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Viewpoints: What price for a life?; Texas tort reform; health law and job creation

Bob Iritano died Thursday morning. He was 51. ... His insurer, Health Net, decided last year not to cover a life-extending procedure that had worked just a few months earlier. ... Iritano faced a situation that many others with terminal illnesses or chronic diseases face: What price do you put on a life? How much money and medical resources are too much when it comes to prolonging a doomed existence?

3 Sep 2011

Research roundup: Health IT and diabetes care; Kids' care on insurance exchanges; Medicare and the 'super committee'

Electronic Health Records And Quality Of Diabetes Care -- This study focuses on one chronic condition to examine how EHRs could improve the quality of health care. Researchers "analyzed data from a retrospective cohort of primary care practices of seven diverse health care organizations that publicly reported achievement of quality standards for adults with diabetes between July 2007 and June 2010."

2 Sep 2011

NCD summit negotiations must get back on track to help millions worldwide

With negotiations over the outcomes for the U.N. High-level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) stalled, "[i]t is feared that sound proposals for clear goals and timelines to tackle these devastating diseases are being systematically deleted, diluted and downgraded by some U.N. Member States and urgent action is needed to put the negotiations back on track, when they recommence on September 1," Rob Moodie, chair of Global Health at the Nossal Institute of Global Health, writes in the Crikey health blog "Croakey."

2 Sep 2011

Western, Midwestern states register higher methamphetamine usage

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services, today issued its annual report on U.S. worker drug use, the Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index.

From Quest Diagnostics 2 Sep 2011

Investments in EHRs could reap major benefits in better patient care, health outcomes

Research published today in the New England Journal of Medicine gives cause for optimism that federal investments in electronic health records (EHRs) could reap major benefits in better patient care and health outcomes.

2 Sep 2011

Study: EHRs improve diabetes care, improve clinical quality

A Case Western Reserve University study has found electronic health records could help keep patients healthier - at least those with diabetes - and that clinical quality improvement is greater at practices that use EHRs.

2 Sep 2011

Reduction in smoking has positive impact on mortality rates within six months

A study by the University of Liverpool has found that a decrease in smoking rapidly reduces mortality rates in individuals and entire populations within six months.

2 Sep 2011

9/11 firefighters at greater risk of cancer

A new study shows that firefighters who were exposed to toxic dust and fumes clogging the air after the World Trade Center towers collapsed 10 years ago are more likely to develop cancer.

2 Sep 2011

Americans ‘gulping’ down sweetened beverages: Study

According to health experts half of Americans drink a soda or sugary beverage each day. One in 20 people drinks the equivalent of more than four cans of soda each day. This is in spite of the health officials’ recommendation to limit sweetened beverages to less than half a can.

31 Aug 2011

New guidelines for the treatment of acromegaly, a serious growth hormone disorder

It’s said a lot can happen in seven days. In seven years, a lot has happened in the understanding of acromegaly, a debilitating condition that causes a patient to have too much growth hormone. It’s seven years since the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists last produced guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acromegaly. Their 2004 guidelines were just 13 pages long. Their latest, the 2011 guidelines, have grown – to 44 pages.

31 Aug 2011

Medivir completes enrollment of three TMC435 phase 3 trials on CHC genotype-1 infection

MedivirAB is an emerging researchbased specialty pharmaceutical company focused on infectious diseases. Medivir today announced that its investigational protease inhibitor TMC435, developed by Tibotec Pharmaceuticals, has successfully completed enrollment of three ongoing global phase 3 trials and further reports that all patients are now on TMC435 or active control treatment.

31 Aug 2011

Dad's stress can affect unborn children

Does Dad's stress affect his unborn children? According to the results of a new study in Elsevier's Biological Psychiatry, it seems the answer may be "yes, but it's complicated".

31 Aug 2011

Medivir reports net sales of SEK 444.6 m for 1 January - 30 June 2011

Medivir: Interim period (January 2011 - June 2011). Net sales were SEK 444.6 (35.7) m.

31 Aug 2011

Research shows numerous health benefits of Modified Citrus Pectin

New research published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine shows Modified Citrus Pectin (MCP) packs a powerful immune punch.

31 Aug 2011

Sweat meter could alert diabetes patients about low blood sugar

Some diabetic patients receive no warning before they pass out from low blood sugar. A modern sweat meter could alert patients in time. Biathletes and ME patients might also benefit from the sweat meter.

31 Aug 2011

Simple tips for children's shoe shopping

As parents and children begin the back to school shopping ritual that includes fashionable shoes, the Ontario Society of Chiropodists (OSC) stresses that fit is more important than looks. Well-fitting shoes reduce the incidence of foot and ankle injuries and encourages physical activity, helping to increase self esteem through sport.

31 Aug 2011

CMR predicts increased risk of sudden cardiac death in patients with myocardial infarction

Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Universität Leiden developed a method to identify a subgroup of patients with myocardial infarction that is at increased risk for sudden cardiac death.

30 Aug 2011

UT Southwestern surgeons to perform first hand transplant in North Texas

A team of surgeons at UT Southwestern Medical Center expects to perform the first hand transplant in North Texas within a year, making the institution just the sixth hospital in the U.S. to perform the rare and intricate surgery.

30 Aug 2011

U-M offers transplantation for patients with bile duct cancer

Robert "Buzz" Gehle thought the itchy rash he was experiencing was a recurrence of an earlier case of shingles. But when his doctor saw he was also jaundiced, he immediately knew there was a problem with Gehle's liver.

30 Aug 2011

CMS: Insurers need to create plans for dual eligibles

Medicare Advantage insurers that cover some of the most expensive patients must develop individualized plans to coordinate care for each one, according to a final CMS rule issued Friday. The agency also formalized language in the Affordable Care Act requiring these so-called Special Needs Plans, which handle the costly population covered by both Medicare and Medicaid, to implement quality improvement programs and be certified in 2012 by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

29 Aug 2011