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First Edition: October 7, 2013

Today's headlines include reports detailing the ins and outs of the federal government's online health insurance markeplace as well as the latest from Capitol Hill on the shutdown.

7 Oct 2013

Use of gloves, gowns by health care workers for ICU patient contact does not reduce MRSA infection

The wearing of gloves and gowns by health care workers for all intensive care unit (ICU) patient contact did not reduce the rate of acquisition of a combination of the bacteria methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), although there was a lower risk of MRSA acquisition alone, according to a study published online by JAMA.

7 Oct 2013

General surgeon receives Distinguished Service Award from ACS

Last night the Board of Regents of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) presented Barbara Lee Bass, MD, FACS, Houston, TX, with the ACS Distinguished Service Award at the Convocation ceremony preceding the official opening of the 2013 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons.

7 Oct 2013

Novel sensing algorithm detects effect of AD in unconstrained everyday motion behavior

The projected substantial increase in Alzheimer's disease due to the higher life expectancy in modern societies is one of the great future challenges of health care systems worldwide.

7 Oct 2013

State highlights: Wendy Davis announces Texas gubernatorial run; Calif. gov. signs pharmacist scope-of-practice bill

Wendy Davis, the Democratic state senator whose abortion filibuster catapulted her to national fame, announced Thursday that she will run for Texas governor, a race that looks to be a banner 2014 contest (Glueck, 10/4).

7 Oct 2013

Virtual simulation training system to help home health workers respond to risks

As the population ages, the need for professional caregivers to provide in-home services for ill and disabled patients is increasing. As a workplace, patient homes may present more challenges than other health care settings because they can harbor hazards such as tobacco smoke, cluttered hallways and rooms, inaccessible bathrooms, rodents, bugs and more.

7 Oct 2013

Anti-inflammatory mechanism leads to development of oral medications for atherosclerosis, IBS

Research led by Charles Nichols, PhD, Associate Professor of Pharmacology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, describes a powerful new anti-inflammatory mechanism that could lead to the development of new oral medications for atherosclerosis and inflammatory bowel disorders (IBS).

7 Oct 2013

Boehner, Republicans standing ground: No end to shutdown until changes to Obamacare

News outlets covered the testy debates on the Sunday talk shows. House Speaker John Boehner said Sunday he sees no way out of the government shutdown unless President Barack Obama is willing to engage in negotiations with Republicans.

7 Oct 2013

Mobilized medical care is necessary to better serve Haitian population after earthquake

Three years after an earthquake killed more than 200,000 people and left an estimated 1.5 million people homeless in Haiti, a Henry Ford Hospital study found that more mobilized medical care is necessary to bridge cultural and health care barriers and better serve the Haitian population.

7 Oct 2013

Research roundup: Health law's effects on consumer spending; Mass. experience finds increased use of laparoscopic surgery

The authors find that average out-of-pocket spending is expected to decrease for all groups considered in the analysis, although decreases in out-of-pocket spending will be largest for those who would otherwise be uninsured.

5 Oct 2013

Self-medication is key reason for prescription drug abuse in docs

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5 Oct 2013

Viewpoints: Marketplaces offer Americans the kind of shopping they like; enrollment isn't as robust as administration claims

Americans have grown accustomed to online comparison shopping, as the overwhelming number who clicked on health-exchange websites demonstrates.

5 Oct 2013

Geisinger receives $1.4M award to study patient-centered communication of genomic lab reports

Geisinger Health System's Genomic Medicine Institute has been approved to receive a $1.4 million research award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to study how best to share genomic lab results with patients.

5 Oct 2013

Opinions on shutdown: Both sides have moved to indefensible positions; health law is not 'settled,' finding a 'non-disastrous' debt deal

Acrimony, insults, the government shut down. Time to talk to a wise man, someone from the days when government worked. I turned to the famous Mr. Baker - James A. Baker III. ... The Republicans made a mistake early on with a "maximalist" position on Obamacare - they could not realistically achieve their aim of defunding when the Democrats hold the White House and Senate. But the president's position is a "pretty damn maximalist position itself, and people will say that" (Peggy Noonan, 10/3).

5 Oct 2013

GOP rank-and-file push to reopen federal gov't, eye medical device tax repeal instead

Some Republicans are moving away from efforts to repeal the entire health law and are turning their focus instead to repealing the health law's medical-device tax and reopening the federal government.

5 Oct 2013

Universal Gown And Glove Use By Health-Care Workers In ICU Reduces MRSA 40 Percent

Healthcare workers' use of disposable gowns and gloves upon entering all patient rooms on an intensive care unit (ICU), versus only in rooms on standard isolation protocol, helped reduce patient acquisition of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) by approximately 40 percent, according to new research co-led by the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the Yale New Haven Health System Center for Healthcare Solutions.

5 Oct 2013

Congress, their staffs face scrutiny around exchange plan choice, federal gov't contribution

Some question if members of Congress and their staffs should continue getting a federal employer contribution toward the cost of buying insurance on the health law exchange.

5 Oct 2013

Longer looks: Chinese medicine; revolutionary doctors; frozen embryos

A few years ago, while visiting Beijing, I caught a cold. My wife, who is Chinese, and wanted me to feel better, took me to a local restaurant. After we sat down, she ordered a live turtle.

5 Oct 2013

Prime Therapeutics Honored With Silver Award For Best Practices In Care Coordination And Clinical Integration By URAC

Prime Therapeutics' (Prime) efforts to improve patient health and reduce health care costs were recognized on Oct. 1 at the URAC Quality Summit in Washington, D.C.

5 Oct 2013

Cancer survivors in rural areas more likely to forgo medical care because of financial concerns

Older cancer survivors living in rural areas were more likely to forgo medical and dental care because of financial concerns compared with older cancer survivors living in urban areas, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

5 Oct 2013

Health Care News and Research

First Edition: October 7, 2013

Use of gloves, gowns by health care workers for ICU patient contact does not reduce MRSA infection

General surgeon receives Distinguished Service Award from ACS

Novel sensing algorithm detects effect of AD in unconstrained everyday motion behavior

State highlights: Wendy Davis announces Texas gubernatorial run; Calif. gov. signs pharmacist scope-of-practice bill

Virtual simulation training system to help home health workers respond to risks

Anti-inflammatory mechanism leads to development of oral medications for atherosclerosis, IBS

Boehner, Republicans standing ground: No end to shutdown until changes to Obamacare

Mobilized medical care is necessary to better serve Haitian population after earthquake

Research roundup: Health law's effects on consumer spending; Mass. experience finds increased use of laparoscopic surgery

Self-medication is key reason for prescription drug abuse in docs

Viewpoints: Marketplaces offer Americans the kind of shopping they like; enrollment isn't as robust as administration claims

Geisinger receives $1.4M award to study patient-centered communication of genomic lab reports

Opinions on shutdown: Both sides have moved to indefensible positions; health law is not 'settled,' finding a 'non-disastrous' debt deal

GOP rank-and-file push to reopen federal gov't, eye medical device tax repeal instead

Universal Gown And Glove Use By Health-Care Workers In ICU Reduces MRSA 40 Percent

Congress, their staffs face scrutiny around exchange plan choice, federal gov't contribution

Longer looks: Chinese medicine; revolutionary doctors; frozen embryos

Prime Therapeutics Honored With Silver Award For Best Practices In Care Coordination And Clinical Integration By URAC

Cancer survivors in rural areas more likely to forgo medical care because of financial concerns

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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