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AMA, MOAA call upon Congress to protect health care for America's military families and seniors

This Veterans Day, with Medicare and TRICARE physician payment cuts of 25 percent looming, the American Medical Association (AMA) and the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) are calling on Congress to act immediately to protect health care for America's military families and seniors. The organizations are asking lawmakers to take action during this month's "lame duck" session to prevent a crisis in access to care for military families.

11 Nov 2010

HemaCAM computer-assisted blood cell analysis system automates assessment of blood counts

If a blood count is abnormal, the medical laboratory scientist (MLS) has to manually perform a differential blood count analysis. This costs time and money. The computer-assisted blood cell analysis system HemaCAM by the company Horn has recently been launched on the market and does just this. At the MEDICA 2010 trade fair, which is being held from November 17 to 20 in Düsseldorf, Germany, scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS will be presenting this intelligent microscopy system at joint stand F05 in hall 10.

11 Nov 2010

FDA identifies promising steps to enhance safety of CT scans

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been investigating reports that patients undergoing computed tomography (CT) brain perfusion scans were accidently exposed to excess radiation. The FDA found that when properly used, the CT scanners did not malfunction. Instead, it is likely that the improper use of the scanners resulted in these overdoses. However, the FDA has identified a series or promising steps to enhance the safety of these procedures. These steps could reduce the likelihood of radiation overexposure in the event of improper use of the CT scanners.

11 Nov 2010

German Genetic Diagnostics Act in need of amendment

Many aspects of the German Genetic Diagnostics Act (Gendiagnostikgesetz) are out of touch with the latest technology, almost impossible to implement in clinical practice, or even detrimental to the success of recognised screening tests, such as newborn screening. The Act, which came into force in February 2010, is in desperate need of amendment.

11 Nov 2010

New Desktop medicine model helps physician to implement disease prevention

Gone are the days when a doctor's only way of helping patients is by treating the disease after symptoms have started. Instead, a new approach to medicine, called "Desktop Medicine" is emerging, in which the emphasis shifts from diagnosing diseases and treating symptoms to identifying risk-factors for medical conditions such as hypertension and osteoporosis, and intervening before they develop. The commentary appears in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

11 Nov 2010

Dana-Farber lends iPads to cancer patients to help them pass the time in clinic

Andrea Casella comes to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute every week for chemotherapy to treat her lung cancer. It's a full day. Recognizing that patients can spend hours in the clinic for treatment and tests, Dana-Farber has started lending iPads to patients like Casella to help them pass the time.

11 Nov 2010

Ky. Health Plan audit; employee costs in Massachusetts; state reform implementation politics

An organization that manages taxpayer-funded health services for Kentucky's poor and disabled spent freely on luxury hotels, meals, salaries, lobbying and consulting, a state auditor found in a 200-plus-page report which calls for stricter accountability for Passport Health Plan, a Medicaid managed-care provider that serves 164,000 people in Louisville and more than a dozen nearby counties.

10 Nov 2010

CDC report: 50 million Americans uninsured

KBOI (Boise, Idaho)/ABC News Radio: "According to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 49.9 million people ages 18 to 64," or about 26.2 percent of the adult population, "had no medical coverage for at least part of the past 12 months. … Moreover, when children 17 and under are factored in, the number of Americans uninsured for at least part of a year span numbered 59.1 million."

10 Nov 2010

Medicinal mushroom formula fights breast cancer

Researchers at Indiana University and Methodist Research Institute studied an innovative medicinal mushroom formula against breast cancer. The impressive results are found in the December issue of the International Journal of Oncology. Lead investigator Dr. Daniel Sliva says, "The formula inhibits growth of highly metastatic human breast cancer cells, and suppresses metastatic potential of these cells."

10 Nov 2010

18 partner consortium to develop lab-on-a-chip to detect brain diseases

A consortium of 18 partners embarks on the development of a lab-on-a-chip to detect Alzheimer´s disease and similar diseases in the brain. The project is funded by the EU´s 7th Framework programme for nanotechnology.

10 Nov 2010

NHLBI launches new campaign to highlight common COPD symptoms

The number of Americans who report being aware of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, increased by 4 percentage points between 2008 and 2010, but many people at risk are still unaware of the disease, according to mailed survey results released today by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health.

