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First Edition: March 3, 2010

This morning's news is all about President Obama's outreach yesterday to the GOP and his speech today detailing new elements of his health reform plan. Will this step resuscitate the Dem's overhaul efforts?

3 Mar 2010

UPMC develops its first EHR application for BlackBerry smartphones

In an effort to put critical patient information in the hands of physicians at the bedside, UPMC announced today that it has developed its first electronic health record (EHR) application for BlackBerry® smartphones. The pilot project gives physicians access to such information as a patient’s allergies, current medications and recently completed lab tests.

3 Mar 2010

Accenture: 58% of U.S. physicians intend to purchase EMR system within next two years

Fifty-eight percent of U.S. physicians who don’t use electronic medical records (EMRs) intend to purchase an EMR system within the next two years, according to a new report from Accenture.

3 Mar 2010

Study: Offspring of two parents with schizophrenia more likely to develop same illness

Offspring of two parents with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder appear more likely to develop the same illness or another psychiatric condition than those with only one parent with psychiatric illness, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

3 Mar 2010

Harvard Professor urges medical community to use ultrasound for diagnosing acute female pelvic conditions

In a bold, eye-opening editorial in the March 2010 issue of the Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Harvard Professor, Beryl Benacerraf, MD, urges the medical community to use ultrasound instead of Computed Tomography (CT) as the first-line imaging test for better diagnosis capability in the evaluation of acute female pelvic and lower abdominal conditions.

3 Mar 2010

Warren Buffet supports Senate bill, Franken and Ryan pushing their health reform ideas

CNBC interviewed billionaire investor Warren Buffett, who "called the nation's health care spending 'untenable,' comparing 'out of control' costs to a 'tapeworm eating at our economic body.' While he would support the current Senate health care reform bill if pressed, Buffett says he would prefer a 'Plan C' that would control costs by changing the financial incentives of the system" (Crippen, 3/1).

3 Mar 2010

Medicare coverage of CTC for seniors needed

President Obama, in his first routine physical exam as commander in chief, received a CT colonography (CTC), commonly known as a virtual colonoscopy, to screen him for colorectal cancer. However, Obama Administration officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) previously denied coverage of the same exam for seniors enrolled in Medicare, cutting off access for many to an exam proven to increase compliance with nationally accepted colon cancer screening guidelines.

3 Mar 2010

Altarum Institute urges government to implement effective BMI surveillance systems to combat childhood obesity

A report published today in the journal Health Affairs calls for increased body mass index surveillance as a tool to combat the childhood obesity epidemic and urges state and federal action to implement effective BMI surveillance systems nationwide.

3 Mar 2010

Reid Johnson: British Columbians should brace for another round of cuts to health care services

In spite of a budget speech that boasts a commitment to health care, British Columbians should brace themselves for another round of cuts to health care services around the province, Reid Johnson, President of the Health Sciences Association of BC said in response to the provincial budget released today.

3 Mar 2010

Opinions: Chile's preparedness; Evangelical Christians; 'Locavorism'

The earthquake in Chile "was the fifth biggest ever measured, and several hundred times larger than the one that killed more than 220,000 in Haiti," according to a Wall Street Journal editorial. The editorial highlights Chile's preparation for earthquakes, including stricter building codes. "But such preparation is also the luxury of a prosperous country, in contrast to destitute and ill-governed Haiti.

3 Mar 2010

Sec. of State Clinton arrives in Chile 'to offer support' as country deals with earthquake

During a scheduled trip to Latin America, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in Chile Tuesday "to offer support" after a major earthquake struck over the weekend, Bloomberg/BusinessWeek reports (Boyd/Smith, 3/2).

3 Mar 2010

Adult day health programs help senior participants maintain their health and independence

A recent study by San Francisco’s Institute on Aging documents that adult day health programs play a vital role in helping senior participants maintain their health and independence. Since the 1970s, adult day health care has been promoted as an alternative to nursing home care for seniors with chronic illness, disability, or dementia.

