Health Care News and Research

RSS

Former Procter & Gamble CEO tapped to turn around VA system

President Barack Obama highlighted Robert McDonald's management experience at P&G more than his military career as an Army Ranger in the 82nd Airborne Division.

1 Jul 2014

American College of Physicians: Doctors should not perform routine pelvic exams

The procedure is currently recommended as part of well-woman visits, but the group found no evidence that cancer is detected by pelvic exams alone.

1 Jul 2014

Obama to name former P&G chief to head VA

The president is expected today to nominate Bob McDonald, a West Point graduate and former CEO of Procter & Gamble.

1 Jul 2014

First Edition: Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including numerous reports about the Supreme Court's decision on the health law's contraception mandate and its effect for coverage and on national politics.

1 Jul 2014

N.Y. governor unveils plan to fight HIV

The goal, the governor says, is to reduce new HIV infections to 750 per year by 2020 through aggressive treatment and testing.

1 Jul 2014

Medical boards draft plan to allow greater use of telemedicine

Amid predictions of a growing doctor shortage, state medical boards have drafted a model law that would make it easier for physicians licensed in one state to treat patients in others, whether in person, by videoconference or online. Meanwhile, former Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius acknowledges she made mistakes in the health law's rollout by spending "too little time clearly on the technology side."

1 Jul 2014

NCCN Policy Summit to address impact of health care reform on academic oncology practice

On July 10, 2014, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) will host the NCCN Policy Summit: The Impact of Health Care Reform on Academic Oncology Practice, at The Westin Arlington Gateway in Arlington, Virginia, as part of the NCCN Oncology Policy Program.

1 Jul 2014

Rule issued for small business health insurance tax credit

The regulation sets eligibility requirements for businesses seeking tax credits to help them buy coverage for their workers. Meanwhile, a Republican House member complains about not getting information about how the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) is working.

1 Jul 2014

'Pattern of errors' plagues military medicine

The New York Times' investigation finds that on several important measures, the military system "has consistently had higher than expected rates of harm and complications."

1 Jul 2014

Ipsen submits Supplemental New Drug Application to FDA for Somatuline Depot 120mg injection

Ipsen today announced that it has submitted a Supplemental New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Somatuline Depot 120mg injection for the treatment of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs).

1 Jul 2014

Special enrollment periods could help Medicare Advantage members with dropped doctors

For more than 40 years, Mary Anne Catalano and her family have gone to Dermatological Care Inc., a practice in St. Louis County. ... Now, at 68 and in the middle of her contract term, UnitedHealthcare is kicking the entire Dermatological Care staff out of her Medicare Advantage network. ... At the beginning of June, UnitedHealthcare notified almost 10 percent of Missouri physicians in its Advantage network that they will be terminated -- almost 1,000 doctors.

1 Jul 2014

New approach may help develop more effective immunotherapy for metastatic melanoma

A new approach demonstrated that the recognition of unique cancer mutations appeared to be responsible for complete cancer regressions in two metastatic melanoma patients treated with a type of immunotherapy called adoptive T-cell therapy.

1 Jul 2014

Pension and health costs may be higher than estimated in low-mortality countries

A new study by demographer John Bongaarts, Population Council Vice President and Distinguished Scholar, has found that mortality projections from most low-mortality countries are more pessimistic than they should be.

1 Jul 2014

Hospitals taking new steps to figure per patient cost

The new tools rely heavily on data to figure out just what it will cost to treat a patient -- and they're sometimes buying information from "data brokers" to do it.

1 Jul 2014

Inaccurate doctor lists hurt access for low-income Californians

Meanwhile, confusion over limited providers also has led to unforeseen bills for enrollees in private plans in California, reports The Los Angeles Times. Other stories look at the growing number of insurers who want to participate in the online marketplaces and how 19 states have passed laws restricting the workers who help consumers sign up, despite a new federal rule eliminating many such restrictions.

1 Jul 2014

Research could help to reduce health care charges

Recently published findings in Annals of Internal Medicine by Steven Lipshultz, M.D., Wayne State University professor and chair of pediatrics and pediatrician-in-chief at the Children's Hospital of Michigan, part of the Detroit Medical Center, and colleagues could help to reduce health care charges while also protecting childhood cancer survivors from heart ailments caused by drug therapy.

1 Jul 2014

Concerns rise about delays in getting generic drugs to market

PBS NewsHour explores concerns that settlements on patents for drugs sometimes delay the generic version getting to consumers.

1 Jul 2014

Adults in their 30s and 40s can slash heart disease risk, study finds

The heart is more forgiving than you may think -- especially to adults who try to take charge of their health, a new Northwestern Medicine- study has found.

1 Jul 2014

Fallout from Medicaid expansion fights

In Virginia, The Washington Post traces the behind-the-scenes deal-making to create a job for the Democrat state lawmaker whose resignation gave Republicans control of the chamber and the ability to block Gov. Terry McAuliffe's plan to expand Medicaid. Meanwhile, a Missouri hospital lays off 60 employees, blaming the state's failure to expand Medicaid.

1 Jul 2014

Abortion issue drives campaigns

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) promises to do more to limit abortions if Republicans take control of the U.S. Senate, while Wendy Davis, the Democratic nominee for Texas governor, tried to galvanize support a year after her marathon filibuster in the state legislature against abortion restrictions.

30 Jun 2014