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Supreme Court braces for health law frenzy

The high court is scheduled to hear three days of oral arguments related to the legal challenges to the health law. Amid the expected media attention, political posturing and spin contests, interested parties are finalizing their arguments and strategies.

22 Mar 2012

House preps pre-SCOTUS IPAB repeal vote with eye on doc relationship

Republicans are not united in their attempted repeal of the Independent Payment Advisory Board, which will come up for a vote in the House this week. In the meantime, the GOP is attempting to mend fences with the American Medical Association by offsetting the cost of repeal with medical malpractice tort reforms.

22 Mar 2012

Researchers unveil 'blueprint' to guide next steps in TB vaccine development

"On Tuesday, a global alliance of researchers and scientists -- led by the Stop TB Partnership, an umbrella group of health groups -- unveiled a 'blueprint' to develop a new vaccine against tuberculosis (TB) that aims to disrupt transmission in hard-hit countries and communities," the Wall Street Journal reports.

22 Mar 2012

Drexel experts available to comment for news stories about autism

Experts at Drexel University are available to comment for news stories about autism for Autism Awareness Month in April. Drexel recently established the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, the nation's first autism center focused on public health science.

22 Mar 2012

Clean Cookstoves Alliance launches initiative in Nigeria to help prevent deaths

The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves "launched a campaign in Nigeria on Tuesday aimed at preventing deaths due to toxic smoke from rudimentary cookstoves, one of the developing world's worst public health threats," Agence France-Presse reports.

22 Mar 2012

Supreme Court bars state employees from suing if they are denied medical leave

In a 5-to-4 decision, the justices said states are generally immune from suits by employees who are refused time-off to recover from an illness.

22 Mar 2012

Global Fund spotlights contributions of public-private partnerships in event on Capitol Hill

"At a public event held Tuesday on Capitol Hill, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria spotlighted the contributions of public-private partnerships to the Global Fund's lifesaving work," a joint press release reports.

22 Mar 2012

Urban children more likely to be smokers

More than 75 percent of fourth-graders in urban and rural settings have measurable levels of a nicotine breakdown product in their saliva that documents their second-hand smoke exposure, researchers report.

22 Mar 2012

EMS responders can play a significant role in reducing MCTB time for STEMI patients

Health care practitioners have long understood the importance of "door to balloon" time for heart attack patients-the faster they can get the patient from the door of the hospital to a catheterization lab to open a clogged artery, the better the patient will do.

22 Mar 2012

WHO convenes lawmakers from Southeast Asia to discuss bolstering of health systems in region

This week the WHO brought together lawmakers from across Southeast Asia in Bangkok "to discuss how to bolster their health systems back home," IRIN reports. Meeting participants were "called on to advocate the boosting of health spending, workforces and access to health care in their home countries in addition to drafting 'healthy public policies,' such as conducting health assessments before large infrastructural projects are undertaken," the news service writes.

22 Mar 2012

Some praise Rep. Ryan's budget plan as a bold approach; Others worry about 'dangerous' cuts to Medicare, the poor

A look at the initial editorials and opinions on the budget proposal released Tuesday by the House Budget Committee chairman.

22 Mar 2012

USAID World TB Day website

USAID's website features a page dedicated to World TB Day, which will be commemorated on March 24. The page lists information on upcoming events, as well as links to several reports, such as the FY2010 Report to Congress on the Global TB Context, stories, and features.

21 Mar 2012

Following health care's cash

Some know how much we pay for our own medical care, but many aren't aware of how immense an industry health care is in the U.S. Our trips to the doctor employ a lot of people, and our schools play an important role in preparing those people to take care of us.

21 Mar 2012

Health law oral arguments: Analyzing the moving parts

News reports explore the constitutional questions to be explored in the high court's review of the health law and the most likely potential outcomes.

21 Mar 2012

China's Ministry of Health reports about 900,000 cases of active TB in 2011

"About 900,000 cases of active tuberculosis (TB) were discovered and treated in China in 2011, including 423,000 infectious cases, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced Monday at a press conference," Xinhua reports.

21 Mar 2012

Internal Medicine 2012 to take place from April 19 - 21 in New Orleans

More than 5,000 internal medicine physicians, or internists, subspecialists, medical students, and allied health professionals will meet in New Orleans for Internal Medicine 2012, the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Physicians (ACP), April 19 - 21 (Thursday - Saturday), at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Internists specialize in the prevention, detection, and treatment of illnesses in adults.

21 Mar 2012

Improving care for advanced illnesses can lead to reduced costs

A better approach to advanced illness, including fewer hospitalizations, could improve quality of life and satisfaction for the sickest patients - and save $25 billion in annual health-care costs, according to Gundersen Health System.

21 Mar 2012

Malpractice reform, IPAB repeal, NIH funding among hot topics on Capitol Hill

News outlets report on various legislative proposals and planned funding cuts, and what kind of reactions they are drawing.

21 Mar 2012

NAFC honors VUMC nurse practitioner with Rodney Appell Continence Care Champion Award

The National Association For Continence (NAFC) presented Margaret "Amy" Hull, RNC, MSN, WHCNP, with its Rodney Appell Continence Care Champion Award at the Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates (SUNA) annual awards luncheon on March 3, 2012 held during the 2012 SUNA Annual Symposium in San Francisco.

21 Mar 2012

New Ryan budget would transform Medicare and Medicaid

Kaiser Health News staff writer Marilyn Werber Serafini reports: The Republican chairman of the House Budget Committee surprised no one Tuesday when he released a spending blueprint that would drastically reshape the Medicare and Medicaid programs for the elderly and poor in an attempt to rein in their soaring costs.

21 Mar 2012