Health Care News and Research

RSS

'Simple solutions' available to improve family health

"Although advances in vaccines, nutrition and family health have dramatically reduced the number of child deaths in the past 50 years, nearly eight million children younger than five still die every year," Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, writes in this CNN opinion piece.

2 Dec 2011

Papua New Guinea experiencing 'crisis in maternal health,' government task force says

"Decades of neglect, a failing health system and remote mountainous topography have created a 'crisis in maternal health,' according to a government taskforce in Papua New Guinea (PNG)," IRIN reports.

2 Dec 2011

Opinion pieces, editorials recognize World AIDS Day

"This year we will hear that the first AIDS-free generation since the discovery of HIV may be a reality. But we are unlikely to hear what counts. As with every year, we are left more questions than answers," Barrett of Harm Reduction International writes before posing questions about the epidemic to several organizations.

2 Dec 2011

CSIS releases compilation of papers on China's health, foreign aid engagement in Africa

The Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) released a compilation of papers "focusing specifically on China's health and foreign aid engagement in Africa," which "includes contributions by U.S. and Chinese experts."

2 Dec 2011

Romney, Gingrich face attacks for policy position changes

Today's news reports from the campaign trail focus on candidates' issue flip flops in regard to the individual mandate and other health policy concerns.

2 Dec 2011

Percentage of pregnant women living with HIV in South Africa increases, survey suggests

The percentage of pregnant women living with HIV in South Africa "has inched up to 30.2 percent from 29.4 percent last year," according to the annual National Antenatal Sentinel HIV and Syphilis Prevalence survey released by Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi in Pretoria on Tuesday, Agence France-Presse reports.

2 Dec 2011

Scottsdale resident donates $1 million to TGen pancreatic cancer initiative

A son's passion to find a cure for the cancer that claimed the life of his mother has led to a new series of clinical trials under a Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) initiative to find a cure for pancreatic cancer.

2 Dec 2011

Recusal fight continues — unlikely to affect justices, but could impact public view of the ruling

From the right and left, Washington is awash in demands that two Supreme Court justices recuse themselves from this spring's review of the health law. The requests, from politicians and advocates but not from the parties to the lawsuit itself, aren't likely to have any effect on the justices, Elena Kagan and Clarence Thomas.

2 Dec 2011

Viewpoints: Bush, Bono and others reflect on World AIDS Day; Coburn and Burr on Medicare savings

On this Dec. 1, World AIDS Day, the promise of progress against the disease has never been more vivid - or more fragile. ... In lean budget times, the U.S. and the developing world must prioritize. But there can be no higher priority than saving lives. And there is no better way to save lives than to support and expand effective, proven programs such as Pepfar.

2 Dec 2011

Medicare to cover obesity screening, 'intensive behavioral therapy'

This coverage decision ensures that an estimated 30 percent of the 42 million people who participate in Medicare will be able to undertake physician-supervised weight-loss programs.

2 Dec 2011

ASCP honors BMC resident for clinical and anatomic pathology

Stephen Hammond, MD, a fourth-year resident in clinical and anatomic pathology at Boston Medical Center (BMC), recently received the highly coveted Resident Leadership Representative Award from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) for demonstrating leadership and promoting ASCP membership and resident activities.

2 Dec 2011

World AIDS Day marks progress, but much work remains

News reports detail emerging strategies to prevent infection, but also examine lagging treatments and the populations that continue to have the highest incidence rates.

2 Dec 2011

Perspectives from NEJM: Flaws in basic health plans, post-2012 scenarios, seeing eye-to-eye with patients

The ACA's incremental approach to near-universal coverage has raised concerns that changes in income, employment, and family composition will shift people into and out of different coverage arrangements over time. ... To address concerns about churning, some states are considering adopting a Basic Health Program.

2 Dec 2011

Life expectancy rising in Afghanistan with infant, maternal mortality declining, survey shows

"Afghans are living longer, fewer infants are dying and more women are surviving childbirth because health care has dramatically improved around the country in the past decade, according to a national survey released Wednesday," the Associated Press/Guardian reports.

2 Dec 2011

The Lipitor story: Drug companies brace for losses as patents expire on this and other popular medications

News outlets analyze the impact that generic Lipitor could have on costs and the "era of 'blockbuster drugs'" as well as the strategies from Lipitor's maker to block its generic competitors. Meanwhile, some of these generics are already reaching the marketplace.

2 Dec 2011

Health disparity tends to increase among young U.S. adults

Levels of health disparity have increased substantially for people born in the United States after 1980, according to new research.

2 Dec 2011

State roundup: Florida's growing Medicaid costs; Missouri insurance rates; Maryland's unspent disabilities money

Florida Governor Rick Scott said he has whittled down a corporate tax-relief plan compared with what he sought last year because of a ballooning deficit driven by health-care spending. "Medicaid is growing way faster than we thought," the former hospital executive said yesterday. ... Florida, which closed a $3.8 billion budget gap for fiscal 2012, is facing another of as much as $2.3 billion next year.

2 Dec 2011

Republicans advance plan to charge wealthy beneficiaries more for Medicare to offset cost of payroll tax extension

The proposal would require people who earn more than $1 million to pay the full cost of Medicare. Meanwhile, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., is floating a "trigger bargain" that would delay for one year the automatic spending cuts scheduled to begin in 2013 and also could include a payroll tax extension and a fix for physician's Medicare payment rate.

1 Dec 2011

Government inspectors to lawmakers: More must be done to stop prescription of powerful psych drugs to nursing home patients

Government inspectors told lawmakers Wednesday that Medicare officials need to do more to stop doctors from prescribing powerful psychiatric drugs to nursing home patients with dementia, an unapproved practice that has flourished despite repeated government warnings.

1 Dec 2011

Enhanced services and higher quality benefits lead to improved health

Community health plans are partnering with physician practices to initiate a range of care management programs for people living with chronic diseases; these programs have resulted in decreased emergency room (ER) use, improved health and lower costs. The findings, released today by the Alliance of Community Health Plans (ACHP), are part of a report that is a comprehensive look at the way community health plans partner with providers to improve care.

1 Dec 2011

Health Care News and Research

'Simple solutions' available to improve family health

Papua New Guinea experiencing 'crisis in maternal health,' government task force says

Opinion pieces, editorials recognize World AIDS Day

CSIS releases compilation of papers on China's health, foreign aid engagement in Africa

Romney, Gingrich face attacks for policy position changes

Percentage of pregnant women living with HIV in South Africa increases, survey suggests

Scottsdale resident donates $1 million to TGen pancreatic cancer initiative

Recusal fight continues — unlikely to affect justices, but could impact public view of the ruling

Viewpoints: Bush, Bono and others reflect on World AIDS Day; Coburn and Burr on Medicare savings

Medicare to cover obesity screening, 'intensive behavioral therapy'

ASCP honors BMC resident for clinical and anatomic pathology

World AIDS Day marks progress, but much work remains

Perspectives from NEJM: Flaws in basic health plans, post-2012 scenarios, seeing eye-to-eye with patients

Life expectancy rising in Afghanistan with infant, maternal mortality declining, survey shows

The Lipitor story: Drug companies brace for losses as patents expire on this and other popular medications

Health disparity tends to increase among young U.S. adults

State roundup: Florida's growing Medicaid costs; Missouri insurance rates; Maryland's unspent disabilities money

Republicans advance plan to charge wealthy beneficiaries more for Medicare to offset cost of payroll tax extension

Government inspectors to lawmakers: More must be done to stop prescription of powerful psych drugs to nursing home patients

Enhanced services and higher quality benefits lead to improved health

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

Latest News