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HSS creates Center for Musculoskeletal Outcomes and Patient Oriented Research

Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) announced the creation of the Center for Musculoskeletal Outcomes and Patient Oriented Research to translate information collected from an extensive patient population into studies that will guide experts in preventing, diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal disorders.

2 Dec 2010

Universal Health Care's Medicare members offered Healthways SilverSneakers Fitness Program

In an effort to promote wellness and disease prevention to its older adult members, Universal Health Care will begin offering the Healthways SilverSneakers® Fitness Program on January 1, 2011, to subscribers of their Medicare Advantage Plan in 13 states (Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Virginia). SilverSneakers is the nation's leading social support and exercise program designed to improve seniors' well-being and health.

2 Dec 2010

Red Cross field hospital treats people who have contracted cholera in Haiti

Canadian Red Cross will deploy its new field hospital to treat people who have contracted cholera in Haiti. The field hospital was created as part of the First Responder Initiative, a partnership with the Government of Canada.

2 Dec 2010

JAMA: OTC medications' dosing instructions for children adhere poorly to FDA guidelines

A recent Journal of the American Medical Association study indicates dosing instructions and dose delivery devices of over-the-counter medications for children poorly adhere to FDA guidelines.

2 Dec 2010

Online program enhances patient's ability to self manage chronic health conditions: Study

A study conducted by HealthMedia, Inc. and Highmark Inc., published in the November/December edition of the American Journal of Health Promotion, proves that an online program offers a return on investment and enhances a patient's ability to self manage chronic health conditions.

2 Dec 2010

CAIRE enters definitive agreement to acquire SeQual

Chart Industries, Inc. announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, CAIRE Inc., which operates under its BioMedical segment, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire SeQual Technologies Inc. for approximately $40 million, plus the possibility of up to $20 million of additional future payments contingent on SeQual's financial performance over a two-year period post-closing.

2 Dec 2010

Advent of HAART leads to decrease in mortality among people living with HIV/AIDS

During the decade since the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), or 1996-2006, mortality among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) sharply decreased in the United States. So, too, did the percentages of PLWHA deaths attributable to AIDS-defining illnesses, just as there was a marked increase in the percentage of deaths attributable to heart, kidney, and liver disease.

2 Dec 2010

AACN data: Enrollment in entry-level baccalaureate nursing program increases by 6.1%

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has released preliminary survey data showing that enrollment in entry-level baccalaureate nursing programs increased by 6.1% from 2009 to 2010, which marks the 10th consecutive year of enrollment growth in professional registered nurse (RN) programs.

2 Dec 2010

Toxic lead beyond safe limits found in used consumer products

The problem of toxic lead in used consumer products is extremely widespread and present at levels that are far beyond safe limits, researchers conclude in a new study.

2 Dec 2010

Employer-sponsored family health insurance premiums increase 41% from 2003 to 2009

Premiums for employer-sponsored family health insurance increased an average of 41 percent across states from 2003 to 2009, more than three times faster than median incomes, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report. Yet, insurance is buying less. The report found that deductibles per person rose 77 percent, on average. Higher premiums plus higher out-of-pocket costs are putting working families' budgets under stress across the country.

2 Dec 2010

Improved support may reduce health care cost in children with diabetes

Managing diabetes in a child requires a careful balance of insulin, diet, and exercise. Buying essential medical supplies, such as needles and testing strips, adds a financial burden to families. According to a new study soon to be published in The Journal of Pediatrics, the resulting food insecurity that arises from the financial burden of diabetes management increases a child's risk of being hospitalized due to complications from diabetes.

2 Dec 2010

Vision problems in stroke patients can impact rehabilitation

Visual problems can affect up to two thirds of stroke patients, but can sometimes go undetected if patients do not recognise them as an after-effect of the condition or if they are unable to communicate the problem to their medical team or families.

2 Dec 2010

Supreme Court considers overcrowding's effect on Cal. prison health care

The U.S. Supreme Court is considering an order requiring California prisons to release 40,000 inmates because overcrowding has limited prisoners' access to health care.

