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IRIN examines efforts to attract health workers to underserved, rural communities

IRIN examines WHO efforts to better understand factors influencing health workers' decisions about where to work in order to help fight health care worker shortages in developing countries. According to the news service, a group of 40 experts assembled by the agency "is finalizing recommendations to help governments attract more health workers to sparsely staffed areas," IRIN writes.

3 Jul 2010

More than 2B worldwide lack access to adequate surgical services, study finds

"More than 2 billion people worldwide do not have adequate access to surgical services, and low-income countries in particular have low levels of surgical care," according to a study published online Thursday in the Lancet, HealthDay News/Modern Medicine reports (7/1).

3 Jul 2010

Study finds doctors' orders help patients get preferred end-of-life treatment

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jessica Marcy reports on new findings: "Nursing home patients are more likely to receive the treatment they want and less likely to have unwanted hospitalizations and medical interventions under a program using medical forms signed by a physician that detail the patients' decisions about end-of-life care, according to a new study"

3 Jul 2010

Medical information on Internet may not be accurate or complete

The quality of online information about the most common sports medicine diagnoses varies widely, according to a study published in the July 2010 issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS). Therefore, patients who use the Internet to help make medical decisions need to know that the web may not be giving the whole picture.

3 Jul 2010

Senate Democrats tax prosthetic limbs, other vital medical devices, refuse to exempt veterans

As the nation prepares to celebrate Independence Day with parades and barbecues, America's veterans face a new tax on prosthetic limbs and other vital medical devices.

3 Jul 2010

Two-day international Osteoarthritis Summit to be held in June 2011

Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) plans to host a two-day international Osteoarthritis Summit in June 2011. The Hospital, internationally recognized for its leadership in the fields of orthopedics and rheumatology, will bring together, for the first time, a truly comprehensive multidisciplinary group of world renowned scientists, thought-leaders and industry representatives from the United States, Canada, and Europe, to discuss all aspects of OA and develop a consensus document on future directions for OA research, prevention and treatment.

3 Jul 2010

Gov. Patrick signs new law to stiffen penalties for assault on nurses and other health care workers

Surrounded by registered nurses and legislators, Governor Deval Patrick today signed a law that will stiffen the penalties for those who assault nurses and other health care workers, one of a series of measures the state's nurses are proposing to address the growing problem of workplace violence in health care settings. The vote follows unanimous votes to approve the measure in both houses of the legislature.

3 Jul 2010

U.N. to formally establish new 'gender entity'

The U.N. General Assembly will move to formally adopt a new "gender entity" on Friday called "U.N. Women" that will fold the U.N.'s four existing women's entities - UNIFEM, the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues, the U.N. Division for the Advancement of Women and INSTRAW - into one, Inter Press Service reports.

3 Jul 2010

Recent releases in global health

Looking ahead to AIDS 2010 which will be held in Vienna, Austria, July 18-23, a Lancet editorial writes that 2010 marks "the deadline set by global leaders to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, and care. Sadly, the world will not meet these ambitious goals." However, the latest issue of the Lancet "offers some new insights to progress," the editorial notes.

3 Jul 2010

Home-health companies' stock takes hit as SEC investigates their Medicare reimbursement

Amedisys and Almost Family, two home health care companies, said Thursday that they are the focus of a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into their Medicare reimbursement practices, one month after the U.S. Senate began its own inquiry. "The investigation is related to the SEC probe, which revolves around whether the companies pushed patients into extra, sometimes unnecessary, home-health care visits in order to hit a threshold level that secured them thousands more in reimbursements from the government's health-care program."

3 Jul 2010

Insurers continue seeking wary regulator's approval for rate hikes

For most Massachusetts insurers, a standoff with regulators over premium rate increase was left unresolved Thursday evening. Rate caps were maintained — freezing premiums at 2009 rates — for 137 health insurance plans.

3 Jul 2010

RNAO's Pride Parade march to be held in Toronto

A group of nurses joined by friends and family will march in this Sunday's Pride Parade in Toronto. The nurses are members of the RNAO and its Rainbow Nursing Interest Group.

