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Sg2: Demand for outpatient services to increase by nearly 22% over the next decade

Between now and 2019, the health care industry will see demand for outpatient services increase by nearly 22% while demand for inpatient services remains flat, according to Sg2, a future-focused health care information systems company. This will require hospitals to shift focus beyond the acute care center and look to services that span the care continuum.

6 Jan 2010

Center for Technology and Aging announces grants to improve medication use in older adults

The Center for Technology and Aging today announced grants to five organizations for projects that promise to help improve medication use in older adults with chronic health conditions.

6 Jan 2010

Federal judge upholds key provisions of new law, gives FDA the power to regulate tobacco products

In a significant victory for public health, a federal judge in Kentucky today upheld most key provisions of the new law giving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the power to regulate tobacco products.

6 Jan 2010

Data from national surveys shows few Americans receive consistent treatment for MDD

Only about half of Americans diagnosed with major depression in a given year receive treatment for it and even fewer - about one-fifth - receive treatment consistent with current practice guidelines, according to data from national surveys supported by the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health.

6 Jan 2010

CAMH: Online interventions for problem alcohol use can be effective in changing drinking behaviours

A recent evaluation by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) shows that online interventions for problem alcohol use can be effective in changing drinking behaviours and offers a significant public health benefit.

6 Jan 2010

Study finds self-management alone may effectively treat knee osteoarthritis

Researchers participating in the Multidimensional Intervention for Early Osteoarthritis of the Knee (Knee Study) determined that physically inactive, middle-aged people with symptomatic osteoarthritis benefitted equally from strength training regimens, self-management programs, or a combination of the two. Details of this study are available in the January 2010 issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology.

6 Jan 2010

Historic low in drug spending growth coincides with cost-saving tools developed by PBMs

Expenditures on prescription drugs increased just 3.2 percent in 2008 – the smallest annual rate of increase in 47 years – according to new data released today by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

6 Jan 2010

Loyola University Health System launches new program to study healthcare, costs and patient safety

Loyola University Health System has established a new Program in Health Services Research to study how doctors and nurses can provide better health care at lower costs to more people.

6 Jan 2010

Healthcare costs continue to grow faster than overall economy, says CMS report

New National Health Expenditure Accounts data released by CMS show that health spending in the United States grew at 4.4 percent in 2008. Although the recession has brought a reduction in the rate of increase in health care costs, the data show costs continue to grow faster than the overall economy and the portion of GDP devoted to health care continues to increase.

6 Jan 2010

House health care bill offers insurance help to some migrants from Pacific Islands

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jenny Gold, in collaboration with National Public Radio, goes to Springdale, Ark., the self-described "Chicken Capitol of the World," to report on an enclave of unlikely migrants -- 6,000 people from the Marshall Islands -- who are watching the health care debate with heightened interest.

6 Jan 2010

Study reveals multiple ultrasound scans are more pronounced in low-risk pregnancies

Current use of prenatal ultrasounds in women with singleton pregnancies is 55% greater than in 1996, even in low-risk pregnancies. More than one-third (37%) of pregnant women now receive 3 or more ultrasound tests in the second and third trimesters of a given pregnancy, found an article http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj090979.pdf in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) www.cmaj.ca.

6 Jan 2010

British Medical Journal: Mandometer used in Swedish program helps obese children lose weight

The British Medical Journal released today a report on a study conducted in Bristol, United Kingdom, that found that a breakthrough Swedish program using a computerized device called "Mandometer"® was significantly more successful than standard treatment at helping obese children and adolescents lose weight, reduce meal size and decrease their body fat.

6 Jan 2010

Opinions: U.S. medical emergency response; micronutrients; rotavirus vaccine; antibiotic development

"[D]espite the tireless efforts of public health and health-care workers, America's experience with H1N1 shows that the nation is not prepared to deal with a flu pandemic," former Democratic Senator Bob Graham and former Republican Senator Jim Talent write in Washington Post opinion piece that examines U.S. preparedness for medical emergencies. The writers chaired the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism.

