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Henry Schein initiates disaster relief hotline for dentists, physicians, veterinarians

In the wake of tornadoes that have claimed hundreds of lives and created a swath of devastation across the Southeastern United States, Henry Schein, Inc., the largest provider of health care products and services to office-based practitioners, today announced that it has activated its disaster relief hotline for dentists, physicians and veterinarians who have experienced operational, logistical or financial issues as a result of the disaster.

30 Apr 2011

Preventive measures needed to ensure protection from workplace hazards, ILO head says

Preventive measures are the best way to ensure people are protected from hazards in the workplace, U.N. International Labor Union Director-General Juan Somavia said in a message Thursday marking the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, the U.N. News Centre reports.

30 Apr 2011

Annapolis Coalition selects 7 behavioral health organizations for Pacesetter Award

Seven behavioral health organizations with outstanding business practices have been selected by the Annapolis Coalition on the Behavioral Health Workforce and the Hitachi Foundation as the 2011 National Behavioral Health Pacesetter Award Winners and Programs of Merit.

30 Apr 2011

Hospitals: Another merger; patient satisfaction as a quality indicator

Alexian announces merger with St.Louis-Based Ascension Health while a war of words continues between Community Health and Tenet. Also, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is finalizing the specifics of a new hospital reimbursement method that will link payment to patient satisfaction.

30 Apr 2011

THCA expresses deep concern about CMS' proposed Medicare regulations

In the context of the unfolding Texas budget debate, the Texas Health Care Association today expressed deep concern about a proposed regulation just issued by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that could result in Medicare-funded nursing home care reductions of approximately $4 billion in 2012.

30 Apr 2011

White youths less likely to be tested for STI in pediatric emergency department

When adolescent females visit a pediatric emergency department with complaints that may signal a sexually transmitted infection, white youths are less likely to be tested than blacks, according to a study to be presented Saturday, April 30, at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Denver.

30 Apr 2011

GOP Medicare plan triggers town hall rage — but is it real?

News outlets examine what's behind the activity during recent town-hall meetings as activists voice concerns about the GOP spending plan, which was advanced by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. Experts wonder, though, whether the mounting criticism is organic or rooted in Washington political theatrics.

30 Apr 2011

Gates Foundation awards 88 new grand challenges grants

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Thursday announced 88 new $100,000 grants for "unusual" global health research projects, the Associated Press reports (Blankinship, 4/28).

30 Apr 2011

Frequently hospitalized patients may need a specialist focused on their care: Hospital care expert

Declining rates of hospitalization have discouraged primary care doctors from seeing their patients in the hospital and encouraged the growing use of "hospitalists," a new physician specialty focused on the care of hospitalized patients.

30 Apr 2011

ED providers need to assess STI risks in adolescents: Instructor of pediatrics

All adolescent females who show up in the emergency department complaining primarily of lower abdominal pain and/or urinary or genital symptoms should be tested for sexually transmitted infections, according to the authors of a study to be presented Saturday, April 30, at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Denver.

30 Apr 2011

Video games can serve as respiratory therapy for children with cystic fibrosis

Video games controlled by the player's breath can encourage youths with cystic fibrosis to use techniques that can help keep their airways clearer, according to a study to be presented Saturday, April 30, at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Denver.

30 Apr 2011

CJPS Medical Systems releases its newest VitalPoint software

CJPS Medical Systems announces today that it has released its newest VitalPoint software which is compliant to HL7. This announcement comes as the ATA, the largest international tradeshow focused exclusively on telemedicine, telehealth, and remote medical technologies, takes place on May 1st-3rd, 2011 in Tampa, Florida.

30 Apr 2011

Bristol-Myers Squibb first quarter net sales increase 5% to $3.3 billion

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today announced first quarter results that included strong sales and earnings growth, and several key R&D milestones—most notably U.S. regulatory approval for YERVOY. The company also confirmed guidance for the year.

30 Apr 2011

WHO highlights global threat of NCDs, need for action at Moscow meeting

Non-communicable diseases are a "slow-moving catastrophe" that could overwhelm even the richest countries without action to address their underlying causes, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said at the First Global Ministerial Conference on Healthy Lifestyles and Non-communicable Disease Control in Moscow on Thursday, the U.N. News Centre reports.

30 Apr 2011

Also in global health news: Libya food shortage; PMTCT in Swaziland; TB detection in U.K.; food issues in Foreign Policy magazine

Libya will run out of food within two months unless efforts are stepped up to get shipments into the war-torn country, the World Food Program warned on Thursday, Deustche Presse-Agentur/M&C reports.

30 Apr 2011

Coventry first quarter revenues increase 6.6% to $3.0 billion

Coventry Health Care, Inc. today reported consolidated operating results for the quarter ended March 31, 2011.

30 Apr 2011

UofL nursing professor receives Outstanding Faculty Practice award

Providing healthcare to the backside workers at Churchill Downs has been the passion of Whitney Nash, PhD, MSN, APRN-BC, assistant professor, University of Louisville School of Nursing, since 2005.

30 Apr 2011

Aetna becomes California's third insurer to scale back rate hikes

Meanwhile, a new insurance market trend is picking up steam as one of the nation's largest employer-benefits consulting firms announced that it will launch a private exchange for large companies.

30 Apr 2011

Amedisys elected to Health Information Trust Alliance Executive Council

Amedisys, one of the nation's leading home health care and hospice companies, announced today that it has been elected to the Health Information Trust Alliance Executive Council. Information Security Officer Sanjeev Sah will serve a two-year term on the council as the Amedisys representative.

30 Apr 2011

FFR-guided intervention strategy can improve patient outcomes: Study

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced that an analysis of the benefits to using a Fractional Flow Reserve-guided intervention strategy found that the technology can improve patient outcomes while saving millions of Euros.

30 Apr 2011