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Effective liability reform could reduce hospital admissions

Visits to emergency departments climbed nearly 10 percent in one year to a new high of more than 136 million visits in 2009, according to preliminary estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), just as emergency physicians are releasing new studies showing an association between medical liability concerns and rising hospital admissions from the emergency department.

18 Oct 2011

Los Angeles Times examines polio eradication campaigns in Pakistan

The Los Angeles Times examines polio eradication campaigns in Pakistan, which is one of just four countries where the disease remains endemic.

18 Oct 2011

Focusing on disease eradication rather than control 'can pay off'

"Work on malaria suggests that focusing on the science and technology required to eliminate a disease, rather than just control it, can pay off -- and that such approaches could be applied to other diseases," SciDev.Net Editor David Dickson writes in a SciDev.Net editorial.

18 Oct 2011

With clock ticking, super committee weighs suggestions, battles doubts

Last week the deficit-reduction panel received a slew of recommendations from across Capitol Hill on how to tame the nation's deficit problems. The input evidenced partisan differences and intra-party fissures. All the while, questions persist about the committee's ability to actually reach a deal.

18 Oct 2011

New Regenstrief initiative to encourage and propel innovation

Integrating some of the best new practices of industry into the strengths of the academic research process, the Regenstrief Institute is launching an initiative to encourage and propel innovation. The Institute has over 40 years of experience as an international leader in improving healthcare delivery.

18 Oct 2011

World recognizes Global Handwashing Day

On Global Handwashing Day, recognized on Saturday, the U.N. "reminded people across the world that simply washing hands with soap and water remains the most cost-effective way to prevent diseases, and urged everyone to motivate others, especially children who are easily infected by disease-carrying germs present in dirty hands, to make it a habit," according to the U.N. News Centre.

18 Oct 2011

UnitedHealth Group's consolidated third quarter revenues increase 7% to $25.3B

UnitedHealth Group today reported third quarter results, highlighted by strong enrollment growth in each of UnitedHealthcare's benefits businesses and strong revenue growth at all Optum business units. Third quarter 2011 net earnings were $1.17 per share, with strong performance on all key financial and operational measures.

18 Oct 2011

Rep. Lee asks Obama to take leadership role in fight against HIV/AIDS

According to the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) on Thursday sent a letter to President Barack Obama asking for "his leadership in launching a renewed global effort to end the AIDS pandemic on World AIDS Day, December 1."

18 Oct 2011

Speedy reinstatements undermine Medicare anti-fraud efforts

An AP review shows that regulators frequently suspend Medicare providers but then quickly reinstate them - which often leads to a missed chance to stop the flow of dollars to "bogus" companies.

18 Oct 2011

Preserve Millennium Challenge Corp. by transforming it into a multilateral agency

In this Washington Post opinion piece, Raj Kumar, president of Devex and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and John Hewko, the general secretary and chief executive of Rotary International, report on the Millennium Challenge Corp. (MCC), a government "corporation" established in 2004 under the George W. Bush administration "on the premise that U.S. foreign assistance would have the greatest impact if offered on a non-political basis to developing countries that adopt sound economic and social policies."

18 Oct 2011

Knee and hip joint movements may influence risk of ankle re-injury

Nearly all active people suffer ankle sprains at some point in their lives, and a new University of Georgia study suggests that the different ways people move their hip and knee joints may influence the risk of re-injury.

18 Oct 2011

CLASS Act demise triggers political barbs, debate about long-term care policy

The Obama administration announced Friday afternoon that it won't proceed with the implementation of the controversial CLASS program. GOP lawmakers immediately began to question why it took so long for this decision to be made. Meanwhile, more questions emerged about how to address the nation's long-term care challenge.

18 Oct 2011

Hypertension drugs might reduce occurrence of Alzheimer's

Within the next 20 years it is expected the number of people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) will double from its current figure of half a million to one million. A new study has looked at whether certain types of drugs used to treat high blood pressure, also called hypertension, might have beneficial effects in reducing the number of new cases of Alzheimer's disease each year.

18 Oct 2011

State flexibility key issue in health law implementation

The Washington Post reports on how some states want to move past the 2010 measure in advancing their own health reforms. Meanwhile, as states build their health insurance exchanges, a key variable will be the degree of competition within their own insurance marketplaces.

18 Oct 2011

Beyond 9-9-9: Herman Cain on health policy

As GOP presidential hopeful Herman Cain's polling numbers surge, the Wall Street Journal examines his positions on health policy. Meanwhile, in other news from the Republican primary race, the Des Moines Register reports that Michele Bachmann is warning that the Supreme Court cannot be trusted to undo the health law, while the Texas Tribune takes a look at Rick Perry and Planned Parenthood.

18 Oct 2011

Agencies mark World Food Day, call for increased transparency in commodity markets

At a ceremony marking World Food Day on Monday, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) "called for more transparency on commodity markets to prevent sharp spikes in global food prices and deplored the scale of world hunger," Agence France-Presse reports.

18 Oct 2011

St. Jude Medical commences use of renal denervation catheter and generator system

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced the first use of the company's renal denervation catheter and generator system, as part of a feasibility study of the new technology. The technology was developed as a treatment for resistant hypertension (high blood pressure that is not well controlled by drug therapy).

18 Oct 2011

Facing national deficit while preserving foreign assistance

Noting some of the successes of U.S. foreign assistance in the area of global health, Christopher Elias, president and CEO of PATH, and Richard Stearns, president of World Vision U.S., write in The Hill's "Congress Blog," "Unfortunately, ... American aid is being threatened with severe cuts, though it makes up less than one percent of the federal budget."

18 Oct 2011

U.S. NGOs call for Obama administration to explain delays in U.S. food aid to North Korea

"As South Korean President Lee Myung-bak continued his state visit to the United States on Friday, a group of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) wants the Obama administration to explain what they call unconscionable delays in deciding whether to resume U.S. food assistance to North Korea," Reuters reports.

18 Oct 2011

Globe and Mail reports on death of Zambian HIV/AIDS advocate Winstone Zulu

Toronto's Globe and Mail reports on the death on Thursday of Winstone Zulu, an HIV/AIDS advocate from Zambia who lived with the virus for two decades. "His death has devastated the international community of AIDS activists," the newspaper writes.

18 Oct 2011