Health Care News and Research

RSS

State highlights: Gubernatorial election outcomes will have big impact on health law's future

The deciding factor in the Senate races will be President Barack Obama's sagging approval numbers, he said, which are weighing down Democrats like Sen. Mary Landrieu in Louisiana and Sen. Mark Pryor in Arkansas. ... Mr. McAuliffe pushed Virginia legislators to expand the state's Medicaid program as part of the Affordable Care Act last summer, but Republicans wouldn't have it (Bauerlein, 10/8).

10 Oct 2014

Vancomycin drug still effective in treating Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections

A University of Nebraska Medical Center research team has determined that a longtime antibiotic, vancomycin, is still effective in treating Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections and that physicians should continue to use the drug even though several newer antibiotics are now available in the marketplace.

10 Oct 2014

Promises, predictions: In upcoming enrollment season, healthcare.gov will be faster, easier

According to Obama administration officials, the updated website includes a shorter insurance application form and is not expected to crash. Unlike last year, the site has been undergoing testing for more than five weeks.

10 Oct 2014

Longer looks: Limits on doctor training; a woman's campaign for end-of-life choices

Dr. Dino Terzic got lucky the other day. In his seventh and final year as a neurosurgery resident at the University of Minnesota, the 32-year-old Bosnian got to operate on a rare type of brain aneurysm that required a special approach through the patient's forehead. As Terzic prepared to slice into the patient's scalp, he was asked if he'd ever seen this type of flaw in an artery, which occurs in just 2 to 3 percent of aneurysm cases. "On a video," Terzic replied with a chuckle. Terzic's hands-on experience shows why the nation's medical schools are beset by a nagging controversy over rules that limit the number of hours residents can work (Dan Browning, 10/8).

10 Oct 2014

Planned Pentagon spending cuts could sharply reduce autism medical care

Many military families are concerned they could lose help for their autistic children if a plan is implemented that would reduce military health care costs and cut provider payments for autism services.

10 Oct 2014

First study of promising Ebola vaccine commenced in West Africa

Professor Myron M. Levine, MD, Director of the Center for Vaccine Development at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and UM SOM Dean E. Albert Reece MD, PhD, MBA, announced today that the CVD, in conjunction with its sister institution, The Center for Vaccine Development of Mali and the Ministry of Health of Mali, have begun a clinical trial in health care workers (and other front-line workers) to evaluate a promising experimental Ebola vaccine.

10 Oct 2014

Coverage gaps still persist among some populations

The Star Tribune reports on how some American Indians -- even now that the health law is in place -- continue to struggle with costs and other challenges related to securing health insurance. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch examines how state decisions to expand Medicaid impact residents' options.

10 Oct 2014

Candidates for Calif. congressional seat clash over health law

A Wednesday debate between Democrat Ami Bera and Republican Doug Ose was marked by tense talk about health policy issues and the economy. Additionally, Cover Oregon assigns Sen. Jeff Merkley, D- Ore., who earns $174,000 a year in the U.S. Senate, to Oregon's Medicaid plan -- reserved only for the poor. Elsewhere, Hillary Clinton sidestepped a tricky issue when delivering a paid speech to a trade group.

10 Oct 2014

InSightec to share new insights at FUS symposium

InSightec, world leader in MR-guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) will be on site at the Focused Ultrasound International Symposium (FUS) to share key insights gained in the past two years of using its non-invasive MRgFUS solution for treating a variety of neurosurgical, oncological and gynecological indications.

9 Oct 2014

BHVH cardiologists implant investigational cardiac pacemaker the size of multivitamin

Cardiologists on the medical staff at Baylor Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital (BHVH) today implanted an investigational cardiac pacemaker the size of a multivitamin.

From Medtronic 9 Oct 2014

Antibiotic stewardship programs reduce length of stay and hospital readmission in children

Hospitalized children go home sooner and are less likely to be readmitted when the hospital has an antibiotic stewardship program that's dedicated to controlling antibiotic prescriptions and treatment, according to a study being presented at IDWeek 2014-. The study is the first to show the benefits of such programs on children's health.

