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Scientific American examines efforts to increase influenza virus monitoring in pigs to prevent pandemics in humans

Scientific American examines how, in an attempt to improve early recognition of viruses that could give rise to pandemics in people, such as last year's H1N1 swine flu, scientists are looking to better understand "the viruses that infect the estimated 941 million domesticated pigs around the world." However, as the article notes, "[i]ntensive monitoring of pig viruses is unlikely to come any time soon … Most pork-producing countries do not test their pigs at all, and in some that do - such as the U.S. - the testing is done on behalf of the pork producers.

24 Dec 2010

Report examines infant, child feeding practices in 33 countries

A report (.pdf), released Wednesday, on breastfeeding practices in 33 countries found that out of 78 million infants born each year, about 42 million do not receive an optimal amount of breastfeeding, IANS/Sify News reports (12/22).

24 Dec 2010

9/11 responders health bill gains congressional nod

In one of the last acts of this not-so-lame lame-duck Congress, lawmakers overcame wrangling and cleared legislation that would cover the costs of medical care for 9/11 rescue workers.

24 Dec 2010

Texas doctor arrested in whistle-blowing case; Mass. judge dismisses hospital payment lawsuit against the state

Texas officials have filed criminal charges against a West Texas physician over accusations that they say he orchestrated against two nurses who had filed a complaint against him with the state medical board (Sack, 12/23).

24 Dec 2010

U.N. food official highlights food security challenges in world's most populous nation

U.N. Special Rapporteur on the right to food Olivier De Schutter said Thursday that recent food price spikes in China, "in the world's most populous nation," underscore the country's food security challenges resulting from decreasing amounts of arable land, Agence France-Presse reports.

24 Dec 2010

Health spending and mandates: What is central to the overhaul's implementation and what is not

CQ looks forward and offer analyses regarding how determinations about mandatory and discretionary spending will impact the health law's implementation. Meanwhile, Modern Healthcare reports on a new study exploring how central the individual insurance mandate is to expanding coverage.

24 Dec 2010

Electronic health records have only limited effect on improving quality of medical care: RAND study

Use of electronic health records by hospitals across the United States has had only a limited effect on improving the quality of medical care, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

24 Dec 2010

Calif. insurers opt to resume kids' policies; Meanwhile, other plans cut mental health benefits in response to health law

Some California insurers have decided to resume offering children's individual health insurance policies — a step that reverses decisions made last fall to exit this market. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reports that, as a result of requirements in the new health law, some health plans are opting to cut mental health benefits.

24 Dec 2010

Today's opinions: Ariz. hospital and abortion; Wall Street Journal's issues with PolitiFact; Calif.'s anti-smoking success

St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix announced on Tuesday that it will continue to provide life-saving abortion care to patients even though it means losing its affiliation with the local Roman Catholic Diocese (12/23).

24 Dec 2010

First Edition: December 23, 2010

Today's headlines include stories that look back and examine the role of the health overhaul in creating the 2010 political climate, as well as reports that look forward to what changes are in store for 2011.

23 Dec 2010

Renal Advantage, Liberty Dialysis announce deal closure

Renal Advantage and Liberty Dialysis, which last month agreed to combine to form the third largest provider of dialysis services in the U.S., today announced that they have closed their deal. The transaction – terms of which were not disclosed – was completed on December 17, 2010. The combined organization has 5,300 employees serving more than 19,000 patients in 260 locations in 32 states.

23 Dec 2010

Ohio smokers lose big as 2-year legal battle comes to an end

The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that the state had the authority to shut down the Ohio Tobacco Prevention Foundation (OTPF) in 2008 and divert Ohio's share of tobacco settlement funds to other budget items. For the state that ranks dead last in the amount of money it devotes to tackling smoking, the number one preventable cause of death, those who need help in quitting now have few places to turn.

23 Dec 2010

NPSF creates new membership program for patient safety professionals

The National Patient Safety Foundation, a nonprofit specializing in advancing safe patient care, is creating a groundbreaking new membership program for patient safety professionals that will provide a unique opportunity for sharing of best practices and the unification of the growing patient safety community. New members can join the American Society of Professionals in Patient Safety at NPSF starting in January 2011.