6 Jan 2010

SAVE THE PATIENT to host community show to help seniors navigate long-term care issues

Senior citizens and their families often feel overwhelmed when dealing with health issues. Finding the right care services to fit their needs can be a daunting task -- but need not be. SAVE THE PATIENT is hosting another community show to bring insights, ideas and understandable answers to the Chicago public.

6 Jan 2010

U.N. leaders, HIV advocates laud official end to HIV travel ban

A travel ban in place since 1987 that prevented non-U.S. citizens with HIV/AIDS from entering the country officially ended Monday, The Hill's "Blog Briefing Room" reports (Romm, 1/4).

6 Jan 2010

UHC signs strategic partnership agreement with EHR

The University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) and Executive Health Resources, Inc. (EHR) today announced the signing of a strategic partnership that will make EHR's expert Physician Advisor solutions available to all UHC members.

6 Jan 2010

Medicare begins to reimburse for HIV screening

The Hartford Courant reports that "testing for the virus among those 65 and older lags far behind testing of other Americans, and experts say they worry that HIV cases in older adults go undiagnosed — some because of the stigma that the disease still carries, some because patients might dismiss the symptoms of the virus as signs of other conditions more frequently associated with aging and some because doctors can be hesitant to talk to older patients about sex or link their symptoms with HIV."

6 Jan 2010

Bioheart signs distribution agreements to market Home Heart Failure Monitoring Systems in U.S.

Bioheart, Inc. announced today that the company has signed distribution agreements with Restoration Medical, McRay Medical, Alamo Scientific and Morey Medical. These distributors will assist Bioheart with introducing its Home Heart Failure Monitoring Systems to physicians and hospitals throughout the United States.

6 Jan 2010

Ford transfers health care liabilities union trust

Dow Jones Newswires/The Wall Street Journal: "Ford Motor Co. said Monday it completed the transfer of its union retiree health-care liabilities to the United Auto Workers Retiree Medical Benefits Trust as part of a court-approved settlement agreement." The transfer "removed a substantial health care liability from the Detroit auto maker's balance sheet and significantly reduced its health care expenses."

6 Jan 2010

Health bills include proposals for new physician payment system

The health care overhaul bills on Capitol Hill do not upend traditional 'fee for service' payment for doctors, but they do include financial incentives for doctors to cut medical costs and improve patient care. Both the House and Senate bills include provisions to encourage the creation of accountable care organizations, or ACOs, as a way to test their viability.

6 Jan 2010

Health Care News and Research

Sg2: Demand for outpatient services to increase by nearly 22% over the next decade

Center for Technology and Aging announces grants to improve medication use in older adults

Federal judge upholds key provisions of new law, gives FDA the power to regulate tobacco products

Data from national surveys shows few Americans receive consistent treatment for MDD

CAMH: Online interventions for problem alcohol use can be effective in changing drinking behaviours

Study finds self-management alone may effectively treat knee osteoarthritis

Historic low in drug spending growth coincides with cost-saving tools developed by PBMs

Loyola University Health System launches new program to study healthcare, costs and patient safety

Healthcare costs continue to grow faster than overall economy, says CMS report

House health care bill offers insurance help to some migrants from Pacific Islands

Study reveals multiple ultrasound scans are more pronounced in low-risk pregnancies

British Medical Journal: Mandometer used in Swedish program helps obese children lose weight

Opinions: U.S. medical emergency response; micronutrients; rotavirus vaccine; antibiotic development

SAVE THE PATIENT to host community show to help seniors navigate long-term care issues

U.N. leaders, HIV advocates laud official end to HIV travel ban

UHC signs strategic partnership agreement with EHR

Medicare begins to reimburse for HIV screening

Bioheart signs distribution agreements to market Home Heart Failure Monitoring Systems in U.S.

Ford transfers health care liabilities union trust

Health bills include proposals for new physician payment system

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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