10 Nov 2010

States slash budgets for tobacco-prevention programs; Florida lawmakers consider Medicaid revision; Md. to probe nonprofit mental health clinic

"Many cash-strapped U.S. states are slashing budgets for tobacco-prevention programs, raising alarms among public-health groups as the nation's progress toward getting adult smokers to quit has stalled. The adult smoking rate was 20.6% in 2009, the same as a year earlier and largely unchanged since 2004, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

10 Nov 2010

New type of heart pump for infants born with univentricular circulation

Researchers have created a new type of heart pump inserted with a catheter to improve the survival rate for infants undergoing a series of surgeries to correct a deadly birth defect.

10 Nov 2010

mHealth Alliance annual summit kicks off with $1M HP donation, discussion of improving maternal, child health

The mHealth Alliance on Monday at its summit in Washington, D.C., "announced a two-year $1 million aggregate donation from HP" aimed at furthering the alliance's goal of delivering quality health care "at the furthest reaches of wireless networks and mobile devices," mobihealthnews reports.

10 Nov 2010

Researchers estimate increasing trend of hyperuricemia among adults, senior citizens

Hyperuricemia rates among the nation's adults and senior citizens remain substantially high, putting them at greater risk for developing gout, according to research presented at the Nov 2010, American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta.

10 Nov 2010

Insurance premiums rise, high-deductible plans increase, health costs can lead to elder bankruptcy

The Washington Post: "According to experts and industry insiders, recent trends suggest [health insurance] rates will continue to rise and employers will continue to shift more of the cost of health insurance onto workers - asking them to shoulder a larger share of premiums, for instance, or increasing out-of-pocket costs such as deductibles and co-pays."

10 Nov 2010

Health reform policy: Flexible spending, device taxes and waivers

One health law provision will be a bummer for people who use the tax-free dollars stored in flexible spending accounts, Kaiser Health News reports. "Starting in January, you'll no longer be able to use your FSA for over-the-counter drugs and medicines unless you have a doctor's prescription. Experts agree that the new rules will likely discourage people from tapping their FSAs for routine purchases of aspirin, vitamins, cough medicine and other drugstore essentials" (Andrews, 11/8).

10 Nov 2010

Doctor ties to drug companies decline, but remain high, survey finds

The Associated Press: "Doctors have sharply cut some financial ties to drug companies, thanks to increased scrutiny about relationships that critics say improperly influence medical treatment," a survey published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found.

10 Nov 2010

Insuring your health: OTC medicines cut from 2011 flexible spending accounts

In her latest Kaiser Health News consumer column, Michelle Andrews writes: "The health-care overhaul has taken some of the flex out of flexible spending accounts, which let workers pay medical expenses with pretax dollars. Starting in January, you'll no longer be able to use your FSA for over-the-counter drugs and medicines unless you have a doctor's prescription" (11/9).

9 Nov 2010

First Edition: November 9, 2010

Today's news includes reports about the Supreme Court's decision regarding an early challenge to the health law.

9 Nov 2010

Doctor News and Research

AMA, MOAA call upon Congress to protect health care for America's military families and seniors

HemaCAM computer-assisted blood cell analysis system automates assessment of blood counts

FDA identifies promising steps to enhance safety of CT scans

German Genetic Diagnostics Act in need of amendment

New Desktop medicine model helps physician to implement disease prevention

Dana-Farber lends iPads to cancer patients to help them pass the time in clinic

Ky. Health Plan audit; employee costs in Massachusetts; state reform implementation politics

CDC report: 50 million Americans uninsured

Medicinal mushroom formula fights breast cancer

18 partner consortium to develop lab-on-a-chip to detect brain diseases

NHLBI launches new campaign to highlight common COPD symptoms

States slash budgets for tobacco-prevention programs; Florida lawmakers consider Medicaid revision; Md. to probe nonprofit mental health clinic

New type of heart pump for infants born with univentricular circulation

mHealth Alliance annual summit kicks off with $1M HP donation, discussion of improving maternal, child health

Researchers estimate increasing trend of hyperuricemia among adults, senior citizens

Insurance premiums rise, high-deductible plans increase, health costs can lead to elder bankruptcy

Health reform policy: Flexible spending, device taxes and waivers

Doctor ties to drug companies decline, but remain high, survey finds

Insuring your health: OTC medicines cut from 2011 flexible spending accounts

First Edition: November 9, 2010

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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