Hearing News and Research

RSS

First Edition: May 23, 2014

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including the latest developments on the Department of Veterans Affairs controversy.

23 May 2014

Obama, under increasing pressure on VA, promises accountability after internal review

As outrage grows about allegations of wrongdoing at VA facilities around the country, the president sticks by VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, at least for now.

23 May 2014

California clinics brace for the health law's new patients

New research in California examined the readiness of Los Angeles clinics for the onslaught of people with new health insurance. Another study seeks to calculate the Medi-Cal costs of providing care to immigrants who are in the United States illegally.

23 May 2014

Medicare payments under the microscope

Whether the federal program should pay the same for a treatment whether the patient gets it at a doctor's office or, say, an outpatient hospital facility, was the focus of a congressional hearing.

23 May 2014

First Edition: May 22, 2014

Today's headlines include coverage of the Senate Finance Committee vote to recommend Sylvia Mathews Burwell to head the Department of Health and Human Services.

22 May 2014

Lawmakers probe hospital pay for short-stay patients

The House hearing was the first congressional inquiry into the consequences of Medicare's "two-midnight rule," which has drawn criticism from seniors and hospitals.

22 May 2014

CHEO pediatric surgeon wins TELUS Award for mHealth Innovation

Local pediatric surgeon and entrepreneur Dr. Matthew Bromwich accepted the "TELUS Award for mHealth Innovation" at the 29th Annual CATAAlliance Innovation Awards Gala tonight.

22 May 2014

Researchers explore hair cells of inner ear to reverse hearing loss

The ability to discern pitch - to hear the difference between "cat," "bat" and "hat," for example - hinges on remarkable gradations in specialized cells within the inner ear.

21 May 2014

Viewpoints: Cutting costs for patients with chronic illness; Gov. Pence's change of Heart; fix the VA

Most health care plans ask that you spend some money out of your pocket whenever you use the health care system. This is known as cost-sharing .... Cost-sharing works for most people, because most people are healthy. Healthy people who use health care are often doing so inefficiently.

21 May 2014

Study: Hearing impairment linked with sleep apnea

Both high and low frequency hearing impairment have been linked with sleep apnea in a new study of nearly 14,000 individuals.

21 May 2014

GSA announce winners of GSA Poster Awards at 55th Annual Drosophila Research Conference

The Genetics Society of America (GSA) and the Drosophila research community are pleased to announce the winners of GSA Poster Awards at the 55th Annual Drosophila Research Conference, which took place in San Diego, March 26-30, 2014.

21 May 2014

Obama 'madder than hell' over troubles with VA system

At the same time, lawmakers continue their push for answers over what happened, and a VA undersecretary resigns after allegations the VA health system kept secret lists to conceal long delays for care.

20 May 2014

Longer looks: AIDS epidemic in the U.S.; how public health and the recession connect

I pull out my phone and check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, which tells me that, in the United States, 636,000 people have died since the epidemic began. That's 23 times higher than Germany, for a country with four times the population. This makes no sense. Germany has big cities, it has gay men and sex workers and drug users, it has all the same temptations for them to be uncareful that the United States does. How could so many fewer people have died? (Michael Hobbes, 5/12).

16 May 2014

Viewpoints: GOP attacks on health law; challenging assumptions about Obamacare politics; is employer mandate worth it?

A crucial component of the Republican Party's assault on the Affordable Care Act always has been ignorance -- that is, the promotion of ignorance about the ACA's benefits among the general population. Now, from the consulting firm McKinsey & Co., comes hard evidence that the campaign worked, bigtime. In its latest national survey to determine how the healthcare reform act has been working, McKinsey found that the perceived cost of health insurance still was the No. 1 reason given by respondents for not enrolling (Michael Hiltzik, 5/14).

16 May 2014

Scientists reveal how and why immune system's B cells respond only to true threats

The immune system's B cells protect us from disease by producing antibodies, or "smart bullets," that specifically target invaders such as pathogens and viruses while leaving harmless molecules alone.

16 May 2014

Confirmation path appears smooth for Obama pick to take the helm at HHS

Sylvia Mathews Burwell received a friendly reception from both sides of the aisle during her second confirmation hearing, during which she pledged to try to recoup any taxpayer funds that may have been misused on flawed state websites and defended the "unilateral" changes the Aministration has made to the health law.

16 May 2014

First Edition: May 15, 2014

Today's headlines include highlights from Wednesday's Senate confirmation hearing -- the second one -- for Sylvia Mathews Burwell, the White House pick to become the next Health and Human Services Secretary.

15 May 2014

Global scientists to discuss latest findings on diagnosis, causes and treatments of ASD

The International Society for Autism Research (INSAR), a scientific and professional organization devoted to advancing knowledge about autism spectrum disorders, convened more than 1700 researchers, delegates, autism specialists and students from 40 countries for the 13th Annual International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR), the world's largest scientific gathering on autism research, from May 15 through May 17 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis in Atlanta, GA.

15 May 2014

Safety tips to prevent injuries associated with lawn mowers

The lawn mower is one of the most dangerous household tools. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, each year 68,000 people are treated in the emergency department for lawn mower related injuries, and 9,400 of them are children under the age of 18.

15 May 2014

Republicans seek end to health law tax on medical devices

Also, two Republicans want states with failed health insurance exchanges to pay back the money the federal government gave them to start the marketplaces. Elsewhere, abortion rights groups push against a proposed ban on the procedure, and the parties debate over the prevalence of canceled health plans.

15 May 2014