23 Dec 2010

Dieting trends in 2011

As the hectic holiday season comes to a close and a new year approaches, many consumers are once again vowing to adopt weight loss goals to shed those unwanted pounds. But with obesity increasing at alarming levels across the globe, a number of health experts are urging a new approach to help fight the nation's burgeoning weight problem.

23 Dec 2010

Congress approves stopgap spending measure; Some funding for federal agencies, global health programs delayed

Congress Tuesday "approved a temporary spending bill [.pdf] that will fund the federal government for another 10 weeks through March 4 in order to avoid a government shutdown," Agence France-Presse reports.

23 Dec 2010

Liberty Dialysis and Renal Advantage to form the third largest dialysis provider in the U.S.

Liberty Dialysis and Renal Advantage today announced that the deal to form the 3rd largest dialysis provider in the U.S. has closed. The transaction was completed on December 17, 2010. The new company has 5,300 employees serving more than 19,000 patients in 260 locations in 32 states.

23 Dec 2010

Funding bill passed; Food safety measure sent to President; 9/11 worker legislation still held up

Although Congress gave approval to a short-term funding measure for the federal government, the bill doesn't contain money to pay for enforcement of new health law regulations. Meanwhile, work continued on other pending proposals.

23 Dec 2010

New York Times reports on Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges in Global Health grant program

The New York Times examines the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges in Global Health program, which gave a total of $450 million to 43 research projects over five years. "On drawing attention to ways that lives might be saved through scientific advances, I'd give us an A," Bill Gates, co-founder of the foundation, said of the program in an interview with the newspaper. "But I thought some would be saving lives by now, and it'll be more like in 10 years from now," Gates said.

23 Dec 2010

Vatican issues communique to clarify Pope's statement on condoms

"The Vatican on Tuesday issued its most authoritative clarification on Pope Benedict XVI's recent remarks that condoms could sometimes be used for disease prevention, saying that the pope in no way justified their use to prevent pregnancy," the New York Times reports (Donadio, 12/21).

23 Dec 2010

USAID official discusses agency's efforts to address cholera in Haiti

A USAID official said Tuesday that potential violence following the release of Haiti's final presidential election results could interfere with efforts to contain the country's cholera epidemic, CBC News reports. "What we all worry about is if there is violence again and it disrupts for a couple of days," said Mark Ward, acting director of USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance. "That's my biggest headache right now," he added.

23 Dec 2010

Health Care News and Research

Scientific American examines efforts to increase influenza virus monitoring in pigs to prevent pandemics in humans

Report examines infant, child feeding practices in 33 countries

9/11 responders health bill gains congressional nod

Texas doctor arrested in whistle-blowing case; Mass. judge dismisses hospital payment lawsuit against the state

U.N. food official highlights food security challenges in world's most populous nation

Health spending and mandates: What is central to the overhaul's implementation and what is not

Electronic health records have only limited effect on improving quality of medical care: RAND study

Calif. insurers opt to resume kids' policies; Meanwhile, other plans cut mental health benefits in response to health law

Today's opinions: Ariz. hospital and abortion; Wall Street Journal's issues with PolitiFact; Calif.'s anti-smoking success

First Edition: December 23, 2010

Renal Advantage, Liberty Dialysis announce deal closure

Ohio smokers lose big as 2-year legal battle comes to an end

NPSF creates new membership program for patient safety professionals

Dieting trends in 2011

Congress approves stopgap spending measure; Some funding for federal agencies, global health programs delayed

Liberty Dialysis and Renal Advantage to form the third largest dialysis provider in the U.S.

Funding bill passed; Food safety measure sent to President; 9/11 worker legislation still held up

New York Times reports on Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges in Global Health grant program

Vatican issues communique to clarify Pope's statement on condoms

USAID official discusses agency's efforts to address cholera in Haiti

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®

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