Health Care News and Research

RSS

G8 focus on maternal, child health should include efforts to improve sanitation, report author says

Part of Canada's push to make maternal and child health a focal point of the upcoming G8 summit in June should include an emphasis on efforts to improve sanitation in the world's poorest countries, according to an author of a report released Wednesday, Canwest News Service/Vancouver Sun reports.

15 Apr 2010

Patients focus on high cost of ER care

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on the high cost of emergency room visits and "a changing health-care world, in which patients must think more like accountants and also like doctors. Make the right decision, and you could save thousands of dollars. Choose wrong, particularly about the ER, and you could lose your life. 'It is a dilemma for an average person: What is a real emergency?' said Martin Rosen, executive vice president of Health Advocate Inc. in Plymouth Meeting, which helps patients with medical or billing issues.

15 Apr 2010

Majority of U.S. employers unlikely to cease offering health care benefits to workers

A nationwide survey of business executives by Crain Communications Inc about the recent federal health care reform law has found that a majority of U.S. employers are unlikely to cease offering health care benefits to their workers.

15 Apr 2010

Florida lawmakers weigh Medicaid overhaul

Health News Florida: "In a surprising turnaround from last week, a top Senate health chairman Monday called off two meetings that had been scheduled to scrutinize a House proposal for overhauling the Medicaid system. The Senate Health Regulation Committee planned to hold more than nine hours of meetings Wednesday and Thursday to study House bills that would require almost all Medicaid recipients to move into managed-care plans.

15 Apr 2010

HHS 2009 quality report shows increase in hospital-acquired infections

The Associated Press: "The Health and Human Services department's 2009 quality report to Congress found 'very little progress' on eliminating hospital-acquired infections and called for 'urgent attention' to address the shortcomings — first brought to light a decade ago."

15 Apr 2010

Florida to enact health care legislation to improve access to ARV therapy

Florida is poised to enact health care legislation that would add clarity to existing state statutes by requiring that all state-regulated health plans include lifesaving antiretroviral (ARV) HIV/AIDS drugs on their drug formularies or preferred drug lists.

15 Apr 2010

COBRA health insurance subsidies waiting for Senate action

Kaiser Health News staff writer Andrew Villegas writes: "People recently laid off are waiting -- once again -- to hear if they will be eligible to get subsidies to stay on their employer's health insurance.

15 Apr 2010

Medical schools scramble to address doctor shortage

The Wall Street Journal: "Proponents of the new health-care law say it does attempt to address the physician shortage. The law offers sweeteners to encourage more people to enter medical professions, and a 10% Medicare pay boost for primary-care doctors. … Meanwhile, a number of new medical schools have opened around the country recently."

15 Apr 2010

Financial concerns can delay heart attack treatment

A study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that financial concerns can lead people having heart attacks to delay treatment.

15 Apr 2010

Comparative effectiveness funds spur changes, but not without critics

The new health law will infuse $3 billion into health research that compares treatments to gauge which are most effective, building on an earlier federal investment of $1.1 billion from the stimulus package, Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports.

15 Apr 2010

Drug company payments to doctors: Continuing controversy

The New York Times has two stories on pharmaceutical industry payments to physicians and experts.

15 Apr 2010

First lady Obama visits Haiti

First lady Michelle Obama, along with Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, "paid a surprise visit to Haiti Tuesday, witnessing the 'powerful' devastation left in the wake of a massive earthquake three months ago," Agence-France Presse reports.

15 Apr 2010

One in five Idaho physicians are not accepting new Medicare patients

Already fighting one of the lowest doctor-to-patient ratios in the nation (ranking 49th), Idaho's problems are growing worse. According to a new AARP survey released today, doctors in the state are increasingly closing their doors to new patients, especially those using Medicare and Medicaid

15 Apr 2010

Hospital acquired infections on the increase

Despite being reported over a decade ago, little has been done in America to reduce hospital born infections as per a Health and Human Services department quality report for 2009 to Congress. Hospital acquired infections seem to be on the increase according to the report when compared with statistics available for 2007. The situation is being seen as critical by many health care experts.

14 Apr 2010

Anticonvulsants increase suicide risk

Dr. Elisabetta Patorno, a research fellow at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston has published a study this week in the Journal of American Medical Association which found that taking anticonvulsant drugs raise thoughts of suicide and risks of actually trying to commit suicide by two times the norm. The study was sponsored by the Harvard School of Public Health and HealthCore, a research subsidiary of WellPoint. WellPoint is a health benefits company that serves the Blue Cross Blue Shield network.

14 Apr 2010

Healthcare reform debate at its peak before the COAG meeting on Monday

Following the fall out between Premiers on Prime Minister Rudd’s health care reforms more debates have come up. South Australian Premier Mike Rann also urged Victorian Premier John Brumby to come to an agreement with the Prime Minister’s plans. Earlier Mr. Brumby had suggested a 50-50 sharing model in healthcare compared to the model suggested by the PM. He has said that that the federal government's grab for 30 per cent of the states' GST would damage co-operative federalism. Mr. Brumby is expected to outline his reasons at a National Press Club address on Wednesday, April 14th 2010.

14 Apr 2010

Noncompetitive ''win-win'' relationship between gynecologist and radiologist benefits patients

Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology (JMIG) has published a study in its March/April issue which concluded that establishing a referral relationship with an interventional radiologist for comprehensive uterine myoma (fibroid) treatment supports a trusting, collaborative, long-term, noncompetitive ''win-win'' relationship between the gynecologist and radiologist.

13 Apr 2010

Provista, ARMSRx form partnership to provide pharmacy benefit services

Provista, LLC announced today that it has partnered with Administered Risk Management Services Rx, LLC (ARMSRx), a pharmacy benefit consulting firm that specializes in delivering superior results and ongoing support to the administration and management of prescription drug benefit programs and afford Provista members with the highest-quality pharmaceutical care at the lowest possible cost.

13 Apr 2010

First Edition: April 13, 2010

Today's headlines highlight the Senate's procedural vote to extend COBRA subsidies, a ruling by a Massachusetts court rejecting a bid by health insurers to raise premiums and how some states are fretting over health insurance scams.

13 Apr 2010

NaviNet to discuss on the use and adoption of HIT at World Health Care Congress 2010

NaviNet, America's largest real-time healthcare communications network, today announced that Kim Labow, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, will participate in a panel discussion about innovative approaches to achieve meaningful use and adoption of health information technology.

13 Apr 2010