Wheelchairs News and Research

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First Edition: December 10, 2010

In today's health policy headlines, reports about the Obama administration lawyer charged with defending the health law as well as the latest action in this lame duck Congress.

10 Dec 2010

Knee replacement operations cause bacterial infection in the joint

Last year 12 700 knee replacement operations were carried out in Sweden. Most such operations go well, but some patients are affected by bacterial infection in the joint and have to be re-operated. This is a complicated procedure that does not always produce successful results, as shown in a thesis by Anna Stefánsdóttir from Lund University in Sweden.

7 Dec 2010

New, HIV-like retroviruses linked to CFS, prostate cancer detected in healthy blood donors

In an unprecedented move, chronic fatigue syndrome patients published a half-page ad in The Washington Post today. The ad brings attention to new, HIV-like retroviruses, including XMRV, which have been linked to CFS and aggressive prostate cancer, and have been detected in healthy blood donors.

6 Dec 2010

Elimination of first month purchase option for power wheelchairs will hurt Medicare beneficiaries in rural areas

For 12 years, Gerald Sloan, owner of Progressive Medical Equipment, LLC, has provided home medical equipment to Medicare patients from his retail outlets near Kansas City and St. Louis, and he is also vice president of the Midwest Association for Medical Equipment Services (MAMES). Today, Sloan is concerned that the elimination of the first month purchase option for Medicare beneficiaries requiring power wheelchairs will prevent patients in rural areas from receiving the mobility assistance that has been prescribed by their physicians.

4 Dec 2010

Toshiba showcases Kalare DR system with new lightweight DR panel detector at RSNA 2010

Maximizing medical imaging resources and improving patient throughput is critical to success for healthcare facilities today. To improve workflow in X-ray imaging, Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. is showcasing the Kalare™ DR system with a new lightweight DR panel and new rotating bucky tray at this year's Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) annual meeting in Chicago, Nov. 28 - Dec. 3, 2010 (Booth #3435, South Hall).

2 Dec 2010

Medicare often overpays for wheelchairs, durable medical equipment

(Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) Sun-Sentinel: Medicare continues to pay high prices - often three times the cost on the private market - for power wheelchairs and other high-cost equipment. "As for the prices, the government is well aware that Medicare often pays too much. The Medicare reimbursement rate for wheelchairs ranges from $490 to $1,750 for the 13-month rental period, depending on the type of chair.

1 Dec 2010

New computer method measures mechanical stress in fat cells

From fad diets to exercise programs, Americans continue to fight the battle of the bulge. Now they'll have help from recent Tel Aviv University research that has developed a new method to look at how fat cells which produce the fat in our bodies respond to mechanical loads.

23 Nov 2010

First Edition: November 22, 2010

Today's headlines offer a range of health policy stories, including more reports on deficit reduction issues, the continuing politics swirling around the health law repeal effort and employers' soaring health care costs.

22 Nov 2010

Toshiba launches RADREX-i Standard digital radiographic system

Obtaining advanced diagnostic imaging equipment to improve workflow and provide highly accurate diagnoses in a cost-effective manner is a requirement for healthcare facilities today. To meet this challenge in X-ray imaging, Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. introduces the RADREX™-i Standard, a digital radiographic (DR) system to provide technologists with a straightforward, easy-to-use system.

16 Nov 2010

First leg transplant: Spain looking for donors

The Health Minister of Spain Leire Pajin revealed that doctors there are looking for a suitable match from a dead donor to carry out the world’s first leg transplant. The announcement was made at an international conference on organ transplants in Madrid.

16 Nov 2010

RadarFind to provide real-time locating distributed sensor network to VHA's 1,400 member hospitals

VHA Inc., the national network, has selected RadarFind, a TeleTracking company, to provide its real-time locating distributed sensor network to VHA's 1,400 member hospitals to track equipment, patients and staff for improved operational efficiency and patient care.

