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Pneumonia Report Card shows prevention, treatment tools not widely adopted in countries where disease kills most children

In advance of World Pneumonia Day, the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) on Thursday released a report card showing that pneumonia prevention and intervention targets are not being met in the 15 countries where three-quarters of deaths in children under age 5 from the disease occur each year, IRIN reports.

14 Nov 2010

U.N. agencies, Rotary International launch mass polio immunization campaign in Central Africa

The WHO, UNICEF and Rotary International on Thursday announced they will kick off a "mass polio immunization campaign in three Central African nations" on Friday "in response to a polio outbreak suspected in more than 100 deaths and deemed 'unusual' because it targets adults more than children," the Associated Press reports.

14 Nov 2010

UAS Laboratories acquires outstanding shares of APN Labs

On November 11, 2010, UAS Laboratories, Inc. acquired all outstanding shares of APN Labs, Inc. to become the sole owner. APN Labs, Inc. of Wausau, Wisconsin, USA, has been a leading contract manufacturer of nutraceuticals for the past 10 years. APN Labs has its own condition-specific probiotic blends as well as other ingredients.

14 Nov 2010

G20 leaders endorse business-focused economic development plan as Seoul summit closes

The G20 summit in Seoul, South Korea, ended Friday with leaders issuing a communique that endorsed the multi-year Seoul Development Consensus for Shared Growth, Xinhua reports

14 Nov 2010

Lawsuits scaring Australian doctors away: Study

The latest study shows that Australian doctors are now so afraid of being sued by patients that one third are considering giving up medicine. The study looked at nearly 3,000 specialists, general practitioners and trainees. Alarmingly 32% are considering reducing their work hours and 40 per cent are considering early retirement.

14 Nov 2010

Pennsylvania health giant reports $93 million profit as outpatient demand surges

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Health giant UPMC will add 815 new full-time jobs through next June, officials announced yesterday after posting a strong first-quarter income. More than half of the jobs -- or about 430 -- will be throughout UPMC's network of 20 hospitals. They include physicians, nurses, food service workers, housekeepers and administrators, said Rob DeMichiei, senior vice president and chief financial officer.

12 Nov 2010

Research roundup: Doctors' industry ties; Patient safety and residents' hours; Designing a medical home

Archives of Internal Medicine: Physician Professionalism And Changes in Physician-Industry Relationships From 2004 to 2009 -"During the last 6 years a number of efforts have aimed to reduce, and in some cases eliminate, certain types of physician-industry relationships (PIRs)," including policies "that forbid physicians from accepting samples and receiving food and beverages in offices, limiting company representatives' access to physicians' offices and clinical areas, and banning faculty participation in speaker bureaus and other forms of promotional activity," write the authors.

12 Nov 2010

States' woes spur Medicaid drop-out talk

This story, a collaboration between Kaiser Health News' Marilyn Werber Serafini, the Kaiser Family Foundation's Robin Toner Distinguished Fellow, and the Texas Tribune's Emily Ramshaw, reports on Medicaid developments: "A week after newly emboldened Republicans in the Texas Legislature floated a radical cost-saving proposal — opting out of the federal Medicaid program — health care experts, economists and think tanks are trying to determine just how serious they are, and if it would even be possible" (Ramshaw and Serafini, 11/12).

12 Nov 2010

Changes to flexible spending accounts raise concerns

NPR reports on the upcoming change to flexible spending accounts, when "you'll no longer be able to set aside pretax dollars in that account to use for medicines bought without a doctor's prescription," and looks at the "loophole" that may allow consumers to use FSA dollars on over-the-counter medication if they obtain a prescription for it.

12 Nov 2010

CytomX awarded $488,000 as grant under QTDP Program

CytomX Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on the development of proteolytically activated antibodies, today announced the receipt of two grants totaling more than $488,000 from the Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project (QTDP) Program. The grants are directed toward the company's lead preclinical programs targeting colon, head and neck, pancreatic and triple-negative breast cancers and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

12 Nov 2010

First Edition: November 12, 2010

Today's headlines include examinations of Medicaid and state budget issues as well as the next round of the congressional health overhaul fight.

12 Nov 2010

LUHS executive named Joan L. Shaver Illinois Outstanding Nurse Leader

Paula Hindle, MSN, MBA, RN, has been named the Joan L. Shaver Illinois Outstanding Nurse Leader. Hindle is the vice president of health-care services and the chief nurse executive at Loyola University Health System (LUHS). She will receive this award at the 13th Annual Power of Nursing Leadership Event on Friday, Nov. 19, at the Hilton Hotel in Chicago.

12 Nov 2010

Female veterans less likely to engage in binge drinking

According to a new spotlight by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), female veterans aged 20-39 are far less likely to engage in binge drinking or the use of substances such as cigarettes and illicit drugs than male veterans of the same age group.

12 Nov 2010

Eight students to receive Hartford Doctoral Fellowship in geriatric social work

Eight outstanding students have been chosen as the newest recipients of the prestigious Hartford Doctoral Fellowship in geriatric social work. The program is funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation, administered by The Gerontological Society of America, and directed by James Lubben, DSW, MPH.

12 Nov 2010

Working of doctor's office

While undergoing an X-ray, Holly Gage, of Bowmansville, Pa., shared details about her medical concerns with the technician and asked questions about the results, only to find out the technician wasn't permitted to answer them.

12 Nov 2010

EBS-RMSCO develops integrated solution to enhance service delivery

To meet the needs of employers challenged with offering competitive yet cost-effective employee benefits, leading benefits administrator EBS-RMSCO, Inc. has developed diversified, integrated services. The company added to their set of services web-based data integration, analysis and reporting solutions from Benefit Informatics to enhance service delivery.

12 Nov 2010

Mutual accountability on women's and children's health goals essential to Millennium Development Goal success

This year, governments, foundations, businesses, multilateral organizations, non-governmental organizations and health care professional associations publicly pledged more than $ 40 billion* to improve maternal and child health and save million of lives.

12 Nov 2010

New leaders in Congress called upon to fix restrictions on flexible spending accounts

Save Flexible Spending Plans today called on the new leaders in Congress to follow through on their campaign promises to fix problems with the health care reform law, including restrictions on employer-provided flexible spending accounts (FSAs).

12 Nov 2010

Employer-based insurance, funding to states among future implementation issues

The Atlantic spoke with Andrew Webber, president and CEO of the National Business Coalition on Health, "a national, not-for-profit organization that represents public and private sector employers," who said: "There are a lot of different requirement issues [in the health reform law]. … To be brutally honest, do [employers] like a lot of new regulation? No, they're business people. But I like the delivery system reforms."

12 Nov 2010

Not enough doctors for primary care medical homes

Provisions of new federal health care reforms will move the country toward a primary care medical home for patients, but the nation may not have enough primary care doctors to handle the workload, according to a study by the University of Michigan Health System.

12 Nov 2010