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Powerful GOP lawmakers clarifying plans for cutting health costs, repealing reform law

The Republican lawmaker who will take the chair of the House's main investigative committee has made clear his interest in examining the overuse of expensive medical procedures while a newly tapped GOP subcommittee chief pledges to "dismantle Obamacare." Meanwhile, the food safety bill has been folded into must-pass legislation to fund the U.S. government.

10 Dec 2010

Exercise can help prevent or manage diabetes, boost quality of life: New guidelines

New guidelines on exercise for people with diabetes are likely to open some eyes — and, for those who follow them, help prevent or manage diabetes, improve overall health and boost quality of life. A panel of nine experts developed the recommendations, published this month in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.

10 Dec 2010

Tobacco-cessation expert receives 2011 ASPO Joseph W. Cullen Memorial Award tobacco research

Behavioral scientist and tobacco-cessation expert, Alexander V. Prokhorov, M.D., Ph.D., at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is the recipient of the 2011 American Society of Preventive Oncology (ASPO) Joseph W. Cullen Memorial Award for Excellence in Tobacco Research.

10 Dec 2010

New Jersey judge dismisses another health reform legal challenge

In New Jersey, a federal district court judge issued the latest dismissal in the ongoing legal challenges to health reform. Still, all eyes continue to watch for a ruling from a Virginia court sometime this month.

10 Dec 2010

More young people in nursing homes; Home health care agencies face Medicare rate cuts

An analysis of federal data from the Department of Health and Human Services by NPR's Investigative Unit found that there's one age group that's going into nursing homes at a higher rate. And it's not the elderly (Shapiro, 12/9).

9 Dec 2010

OpEds: How debt panel 'punted' on health costs; Sustainable 'doc fix;' Arizona 'death panel;' Sebelius on flu vaccine

In this Kaiser Health News column, Austin Frakt and Aaron Carroll write: "By some accounts, the Republican takeover of the House is a game changer for health reform. Already, it has reinvigorated debate over the law, and the media have focused on what federal legislators can or will do to alter it. But more attention should be directed elsewhere. The future trajectory of health reform will be shaped far more by interest group agendas and state-level actions than by the new House leadership's stated plans. Not only has the game changed, but so have the most important players" (12/9).

9 Dec 2010

Childhood maltreatment more strongly associated with current psychiatric symptoms than military sexual stressors

A study of long-term, active duty military personnel who used Department of Veterans Affairs' health services showed that childhood maltreatment and other high magnitude stressors, such as being in a serious accident or a natural disaster, were more strongly associated with participants' current psychiatric symptoms than were their military sexual experiences, such as sexual harassment.

9 Dec 2010

Trauma surgeon co-authors call to action to establish pediatric trauma research network

Jeffrey S. Upperman, MD, director of the Trauma Program at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, has co-authored a call to action for filling a significant gap in pediatric public health care and seeks federal oversight to establish the framework for a pediatric applied trauma research network (PATRN). This call to action was published simultaneously in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery and the Journal of Trauma.

9 Dec 2010

New report indicates that struggling economy may have reduced use of preventive care

A new report released by non-profit health care organization MN Community Measurement, indicates that the struggling economy may have reduced the use of preventive care, including breast cancer screenings and childhood immunizations, as well as the on-going care needed for chronic diseases like diabetes and vascular disease.

9 Dec 2010

Health care systems inadequate for managing acute GI hemorrhage outside of normal hours

Patients treated by Welsh hospitals for upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding were 41% more likely to die if they were admitted on a public holiday and 13% more likely if it was at the weekend, according to research in the January issue of Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

9 Dec 2010

More registered nurses in Canada than 5 years ago

Canada has six per cent more registered nurses today than it did five years ago, an increase that is expected to improve access to care while decreasing wait times.

9 Dec 2010

Digestive Disease Specialists deploys Wolters Kluwer Health's ProVation MD software

Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information for healthcare professionals and students, announced today that Digestive Disease Specialists, Inc. has selected its ProVation MD software for gastroenterology procedure documentation and coding.

