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About 47M infected, 10,000 dead from H1N1 in U.S., CDC says

U.S. health officials on Thursday announced nearly 10,000 people in the U.S. had died from H1N1 (swine flu) since the virus was first reported in April, the New York Times reports.

11 Dec 2009

First Edition: December 11, 2009

Today's headlines track the fits and starts of the Senate's health bill debate, including moderates' concern regarding the recent Medicare expansion deal and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's positive reaction to it. Meanwhile, floor action appears snagged on a drug importation amendment.

11 Dec 2009

Prescription drug and healthcare expenditures increase for U.S. adults

In 2006 the average cost for a prescription drug purchase for Americans age 18 to 44 was double the inflation-adjusted average for 1996, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

11 Dec 2009

"Checklists" for evaluating comparative effectiveness research

A new report released today by the National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC) provides guidance in the evaluation of comparative effectiveness research (CER), including easy-to-use "checklists" that help make sure such studies can be used to improve the dialogue between health care providers and patients, as well as better inform health care decision-making.

11 Dec 2009

Sage MIP Fund Accounting version 10.2 now available with built-in feedback mechanism

Sage North America today announced version 10.2 of its Sage MIP Fund Accounting nonprofit and government financial management software, featuring a new customer feedback portal allowing customers to quickly submit ideas and feedback to Sage MIP Fund Accounting product executives.

11 Dec 2009

Proposed changes to breast cancer screening criticized

The Editor-in-Chief of Cancer Investigation and one of the country's most respected medical policy professors has written a new commentary which criticizes proposed changes to breast cancer screening.

11 Dec 2009

HSMR helps identify sepsis as an area of concern for Canadian hospitals

A new study shows that in 2008-2009 more than 9,300 patients died of sepsis, a condition resulting from the body's response to severe infection, in Canadian hospitals outside Quebec.

11 Dec 2009

New campaign urges Americans to oppose Senate restrictions on flexible spending accounts

Save Flexible Spending Plans, a national grassroots organization dedicated to protecting flexible spending accounts (FSAs), today launched a new campaign, "Ten Before Ten," that encourages Americans to voice their support for protecting the cost-saving benefit by sending 10,000 emails to their senators before the start of 2010.

11 Dec 2009

Ten years later: Look to nurses as champions of patient safety

In a column for Kaiser Health News, Mary Naylor and Mark Pauly write: "Ten years ago this month, the Institute of Medicine shattered a widely held perception that American health care was safe.

11 Dec 2009

Teamsters supports Sanders amendment to eliminate tax

The Teamsters on Thursday announced their support for Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) amendment to eliminate the proposed excise tax on insurance plans from the Senate health care reform proposal.

11 Dec 2009

COA: Current health reform legislation does not address major inadequacies in Medicare reimbursement

The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) today issued a statement warning that oncologists throughout the U.S. may face closing their practices if critical Medicare reimbursement fixes for treating cancer patients are not made as a part of health care reform.

11 Dec 2009

MedPAC home care cuts can harm home health agencies and impact senior Americans, says NAHC

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) once again has used a flawed data analysis to recommend cuts that would severely damage the ability of thousands of home health care agencies to provide valuable services to the most vulnerable of Americans, the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) said today.

11 Dec 2009

Combination of MRI and mammography screenings detects early-stage breast cancer

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) coupled with mammography detects almost all cancers at an early stage, thereby reducing the incidence of advanced stage breast cancer in high-risk women.

11 Dec 2009

Italy's economically disadvantaged people have higher rates of hospitalization for ACSC disorders

Despite free public healthcare, Italy's poor are more likely to end up in hospital with avoidable conditions, new research shows. This pattern, reported today in the online open access journal BMC Public Health, mirrors findings from a number of different healthcare systems around the world, although to date fewer studies have been completed in Europe.

11 Dec 2009

People of diverse communities are at increased risk for depression and suicide

Americans do not believe that they know much about depression, but are highly aware of the risks of not receiving care, according to a survey released by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

11 Dec 2009

FY2010 State and Foreign Ops bill expected to move on the Hill this month

The fiscal year 2010 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, which includes funding for global health-related measures, "is moving on the Hill as part of a mammoth catch-all spending bill that's expected to move through both chambers this month," Foreign Policy's blog, "The Cable," reports. "

10 Dec 2009

$6.5 million awarded to Esperanza Health Center for construction and renovation projects

President Obama announced yesterday nearly $600 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant awards to fund major construction and renovation projects at a total of 85 community health centers nationwide, including a $6.5 million award to Esperanza Health Center in North Philadelphia.

10 Dec 2009

Global food prices reach 14-month high, FAO report says

In its latest report, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on Wednesday said the agency's Food Price Index had been increasing for four consecutive months and reached a 14-month high in November, Reuters reports. FAO said the "index - which measures monthly price changes for a food basket composed of cereals, oilseeds, dairy, meat and sugar - averaged 168 points last month, the highest since September 2008.

10 Dec 2009

Flu vaccine shortages in developing countries could destabilize global security, says former WHO deputy head

"Flu vaccine shortages in developing nations may destabilize global security should the H1N1 [swine flu] virus become more deadly … David Heymann, a former deputy head of the World Health Organization" said Monday, Bloomberg reports.

10 Dec 2009

Financial Times analyzes global approaches to debate over family planning

The Financial Times' Andrew Jack analyzes the debate over different approaches to family planning worldwide. According to Jack, there is a "growing worry that some developing countries have failed to follow the broader 'demographic transition' to lower fertility levels that has occurred in past decades in the western world and more recently across Latin America and much of Asia.

10 Dec 2009

Health Care News and Research

About 47M infected, 10,000 dead from H1N1 in U.S., CDC says

First Edition: December 11, 2009

Prescription drug and healthcare expenditures increase for U.S. adults

"Checklists" for evaluating comparative effectiveness research

Sage MIP Fund Accounting version 10.2 now available with built-in feedback mechanism

Proposed changes to breast cancer screening criticized

HSMR helps identify sepsis as an area of concern for Canadian hospitals

New campaign urges Americans to oppose Senate restrictions on flexible spending accounts

Ten years later: Look to nurses as champions of patient safety

Teamsters supports Sanders amendment to eliminate tax

COA: Current health reform legislation does not address major inadequacies in Medicare reimbursement

MedPAC home care cuts can harm home health agencies and impact senior Americans, says NAHC

Combination of MRI and mammography screenings detects early-stage breast cancer

Italy's economically disadvantaged people have higher rates of hospitalization for ACSC disorders

People of diverse communities are at increased risk for depression and suicide

FY2010 State and Foreign Ops bill expected to move on the Hill this month

$6.5 million awarded to Esperanza Health Center for construction and renovation projects

Global food prices reach 14-month high, FAO report says

Flu vaccine shortages in developing countries could destabilize global security, says former WHO deputy head

Financial Times analyzes global approaches to debate over family planning

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