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New guideline on management of hyperglycemia in non-critically ill hospitalized patients

Hyperglycemia, or having high glucose levels in the blood, is a common, serious and costly health care problem in hospitalized patients. Today, The Endocrine Society released a clinical practice guideline (CPG) providing recommendations for practical and safe glycemic targets and describing protocols and system improvements required to achieve glycemic goals for hospitalized patients in a non-critical care setting.

6 Jan 2012

Lawsuit alleges hospice co. improperly pushed patients through nursing homes; N.Y. prosecutor investigates hospital practices

Kaiser Health News reports that a lawsuit unsealed this week alleges that a national hospice company committed Medicare fraud by improperly cycling patients through nursing homes. In the meantime, a N.Y. prosecutor is investigating a hospital's management practices.

6 Jan 2012

First Edition: January 5, 2012

Today's headlines include a report that health law opponents want to add plaintiffs to their lawsuit as well as dispatches from the GOP primary election compaign trail.

5 Jan 2012

Postpartum Support International unveils new Spanish language educational DVD

Postpartum Support International Unveils New Spanish Language Educational DVD "MADRE SALUDABLE, FAMILIA FELIZ" Offered to Hospitals & Healthcare Agencies Nationwide As Part of Clinical Training & Education Program Helping Alleviate the #1 Complication of Child Birth: Untreated Depression

5 Jan 2012

January issue of WHO Bulletin available online

The January issue of the WHO Bulletin features an editorial on non-communicable diseases and post-conflict countries;

5 Jan 2012

Child malnutrition rates 'alarming' in Somali refugee camps, AFP reports

"Aid workers say malnutrition rates among children under five at the Dolo Ado camp [in Ethiopia] are alarming," with "[o]ver 50 percent of children in Dolo Ado's Hilaweyn camp and nearly half of all children in Kobe camp … suffering from malnutrition, according to a preliminary health survey from the United Nations refugee agency," Agence France-Presse reports.

5 Jan 2012

UNICEF to ramp up global vaccination program

"UNICEF is preparing ambitious plans to update, strengthen and vastly expand its global vaccination program," and "is gearing up to triple its capacity over the next five years," according to a UNICEF news story.

5 Jan 2012

Survey to help assess pediatric emergency readiness of hospital EDs

Marianne Gausche-Hill, M.D., and Kate Remick, M.D. - lead investigators at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed) - are spearheading a statewide, web-based survey scheduled to roll out Jan. 6, 2012 that will help assess the pediatric emergency readiness of hospital emergency departments.

5 Jan 2012

Bachmann's parting shot: Repeal health law

News outlets noted that as she announced she was leaving the GOP presidential race, Rep. Michele Bachmann continued to criticize the Affordable Care Act

5 Jan 2012

CMS acknowledges clinical improvement linked with use of Alair Bronchial Thermoplasty System

Boston Scientific Corporation announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency that administers the Medicare program, has acknowledged the substantial clinical improvement associated with the use of the Alair Bronchial Thermoplasty System to perform bronchial thermoplasty for the management of severe asthma.

5 Jan 2012

Health insurance fee draws GOP attacks

The health care law tacks on a fee of $1 per year to private insurance plans. The money will fund comparative effectiveness research - studies into which treatments work best for particular conditions. The Senate Republican Policy Committee contrasted the fee with Obama's opposition, during the 2008 campaign, to taxing employer-based health benefits.

5 Jan 2012

HHS issues initial set of 26 Medicaid quality measures

HHS has issued a final notice containing an initial set of 26 quality measures for Medicaid-eligible adults. The measures, which cover areas such as prevention, care coordination and chronic disease management, will be used for quality reporting.

5 Jan 2012

Study: Drug research often suppressed

Drug research, even from clinical trials sponsored by the federal government, routinely is suppressed, harming patients and increasing health care costs, according to new data highlighting an ethical controversy that continues to plague the field of medicine.

5 Jan 2012

U.S. addressing short-, long-term needs in Horn of Africa

"As the United States entered the traditional season of giving and renewal last month, President Barack Obama announced that the United States was increasing its emergency aid to the Horn of Africa region by $113 million," a VOA editorial states adding, "The new monies will be used for food, health, shelter, water and other needs."

5 Jan 2012

Romney wins GOP Iowa caucus by eight votes

GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney edged out rival Rick Santorum by a margin so slim it is viewed by many as a tie. News outlets review the political dynamics behind the vote tally, and highlight how the outcome reflects the ongoing GOP ideological divide as well as what might happen next.

5 Jan 2012

Doctors may need to adjust seizure drug doses for people with HIV/AIDS: New AAN guideline

A new guideline issued by the American Academy of Neurology recommends doctors use caution when choosing seizure drugs for people with HIV/AIDS to avoid potential drug interactions.

5 Jan 2012

Industry report finds nursing homes losing money as states cut Medicaid

Also, California officials prepare to appeal federal court decision striking down cuts to some providers, and Wisconsin announces that its shortfall is less than expected.

5 Jan 2012

Congress returns to 'same old health fights' in 2012

Congress starts 2012 facing the same old health policy fights, including the GOP push to pay for a more permanent Medicare "doc fix" with cuts to health law programs or Medicare. Meanwhile, Politico Pro reports on how House Ways and Means Committee Chair Dave Camp, R-Mich., has been pivotal in Republican efforts to undermine the health overhaul law.

5 Jan 2012

Sri Lankan Presidential Task Force against dengue seeing success

"Sri Lanka is making progress in the battle against mosquito-borne dengue fever, say health officials," IRIN reports.

5 Jan 2012

Increased number of Somali women reporting being raped, sexually abused

In the wake of "decades of conflict" and famine, Somalia "faces yet another widespread terror: an alarming increase in rapes and sexual abuse of women and girls," the New York Times reports.

5 Jan 2012