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Medicare to cover obesity counseling without cost sharing

Medicare officials announced Tuesday that this preventive service will cover screening and counseling in primary care providers' offices.

1 Dec 2011

AIDS 'tipping points' could prompt discussion on effectiveness, efficiency

In this post on the Center for Global Development's "Global Health Policy" blog, Jenny Ottenhoff, policy outreach associate at the Center, examines the prospects for U.S. spending on global AIDS programs.

1 Dec 2011

NTD awareness during the 2012 elections

Peter Hotez of the National School of Tropical Medicine and Karen Goraleski of the Sabin Vaccine Institute write in this PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) editorial, "In the next year leading up to the U.S. presidential and congressional elections, the global NTD community has an important opportunity to present the case for NTD funding to remain as an essential component of U.S. international development assistance."

1 Dec 2011

In super committee aftermath, Dems attack GOP for pushing Medicare cuts

The Democratic Party will begin a campaign on Wednesday to attack Republican lawmakers for pushing cuts to Medicare benefits during the latest round of failed federal deficit talks, a new turn in a drama that not long ago featured top Democrats expressing a willingness to tinker with the popular entitlement program.

1 Dec 2011

Treatment cost savings under PEPFAR can be re-invested to increase ARV reach

In this post in the "Health Affairs Blog," Matthew Kavanagh, director of U.S. policy and advocacy at Health Global Access Project (GAP), and Marguerite Thorp, a research assistant at Harvard Medical School, examine how HIV/AIDS treatment funding under PEPFAR has "fallen significantly since 2008 in both absolute dollars and as a portion of total budgets -- just at a pivotal moment when investment could change the course of the epidemic."

1 Dec 2011

First neurovascular unit opens at Krembil Neuroscience Centre

The first neurovascular unit (NVU) in Canada opened today at the Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital, which is part of the University Health Network.

1 Dec 2011

Reporters examine health care stances of Gingrich, Romney, Bachmann, Santorum

If Republicans are flocking to Newt Gingrich to get away from Mitt Romney's health care problems, they could end up with a nominee with … awfully similar health care problems. Or maybe worse: While Romney signed a state mandate into law, Gingrich once went a step further and advocated a federal one.

1 Dec 2011

UnitedHealth forecasts increased membership, earnings

The largest insurer in the U.S. says enrollment gains in Medicare and Medicaid plans will outpace declines in other parts of its business.

1 Dec 2011

Clinton, Ban make remarks at high-level forum on aid effectiveness in South Korea

Speaking at the High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF 4) in Busan, South Korea, "U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that programs to help the world's poor should be treated as national security priorities as economic turmoil leaves millions struggling to find work and food," the Associated Press reports.

1 Dec 2011

Thousands gather in Senegal for second International Conference on Family Planning

"Thousands gathered in Senegal Tuesday for the opening of the second International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP), the largest meeting of its kind, which will run until December 2, 2011," the Foreign Policy Association blog reports.

1 Dec 2011

States opposing health law are among those receiving federal grants for exchanges

The Obama administration announced on Tuesday that nearly $220 million in new grants would be awarded to 13 states bringing the total that have been awarded such assistance to 29. This number includes seven of the states run by GOP governors that are suing the administration to overturn the health law.

1 Dec 2011

BUSM, BMC anesthesiologists win APSF's Ellison C. Pierce Award

For the second consecutive year, anesthesiologists from Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have received the prestigious Ellison C. Pierce Award for the Best Scientific Exhibit in Patient Safety from the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation.

1 Dec 2011

Majority of people do not follow standard guidelines for lens wear and care

Most people who wear contact lenses perceive themselves as following standard guidelines for lens wear and care—but only a tiny minority are actually compliant with all recommended care steps, according to a study in the November issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.

1 Dec 2011

GlobalPost examines U.S. response to HIV/AIDS 'scientific advances, economic realities'

GlobalPost examines the "collision of scientific advances vs. economic realities" in the fight against HIV/AIDS in a special report as part of its "Healing the World" series.

1 Dec 2011

Study reveals classification scheme for treatment of blunt aortic injury

New research at the University of Washington's (UW) Harborview Medical Center in Seattle reveals a classification scheme for the treatment of blunt aortic injury.

1 Dec 2011

Medical websites provide harmful information about postherpetic neuralgia treatments

Health information is plentiful on the Internet and many Web surfers consider medical advice they find online to be a cheaper alternative to visiting a doctor, according to some studies. However, the risk of obtaining useless or even harmful medical information from some websites is high for patients with postherpetic neuralgia, a common complication of shingles, according to new research reported in The Journal of Pain, published by the American Pain Society.

1 Dec 2011

Timely acute care reduces total stroke and TIA costs

New research published in the journal Age and Ageing suggests that timely acute care immediately after a stroke reduces the level of disability in stroke survivors and the associated need for long-term care, therefore reducing aftercare costs.

1 Dec 2011

Viewpoints: Entrenchment on Capitol Hill; Medicaid's woes; Presidential mistake on Berwick

Last week's failure of the budget super committee, despite its super powers, is only the latest breakdown in an attempt at compromise in Washington. Politicians keep trying to fashion failsafe solutions to the capital's uncompromising mind-set, without understanding that there is no external escape from an environment that rewards those who stand tenaciously on their principles and demonize their opponents. Members of Congress need to change their minds about compromise, or voters will need to change the members of Congress.

1 Dec 2011

Harvard SEAS, BASF to co-host symposium on pharmaceutical nanoformulations

From targeted cancer chemotherapy to the guarantee of successful organ transplants, the 21st century may prove to be the age of big ideas in medicine. The drugs themselves, though, will be miniscule. Experts in chemistry, applied physics, materials science, and pharmaceutical science are gathering this week for the BASF Advanced Research Initiative at Harvard University's symposium on pharmaceutical nanoformulations.

1 Dec 2011

U.N. progress report on AIDS stresses advances in treatment, prevention, warns about declining funding

"Global progress in both preventing and treating HIV emphasizes the benefits of sustaining investment in HIV/AIDS over the longer term," according to a new report from the WHO, UNICEF and UNAIDS, which also "indicates that increased access to HIV services resulted in a 15 percent reduction of new infections over the past decade and a 22 percent decline in AIDS-related deaths in the last five years," a WHO press release reports.

1 Dec 2011