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Rural health suffering in Australia

A report looking into the state of Australia's rural health system has found severe disparities in rural health care. The report shows that more than 52 percent of rural Australians are waiting one or more weeks for a routine appointment with their GP and some are forced to wait up to six months to see specialists.

11 Aug 2010

Mental health bill for 2008 was $5.3 billion: Report

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), the country is spending more and more to deal with its mental ailment burden. This emerged from a report from the AIHW saying that finances spent on mental health services between 2007 to 2008 were $5.3 billion. Of this around 60 per cent came from state and territory governments, 36 per cent from the Commonwealth, and the rest from private health funds.

11 Aug 2010

Survey shows strong interest in video games, virtual reality environments for doctor training

Today's students were raised with a digital mouse in their hands. So it should be no surprise that a majority of medical school students surveyed say video games and virtual reality environments could help them become better doctors.

11 Aug 2010

Emergency departments not crowded with non-urgent patients: Report

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention once again debunks the myth that emergency departments are crowded with non-urgent patients, a finding noted by the American College of Emergency Physicians.

11 Aug 2010

Rates of ED visits increase among adults with Medicaid: Study

From 1997 to 2007, the rates of visits to emergency departments in the U.S. increased significantly, particularly among adults with Medicaid, according to a study in the August 11 issue of JAMA.

11 Aug 2010

OHCA applauds Congress for taking action to pass vital Medicaid relief

Reacting to the approval of the U.S. House and Senate to measures extending emergency Medicaid relief until June 30, 2011, the Ohio Health Care Association praised the vote and urged Governor Strickland and the Ohio General Assembly to take advantage of the opportunity. OHCA's chief executive officer said that the $500 million in additional funding for Ohio's Medicaid program can be used to retain access to quality care for the state's most vulnerable seniors, and protect key frontline healthcare jobs.

11 Aug 2010

MAXIMUS Long-term Care Solutions to help states address growing numbers of people with disabilities

MAXIMUS, Inc., a leading provider of government services worldwide, announced today that it has launched its Long-term Care Solutions to help states address the growing numbers of elderly individuals and people with disabilities, while benefiting from the increased flexibility and funding offered under the Affordable Care Act.

11 Aug 2010

Molecular imaging helps physicians determine patient suitability for ICD therapy

A study published in the August Journal of Nuclear Medicine (JNM) finds that molecular imaging-a non-invasive imaging procedure-can identify high-risk patients with potentially life-threatening cardiovascular conditions and help physicians determine which patients are best suited for implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapy.

11 Aug 2010

Researchers receive $1M grant to train Native American communities improve their health

UC Davis School of Medicine researchers will train Native American communities in Northern California to develop and implement culturally appropriate interventions to improve their health by decreasing obesity and type-2 diabetes, through a $1 million research grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health.

11 Aug 2010

Study shows health care-associated invasive MRSA infections decrease among patients

An analysis of data from 2005 through 2008 of nine metropolitan areas in the U.S. indicates that health care-associated invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections decreased among patients with infections that began in the community or in the hospital, according to a study in the August 11 issue of JAMA.

11 Aug 2010

Temperature increases could slow rice production, study says

A study published online Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that anticipated temperature increases "could slow the growth of rice production unless farmers adapt by changing management practices and switch to more heat-tolerant varieties," Reuters reports (Fogarty, 8/10).

11 Aug 2010

Pakistan floods continue, news outlets look at U.S. response

As rains and flooding in Pakistan continue, "the U.S. is racing to provide basic human needs, like makeshift housing," the Christian Science Monitor reports in an article looking at how the U.S. disaster response is being shaped by "the global battle with militant Islam."

11 Aug 2010

Premier international conference to highlight understanding of cancer disparities

This year, the American Association for Cancer Research will host its third conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel in Miami, Fla.

11 Aug 2010

N.Y. Attorney General investigates health care credit cards for possible 'predatory health care lending'

"New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Monday he is expanding an investigation of health-care credit cards by issuing subpoenas to clinics that promote cards from J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup Inc. On Wednesday, Cuomo subpoenaed health care providers that promoted CareCredit, a health-care credit card offered by General Electric Co.'s GE Money" (Witkowski, 8/10).

