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Congress approves legislation that would expand Americans with Disabilities Act

The House on Wednesday gave final approval to Senate legislation (S 3406) expanding the definition of disability for people claiming discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the New York Times reports.

22 Sep 2008

Senate hearing discusses recommendations for increased regulations on direct-to-consumer ads for medical devices

Lawmakers and witnesses on Wednesday at a Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing discussed recommendations for increased regulations on direct-to-consumer advertisements for medical devices, Dow Jones reports (Corbett Dooren, Dow Jones, 9/17).

22 Sep 2008

House Energy and Commerce Committee discusses options for health care reform amidst struggling economy

Lawmakers and witnesses on Thursday at a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing discussed several proposals to reform the U.S. health care system, CQ HealthBeat reports. Subcommittee Democrats said that the current economic downturn increased the need for health care reform.

22 Sep 2008

Researchers to look at relationship between tinnitus and defects in the inner ear

Researchers at the University of Essex have received a three-year studentship from the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) to investigate the relationship between tinnitus and defects in the inner ear.

18 Sep 2008

House Committee weighs options for permanent overhaul of Medicare physician payment system

Witnesses at a House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee hearing on Thursday discussed potential methods for overhauling the Medicare physician payment system, CQ HealthBeat reports.

15 Sep 2008

Lawmakers warn federal officials to fix problems with Medicare information phone line

CMS has improved 1-800-Medicare, a toll-free telephone line that beneficiaries can call for information on the prescription drug benefit, but the agency needs to address some serious problems that remain before the next annual enrollment period begins on Nov. 15, advocates for seniors and lawmakers said on Thursday during a hearing of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, CQ HealthBeat reports. CMS has five call centers nationwide for the telephone line, which served about 30 million callers in 2007.

15 Sep 2008

Rep. Stark prepared to introduce legislation this week to spur nationwide adoption of electronic health records

House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chair Pete Stark (D-Calif.) this week plans to introduce a bill intended to encourage nationwide adoption of electronic health record technology that will include a provision to impose penalties on health care providers who fail to do so, CQ Today reports.

11 Sep 2008

Experts testifying before Senate panel extol incentives, standardization as means to improve quality of care

Offering incentives to health care providers who deliver higher quality care and requiring that they comply with national quality standards would help improve patient care, witnesses said at a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Tuesday, CQ HealthBeat reports.

11 Sep 2008

Massachusetts' proposed rule could lead to Federal lawsuit, Partners HealthCare warns

Massachusetts' largest private employer Partners HealthCare on Friday warned that the state could face a federal lawsuit if it implements a proposed rule to increase some companies' contributions to their workers' health coverage, the Boston Globe reports.

10 Sep 2008

Teenager almost deaf after waiting too long for ear drum surgery

In the latest bungle involving an Australian hospital, a teenage boy in Tasmania has reportedly waited so long for surgery to repair his perforated ear drum that he is almost deaf.

4 Sep 2008

Human herpes virus 6 weaves itself into the DNA transferred from parents to babies

Parents expect to pass on their eye or hair color, their knobby knees or their big feet to their children through their genes. But they don't expect to pass on viruses through those same genes.

2 Sep 2008

New guidelines for dealing with earwax

Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) specialists in the U.S. have come up with new guidelines for dealing with earwax.

2 Sep 2008

Earwax removal - new guidelines

The American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) will issue the first comprehensive clinical guidelines to help health care practitioners identify patients with cerumen (commonly referred to as earwax) impaction. The guidelines emphasize evidence-based management of cerumen impaction by clinicians, and inform patients of the purpose of ear wax in hearing health.

1 Sep 2008

Playing and watching sports improves language skills

Being an athlete or merely a fan improves language skills when it comes to discussing their sport because parts of the brain usually involved in playing sports are instead used to understand sport language, new research at the University of Chicago shows.

1 Sep 2008

Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report highlights recent Medicaid news in six states

Three insurance companies that cover 60% of people enrolled in Florida "Medicaid Reform" plans have said they will leave the project and have asked to be assigned no new members, a move suspected to be a result of reductions in Medicaid payments to the plans, Florida Health News reports.

1 Sep 2008

FL NR State-FEMA disaster outreach gains momentum

Community Relations teams and Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) will be assisting individuals, households and businesses affected by Tropical Storm Fay in Brevard, Hendry, Okeechobee, St. Lucie and Volusia counties, recovery officials announced.

31 Aug 2008

California health officials seek suspension of injunction against Medi-Cal reimbursement rate reduction

California health officials have asked U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder to suspend an injunction that she issued against a 10% reduction in Medi-Cal reimbursement rates for health care providers, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Medi-Cal is California's Medicaid program (Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 8/27).

28 Aug 2008

Chronic stress alters our genetic immune response

Most people would agree that stress increases your risk for illness and this is particularly true for severe long-term stresses, such as caring for a family member with a chronic medical illness. However, we still have a relatively limited understanding of exactly how stress contributes to the risk for illness. In the August 15th issue of Biological Psychiatry, researchers shed new light on one link between stress and illness by describing a mechanism through which stress alters immune function.

27 Aug 2008

Alcohol consumption can cause too much cell death, fetal abnormalities

The initial signs of fetal alcohol syndrome are slight but classic: facial malformations such as a flat and high upper lip, small eye openings and a short nose.

25 Aug 2008

Middle ear infections in childhood linked to obesity later in life

Researchers are reporting new evidence of a possible link between a history of moderate to severe middle ear infections in childhood and a tendency to be overweight later in life. Their study suggests that prompt diagnosis and treatment of middle ear infections - one of the most common childhood conditions requiring medical attention - may help fight obesity in some people.

20 Aug 2008

Hearing News and Research

Congress approves legislation that would expand Americans with Disabilities Act

Senate hearing discusses recommendations for increased regulations on direct-to-consumer ads for medical devices

House Energy and Commerce Committee discusses options for health care reform amidst struggling economy

Researchers to look at relationship between tinnitus and defects in the inner ear

House Committee weighs options for permanent overhaul of Medicare physician payment system

Lawmakers warn federal officials to fix problems with Medicare information phone line

Rep. Stark prepared to introduce legislation this week to spur nationwide adoption of electronic health records

Experts testifying before Senate panel extol incentives, standardization as means to improve quality of care

Massachusetts' proposed rule could lead to Federal lawsuit, Partners HealthCare warns

Teenager almost deaf after waiting too long for ear drum surgery

Human herpes virus 6 weaves itself into the DNA transferred from parents to babies

New guidelines for dealing with earwax

Earwax removal - new guidelines

Playing and watching sports improves language skills

Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report highlights recent Medicaid news in six states

FL NR State-FEMA disaster outreach gains momentum

California health officials seek suspension of injunction against Medi-Cal reimbursement rate reduction

Chronic stress alters our genetic immune response

Alcohol consumption can cause too much cell death, fetal abnormalities

Middle ear infections in childhood linked to obesity later in life

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

Managing vibration in IVF laboratories

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

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