10 Nov 2010

Changes in Medicare policies may hamper supply of power wheelchairs

Will power wheelchairs continue to be available to Nevada's Medicare patients following a series of federal regulatory and policy changes?

9 Nov 2010

FDA announces reclassification for Full Field Digital Mammography Systems

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that it is easing the pathway to market for mammography systems that produce computerized X-ray images of the entire breast.

8 Nov 2010

Medicare announces contracts for competitive bidding on equipment while docs worry about payment cuts

News outlets offer a variety of stories about Medicare, including details of a new bidding process for medical equipment and the scheduled cut in physician reimbursement.

8 Nov 2010

New findings could help scientists devise optimal therapies for Friedreich's ataxia

Scripps Research Institute scientists have taken a step closer to understanding the cause of Friedreich's ataxia, a debilitating neurological condition that affects tens of thousands of people worldwide, and so far has no cure.

8 Nov 2010

Medicare growing fiscally unsustainable yet remains politically untouchable

Medicare, an indispensable safety net, is fiscally unsustainable in the long term, yet it may be politically untouchable, The Center for Public Integrity reports in the first of a multipart series.

27 Oct 2010

Eye-gaze technology opens world of communication for Rett Syndrome children

Special eye-gaze technology now being used in the Department of Neurology at The Children's Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) is revealing the hidden, inner world of children who have Rett Syndrome, a rare and severe autism spectrum disorder that primarily affects little girls. It is a neurological disease in which mobility and autonomic functions are severely impaired, seizures and orthopedic problems are common, and the children lose functional hand use and the ability to speak.

26 Oct 2010

6th Decade of the Mind Conference to be held in Singapore

A total of 15 world renowned cognitive scientists have been invited to share recent advances in their respective fields at the 6th Decade of the Mind Conference to be held at Fusionopolis from 18 - 20 October 2010. Jointly organised by A*STAR's Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC), MINDEF's Defence Research & Technology Office (DRTech) and NUS's Temasek Laboratories, it is the first such conference in Asia to promote awareness of Cognitive Science research done in Asia and from around the world.

19 Oct 2010

Childhood obesity impacts musculoskeletal system

An epidemic of childhood obesity can have a devastating impact on a child's musculoskeletal system, the U.S. Bone and Joint Decade says. Extra weight stresses growing bones, causing pain and interfering with normal growth and development.

15 Oct 2010

New program will cut payment for durable medical equipment in Medicare test program

In California, beginning Jan. 1, "a new Medicare program will slash by 30 percent the prices it will pay for certain wheelchairs, oxygen concentrators and other medical devices in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, lowering costs for both local Medicare recipients and the American taxpayer," Redland Daily Facts reports.

15 Oct 2010

Wheelchairs News and Research

First Edition: December 10, 2010

Knee replacement operations cause bacterial infection in the joint

New, HIV-like retroviruses linked to CFS, prostate cancer detected in healthy blood donors

Elimination of first month purchase option for power wheelchairs will hurt Medicare beneficiaries in rural areas

Toshiba showcases Kalare DR system with new lightweight DR panel detector at RSNA 2010

Medicare often overpays for wheelchairs, durable medical equipment

New computer method measures mechanical stress in fat cells

First Edition: November 22, 2010

Toshiba launches RADREX-i Standard digital radiographic system

First leg transplant: Spain looking for donors

RadarFind to provide real-time locating distributed sensor network to VHA's 1,400 member hospitals

Changes in Medicare policies may hamper supply of power wheelchairs

FDA announces reclassification for Full Field Digital Mammography Systems

Medicare announces contracts for competitive bidding on equipment while docs worry about payment cuts

New findings could help scientists devise optimal therapies for Friedreich's ataxia

Medicare growing fiscally unsustainable yet remains politically untouchable

Eye-gaze technology opens world of communication for Rett Syndrome children

6th Decade of the Mind Conference to be held in Singapore

Childhood obesity impacts musculoskeletal system

New program will cut payment for durable medical equipment in Medicare test program

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