3 Mar 2010

FASEB President describes critical role biomedical research plays in improving public health

Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) President Mark O. Lively, Ph.D., addressed a Capitol Hill audience, including congressional staff, and members of the Coalition for Health Funding today to describe the critical role biomedical research plays in improving public health.

3 Mar 2010

Study shows income is not a primary factor in medication adherence

Only 68 percent of corporate executives took their cholesterol lowering medication as prescribed by a doctor, a new study shows.

3 Mar 2010

Parity law expands mental health access

This Kaiser Health News story, written by Sandra Boodman and produced in collaboration with The Washington Post, reports on the impact of a law that went into effect Jan. 1.

3 Mar 2010

Obama says he's willing to explore ideas raised by GOP during health summit

ABC News Political Punch: In a letter to Congressional leaders President Obama signaled Tuesday afternoon he is "open to several provisions raised by GOP lawmakers during last week's bipartisan health care reform summit, including medical malpractice reform, combating fraud," and the removal of a provisions that would have allowed the federal government to pay for Nebraska's Medicaid expansion and another that would have protected Florida seniors from cuts to the Medicare Advantage program (3/2).

3 Mar 2010

U.N. meeting examines progress, challenges in achieving women's empowerment

Despite gains in women's rights in the 15 years since the Beijing Declaration, U.N. Female Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro on Monday during the opening of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) meeting acknowledged more action is needed to help countries advance gender equality and women's empowerment, VOA News reports.

3 Mar 2010

ICU survivors face high risk of death in following years, says study

An analysis of Medicare data indicates that elderly patients who are hospitalized in an intensive care unit (ICU) and survive to be discharged from the hospital have a high rate of death in the following three years, and that, in particular, patients who receive mechanical ventilation have a substantially increased rate of death compared with both hospital and general population controls in the first several months after hospital discharge, according to a study in the March 3 issue of JAMA.

3 Mar 2010

Aurora Health Care establishes new clinic for treating chronic vulvar pain

It is a sensitive subject for many women. The issue is chronic vulvar pain, and it impacts one out of six women at some point in their lives. However, most women are unaware of their treatment options.

3 Mar 2010

California consumer group sues Anthem Blue Cross for changing policies and then raising rates

Consumer Watchdog and other plaintiffs are suing Anthem Blue Cross, the California insurer that recently told policyholders it would hike premiums by 39 percent, the Los Angeles Times reports. The paper says the suit, which could gain class-action status, alleges that Anthem has violated "state law by closing certain policies to new members while illegally offering remaining customers alternative plans with fewer benefits at higher rates" (Helfand, 3/2).

3 Mar 2010

Health Care News and Research

First Edition: March 3, 2010

UPMC develops its first EHR application for BlackBerry smartphones

Accenture: 58% of U.S. physicians intend to purchase EMR system within next two years

Study: Offspring of two parents with schizophrenia more likely to develop same illness

Harvard Professor urges medical community to use ultrasound for diagnosing acute female pelvic conditions

Warren Buffet supports Senate bill, Franken and Ryan pushing their health reform ideas

Medicare coverage of CTC for seniors needed

Altarum Institute urges government to implement effective BMI surveillance systems to combat childhood obesity

Reid Johnson: British Columbians should brace for another round of cuts to health care services

Opinions: Chile's preparedness; Evangelical Christians; 'Locavorism'

Sec. of State Clinton arrives in Chile 'to offer support' as country deals with earthquake

Adult day health programs help senior participants maintain their health and independence

FASEB President describes critical role biomedical research plays in improving public health

Study shows income is not a primary factor in medication adherence

Parity law expands mental health access

Obama says he's willing to explore ideas raised by GOP during health summit

U.N. meeting examines progress, challenges in achieving women's empowerment

ICU survivors face high risk of death in following years, says study

Aurora Health Care establishes new clinic for treating chronic vulvar pain

California consumer group sues Anthem Blue Cross for changing policies and then raising rates

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

How microplastics and bacteria interact to drive antibiotic resistance

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