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Reducing preventable hospital readmissions may take longer, say researchers

Achieving widespread reductions in preventable hospital readmissions among Medicare beneficiaries may take longer than many health care professionals originally anticipated, according to researchers at Penn State, the Weill Cornell Medical College and the University of Pennsylvania.

18 Apr 2013

Health officials have reason to 'remain hypervigilant' over H7N9

"Just as the world was breathing easier about a deadly bird flu virus that killed 371 people over the past decade before dropping out of sight, a different form of bird flu has emerged in China that is causing concern among health experts," a New York Times editorial writes.

18 Apr 2013

Telemedicine house calls for Parkinson’s patients: an interview with Dr Ray Dorsey, Johns Hopkins University

Access to neurological care for Parkinson disease is currently limited by distance, disability, and the distribution of doctors.

18 Apr 2013

H7N9 virus continues to spread; International research team traveling to China to assist

"Two more people in China have died from a new strain of avian influenza, bringing to 16 the number of deaths from the H7N9 virus, and the government has warned that the number of infections could rise," Reuters reports.

18 Apr 2013

GAPPD presents opportunity to meld global, local agendas

"Beyond integration across the two diseases, the [Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhea (GAPPD) released by the WHO and UNICEF last week] is an opportunity to meld global and local agendas, giving national governments a comprehensive tool to determine the specific plans, investments, and partners needed to address the unique needs of their countries and achieve the greatest health impact for their citizens," PATH CEO Steve Davis writes in the Huffington Post's "Global Motherhood" blog.

18 Apr 2013

Examining U.S. spending on family planning, reproductive health

"Funding by the United States for family planning has a giant positive impact," PSI's "Impact" blog writes, adding, "With the White House releasing its budget request for fiscal year 2014 and the budget debates heating up, now seems like a good time to look at what investments in reproductive health enables."

18 Apr 2013

Documentary film examines Chagas disease in Argentina

Al Jazeera's "Witness" features a documentary film that examines Chagas disease, which "affects more than 15 million people worldwide, most of them in Latin America, and may kill as many as 50,000 each year," the news service writes.

18 Apr 2013

Blog interviews head of Ghana's immunization program

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog features an interview with K.O. Antwi-Agyei, a physician who "manages the Expanded Programme on Immunization in Ghana, where he oversees the day-to-day work to ensure vaccines reach children across the country."

18 Apr 2013

Amgen agrees to $25M settlement after kickback allegations

The biotech drug maker was accused of paying kickbacks to increase sales of its anemia drug Aranesp.

18 Apr 2013

Viewpoints: Boston hospitals, doctors rose to the challenge; Physicians need to understand health law to advise patients; Florida's budget problems could be eased by Medicaid expansion

If there is any silver lining in the violent Marathon attacks Monday, it is that Boston is home to some of the world's finest hospitals, physicians, nurses, and medical staff. These highly trained professionals must be thanked and praised for their calm, heroic response in the face of unprecedented carnage.

18 Apr 2013

Study: Patients who suffer STEMI heart attacks while hospitalized are 10 times more likely to die

If you suffer a heart attack while walking down the street and are taken to the hospital quickly, your chances of survival are very good. But if you have a heart attack while already in the hospital for something else, you are 10 times more likely to die.

18 Apr 2013

Americans with brain diseases have more difficulty in finding a neurologist, new study reveals

Americans with brain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis who need to see a neurologist may face longer wait times or have more difficulty finding a neurologist, according to a new study published in the April 17, 2013, online issue of Neurology-, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

18 Apr 2013

State roundup: Immigration proposal could mean big state health care costs

Making immigrants ineligible for public health benefits -- at least initially -- under proposed immigration law changes would push the costs of health care from the federal government to states and counties, said Sonal Ambegaokar, a health policy attorney at the National Immigration Law Center.

18 Apr 2013

House-Senate 'endgame talks' face political hurdles, delays

The House GOP is moving slowly in naming negotiators to work through differences between the House- and Senate-passed budgets.

18 Apr 2013

Sole abortion clinic in Miss. remains open after judge blocks state law

Mississippi's sole abortion clinic remains open after a U.S. district judge blocked -- for now -- a state law that would require the clinic's doctors have admitting privileges at local hospitals.

18 Apr 2013

Hospital prices for consumers slow slightly

Hospital consumer prices increased 0.4 percent last month following the 0.8 percent gain in February, newly released figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show.

18 Apr 2013

Hospitals profit when surgeries go wrong, study finds

The study, which was published Tuesday in The Journal of the American Medical Association, found that hospitals earned 330 percent higher profit margins on surgeries with one or more complications, because private insurers pay them for longer stays and extra care.

18 Apr 2013

Hospitals push hard for Medicaid expansion

Stateline reports that with billions at stake, hospitals are lobbying to change the minds of state lawmakers opposed to this health law provision.

18 Apr 2013

Federally qualified health centers lag behind in controlling blood pressure, study shows

Federally funded safety-net clinics for the uninsured lag behind other health care providers in controlling blood pressure among the low-income patients who rely on them for care, a new Michigan State University analysis suggests.

18 Apr 2013

Health law creates challenges for various parts of the system

News outlets report on a variety of implementation issues, including the question of how to provide treatment for the millions of people with addiction and alcohol dependencies who will have insurance for the first time and the difficulties faced by safety-net hospitals.

18 Apr 2013