2 Dec 2010

Deficit panel delays vote; Curbing Medicare spending part of proposal

Over the next ten years, 30 million more seniors will pour into Medicare, which already eats up 12 percent of the federal budget and 20 percent of all health spending, NPR reports. That has deficit hawks worried. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former Congressional Budget Office director, says, "If you look past the next eight to 10 years, Medicare is the deficit problem… And there's simply no way we can address our fiscal problems without coming to terms with Medicare's future."

2 Dec 2010

USA today examines why aid for Haiti goes unspent

Ten months after the magnitude-7 earthquake that killed 230,000 people and destroyed at least 60% of Haiti's capital city, Port-au-Prince, some relief agencies have not spent the bulk of the donations they raised after the disaster.

2 Dec 2010

Va. federal judge rejects Liberty University's challenge to health reform law

The Washington Post: "A federal judge in Virginia ruled Tuesday that the new health-care overhaul law is constitutional, dismissing a lawsuit filed by Liberty University in Lynchburg that had challenged the statute." The lawsuit argued that Congress does not have the authority to require employers to offer health insurance and "was also filed on behalf of two individuals who object to the law's requirements that all individuals purchase insurance by 2014 or face a fine."

2 Dec 2010

Report analyzes global health funding trends, predicts lower funding growth

A report from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) finds that the recent global economic downturn "hasn't quelled generous government and private donors from giving record amounts to improve global health," but the analysis also revealed "that growth in funding is beginning to taper off, cut by more than half between 2008 and 2010," the Seattle Times' "The Business of Giving" blog reports (Heim, 11/30).

2 Dec 2010

Republicans fight over energy and commerce gavel as they sharpen congressional agenda

Republicans are fighting over the gavel to head the Energy and Commerce committee as their agenda's outline becomes sharper in anticipation of the new session of Congress.

2 Dec 2010

States struggle with significant financial budget strains, especially in Medicaid; Others position for innovative coverage efforts

Bloomberg: "U.S. states expect 'significant challenges' balancing budgets in the next two years, after closing $230 billion in gaps since 2009, as U.S. stimulus aid drops and tax receipts recover from the recession, a study said. While state spending is set to rise for the current fiscal year compared with 2010, after two straight annual declines, governments will face renewed pressure in 2012, according to the study released today by the National Governors Association. The budget period begins in July in 46 states.

2 Dec 2010

Medical groups weigh in on health reform, pay freeze

News outlets report on how new treatment models impact care, as well as political developments and positions among medical organizations.

2 Dec 2010

Health Care News and Research

HSS creates Center for Musculoskeletal Outcomes and Patient Oriented Research

Universal Health Care's Medicare members offered Healthways SilverSneakers Fitness Program

Red Cross field hospital treats people who have contracted cholera in Haiti

JAMA: OTC medications' dosing instructions for children adhere poorly to FDA guidelines

Online program enhances patient's ability to self manage chronic health conditions: Study

CAIRE enters definitive agreement to acquire SeQual

Advent of HAART leads to decrease in mortality among people living with HIV/AIDS

AACN data: Enrollment in entry-level baccalaureate nursing program increases by 6.1%

Toxic lead beyond safe limits found in used consumer products

Employer-sponsored family health insurance premiums increase 41% from 2003 to 2009

Improved support may reduce health care cost in children with diabetes

Vision problems in stroke patients can impact rehabilitation

Supreme Court considers overcrowding's effect on Cal. prison health care

Deficit panel delays vote; Curbing Medicare spending part of proposal

USA today examines why aid for Haiti goes unspent

Va. federal judge rejects Liberty University's challenge to health reform law

Report analyzes global health funding trends, predicts lower funding growth

Republicans fight over energy and commerce gavel as they sharpen congressional agenda

States struggle with significant financial budget strains, especially in Medicaid; Others position for innovative coverage efforts

Medical groups weigh in on health reform, pay freeze

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

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The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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