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AAMC report urges U.S. teaching hospitals to deal with conflicts of interest in clinical care

A new report by the AAMC urges U.S. teaching hospitals to establish policies that manage financial relationships between physicians and industry so that they do not influence patient care. "In the Interest of Patients: Recommendations for Physician Financial Relationships and Clinical Decision Making" provides guidance on how academic medical centers can identify, evaluate, and disclose conflicts of interest in clinical care.

1 Jul 2010

News round up: UniCare will drop health coverage for Virginians; Hawaii concerned about lack of physicians

The Washington Post: "About 3,000 Virginians who have health insurance through UniCare, a private insurer, will lose that coverage Jan. 1, a UniCare spokesman said Monday. Most live in Northern Virginia and get their coverage through the individual market, officials said.

30 Jun 2010

Study: Statins can reduce risk of prostate cancer recurrence after surgery

Men who use statins to lower their cholesterol are 30 percent less likely to see their prostate cancer come back after surgery compared to men who do not use the drugs, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center. Researchers also found that higher doses of the drugs were associated with lower risk of recurrence.

29 Jun 2010

Harris leverages CONNECT solution to enhance capabilities of Bidirectional Health Information Exchange interface

Harris Corporation, as a subcontractor to Evolvent Technologies, Inc., is helping to improve the quality of military patient care provided by enhancing the capabilities of the Bidirectional Health Information Exchange (BHIE) interface. The exchange is a health enterprise integration capability employed by the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to securely share patient information between agencies.

28 Jun 2010

VA secretary breaks ground for new 1.5 million-square-foot medical center in New Orleans

Fulfilling President Obama's commitment to rebuild New Orleans, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki joined state and local officials for a ground-breaking ceremony for a new 1.5 million-square-foot medical center for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

28 Jun 2010

National Intrepid Center of Excellence to treat veterans with traumatic brain injury

The U.S. Department of Defense and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund on June 24 officially dedicated the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, a new 72,000-square-foot medical facility in Bethesda, Md., dedicated to researching, diagnosing and treating traumatic brain injury in U.S. military personnel.

28 Jun 2010

Study examines relationship between SCIP measures and postoperative infection

A study by investigators at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine published in this week's issue of JAMA found that public hospital comparison data reported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services does not accurately correlate with a patient's risk for surgical postoperative infection.

24 Jun 2010

Researchers treat acute kidney injury using cells genetically reprogrammed to produce protein

A protein whose primary role is in the embryonic development of kidneys may play a future role in treating kidney failure. Indiana University School of Medicine researchers have successfully treated acute kidney injury in laboratory experiments using cells that were genetically reprogrammed to produce the protein. The research suggests there could be a potential future treatment using such cells delivered intravenously instead of surgically.

23 Jun 2010

Veterans with substance use disorders utilize violent means to commit suicide: Study

Veterans with substance use disorders who die by suicide are more likely to use violent means (such as a firearm) rather than nonviolent means (such as a drug overdose), new research suggests.

22 Jun 2010

FDA to hold workshop on medical device innovation to address unmet public health needs

Each day, medical devices from renal dialysis machines to implantable defibrillators help prevent, diagnose, treat, and monitor serious and life-threatening diseases. After taking years to develop, these devices then undergo a regulatory review process before entering the marketplace. It then takes even more time for them to be adopted into clinical practice and for patients to realize the benefits.

22 Jun 2010

New VA surgery rating system affects where vets get care; Abortion changes considered for military

"A new rating system now restricts the types of surgery performed at certain Veterans Affairs facilities in five states," NPR reports. "The new policy will prompt some veterans to travel farther to reach other VA facilities or civilian hospitals for more complex surgeries. The policy comes after investigations found that surgical mistakes had caused nine deaths in the department's Marion, Ill., hospital a few years ago.

18 Jun 2010

First Edition: June 17, 2010

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey reports on states' progress with high-risk pools created as part of the health reform law: "The program, one of the highest profile provisions of the law, is designed to provide health insurance to people who have been denied coverage due to a pre-existing medical condition and have been without coverage for at least six months.

17 Jun 2010

Researchers identify peptide that triggers diabetes

Researchers at National Jewish Health and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have identified the precise protein fragment, or peptide, that can trigger diabetes in mice. The finding, published in the June 15, 2010, issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, supports an emerging theory about the origins of autoimmunity, and may lead to new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in humans.

