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Few smokers make use of the help that is available

Antidepressant medicines, nicotine replacement products, and counseling can all help a smoker stick with that New Year's resolution to kick the habit. But a study by American Cancer Society researchers finds that few smokers make use of the help that is available.

17 Jan 2005

Survey finds online health information poised to become important resource for seniors, but not there yet

As the Internet becomes an increasingly important resource for informing decisions about health and health care options, a new national survey of older Americans by the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that less than a third (31%) of seniors (age 65 and older) have ever gone online, but that more than two-thirds (70%) of the next generation of seniors (50-64 year-olds) have done so.

12 Jan 2005

Lowering health care costs overall seen as top U.S. health priority

The public favors reducing jury awards in malpractice lawsuits and allowing drugs to be imported from Canada, but ranks them relatively low on a list of 12 health care priorities for President Bush and Congress to address this year, according to a new post-election survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health.

12 Jan 2005

First deceleration in U.S. national health spending growth in seven years

The pace of health spending growth slowed in 2003, marking the first deceleration in national health spending growth in seven years, a report by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of the Actuary shows. The annual report is published in the January/February 2005 issue of Health Affairs.

12 Jan 2005

Fallout from Vioxx and Celebrex market recall challenges industry

The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries face further marketing and sales challenges in 2005 as the fallout from the Vioxx and Celebrex market recall and warning make it increasingly challenging for companies across the industry to reach physicians and consumers with effective campaigns without the distractions of the unfavorable press these recent events have generated.

7 Jan 2005

Study is the first to track changes in the rate of ICD utilization among blacks and whites

Racial disparities in the use of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) declined during the 1990s as use of the devices spread into communities with larger African-American populations, according to a new study in the Jan. 4, 2005 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

4 Jan 2005

Medicare: Incompetence-Based Bureaucracy

In 2002, the General Accounting Office (GAO), now known as the Government Accountability Office, published a study revealing that 85 percent of the time Medicare customer service representatives (CSRs) gave the wrong answer to questions posed by physicians regarding the proper way to bill Medicare so as to obtain payment.

3 Jan 2005

Speculoscopy directly after a Pap smear may detect more cervical lesions than the Pap test alone

Inspecting the cervix with a bright light technology called speculoscopy directly after a Pap smear may detect more cervical lesions than the Pap test alone, according to a new review of studies about the procedure.

28 Dec 2004

Laser therapy may be considered by arthritis patients as a safe Vioxx alternative

Adverse events of long term medication with NSAIDs and particularly coxibs, has recently received much attention in the Vioxx matter. Consequently, Vioxx has been withdrawn and Prexige has been withheld from the market. The whole group of coxibs, are now under special observation by drug agencies in both Europe and the United States.

27 Dec 2004

The costs of caring for elderly patients hospitalized for colon surgery are not reduced by Medicare HMOs

The costs of caring for elderly Florida patients hospitalized for colon surgery are not reduced by Medicare HMOs, report University of South Florida researchers in the December issue of the Archives of Surgery.

21 Dec 2004

New steps to measure error rates in Medicare payments

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced new steps to measure error rates in Medicare payments more accurately and comprehensively at the contractor level, and to further reduce improper payments through targeted error improvement initiatives.

14 Dec 2004

Novel anti-rejection protocol should allow major improvement efficacy and quality of life after intestinal and multivisceral transplants

Transplant researchers at the University of Pittsburgh's Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute have dramatically improved intestinal transplant graft survival, and reduced rejection and infection rates by successfully using a novel immunosuppression minimization protocol, thus improving patients' overall quality of life and avoiding the use of several anti-rejection drugs, which can cause serious infections and major complications.

13 Dec 2004

Leg wounds can be accurately assessed using photographs taken at a patient's home

A pilot study has shown that leg wounds can be accurately assessed using photographs taken at a patient's home, adding one more example to a growing list of medical conditions that can be successfully monitored remotely.

8 Dec 2004

Accumulated exposure to lead may be an important but unrecognized risk for developing cataracts in men

Lead continues to pose a significant public health problem in spite of substantial reductions in lead exposure in the United States in the recent past, according to background information in the article.

8 Dec 2004

Men and women who were overweight in young adulthood and middle age have significantly higher Medicare costs in older age

According to background information, obesity is associated with increased risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, and certain cancers, and has been identified as a major risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD).

8 Dec 2004

Prescription drug cost increases continuing to outpace inflation

A new report released today by AARP found the annual rate of manufacturers' price increases for the 197 brand name prescription drugs most commonly used by older Americans more than tripled the rate of inflation over the 12-month period ending on September 30, 2004.

6 Dec 2004

Life expectancy at 65 is now 81.6 years for men and 84.5 for women

The nation’s medicine cabinets are more crowded than ever, with almost half of all people taking at least one prescription medicine and one in six taking three or more medications, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ annual check-up on Americans’ health.

4 Dec 2004

U.S. pharmacists not opposed to importing drugs to lower patients' costs

Many community pharmacists are not opposed to importing drugs to lower patients' costs as long as those drugs are channeled through U.S. pharmacies to ensure safety and efficacy, according to a study by pharmacists at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Michigan.

24 Nov 2004

Majority of seniors switch their primary care physicians because they are forced to

Nearly nine out of ten seniors switch their primary care physicians because they are forced to – not by choice. That's the finding of research published in the November edition of The Journal of the American Board of Family Practice.

18 Nov 2004

Obesity statistics are as bogus as weight-loss scams

The weight-loss industry is finding itself in the crosshairs of the Federal Trade Commission's "Operation Big Fat Lies" -- a crackdown on slimming down pills, powders and patches that are too good to be true. The Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) recommends that grossly exaggerated statistics and hype from pharmaceutical and weight-loss companies about the nation's so-called "obesity epidemic" also be placed under the federal microscope.

10 Nov 2004

Medicare News and Research

Few smokers make use of the help that is available

Survey finds online health information poised to become important resource for seniors, but not there yet

Lowering health care costs overall seen as top U.S. health priority

First deceleration in U.S. national health spending growth in seven years

Fallout from Vioxx and Celebrex market recall challenges industry

Study is the first to track changes in the rate of ICD utilization among blacks and whites

Medicare: Incompetence-Based Bureaucracy

Speculoscopy directly after a Pap smear may detect more cervical lesions than the Pap test alone

Laser therapy may be considered by arthritis patients as a safe Vioxx alternative

The costs of caring for elderly patients hospitalized for colon surgery are not reduced by Medicare HMOs

New steps to measure error rates in Medicare payments

Novel anti-rejection protocol should allow major improvement efficacy and quality of life after intestinal and multivisceral transplants

Leg wounds can be accurately assessed using photographs taken at a patient's home

Accumulated exposure to lead may be an important but unrecognized risk for developing cataracts in men

Men and women who were overweight in young adulthood and middle age have significantly higher Medicare costs in older age

Prescription drug cost increases continuing to outpace inflation

Life expectancy at 65 is now 81.6 years for men and 84.5 for women

U.S. pharmacists not opposed to importing drugs to lower patients' costs

Majority of seniors switch their primary care physicians because they are forced to

Obesity statistics are as bogus as weight-loss scams

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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