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ED length of stay may not penalize safety-net institutions

Compliance with proposed emergency department length of stay measures for admitted, discharged, transferred, and observed patients does not differ significantly between safety-net hospitals (which serve higher proportion of patients with poorer health care status) and non-safety-net hospitals, addressing the issue of whether safety-net hospitals may not be able to meet certain performance measures and could be at risk of reduced funding, according to a study in the February 1 issue of JAMA.

1 Feb 2012

Study reveals substantial differences in rates of follow-up surgeries after partial mastectomy

A new study reveals substantial differences - by both surgeon and institution - in the rates of follow-up surgeries for women who underwent a partial mastectomy for treatment of breast cancer.

1 Feb 2012

Health costs, failure to enact reforms could lead to ratings downgrades

Ratings agency Standard & Poor's warned it may downgrade "a number of highly rated" Group of 20 countries from 2015 if their governments fail to enact reforms to curb rising healthcare spending and other costs related to ageing populations.

1 Feb 2012

GOP presidential hopefuls make final pitches to Florida primary voters

Among the campaign issues are the parallels between the federal health overhaul and the Massachusetts law former Gov. Mitt Romney signed and Newt Gingrich's support of the individual mandate.

1 Feb 2012

GSA's new resources address pain management, labeling changes for acetaminophen

The pain suffered by older adults is the shared focus of the two newest entries in The Gerontological Society of America's (GSA) From Publication to Practice series.

1 Feb 2012

Experimental application to track patients' care experiences in real time wins REACH Developer Challenge

AcademyHealth today announced that an experimental application to track patients' care experiences in real time is the winner of the Relevant Evidence to Advance Care and Health (REACH) Developer Challenge.

1 Feb 2012

Canadian Government announces investment in personalized medicine

The Harper Government today announced an important investment that will help Canadians in getting more effective treatments and make the healthcare system more sustainable through personalized medicine.

1 Feb 2012

New general manager's banking background beneficial at Global Fund

In this post on the Center for Global Development's (CGD) "Global Health Policy" blog, Amanda Glassman, a research fellow and director of global health policy at CGD, explains why the banking background of the new general manager of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Gabriel Jaramillo, "should serve him well."

1 Feb 2012

New ultrasound can overcome challenges linked with kidney stone treatment

Just the mention of kidney stones can cause a person to cringe. They are often painful and sometimes difficult to remove, and 10 percent of the population will suffer from them. In space, the risk of developing kidney stones is exacerbated due to environmental conditions. The health risk is compounded by the fact that resource limitations and distance from Earth could restrict treatment options.

1 Feb 2012

Lawmakers in Conn., Calif. ready public option, single-payer bills

Lawmakers in Connecticut are considering re-introducing a bill for a public option for health insurance that died last year in the legislature. Similarly in California, state lawmakers are pushing a single-payer bill that died in the legislature last year.

1 Feb 2012

U.N. provides $9.1M to WHO, UNICEF to help fight cholera in DRC

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) last week "received $9.1 million ... from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to fight off cholera, which has affected more than 22,000 people and killed 500 over the past year in the central African country," the U.N. News Centre reports.

1 Feb 2012

Opinion pieces, blog react to new public-private NTD initiative

Pharmaceutical company heads and global health leaders gathered at a conference on Monday in London to announce the formation of a large public-private partnership to fight neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and endorse the "London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases", in which they pledged to work together and track progress.

1 Feb 2012

Opinion pieces recognize Global Fund anniversary

Last week, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria celebrated its 10-year anniversary. The following are summaries of two opinion pieces written in recognition of this milestone.

1 Feb 2012

Nursing homes hope to 'fend off' deep Medicare cuts with new approach

The nursing home industry is attempting to fend off deep Medicare cuts by proposing its own ideas on ways to reduce out-of-control Medicare spending. The proposal comes as lawmakers are considering billions of dollars in cuts to the healthcare industry to pay for a temporary postponement of physician payment cuts scheduled for March 1.

1 Feb 2012

New Dartmouth Atlas projects to focus on Medicaid, commercial insurance

The Dartmouth Atlas Project announced two projects to analyze geographic differences in healthcare for patients insured by Medicaid and commercial insurance.

1 Feb 2012

State roundup: Iowa reconsiders lawmakers' benefits

Two bills introduced in the Iowa House last week would curtail benefits for lawmakers. ... House File 2118 also removes per diem and daily allowances from inclusion in lawmakers' pension calculations, but also requires members and employees of the General Assembly to pay a portion of their health-insurance premiums. That premium payment would have to be at least $100 a month.

1 Feb 2012

The challenge of crafting public health messages to combat childhood obesity

When a Georgia health care organization recently launched a series of childhood anti-obesity ads, they had no idea they'd be accused of attacking rather than advocating for kids.

1 Feb 2012

Nearly one in four women have another surgery following partial mastectomy

Nearly one in four women who undergo a partial mastectomy for treatment of breast cancer have another surgery to remove additional tissue (reexcision), and there is substantial surgeon and institutional variation in the rate of reexcisions that cannot be explained by patients' clinical characteristics, according to a study in the February 1 issue of JAMA.

1 Feb 2012

Media outlets continue to publish expert opinion regarding H5N1 bird flu research

The PBS NewsHour blog "The Rundown" features excerpts from interviews with three experts discussing the recent debate over research conducted on the H5N1 bird flu virus.

1 Feb 2012

Protesting Kenyans call for emergency donor conference to raise $2B for Global Fund

"Hundreds of HIV-positive Kenyans protested outside the European Union's Nairobi office on Monday, accusing the E.U. of causing unnecessary deaths by cutting funding to" the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, AlertNet reports.

1 Feb 2012