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Roundup: Iowa redesign of mental health services raises concerns; Mich. lawmakers opposed to abortion restrictions are 'silenced'

State leaders hope their mental health redesign will bring better services to (rural areas of Iowa), but many front-line administrators doubt they'll see significant improvements soon. In fact, some worry that services could erode over the next year as money and some financial responsibilities are shifted from the counties to the state. Some long-term improvements are possible, they say, but cash likely will run short in the next few months.

15 Jun 2012

Insulin more effective add-on than sitagliptin in glucose control

Insulin seems to be a more effective add-on regimen than sitagliptin in patients with diabetes inadequately controlled by metformin monotherapy, show study findings.

15 Jun 2012

Anti-TNFs increase risk for herpes zoster infections in IRD patients

Patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases who are treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor medications are significantly more likely to experience herpes zoster infections than those treated with traditional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, study results show.

15 Jun 2012

Rheumatism drugs may increase shingles risk

Patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease treated with one of the most effective medicines for their disease face a substantially increased risk for developing shingles, warn European researchers who suggest vaccination may be an option.

15 Jun 2012

Drug shows promise as skin cancer treatment

A new drug for a type of skin cancer caused by a rare genetic disease can not only substantially shrink the tumors, but can also prevent the growth of new cancers, US investigators have discovered.

15 Jun 2012

A third of ED imaging for PE is avoidable

Data from 12 hospitals in the USA indicate that one-third of imaging performed in the emergency department for suspected pulmonary embolism is avoidable, according to a National Quality Forum measure.

15 Jun 2012

Long-term rhythm, not rate, control may prolong life with AF

Rhythm control therapy for atrial fibrillation may improve survival rates compared with rate control therapy when used long term, show study results published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

15 Jun 2012

Better care for dual-eligible Medicare-Medicaid patients could reduce hospitalization rates

Providing better care for dual-eligible Medicare-Medicaid patients could significantly reduce hospitalization rates for this population, saving taxpayers between $625 million and $1.9 billion per year, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International and Florida Atlantic University.

15 Jun 2012

Advances in robotic spine surgery

1. Please could you give a brief outline of robotic spine surgery and its recent history? Robotic spine surgery is very new, less than 10 years old. There are only 10 hospitals in the US offering it and we are the second hospital in California to offer this technology.

15 Jun 2012

Press Ganey, AMGA introduce healthcare industry's first survey for ACOs

The American Medical Group Association (AMGA) and Press Ganey Associates, Inc. today launched the healthcare industry's first survey designed to help accountable care organizations (ACOs) and high-performing health systems identify opportunities for improving both efficiency and quality. The tool, called the AMGA-Press Ganey Coordinated Care Solution, assesses a patient's entire episode of care and enables better management of population health to create positive patient outcomes and maximize shared savings.

15 Jun 2012

Top five prostate wellness tips

David Samadi, MD, Vice-Chair of Urology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, knows that many men put off caring for their health, even when they have a family. But just a loving nudge from his family can help keep Dad on track for long-term prostate health, prostate cancer prevention, and prostate cancer awareness.

15 Jun 2012

Take home MMT may reduce hospital admissions

A recent study conducted by researchers at Boston Medical Center (BMC) shows that patients receiving "take home" methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) were less likely to be admitted to the hospital as compared to those not receiving take home doses.

15 Jun 2012

Homeless people with CKD experience higher rates of premature death and kidney failure

Among patients with moderate to advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), homeless people experience higher rates of premature death and kidney failure, and they use emergency services much more often than impoverished peers with stable housing, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

15 Jun 2012

Study details physician behavior issues; Another examines Spanish language skills and patient communication

A new study details findings regarding physicians' patterns of unprofessional behavior. Separate research investigated doctors' willingness to use limited Spanish to communicate with patients.

15 Jun 2012

Life-saving kidney transplants now available for older patients

In the past, a patient 55 or older had little or no chance of receiving a life-saving kidney transplant. But improvements in medicine have many doctors re-evaluating older patients who need a new organ.

15 Jun 2012

Practical clinical tool reliable and valid in measuring severity of dementia symptoms

A new study shows that a practical clinical tool developed by researchers from the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University School of Medicine to measure severity of dementia symptoms is reliable and valid. The Healthy Aging Brain Care Monitor is simple, user-friendly and sensitive to change in symptoms.

15 Jun 2012

CTC as accurate as conventional colonoscopy in detecting cancerous polyps

Computed tomographic colonography (CTC), also known as virtual colonoscopy, administered without laxatives is as accurate as conventional colonoscopy in detecting clinically significant, potentially cancerous polyps, according to a study performed jointly at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, the University of California, San Francisco and Massachusetts General Hospital.

15 Jun 2012

Roke, University of Southampton pioneer use of Xbox computer technology for stroke

The University of Southampton, in collaboration with Roke Manor Research Ltd (Roke), a Chemring company, has pioneered the use of Xbox computer technology to develop the world's first process that measures hand joint movement to help stroke patients recover manual agility at home.

15 Jun 2012

TGen, Scottsdale Healthcare open INNO-206 Phase 2 trial for pancreatic cancer

An investigational drug that acts like a Trojan Horse to deliver cancer killing agents for pancreatic cancer is being studied at the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center Clinical Trials, a partnership between Scottsdale Healthcare and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) that treats cancer patients with promising new drugs.

15 Jun 2012

Calcium with vitamin D supplements reduces risk of mortality in seniors

A study recently published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM) suggests that vitamin D-when taken with calcium-can reduce the rate of mortality in seniors, therefore providing a possible means of increasing life expectancy.

15 Jun 2012