11 Aug 2010

VA Pittsburgh selects SmartSponge System to prevent retained surgical sponge incidents

ClearCount Medical Solutions and Medline Industries, Inc. today announced that its newest customer, the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare system will help prevent retained surgical sponge incidents with the use of the SmartSponge System®. The SmartSponge System is part of ClearCount's radio-frequency identification -based platform that uniquely identifies each sponge so that they can be easily counted and detected.

11 Aug 2010

U.S. Senators introduce legislation to encourage R&D aimed at neglected pediatric diseases

"New bipartisan legislation was introduced in the U.S. Senate last week which seeks to encourage innovative [research and development] R&D by drugmakers aimed at treating rare and neglected pediatric diseases," PharmaTimes reports.

11 Aug 2010

Telemedicine helps care for seniors, while pediatricians increasingly care for young adults

As part of a special section on aging, The Washington Post reports on telemedicine for seniors: "Imagine a 75-year-old receiving wireless medication reminders, straight to his beeping wristband. ... Although developers and advocates have promoted telemedicine for years, Alice Borelli of Intel points to barriers -- including Medicare reimbursement policies and inadequate broadband in parts of the country -- that have kept telemedicine a mostly conceptual solution.

11 Aug 2010

Omnicell announces co-marketing partnership agreement for Sentinel RCM application

Omnicell, Inc., a leading provider of system solutions to acute healthcare facilities, today announced a partnership agreement to co-market Sentry Data Systems' Sentinel RCM™ application, which has a sophisticated 340B solution component. Sentry specializes in providing solutions to address a variety of financial challenges found within hospitals and pharmacies while Omnicell's WorkflowRx™ software offers a complete inventory management system for hospital pharmacies.

From Omnicell, Inc. 11 Aug 2010

Payment practices investigated; Texas docs team with hospitals on payment reform

The New York Times: The Obama administration is investigating widespread practices that don't pay nurses and other employees at hospitals and nursing homes properly for overtime they work. "Hospitals around the country have paid millions of dollars in back wages to settle claims by the government and their employees. And many more hospitals are fighting class-action lawsuits that raise the same issues." Settlements have been reached in St. Louis, Boston and California.

11 Aug 2010

Medical error tab nearly $20 billion; Study says Catholic hospitals give better care

The Wall Street Journal Health Blog: A study by the Society of Actuaries has put the cost of medical errors in 2008 at nearly $20 billion. The study was "carried out by the actuarial and consulting firm Milliman, [and] is based on insurance claims data. The cost estimate includes medical costs, costs associated with increased mortality rate and lost productivity, and covers what the authors describe as a conservative estimate of 1.5 million measurable errors.

11 Aug 2010

Health Care News and Research

Rural health suffering in Australia

Mental health bill for 2008 was $5.3 billion: Report

Survey shows strong interest in video games, virtual reality environments for doctor training

Emergency departments not crowded with non-urgent patients: Report

Rates of ED visits increase among adults with Medicaid: Study

OHCA applauds Congress for taking action to pass vital Medicaid relief

MAXIMUS Long-term Care Solutions to help states address growing numbers of people with disabilities

Molecular imaging helps physicians determine patient suitability for ICD therapy

Researchers receive $1M grant to train Native American communities improve their health

Study shows health care-associated invasive MRSA infections decrease among patients

Temperature increases could slow rice production, study says

Pakistan floods continue, news outlets look at U.S. response

Premier international conference to highlight understanding of cancer disparities

N.Y. Attorney General investigates health care credit cards for possible 'predatory health care lending'

VA Pittsburgh selects SmartSponge System to prevent retained surgical sponge incidents

U.S. Senators introduce legislation to encourage R&D aimed at neglected pediatric diseases

Telemedicine helps care for seniors, while pediatricians increasingly care for young adults

Omnicell announces co-marketing partnership agreement for Sentinel RCM application

Payment practices investigated; Texas docs team with hospitals on payment reform

Medical error tab nearly $20 billion; Study says Catholic hospitals give better care

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