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Some people choose out-of-network care in emergency situations

Forty percent of people who received health care outside of their insurance network did so out of necessity, finds a new study in Health Services Research. About half of those patients did not know how much they would have to pay for their out-of-network care. Out-of- network care can occur during an emergency medical situation or when the network status of a physician or hospital is unknown or if an in-network doctor is unavailable.

30 Nov 2012

Respiratory physical therapy before cardiac surgery may reduce serious pulmonary complications

Patients who practice respiratory physical therapy exercises before elective cardiac surgery may reduce serious pulmonary complications later, finds a new evidence review from The Cochrane Library.

30 Nov 2012

Children's Medical Center NICU receives Level IV designation

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Children's Medical Center has been designated a Level IV NICU, the highest qualification for such programs, as established by the American Academy of Pediatrics under newly revised standards.

30 Nov 2012

Studies demonstrate effectiveness of Nonin's EQUANOX Advance Model 7600 Oximetry System

Nonin Medical, Inc. announced today the publication of two separate studies that demonstrate the clinical efficacy of the company's EQUANOX Model 7600 Cerebral and Somatic Oximetry System in adult and pediatric patients.

30 Nov 2012

Guineafowl may spread Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus

Turkey raises and releases thousands of non-native guineafowl to eat ticks that carry the deadly Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus. Yet research suggests guineafowl eat few ticks, but carry the parasites on their feathers, possibly spreading the disease they were meant to stop, says a Turkish biologist working at the University of Utah.

30 Nov 2012

State highlights: Ruling on privatizing Fla. prison care expected soon; 7-year antitrust suit settled in Fla.; Calif. insurers seek rate hikes

A Florida judge quoted from Sherlock Holmes and conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Thursday as he questioned the state's plan to privatize prison health care services.

30 Nov 2012

Air quality in cities linked to inflammatory risk in diabetes

Exposure to traffic-related air pollutants is associated with a rapid increase in systemic inflammation in patients with diabetes, report Indian researchers.

30 Nov 2012

Evidence of neurobiologic differences between bipolar subtypes

Taiwanese researchers have found differences in fronto-limbic metabolism and executive function between patients with bipolar disorder I and II.

30 Nov 2012

Inpatients falling under the effects of hypnotic agent

Hospital patients taking the commonly prescribed hypnotic agent zolpidem are at an increased risk for falls, which in turn significantly increase morbidity and healthcare costs, say US researchers.

30 Nov 2012

Only assess glaucoma drug efficacy after multiple testing

Intraocular pressure measurements may be insufficient to determine treatment effectiveness, even when repeated multiple times, show study results.

30 Nov 2012

Phone, letter prompts improve statin uptake

Telephoning and writing to individuals who have not filled their new prescription for statin medication significantly improves rates of prescription uptake, show US study results.

30 Nov 2012

LSUHSC's Louisiana Tumor Registry wins Data Quality Profile First Place Award from NCI

The Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Institutes of Health's National Cancer Institute awarded the Louisiana Tumor Registry at the LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Public Health with a 2012 Data Quality Profile First Place Award.

30 Nov 2012

Scientists identify two genes involved in establishing neuronal circuits required for breathing

Scientists at NYU Langone Medical Center have identified two genes involved in establishing the neuronal circuits required for breathing. They report their findings in a study published in the December issue of Nature Neuroscience.

30 Nov 2012

Research examines tumor-initiating events that lead to pancreatic cancer

A diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is particularly devastating since the prognosis for recovery is usually poor, with the cancer most often not detected until late stages.

30 Nov 2012

Diabetes education critical for uncontrolled high blood sugar people with cancer

When people with Type 2 diabetes are diagnosed with cancer -- a disease for which they are at higher risk -- they ignore their diabetes care to focus on cancer treatment, according to new Northwestern Medicine- research. But uncontrolled high blood sugar is more likely to kill them and impairs their immune system's ability to fight cancer.

30 Nov 2012

The Leapfrog Group honors UCSD with two separate 'A' Hospital Safety Scores

UC San Diego Health System was honored with two separate "A" Hospital Safety Scores by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits.

30 Nov 2012

Project shows simple steps reduce hospital infections

Seven health care institutions participated in a quality-improvement project advanced by the Joint Commission and the American College of Surgeons to reduce colorectal surgical-site infection rates. During a two and a half year period, those facilities saved more than $3.7 million by avoiding 135 infections.

30 Nov 2012

Many adult entertainment club workers do not have access to basic healthcare

It probably won't come as a surprise to hear that most adult entertainment club workers - exotic dancers and other female club employees such as bartenders, waitresses and hostesses - don't have great medical benefits. The nature of their work makes them easy prey for repeated unwanted sexual advances and behavior. Add in the prevalence of risky sexual behavior and substance abuse and you've got a perfect storm for unchecked health risks.

30 Nov 2012

How technology is introducing new twists into health privacy protections

The U.S. has strict privacy laws guaranteeing people access to traditional health files. But implants and other new technologies - including smartphone apps and over-the-counter monitors - are testing the very definition of medical records.

From Medtronic 30 Nov 2012

Combination of chemotherapy and selumetinib shows promise against NSCLC

A new study by an international team of investigators led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists is the first to demonstrate that chemotherapy and a new, targeted therapy work better in combination than chemotherapy alone in treating patients with the most common genetic subtype of lung cancer.

30 Nov 2012