is in a vegetative state with a severe neurological condition and will not recover, Canadian doctors say. His parents Moe Maraachli and Sana Nader, have transferred him to a US Catholic hospital after an Ontario court ruled doctors could remove a breathing tube keeping him alive. An Ontario hospital had refused his parents' request for a tracheotomy they say will prolong his life by six months and allow him to die at home. A Catholic hospital in the US city of St Louis will review his case, according to the family’s lawyer.

14 Mar 2011

Majority of Americans fall short of vitamin D

Well-known for its role in keeping bones strong, vitamin D is now being hailed for so much more – from normal muscle function to a healthy immune system. Yet despite the growing research on the power of vitamin D, seven out of 10 Americans still fall short of the recommended vitamin D in their diets each day, according to the recent Dietary Guidelines Committee Advisory report.

14 Mar 2011

Viewpoints: Sebelius, Harkin, Wyden, King, Altman, Butler weigh in on health reform law

Early signs show that, after years of decline, the number of small businesses offering coverage to employees is increasing. Perhaps less widely recognized, but no less significant, has been the way the law is demanding transparency and accountability from the insurance industry to bring down premiums.

14 Mar 2011

State roundup: Medicaid cuts cause unusual bedfellows

Representatives from Arizona hospitals, nursing homes and health plans are set to meet with Gov. Jan Brewer today. They hope to win her support for a plan to impose a tax on their institutions and avoid deep cuts to Arizona's Medicaid program. The plan reportedly includes a cap on funding for childless adults, a group now covered under the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System that could lose coverage Oct. 1. (Reinhart, 3/11).

14 Mar 2011

UCI's doctor, colleagues earn Kappa Delta Ann Doner Vaughan Award for osteosarcoma work

UC Irvine's Dr. Bang H. Hoang and colleagues have been presented the 2011 Kappa Delta Ann Doner Vaughan Award for their work advancing the understanding of how bone cancer spreads.

14 Mar 2011

Hospice and Palliative care

The word hospice originated from the Latin hospitium, which means "to host or offer a place of shelter." In 2009, an estimated 1.56 million patients, more than 40 percent of deaths, received hospice services in the United States.

14 Mar 2011

Nanotechnology might provide greater efficacy of medicines for brain disease

Technology has been developed within Top Institute Pharma that helps medicines be absorbed quicker into the blood and thus be more effective. Researcher Hans de Waard, who is associated with the University of Groningen, will obtain his doctorate on this subject on March 11. De Waard: "Many current medicines are not easily dissolved in the digestive tract, which means that they barely reach the bloodstream.

14 Mar 2011

Home genetic tests need medical supervision: Expert panel

According to an advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, genetic tests sold directly to consumers that might help to predict health risks may need to be supplied through doctors. An official, Alberto Gutierrez, director of the FDA office that regulates diagnostic screening tools reported that the Molecular and Clinical Genetics Advisory Panel concluded two days of hearings on the increasingly popular tests and had come to this resolution.

14 Mar 2011

Depression: Get a second opinion, 69% of initial diagnoses are incorrect

As he struggled for decades with a depression that often left him despondent, Eric Wilson never thought to get a second opinion.

11 Mar 2011

Roundup: Poll finds satisfaction with Mass. health coverage; Kan. Gov. seeks Medicaid block grant

The first survey of consumers who receive subsidized health insurance through the state's Health Connector shows most give it high marks, according to results released yesterday by the Connector Authority. Eighty-six percent of those surveyed said they were pleased with the range of services covered and the quality of care available, and 82 percent had similar feelings about their choice of doctors.

11 Mar 2011

CBO deficit-reduction options include billions in Medicare, Medicaid cuts

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released a list of deficit-cutting options Thursday that includes hundreds of billions in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. The two programs account for 38 percent of mandatory spending — more than Social Security — and face a visit to the chopping block as Americans across the political spectrum clamor for the government to keep its spending under control.

11 Mar 2011

Doctors now wise to ruse of false representation by medical associations

"Internal medical politics is considered 'inside baseball' to most observers, but America's patients should know the real score of how this game is playing out in their towns," says Doctor Adam Dorin. In the aftermath of Obamacare, doctors across the United States have become wise to the ruse of representation falsely promised by their medical associations.

11 Mar 2011