9 Dec 2010

Insulin related calls to poison centers increase 279%

Annual calls to poison centers regarding insulin have skyrocketed by 279 percent over the past 10 years, according to a new study authored by medical professionals at four U.S. poison centers.

9 Dec 2010

Northwestern Mutual study examines costs of long-term care across the country

Northwestern Mutual released today its 2010 Cost of Long-Term Care study, which examines costs for home health care providers, assisted living facilities and nursing homes across the country.

9 Dec 2010

Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center symposium aims for high-value health care system in the US

In a sustained effort to seek consensus-driven, patient-centered priorities that would build a high-value health care system, the Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center hosted a symposium Dec. 5-7 entitled "Achieving the Vision: Advancing High-Value Health Care," which featured patients, providers, payers and national policy experts.

9 Dec 2010

WSJ investigation: A sharp rise in specific prostate therapy parallels high Medicare payments

Roughly one in three Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with prostate cancer today gets a sophisticated form of radiation therapy called IMRT. …The story behind the sharp rise in the use of IMRT — which stands for intensity-modulated radiation therapy — is about more than just the rapid adoption of a new medical technology.

9 Dec 2010

Conference examining family planning integration with national health strategies in Asia-Pacific countries begins

Representatives from 24 countries in Asia and the Pacific came together in Bangkok, Thailand, on Wednesday for the start of a three-day conference about population and family planning, Deutsche Presse-Agentur/M&C reports (12/8).

9 Dec 2010

Winners of 2010 Quality and Innovation Awards announced

The Cancer Quality Council of Ontario, Cancer Care Ontario, and the Ontario Division of the Canadian Cancer Society today announced the winners of the 2010 Quality and Innovation Awards.

9 Dec 2010

Haitian health ministry says more than 2,000 have died from cholera; Report identifies outbreak's source, some dispute findings

More than 2,000 people have died of cholera in Haiti since late October, Haitian officials said on Monday, the Associated Press/Washington Post reports (12/6). According to Haitian health ministry figures, a total of "2,013 people have died from the water-borne bacterial infection and 88,789 cases have been recorded," Agence France-Presse writes (12/6).

9 Dec 2010

Capitol Hill: Upton to lead energy and commerce; Dems unveil budget bill, Senate considers 9/11 worker health bill

The Hill: Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) "is in position to become the next chairman of the powerful House Committee on Energy and Commerce," which puts him in "an enviable position for any House Republican, as he will lead efforts to investigate, repeal and replace the new health care reform law." Upton received the endorsement of the Republican steering committee Tuesday night (Millman, 12/7).

9 Dec 2010

Health Care News and Research

Powerful GOP lawmakers clarifying plans for cutting health costs, repealing reform law

Exercise can help prevent or manage diabetes, boost quality of life: New guidelines

Tobacco-cessation expert receives 2011 ASPO Joseph W. Cullen Memorial Award tobacco research

New Jersey judge dismisses another health reform legal challenge

More young people in nursing homes; Home health care agencies face Medicare rate cuts

OpEds: How debt panel 'punted' on health costs; Sustainable 'doc fix;' Arizona 'death panel;' Sebelius on flu vaccine

Childhood maltreatment more strongly associated with current psychiatric symptoms than military sexual stressors

Trauma surgeon co-authors call to action to establish pediatric trauma research network

New report indicates that struggling economy may have reduced use of preventive care

Health care systems inadequate for managing acute GI hemorrhage outside of normal hours

More registered nurses in Canada than 5 years ago

Digestive Disease Specialists deploys Wolters Kluwer Health's ProVation MD software

Insulin related calls to poison centers increase 279%

Northwestern Mutual study examines costs of long-term care across the country

Mayo Clinic Health Policy Center symposium aims for high-value health care system in the US

WSJ investigation: A sharp rise in specific prostate therapy parallels high Medicare payments

Conference examining family planning integration with national health strategies in Asia-Pacific countries begins

Winners of 2010 Quality and Innovation Awards announced

Haitian health ministry says more than 2,000 have died from cholera; Report identifies outbreak's source, some dispute findings

Capitol Hill: Upton to lead energy and commerce; Dems unveil budget bill, Senate considers 9/11 worker health bill

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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