9 Oct 2014

States grapple with Obamacare premium increases, related issues

In California, voters are split over a ballot initiative that would give the state's insurance commissioners new powers to veto health insurance cost increases. Meanwhile, in Iowa, the insurance commissioner approves rate increases proposed by three insurers.

9 Oct 2014

HerStory app helps women with breast cancer to share their voices with other patients

As physicians spend less time with their patients, often as little as 10-15 minutes per appointment, they grow increasingly wary of the limited emotional support they can provide within that time frame.

9 Oct 2014

Social status can impact health, happiness even among egalitarian forager-farmers

In western society, where keeping up with the Joneses — or, better yet, surpassing them — is expected and even encouraged, status matters. So important is it that for many people, physical and emotional wellbeing are directly connected to their place in the social hierarchy.

9 Oct 2014

Shire receives FDA guidance on regulatory path for investigational compound SHP 465

Shire plc today announced that it has received further guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on the regulatory path for SHP 465 (triple-bead mixed amphetamine salts MAS), an investigational oral stimulant medication being evaluated as a potential treatment for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adults.

9 Oct 2014

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics applauds USPSTF's recommendations on screening for diabetes

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics applauds the work of the United States Preventative Services Task Force for amending its recommendations on screening for diabetes based on its review of current best evidence.

9 Oct 2014

Online learning module for medical residents can improve care of substance use disorder patients

Online learning interventions and small group debriefings can improve medical residents' attitudes and communication skills toward patients with substance use disorders, and may result in improved care for these patients, according to a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University College of Medicine published online in Academic Medicine.

9 Oct 2014

Bedside ultrasound machine in pediatric ER is cost-effective, reduces length of stay in the ER

Using a portable or bedside ultrasound machine in the pediatric emergency room has been proven to lessen the length of stay in the ER and to provide images equal in accuracy to x-ray or CT scan without exposing children to potentially harmful radiation.

9 Oct 2014

Indian government health insurance program benefits health of the poor

A government program to provide health insurance for catastrophic illness to households below the poverty line in Karnataka, lowered both mortality rates and out-of-pocket expenses for the residents, according to a recent evaluation published in the leading global health journal The BMJ.

9 Oct 2014

Viewpoints: Walmart's cuts in insurance grow from health law; online marketplace still lacks transparency

Wal-Mart gave lawmakers a concise lesson in economics Tuesday when it disclosed that it would no longer offer health insurance to yet more of its part-time employees. ... I'll just argue that what we're seeing is the entirely predictable result of the employer mandate in the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act -- a mandate, by the way, that Wal-Mart lobbied for. The company was offering health benefits for most employees at the time, and may simply have been trying to force its competitors to do the same (Jon Healey, 10/7).

9 Oct 2014

Health Care News and Research

State highlights: Gubernatorial election outcomes will have big impact on health law's future

Vancomycin drug still effective in treating Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections

Promises, predictions: In upcoming enrollment season, healthcare.gov will be faster, easier

Longer looks: Limits on doctor training; a woman's campaign for end-of-life choices

Planned Pentagon spending cuts could sharply reduce autism medical care

First study of promising Ebola vaccine commenced in West Africa

Coverage gaps still persist among some populations

Candidates for Calif. congressional seat clash over health law

InSightec to share new insights at FUS symposium

BHVH cardiologists implant investigational cardiac pacemaker the size of multivitamin

Antibiotic stewardship programs reduce length of stay and hospital readmission in children

States grapple with Obamacare premium increases, related issues

HerStory app helps women with breast cancer to share their voices with other patients

Social status can impact health, happiness even among egalitarian forager-farmers

Shire receives FDA guidance on regulatory path for investigational compound SHP 465

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics applauds USPSTF's recommendations on screening for diabetes

Online learning module for medical residents can improve care of substance use disorder patients

Bedside ultrasound machine in pediatric ER is cost-effective, reduces length of stay in the ER

Indian government health insurance program benefits health of the poor

Viewpoints: Walmart's cuts in insurance grow from health law; online marketplace still lacks transparency

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

Latest News