3 Jul 2010

State Roundup: Florida to investigate WellCare; Calif. budget cuts; Computer system helps states find Medicaid savings

Nextgov: "A 17-year-old computer data matching system designed to prevent welfare recipients from drawing benefits in more than one state at a time is now helping cash-strapped states save millions of dollars -- but not as originally intended.

3 Jul 2010

Lawmakers urge health insurers to enforce new Mental Parity Act

The Hill: "Health plans that say mental illnesses can't be treated like physical ailments are relying on an 'outdated argument' without merit that does not reflect 'three decades of scientific research,' 52 House members wrote in a recent letter to regulators. The comments come as a landmark law requiring parity in how health plans cover physical and mental illness went into effect Thursday.

3 Jul 2010

Canadian press/globe and mail examine 'loose ends' in G8's maternal, child health initiative

The G8's $5-billion initiative to improve maternal and child health "left many loose ends that need to be tied up before the countries can begin to make good on their commitment to save the lives of 1.3 million children under age five, and 64,000 mothers," the Canadian Press/Globe and Mail reports. According to the article, while stakeholders welcome the G8 initiative, many find it "deeply underfunded and lacking in detail."

3 Jul 2010

House passes nearly $60B FY10 supplemental

The House passed a nearly "$60 billion bill Thursday to pay for wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and fund a variety of other programs," including relief and rebuilding initiatives in Haiti following the January earthquake, Fox News' "The Speaker's Lobby" blog reports

3 Jul 2010

Coventry's Fitch ratings unaffected by Louisiana Court of Appeals' adverse ruling

Fitch Ratings commented today that its ratings on Coventry Health Care, Inc. (Coventry) are unaffected by the company's announcement this morning that it will take a $278 million charge against second-quarter earnings related to an adverse ruling by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in the state of Louisiana.

3 Jul 2010

Blacks five times more prone to hypertension than Whites

The hospital admission rate for Blacks with hypertension was 161 per 100,000 people in 2006 - nearly 5 times the hospitalization rate for Whites (33 admissions per 100,000), according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

3 Jul 2010

Positive reviews of health overhaul implementation so far but potential stumbling blocks lie ahead

The New York Times notes an uptick in support for the health overhaul in polls as parts of the law begin to take effect, as well as some positive reviews - even from conservatives - about the administration's performance in implementing the measures. Stuart Butler, a vice president of the Heritage Foundation, for instance, said, "I give them an A for effort. But there are land mines down the road because the law is fundamentally flawed." The latest poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows 48 percent hold a favorable view of the new law, while 41 percent oppose it.

3 Jul 2010

FDA issues consumer update on safety alerts

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued safety alerts about a number of products.

3 Jul 2010

Health Care News and Research

IRIN examines efforts to attract health workers to underserved, rural communities

More than 2B worldwide lack access to adequate surgical services, study finds

Study finds doctors' orders help patients get preferred end-of-life treatment

Medical information on Internet may not be accurate or complete

Senate Democrats tax prosthetic limbs, other vital medical devices, refuse to exempt veterans

Two-day international Osteoarthritis Summit to be held in June 2011

Gov. Patrick signs new law to stiffen penalties for assault on nurses and other health care workers

U.N. to formally establish new 'gender entity'

Recent releases in global health

Home-health companies' stock takes hit as SEC investigates their Medicare reimbursement

Insurers continue seeking wary regulator's approval for rate hikes

RNAO's Pride Parade march to be held in Toronto

State Roundup: Florida to investigate WellCare; Calif. budget cuts; Computer system helps states find Medicaid savings

Lawmakers urge health insurers to enforce new Mental Parity Act

Canadian press/globe and mail examine 'loose ends' in G8's maternal, child health initiative

House passes nearly $60B FY10 supplemental

Coventry's Fitch ratings unaffected by Louisiana Court of Appeals' adverse ruling

Blacks five times more prone to hypertension than Whites

Positive reviews of health overhaul implementation so far but potential stumbling blocks lie ahead

FDA issues consumer update on safety alerts

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