17 Jun 2010

PVAHCS receives 2010 Silver Anvil Award from PRSA

Led by the Phoenix VA Health Care System, the VA Veterans Day Parade in Phoenix received the prestigious Silver Anvil Award from the Public Relations Society of America. The Silver Anvil, which recognizes outstanding achievement in strategic public relations planning and implementation, was presented during the Silver Anvil Awards Ceremony held June 3 in New York City.

17 Jun 2010

New perspectives in type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular risk, and treatment goals

An article published in the May 2010 issue of Postgraduate Medicine highlights the seriousness of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with type 2 diabetes. Cardiovascular disease is the cause of death in > 65% of patients with diabetes, and when complicated by the presence of obesity, the lifetime risk of developing CVD increases to 90%. The inherent problem is that many of the antihyperglycemic medications used to combat high glycated hemoglobin are associated with weight gain and/or hypoglycemia, which negatively affect CVD.

16 Jun 2010

CAMFT listed in 2010 Associations Advance America Honor Roll

The California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists has been named to the 2010 Associations Advance America Honor Roll, a national awards competition sponsored by the American Society of Association Executives & The Center for Association Leadership, Washington, D.C.

16 Jun 2010

Identification of key player in signaling pathway offers hope for new targeted melanoma therapies

Identification of a key player in a signaling pathway involved in the development of melanoma - the deadliest form of skin cancer - may offer hope for new targeted melanoma therapies.

16 Jun 2010

Study examines survival rates of CF patients with MRSA

A team of researchers led by Elliott Dasenbrook, MD, MHS, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and Associate Director of the Adult Cystic Fibrosis Program at University Hospitals Case Medical Center's Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital today published the findings from a major study about cystic fibrosis survival rates in the June 16 issue of JAMA.

16 Jun 2010

Certain PTSD symptoms may be key to treating anger among Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans: Study

Focusing on certain PTSD symptoms may be key to treating anger among Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans, according to a study by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Veterans Affairs researchers.

15 Jun 2010

VA Federal Supply Schedule Service approves CTT as vendor for Calmare Pain Therapy Treatment

Competitive Technologies, Inc. announced today that the Department of Veterans Affairs' Federal Supply Schedule Service has accepted CTT's application to be an approved vendor for its Calmare® Pain Therapy Treatment. This decision will enable CTT to sell Calmare Pain Therapy to physicians throughout the Federal government, with the expectation of significant sales in that market sector, which includes the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, the Indian Health Service, the Bureau of Prisons, and State Veteran Homes.

15 Jun 2010

Veterans Affairs News and Research

AAMC report urges U.S. teaching hospitals to deal with conflicts of interest in clinical care

News round up: UniCare will drop health coverage for Virginians; Hawaii concerned about lack of physicians

Study: Statins can reduce risk of prostate cancer recurrence after surgery

Harris leverages CONNECT solution to enhance capabilities of Bidirectional Health Information Exchange interface

VA secretary breaks ground for new 1.5 million-square-foot medical center in New Orleans

National Intrepid Center of Excellence to treat veterans with traumatic brain injury

Study examines relationship between SCIP measures and postoperative infection

Researchers treat acute kidney injury using cells genetically reprogrammed to produce protein

Veterans with substance use disorders utilize violent means to commit suicide: Study

FDA to hold workshop on medical device innovation to address unmet public health needs

New VA surgery rating system affects where vets get care; Abortion changes considered for military

First Edition: June 17, 2010

Researchers identify peptide that triggers diabetes

PVAHCS receives 2010 Silver Anvil Award from PRSA

New perspectives in type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular risk, and treatment goals

CAMFT listed in 2010 Associations Advance America Honor Roll

Identification of key player in signaling pathway offers hope for new targeted melanoma therapies

Study examines survival rates of CF patients with MRSA

Certain PTSD symptoms may be key to treating anger among Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans: Study

VA Federal Supply Schedule Service approves CTT as vendor for Calmare Pain Therapy Treatment

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

How microplastics and bacteria interact to drive antibiotic resistance

Single-cell proteomics: Revealing proteome diversity from cellular heterogeneity to non-canonical biology

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