Health Care News and Research

RSS

Flap design affects recovery from wisdom tooth surgery

The design of the mucoperiosteal flap created during surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molars can affect patient recovery, show study findings.

31 Jul 2012

GlobalPost examines debate surrounding PrEP

GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog examines questions surrounding the use of the antiretroviral Truvada for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk of HIV infection among people at high risk, as studies released and panel discussions held last week at the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) "raised concerns about the drug's effect on the future of the AIDS fight."

31 Jul 2012

McKesson settles Rx drug pricing case with 29 states

The nation's largest drug wholesaler by revenue will pay $151 million to settle a lawsuit that alleged the company inflated prescription drug prices for state Medicaid programs.

31 Jul 2012

CSIS blog examines definition of 'AIDS-free generation'

"Charged by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with developing a blueprint for the next phase of the U.S. government's involvement in the fight against HIV and AIDS, [U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby] ... will lead an interagency effort to give clearer meaning to the term, 'AIDS-free generation,' and provide a basis for programming," Sharon Stash, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic & International Studies' (CSIS) Global Health Policy Center, writes in the CSIS "Smart Global Health" blog.

31 Jul 2012

Aetna reports net income of $457.6 million for second-quarter 2012

Aetna today announced second-quarter 2012 operating earnings of $452.0 million, or $1.31 per share, compared to the $1.35 per share reported in the second quarter of 2011.

31 Jul 2012

Drawing health policy distinctions between Obama, Romney

The National Journal notes the two presidential candidates offer clear contrasts when it comes to their positions regarding health insurance. Meanwhile, Roll Call notes that the reported differences in opinions among the Supreme Court justices when they reviewed the health law continue to reverberate during this campaign season.

31 Jul 2012

IRIN examines global trend in collaborative health research

"Dwindling money for research and development (R&D) and waning donor patience have forced global health players to change how they innovate new products and processes," IRIN reports.

31 Jul 2012

Planned Medicare payment reductions trigger hospital action

Hospitals are sharpening their efforts to stop a scheduled 2 percent across-the-board cut in payments to Medicare providers. Meanwhile, GOP lawmakers may be stepping back from efforts to block the health law's birth control coverage mandate.

31 Jul 2012

Bloomberg Businessweek examines debate surrounding circumcision

Bloomberg Businessweek reports that "circumcision is in the spotlight again after a German court ruling has pitted those who support it for religious and health reasons against those who say boys should have the right to decide for themselves" and discusses how the procedure's role in "helping prevent the spread of AIDS in Africa" is "lost in the debate."

31 Jul 2012

WFP warns 1.6M Zimbabweans will need food aid, up 60% this year

"The number of people needing food aid in Zimbabwe will rise by 60 percent this year to 1.6 million, the World Food Programme [WFP] said on Friday, citing an annual assessment carried out by the United Nations and the Zimbabwean government," Reuters reports.

31 Jul 2012

Feed the Future initiative worthy of bipartisan support awarded to PEPFAR

Noting "President Barack Obama's Feed the Future initiative seeks to end hunger through increasing investment in agricultural development, particularly for the vast legion of smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa," Roger Thurow, a senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, writes in a post in the ONE blog, "Central to this movement is that Feed the Future and U.S. leadership to end hunger through agricultural development become a cornerstone of American policy no matter who is in the White House or which party controls Congress."

31 Jul 2012

VA releases PE Coach mobile app for use with PTSD treatment

The Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs have released PE (for prolonged exposure) Coach, a smartphone mobile application for use with post-traumatic stress disorder treatment. Both departments use prolonged exposure therapy as an effective treatment for PTSD. PE Coach is a free app for Apple and Android mobile devices.

31 Jul 2012

Mass. cost control legislation seeks to reconcile wide coverage, high costs

Federal overhaul is often compared to Massachusetts' effort, but that state has yet to find a way to curtail health spending.

31 Jul 2012

GlobalPost interviews USAID Administrator Shah about global AIDS response

GlobalPost correspondents John Donnelly and Charles Sennott interview USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah "about his perspectives on the AIDS fight," in this entry in GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog.

31 Jul 2012

DECISION+2 can reduce antibiotic use for acute respiratory infections

A training tool that helps physicians involve patients in decision-making can reduce the use of antibiotics for acute respiratory infections, according to a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

31 Jul 2012

Advocacy, commitment, investment needed to continue HIV/AIDS response

Some members of Congress "are advocating deep cuts to funding for domestic programs such as the Ryan White CARE Act and international programs such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and PEPFAR," but "what these critics fail to realize is that though we have won a multitude of battles, we are still losing the war in many communities," Rep. Michael Honda (D-Calif.) writes in a U.S. News & World Report opinion piece.

31 Jul 2012

Global summit on hunger, malnutrition to be held at end of Olympics in London

"A summit designed to kickstart a joint effort by world leaders to address hunger and malnutrition will be held in London on 12 August to coincide with the closing day of the Olympics, the British government has announced," the Guardian reports.

31 Jul 2012

Federal court blocks health law contraception coverage mandate for one business

A U.S. district judge in Colorado issued a temporary injunction Friday, blocking the Obama administration from enforcing the birth control coverage requirement on one employer based on the owner's religious beliefs. The judge issued a three-month temporary injunction, allowing for further legal review of the case brought by a small Catholic business owner.

31 Jul 2012

Health law's insurance rebates, exchanges and mandates continue to draw headlines

News outlets report on a variety of health law implementation policies, including state-level action.

31 Jul 2012

Inclusion of 'marginalized and criminalized' populations essential to HIV/AIDS response

In this post in the Human Rights and HIV/AIDS "Now More Than Ever" blog, Michel Kazatchkine, the former executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and newly appointed special envoy to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, examines why human rights are "so central to the AIDS response."

31 Jul 2012