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Effect of abortion restrictions in health bill may be less than advocates fear

Despite widespread debate, abortion restrictions in the House health reform bill could affect only a small number of women. Meanwhile, Catholic bishops weigh into the debate and abortion rights group plan a rally to contest the restrictions.

17 Nov 2009

Technology to help elderly people stay healthy at home

In a collaboration between Kaiser Health News and The Washington Post, Elizabeth Olson writes about how emerging technology is helping older people stay in their homes and can, in some instances, offer mechanisms to improve patient outcomes and reduce health care costs.

17 Nov 2009

Advanced BioHealing commences efficacy trial of Dermagraft in the treatment of VLUs

Advanced BioHealing, Inc. (ABH), a leader in commercializing the promise of regenerative medicine, announced that it has initiated a pivotal trial of Dermagraft® in subjects with venous leg ulcers (DEVO-Trial) to assess the product’s safety and efficacy in the promotion of healing venous leg ulcers (VLUs). Dermagraft is a bio-engineered skin substitute that assists in restoring damaged tissue and supports the body’s natural healing process.

17 Nov 2009

KHN column: Is fear of flu shifting the goal posts?

"If any public health message has alarmed Americans in recent weeks, it is the repeated claim in the media that healthy young people are dying of 2009 H1N1, or swine flu. ... The response has been predictable: frantic parents clogging waiting rooms in pediatricians' offices, lining up for hours to get their kids vaccinated, and rushing to fill prescriptions for anti-viral drugs before the local pharmacy runs out" (11/17).

17 Nov 2009

White House deal with drug makers may be unraveling

"Congressional Democrats' intensifying efforts to pay for their healthcare overhaul and provide more relief for consumers are threatening to unravel a White House deal with the pharmaceutical industry and turn one of Washington's most powerful lobbies against the legislation," the Los Angeles Times reports.

17 Nov 2009

Today's selection of opinions and editorials

Why One Democrat Voted No On Health Bill The Philadelphia Inquirer After months of debate over reforming the health-care system, I decided to vote against the bill that the House of Representatives passed a little more than a week ago. I did not come to this decision lightly (Rep. John Adler, D-Penn., 11/17).

17 Nov 2009

Business opponents of health overhaul ramp up advertising

"Business foes of health care overhaul legislation are outspending supporters at a rate of 2-to-1 for TV ads as they grow increasingly nervous over a final bill," The Associated Press reports.

17 Nov 2009

Study finds uninsured trauma patients much more likely to die in ER

"Uninsured patients with traumatic injuries, such as car crashes, falls and gunshot wounds, were almost twice as likely to die in the hospital as similarly injured patients with health insurance, according to a troubling new study," The Associated Press reports. "The findings by Harvard University researchers surprised doctors and health experts who have believed emergency room care was equitable."

17 Nov 2009

State health plans in Washington, Kansas face challenges

Officials in Washington state and Kansas are working to get residents out of or into their state-run insurance programs.

17 Nov 2009

Startling new mammogram guidelines incite debate about risk, cost

The Washington Post: "Women in their 40s should stop routinely having annual mammograms and older women should cut back to one scheduled exam every other year, an influential federal task force has concluded, challenging the use of one of the most common medical tests" (Stein, 11/17).

17 Nov 2009

New technology drives therapies for older patients, those with Alzheimer's

Technology advances are making life better for the elderly and those with Alzheimer's disease by allowing the older to stay in their homes and giving the ill a way to interact with society again.

17 Nov 2009

As Senate debate approaches, partisans step up political high jinks

Volleys of rhetoric, attack advertisements and procedural parries are echoing through Congress's health care debate. Here's a look at some of the latest political jabs.

17 Nov 2009

Wisconsin town has highest rate of living wills, lowest cost of care

NPR reports on a town in Wisconsin with the highest rates of living wills in the country.

17 Nov 2009

Liberals push Reid to stand by public option in health bill

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is trying to hold together members of his caucus to vote for a government-run public option for health insurance that would allow states to opt-out of the plan — a plan that is getting an icy reception, even among Democrats, Bloomberg reports. Reid's "version … probably won't require employers to cover workers and will be funded through a tax on high-end insurance plans, which would put him at odds with House Democrats.

17 Nov 2009

AIDS advocates ask White House to send money south

WLBT: "The White House Office of National AIDS Policy chose Jackson [Mississipppi] to host an HIV/AIDS town hall meeting Monday night. The community discussion allowed Mississippians to give feedback that will be included in a national strategy to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic. ... Many asked for sex and STD education in the schools, more doctors and transportation funding in rural areas and health insurance" (Anderson, 11/17).

17 Nov 2009

First Edition: November 17, 2009

Based on today's headlines, all eyes continue to be focused on the Senate -- where Democratic leaders are still waiting for the revised Congressional Budget Office analysis of their health bill and plotting about when to hold the first procedural vote on the measure.

17 Nov 2009

Entellus Medical completes its Series D financing totaling $30MM

Entellus Medical, the Minnesota-based developer of novel, less invasive treatments for chronic conditions of sinusitis, has completed its Series D financing totaling $30MM. The Series D round was led by new investor Essex Woodlands Health Ventures and supported by existing investors Split Rock Partners and SV Life Sciences.

17 Nov 2009

United Regional Health Care System selects INX to deliver unified communications and wireless solution

INX, Inc., announced today that it has begun deployment of a unified communications and wireless solution for United Regional Health Care System in North Texas.

17 Nov 2009

First phase of new electronic health record system launched at Trinity Center

NYU Langone Medical Center launched the first phase of its new electronic health record system last week at their multi-disciplinary faculty group practice at Trinity Center in lower Manhattan. The integrated system, powered by software from Epic Systems Corporation, provides a single platform from which physicians, staff and patients themselves can access and manage medical information.

17 Nov 2009

Statistical analysis for measuring the quality of life related to health

The Biostatistics research team at the Department of Applied Mathematics, Statistics and Operational Research of the University of the Basque Country is working on applied statistics based on health sciences and experimental sciences under the leadership of Ms Inma Arostegui.

17 Nov 2009