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BU faculty develops physical therapy intervention to minimize workplace injury, reduce costs

US employers pay nearly $1 billion each week for direct workers' compensation costs according to estimates from the US Department of Labor's Occupational Safety & Health Administration.

25 Feb 2014

CBT improves blood sugar control and brings faster relief of depression in patients with type 2 diabetes

Although maintaining good blood sugar control is crucial for avoiding complications of diabetes, it has been estimated that only about half of patients are successful in meeting target blood glucose levels.

25 Feb 2014

Viewpoints: False arguments on deadbeats; fighting cancer without insurance; bridging Louisiana's health funding gap

A small war has erupted over the recent Congressional Budget Office report on the employment effects of the Affordable Care Act. Last week, the CBO itself felt compelled to offer a lengthy and detailed rebuttal to the spin that millions of Americans will "lose their jobs" as a result of Obamacare.

25 Feb 2014

State exchanges: Vt. Gov. Shumlin says fixes are working; Mass. makes progress on backlog; Calif. marketplace down for repairs

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin says the problems with the Affordable Care Act rollout are getting fixed – and that Republicans were boxing themselves in politically by focusing on failures instead of the successes.

25 Feb 2014

More uninsured children are from immigrant families, reports study

Children from immigrant families now account for 42 percent of uninsured children in the United States, reports a study in the March issue of Medical Care. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

25 Feb 2014

Appeals Court rules against Notre Dame in contraception lawsuit

In a blow to religious colleges and universities across the country, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago denied Notre Dame's request for an injunction to the ObamaCare birth control mandate that requires the school to provide coverage for contraception.

25 Feb 2014

Costs of care differ significantly across hospitals for children born with heart defects

Costs of care differ significantly across hospitals for children born with heart defects, according to new research led by a University of Michigan researcher. Congenital heart defects are known to be the most common birth defects, impacting nearly 1 in every 100 births.

25 Feb 2014

Regulators propose 1.9% cut to Medicare advantage payments

Federal regulators late Friday proposed cutting payments to private Medicare plans by 1.9 percent after recent lower health care spending growth. Insurers worry the cut could be much deeper than that after health law fees and other payment changes take effect, however, and say another cut could affect benefits for seniors.

25 Feb 2014

Greatbatch announces results for fourth quarter and full-year ended 2014

Greatbatch, Inc., today announced results for its fourth quarter and full-year ended January 3, 2014 highlighted by 5% constant currency organic revenue growth for the full year 2013; 12% year over year improvement in adjusted operating income; and 19% improvement in adjusted diluted EPS over 2012.

25 Feb 2014

GOP readies new votes on health law mandate repeal, Medicare advantage cuts

In the meantime, one Democratic senator is pulling back from comments he made on repealing the health law.

25 Feb 2014

Federal court rules against Notre Dame in contraception case

The university with strong ties to the Catholic Church must now provide birth control coverage to students and employees as mandated in the health law.

25 Feb 2014

Enzalutamide shows added benefit in prostate cancer patients without visceral metastases

Enzalutamide (trade name: Xtandi) has been approved since June 2013 for men with metastatic prostate cancer in whom the commonly used hormone blockade is no longer effective and who have already been treated with the cytostatic drug docetaxel.

25 Feb 2014

Health law deadlines, and even statistics, still in flux

News outlets report on the changes that have been made to the health law and whether these tweaks may be adding new layers of complications. Meanwhile, stories also center on enrollment efforts and the current tally of enrollment numbers.

25 Feb 2014

Maryland's health exchange goals revised after research error

The initial goal was reportedly based on flawed data and the newly set milepost has already been met. Still, The Baltimore Sun reports that the state has halted work on its small business marketplace, and that Maryland will charge for work related to public information requests about what went wrong with the website.

25 Feb 2014

States: Calif. docs fight health law reimbursements; Wis. and collective bargaining; Kan. navigators restrictions

A selection of health policy stories from California, Wisconsin, Kansas, Virginia, Oregon, Georgia, North Carolina and Maine.

25 Feb 2014

FDA approves sNDA to include radiographic data updating label of Pfizer XELJANZ for treatment of RA

Pfizer Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) to update the current label of XELJANZ® (tofacitinib citrate) 5 mg tablets to include radiographic data from two Phase 3 studies, ORAL Scan (A3921044) and ORAL Start.

25 Feb 2014

Pediatric docs argue against retail health care clinics

In the meantime, a big push for greater price transparency in what health care costs is readied, and the prominence of palliative care grows.

25 Feb 2014

States face extra challenges by attempting to 'customize' their Medicaid expansion plan

Stateline reports that the efforts to tailor the program take time, among other things. Meanwhile, the Washington Post examines the Obama administration claim about the number of Americans who have, for the first time, gained access to health care because of the expansion.

24 Feb 2014

Study suggests simple way for physicians to communicate treatment goals in type 2 diabetes patients

An editorial in a February issue of American Family Physician proposes a simple way for physicians to communicate with patients about the best treatments for diabetes. The "lending a hand" illustration reprioritizes treatment goals, based on research on mortality reduction, to convey that glycemic control is no longer the primary intervention.

24 Feb 2014

Actuated Medical selected as finalists for Pennsylvania Bio's 2013 Patient Impact Award

Actuated Medical, Inc. and its TubeClear® system have been selected as one of three finalists for Pennsylvania Bio's 2013 Patient Impact Award. This award recognizes Life Sciences innovations in Pennsylvania that have made a significant contribution to the quality of health care or life of patients.

24 Feb 2014

Health Care News and Research

BU faculty develops physical therapy intervention to minimize workplace injury, reduce costs

CBT improves blood sugar control and brings faster relief of depression in patients with type 2 diabetes

Viewpoints: False arguments on deadbeats; fighting cancer without insurance; bridging Louisiana's health funding gap

State exchanges: Vt. Gov. Shumlin says fixes are working; Mass. makes progress on backlog; Calif. marketplace down for repairs

More uninsured children are from immigrant families, reports study

Appeals Court rules against Notre Dame in contraception lawsuit

Costs of care differ significantly across hospitals for children born with heart defects

Regulators propose 1.9% cut to Medicare advantage payments

Greatbatch announces results for fourth quarter and full-year ended 2014

GOP readies new votes on health law mandate repeal, Medicare advantage cuts

Federal court rules against Notre Dame in contraception case

Enzalutamide shows added benefit in prostate cancer patients without visceral metastases

Health law deadlines, and even statistics, still in flux

Maryland's health exchange goals revised after research error

States: Calif. docs fight health law reimbursements; Wis. and collective bargaining; Kan. navigators restrictions

FDA approves sNDA to include radiographic data updating label of Pfizer XELJANZ for treatment of RA

Pediatric docs argue against retail health care clinics

States face extra challenges by attempting to 'customize' their Medicaid expansion plan

Study suggests simple way for physicians to communicate treatment goals in type 2 diabetes patients

Actuated Medical selected as finalists for Pennsylvania Bio's 2013 Patient Impact Award

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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