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Study confirms increase in liability costs for hospitals and physicians

Hospitals and physicians should prepare for increasing liability costs, according to the 2010 Hospital Professional Liability and Physician Liability Benchmark Analysis created by Aon Risk Solutions, the global risk management business of Aon Corporation, in conjunction with the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management.

13 Oct 2010

Asian Development Bank conference addresses water, sanitation concerns

Water shortages that could reduce food production and worsen economic conditions in Asia are worsening, Arjun Thapan, an infrastructure advisor with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), said on Tuesday at the ADB's Water: Crisis and Choices conference in Manila, Philippines, Agence France-Presse reports.

13 Oct 2010

Experts highlight health issues in growing megacities

Experts at the World Health Summit highlighted health concerns related to the growth of megacities, "roughly defined as cities with a population of more than 10 million," Agence France-Presse reports.

13 Oct 2010

Global Hunger Index shows importance of addressing childhood malnutrition

The Global Hunger Index released Monday finds that many developing countries primarily in South Asia and Latin America have made significant progress in reducing hunger.

13 Oct 2010

World Economic Forum index ranks countries by gender disparities

An index issued Tuesday by the World Economic Forum (WEF) ranked 134 countries according to how much they had reduced gender disparities over the past year in the areas of economic participation, education, political empowerment and health, the New York Times reports.

13 Oct 2010

Some states snub health reform; in others, election will decide fate of law's implementation

Politico reports that races at the state level could affect the health law more than congressional races. Governors who oppose the legislation can refuse to set up pieces of the law, such as the state-based insurance exchanges where most Americans will purchase coverage beginning in 2014.

13 Oct 2010

Investigators wondering: Fraud, bad medicine or Union manuevering at Calif. hospital chain?

The Los Angeles Times reports that state and federal investigators are trying to determine whether "a serious health problem or multimillion-dollar Medicare fraud" is behind a reported spike in blood poisoning cases at hospitals operated by Prime Healthcare Services, "a Southern California hospital chain known for aggressive billing practices and cost-cutting."

13 Oct 2010

Stanford medical school doctor, author teaches 'The art of the physicial'

The New York Times profiles physician, professor and author Dr. Abraham Verghese: "At Stanford, he is on a mission to bring back something he considers a lost art: the physical exam. The old-fashioned touching, looking and listening — the once prized, almost magical skills of the doctor who missed nothing and could swiftly diagnose a peculiar walk, sluggish thyroid or leaky heart valve using just keen eyes, practiced hands and a stethoscope.

13 Oct 2010

Officials discuss leadership, donor commitments, eliminating leprosy at start of WHO Western Pacific Region Committee Session

The WHO "must demonstrate strong leadership backed by impeccable technical competency, [Malaysian] Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said" at the opening ceremony of the 61st Session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific Monday, Bernama reports.

13 Oct 2010

In tight budgets, states cutting back on Medicaid programs for disabled

More than 1.1 million people in Wisconsin depend on Medicaid health programs for the poor. Medicaid provides health care for one in five Wisconsin residents; the group of programs has expanded faster here over the past nine years than in any state except Arizona.

13 Oct 2010

U of U researchers use MRI to diagnose autism

University of Utah (U of U) medical researchers have made an important step in diagnosing autism through using MRI, an advance that eventually could help health care providers identify the problem much earlier in children and lead to improved treatment and outcomes for those with the disorder.

13 Oct 2010

Health care politics: Republican messages examined, how state propositions evolved

PolitiFact/St. Petersburg Times evaluated Republican claims in campaign ads about Medicare and the new health law that are "targeting older voters who may be worried their Medicare benefits will be harmed." Such ads are airing in Florida, Pennsylvania and California. "PolitiFact found each of those attacks to be Barely True. In these attacks and many others, PolitiFact found the ads have taken a small amount of truth — the Democratic incumbent's vote in favor of the health care law — and exaggerated the impact.

13 Oct 2010

Web 'scrapers' look for personal information

The Wall Street Journal, as part of a series of stories about privacy on the Web, reports on the practice of "scraping" in which vendors "harvest online conversations and collect personal details from social-networking sites."

13 Oct 2010

Consumers get advice on how to handle rising health costs, access health benefits

Kaiser Health News: "When you examine your health plan options during open enrollment season this fall, you may get sticker shock from the increases in both the premiums and the cost-sharing for services. Even benefits that are increasing under the health care overhaul may come with financial strings attached." The article says consumers should check for higher premiums, higher deductibles, more coinsurance, extra costs for dependents and a greater emphasis on wellness (Andrews, 10/12).

13 Oct 2010

High Court to hear vaccine case

The New York Times: A Supreme Court case scheduled for today will examine whether the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act should protect manufacturers from "virtually all product liability lawsuits."

13 Oct 2010

More insured Americans avoid prescription drugs due to cost

The Wall Street Journal: "Growing numbers of Americans with health insurance are walking away from their prescriptions at the pharmacy counter, the latest indication that efforts to contain costs may be curbing health-care consumption. A review of insurance-claims data shows that so-called abandonment — when a patient refuses to purchase or pick up a prescription that was filled and packaged by a pharmacist — was up 55% in the second quarter of this year, compared with four years earlier.

13 Oct 2010

FDA approves Vivitrol for treatment of opioid-dependent patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Vivitrol to treat and prevent relapse after patients with opioid dependence have undergone detoxification treatment.

13 Oct 2010

Today's Opinions: Broken promises, Boehner's Plan B and implementing reform

My sister's cancer sent me into the medical literature with an insatiable hunger for information. It's this search for answers and 20 years of experience caring for women many of whom bore physical or emotional scars acquired in the aftermath of suspicious or inconclusive mammograms that led me to decide that I could no longer endorse the tests as routine screening measures for me or any other woman

13 Oct 2010

Open insurance season may bring sticker shock

In this Kaiser Health News consumer health column, Michelle Andrews explores what workers will find when their health insurance comes up for renewal this fall.

12 Oct 2010

Buck survey finds health care costs projected to increase in 2011

As a number of health care reform provisions go into effect for employer plans in 2011, costs for the most popular types of plans are projected to increase by more than 10 percent.

12 Oct 2010