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Parents open to genetic tests for children

Genetic testing techniques have not been perfected yet but parents are willing to take the risk to know if their children are at risk for diseases in adulthood. Some parents would like the ability to predict the future, in terms of their child's risk for certain chronic health conditions. This comes in a new study published online in the journal Pediatrics. Experts, however, say the tests are of little value at this time.

19 Apr 2011

New guidelines allow definition of pre-Alzheimer's

The emphasis on the need to diagnose Alzeheimer's during its earliest stages is also evident in Congress, where legislation introduced this month would create new, specific Medicare cost codes for early-disease diagnosis to address these steps, including the discussions between the physician and caregivers.

19 Apr 2011

Forest Labs fourth quarter net sales increase 9.7% to $1,091.9 million

Forest Laboratories, Inc., an international pharmaceutical manufacturer and marketer, announced that reported earnings per share equaled $1.12 in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011.

19 Apr 2011

First Edition: April 19, 2011

Today's headlines include a report about new guidelines that will allow an earlier definition of Alzeheimer's and associated legislation that would make key, related changes in Medicare cost codes.

19 Apr 2011

SXC receives Health Alliance's three-year HCIT service contract

SXC Health Solutions Corp., a leading provider of technology and pharmacy benefit management services, announces that it has been awarded a three-year Health Care Information Technology service contract from Health Alliance Plan of Michigan, a health plan with an annual health spend of approximately $250 million. Health Alliance Plan markets health plan products in the commercial and Medicare Part D market segments.

19 Apr 2011

Two-thirds of nations on track to meet poverty, hunger MDGs by 2015, WB-IMF report says

Two-thirds of developing countries are on track or close to reaching the U.N. Millennium Development Goal targets to reduce extreme poverty and hunger, according to a World Bank-IMF report released Friday to coincide with a meeting of the groups in Washington, D.C., over the weekend, Agence France-Presse/Edmonton Journal reports.

19 Apr 2011

AMGA survey Physician turnover rates have increased since 2008

As the economy perks up, it appears that rates of physician turnover rise with it. For the first time since 2008, physician turnover has increased, reminding medical groups of the delicate balance between physician supply and demand.

19 Apr 2011

Ryan, Obama deficit plans continue to generate OpEd heat on Medicare, Medicaid provisions

Mr. Ryan called the vote "our generation's defining moment," and indeed, nothing could more clearly define the choice that will face voters next year. His bill would end the guarantee provided by Medicare and Medicaid to the elderly and the poor, which has been provided by the federal government with society's clear assent since 1965.

19 Apr 2011

Axolotl, HealthInsight partner to create Nevada HIE suite

HealthInsight, a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving Nevada's health care system, announced today that it has selected Axolotl Corp. to build the community-based Health Information Exchange infrastructure to help Nevada providers improve the timeliness, quality, and coordination of care for their patients.

19 Apr 2011

Commonly used strategy has no effect in reducing MRSA, VRE in hospital ICUs

A new research study of the effect of a commonly used strategy to reduce the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in hospital intensive care units shows that the strategy had no significant effect. That's the surprising finding of a multisite study led by Mayo Clinic investigators.

19 Apr 2011

CPF announces $100,000 grants for patient care projects

The Cautious Patient Foundation, the outreach and educational arm of PatientAlwaysFirst, a nonprofit organization committed to educating and empowering patients in the quest for quality health care, today announces a new grants program to support initiatives that successfully move patients towards greater engagement in their personal or family healthcare process.

19 Apr 2011

Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist takes new challenge to combat cancer

Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist John Kaplan has taken on a new challenge: to give away 10,000 DVD copies of his new nationally acclaimed autobiographical film, Not As I Pictured to anyone affected by cancer.

19 Apr 2011

FAO, WFP launch international global food security platform to improve coordination

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Program "have launched a new global food security platform" aimed at improving food security response coordination during natural disasters and other humanitarian situations, PTI/MSN India reports.

19 Apr 2011

Vancouver's supervised injection site reduces overdose mortality rates to 35%

Illicit drug overdose deaths in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside dropped by 35 per cent after the establishment of Insite, North America's first supervised injection facility, according a new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia and the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS.

19 Apr 2011

GOP presses to undo health law as Dems gear up advocacy strategy

News outlets report on Republican plans to stop the sweeping health overhaul — ranging from Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's push for the Supreme Court to "fast track" its consideration of legal challenges to congressional plans for defunding the law — as well as how Democrats are ginning up their message machines to counter these attacks.

19 Apr 2011

Patients with low back pain can benefit from immediate physiotherapy

Immediate treatment by a physiotherapist, bypassing a waiting list, can reduce problems with recurring low back pain, reveals a thesis from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

19 Apr 2011

Countries agree to draft framework on virus sharing, WHO says

After almost four years of negotiations, the WHO on Saturday announced it had reached an agreement on sharing flu virus samples, Agence-France Presse reports.

19 Apr 2011

Medical device industry focuses on dodging health law tax

iWatch News: Medical Device Industry Lobbies IRS, Congress To Dodge Health Law Tax.

19 Apr 2011

G20 finance ministers' meeting concludes

G20 finance ministers "concluded three days of talks late Saturday with pledges of greater cooperation to avert another financial crisis, leaving uncertain how far they would go in changing their domestic policies in response to international pressures," the Associated Press/Christian Science Monitor reports.

19 Apr 2011