Health Care News and Research

RSS

U.N. General Assembly opens 65th session with a look ahead to next week's MDG Summit

The U.N. General Assembly opened its 65th session on Tuesday in New York with the incoming Assembly President Joseph Deiss, former Swiss foreign minister, calling for the focus of the upcoming year to be prioritizing efforts to achieve the U.N. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), reaffirming the role of the U.N. in global governance and promoting sustainable development, Xinhua reports (9/15).

16 Sep 2010

Another push for 9/11 responder benefits begins

Lawmakers and supporters are renewing efforts to bring $7.4 billion in aid to sickened and injured 9/11 workers, The Associated Press reports.

16 Sep 2010

Cost of health insurance claims expected to climb 10% over next year

The cost of health insurance claims is expected to rise, according to a new report, but insurers say they are getting tougher when negotiating prices with hospitals.

16 Sep 2010

A consumer's guide to the health law, six months In

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey reports: "By Sept. 23, the six month anniversary of the enactment of the health overhaul, many of the law's provisions will be in effect.

16 Sep 2010

FDA updates dosing recommendation for Valcyte medication

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is notifying health care professionals of updated dosing recommendations for Valcyte (valganciclovir) oral tablets and solution used by children and adolescents receiving a kidney or heart transplant.

16 Sep 2010

Businesses, consumers sort out health law as changes approach

Though an array of health overhaul provisions will go into effect on Sept. 23, many consumers won't see the changes until their health plans reset on Jan. 1, Kaiser Health News reports.

16 Sep 2010

Today's Opinions: Health law repeal and Insurance Hikes on minds of Americans

Until Congress or the courts discard ObamaCare's mandates, price controls, and new entitlement spending, there is literally nothing that can arrest this downward spiral of rising costs and deteriorating quality (Michael Cannon, 9/14).

16 Sep 2010

Democrats look to strike back with health care campaigns touting new law

Democratic leaders are plotting campaigns to rally support for the health law and improve Democratic chances in the November elections. The hope is that "new insurance restrictions due to go into effect Sept. 23 and an accompanying public relations push will help turn the tide and give Democrats campaign-ready ammunition six weeks ahead of the midterm elections."

15 Sep 2010

First Edition: September 15, 2010

Today's headlines include news that a Florida judge has indicated the 20-state legal challenge to the new health law is likely to advance.

15 Sep 2010

Californians lead national trend to reassess seniors' economic needs

Data and research on what it really takes for seniors to make ends meet in each of California's 58 counties will be released today at the state Capitol in Sacramento.

15 Sep 2010

Scientia Advisors reviews growth in POC market

Rapid medical tests that can be analyzed in close proximity to patients in professional settings comprise the fastest growing segment of the global $37.5B in-vitro diagnostics industry, according to a new global review of the point-of-care (POC) diagnostics industry.

15 Sep 2010

Health insurance mandate essential for expanding access of health care reform

The most politically charged feature of the health reform law is the mandate that legal residents have health insurance. Within weeks of the law's passage, twenty states had filed lawsuits charging that the mandate is unconstitutional because it gives the federal government more power than it actually has. The state lawsuits are widely expected to reach the Supreme Court next year. Legal scholar Lawrence O. Gostin writes that the health insurance mandate rests on firm legal ground.

15 Sep 2010

In Calif., breakaway union creates schism with SEIU; Poor patients will continue to receive dialysis in Georgia

"The S.E.I.U.'s national leadership ousted [Sal] Rosselli last year after a power struggle that ended with a jury finding that he had improperly used member dues to form a breakaway union. Shortly after being ousted, Mr. Rosselli did create a rival union, and now he is trying to lure many of his former members — 43,000 workers at Kaiser Permanente, the largest health care provider in the state. On Monday, workers at 331 Kaiser facilities across California began voting by mail on whether to bolt the S.E.I.U. and join Mr. Rosselli's group, the National Union of Healthcare Workers. A victory would give a vital boost to Mr. Rosselli's fledgling 6,000-member union, all but assuring its long-term survival" (Greenhouse, 9/13).

15 Sep 2010

Medical students should learn about economic forces that affect health care: JAMA

Medical students and residents should receive much more thorough and realistic instruction about the economic forces affecting health care and their own clinical decisions so that they can better serve patients' well-being and the nation's economic welfare, says a commentary published today in a theme issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, which focuses on improving medical education.

15 Sep 2010

Harvard neurologist starts new program for doctor education; Study finds journal authors often do not disclose ties to medical device companies

The Boston Globe reports on Dr. Martin Samuels, a Harvard Medical School neurologist, who started "a new company that he says will provide continuing medical education to doctors across the country — without funding from the pharmaceutical industry.

15 Sep 2010

Maternal mortality decreases by 34%, but 1000 still die a day

The number of women dying due to complications during pregnancy and childbirth has decreased by 34% from an estimated 546 000 in 1990 to 358 000 in 2008, according to a new report, Trends in maternal mortality, released by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Bank.

15 Sep 2010

Smoking cessation offers favorable economic benefits to California

A new study released today by the American Lung Association, and conducted by researchers at Penn State University, finds that helping smokers quit not only saves lives but also offers favorable economic benefits to California and the nation.

15 Sep 2010

Burnout in medical students likely to self-report unprofessional conduct: Study

Medical students with higher levels of distress (burnout) were more likely to self-report unprofessional conduct related to patient care and less altruistic professional values, according to a study in the September 15 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on medical education.

15 Sep 2010

HHS awards $31 million as part of 'Communities Putting Prevention to Work' program

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced $31 million for awards to ten communities in eight states and one award to a state health department to support public health efforts to reduce obesity and smoking, increase physical activity and improve nutrition.

15 Sep 2010

Automated Triage and Treatment solution will slash wait times at Canadian hospital EDs

NCR Corporation, and PharmaTrust have joined with Stayhealthy, Inc. to develop and deploy a self-service kiosk solution to help speed the triage and treatment of patients at Canadian hospital emergency departments (ED) and rural healthcare facilities.

15 Sep 2010