Hospital News and Research

RSS

Combination of novel drug therapy and PSA test can effectively detect prostate cancer

Researchers have successfully developed and tested a new prostate cancer screening method that uses the combined power of a novel drug therapy and changes in PSA levels over time to identify men with a high PSA who are more likely to have aggressive prostate cancer despite negative biopsies.

12 Aug 2012

Migraines not associated with cognitive decline

Migraines currently affect about 20 percent of the female population, and while these headaches are common, there are many unanswered questions surrounding this complex disease. Previous studies have linked this disorder to an increased risk of stroke and structural brain lesions, but it has remained unclear whether migraines had other negative consequences such as dementia or cognitive decline.

12 Aug 2012

Research roundup: Disparities in head scans; Unnecessary heart tests; Americans hit the walkway

Among children who suffered minor blows to the head, whites were more likely to receive unneeded cranial CT scans in the ED than were blacks or Hispanics, researchers found.

12 Aug 2012

Heat wave safety tips from Children's Hospital Los Angeles

With July 2012 on record as being one of the hottest months in U.S. history and the August heat showing no let up in many parts of the country, how can parents protect their children's health during a heat wave? "While kids and teens may think of themselves as invincible, they're prone to heat-related illnesses," says Megan Summers, a registered nurse in the Children's Hospital Los Angeles' Rehabilitation Unit.

12 Aug 2012

Genentech receives FDA approval for Lucentis to treat diabetic macular edema

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, today announced that Lucentis (ranibizumab injection) was approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME), an eye condition in people with diabetes that causes blurred vision, severe vision loss and sometimes blindness

12 Aug 2012

Highlights: New reports of problems at Parkland Hospital in Dallas; Mammogram rates did not rise under expanded Mass. coverage

Federal safety monitors produced a harsher critique of Parkland Memorial Hospital's reform efforts than recently portrayed by the hospital, finding ongoing dangers to patients from a botched surgery, medication errors and emergency care failures. Those problems, cited in a June compliance report obtained by The Dallas Morning News, were not disclosed in a Parkland summary released to The News two weeks ago.

12 Aug 2012

Medicare payments for anemia drug too high; Feds seek fix to glitch that denies some hospitalized beneficiaries coverage for follow-up nursing home care

The U.S. health-care system is vastly overspending for a single anemia drug because Medicare overestimates its use by hundreds of millions of dollars a year, according to an analysis of federal data. The overpayment to hospitals and clinics arises because Medicare reimburses them based on estimates rather than the actual use of the drug.

12 Aug 2012

Hospital debt, financial practices draw investors' attention

Also in the news, The Wall Street Journal reports that consumers may be returning to the doctor after a period during which the difficult economy appeared to keep them away.

10 Aug 2012

Precautions to ensure safety of children in and near water

Spending time in the water is a great way for kids to get exercise and cool off during the summer, but without taking the proper safety measures, hazards could be lurking around the pool.

10 Aug 2012

GOP governors respond to CMS signs of flexibility regarding Medicaid expansion

CQ HealthBeat reports that some Republican state executives were not impressed with the decision by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services officials to allow states that proceed with expansion plans now to scale back their Medicaid programs later.

10 Aug 2012

New technology for healthcare based on aviation security system

Researchers in the North West are investigating whether tools pioneered in aviation security can be used to help prevent complications after surgery.

10 Aug 2012

Even during August break, congressional health policy concerns draw headlines

Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., is working to build support for new legislation to expand Medicare's nursing home coverage while Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., notes problems within the Indian Health Service. All the while, the health law's contraception coverage mandate continues to trigger disputes.

10 Aug 2012

First Edition: August 10, 2012

Reporting for Kaiser Health News, in collaboration with The Washington Post, Susan Jaffe writes: "Concerned that a growing number of seniors have been unexpectedly forced to pay thousands of dollars for nursing home care after a stay in a hospital, Medicare has launched a pilot project to test whether relaxing its hospital payment rules could help beneficiaries".

10 Aug 2012

Longer looks: Waking up to the need for sleep

Among the more than 11,000 dearly departed inhabitants of Southeast Portland's Multnomah Park Cemetery, friends Eric Cordingley and David Anderson have their favorites: a reputed French madam, a young Norwegian institutionalized for being gay, and Louis Napoleon Lepley -- or, as they call him, "Louis the cannibal." Intriguing as their individual stories may be, together they help tell a bigger, darker tale

10 Aug 2012

Accurate vaccination needed to protect children

This year the U.S. has seen the worst outbreak of whooping cough in more than 50 years. In fact, it has reached epidemic levels in many states and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the numbers of cases reported is already twice as many as last year. With kids getting ready to head back-to-school, the numbers of children impacted or killed by this disease could continue to rise if children aren't accurately vaccinated.

10 Aug 2012

Utility of DMDD diagnosis in child psychiatric patients questioned

In children admitted to a psychiatric unit with serious behavioral problems, use of the new diagnosis concept of disruptive mood dysregulation disorder may go some way to reducing diagnoses of bipolar disorder, research shows.

10 Aug 2012

Evidence is lacking for patient safety strategies

Evidence for the efficacy of in-hospital strategies to improve patient safety culture are lacking, show the results of a systematic review.

10 Aug 2012

Pulse oximetry detects sleep-disordered breathing in heart patients

Overnight pulse oximetry can be used to accurately diagnose sleep-disordered breathing in patients with chronic heart failure, UK research suggests.

10 Aug 2012

Statins: cardiovascular benefits outweigh diabetes risk

The benefits of taking statins to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease outweigh the increased risk of developing diabetes experienced by some patients who take these cholesterol-lowering drugs, according to an Article published Online First in The Lancet.

10 Aug 2012

ICD use contributes to decline in cardiac arrest

Implantable cardioverter defibrillator use is responsible for one-third of the decline in cardiac arrests caused by ventricular fibrillation, researchers say.

9 Aug 2012