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Most psychiatrists who wrote clinical guidelines had financial ties to drug companies, study shows

Most of the psychiatrists on the American Psychiatric Association panels who wrote the newest clinical guidelines for how to treat depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia had financial ties to drug companies, according to a study by Boston researchers scheduled to be published this month in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, the Boston Globe reports.

5 Apr 2009

Massachusetts spent $793.7 million in FY 2008 on health coverage for employees of large businesses, report finds

The cost of providing subsidized health coverage to Massachusetts residents and their families who work for large companies increased by 24.6% to $793.7 million in the last fiscal year, according to a state Division of Health Care Finance and Policy report released on Wednesday, the Boston Globe reports.

5 Apr 2009

About 500,000 Californians have lost health insurance during recession

About 500,000 working-age Californians have lost their health insurance since the economic recession began in November 2007, according to a report the University of California-Berkeley's Center for Labor Research and Education released Wednesday, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

5 Apr 2009

Critics say Louisiana proposal to penalize doctors not meeting standards provides wrong type of incentive

A Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals proposal to implement performance standards for physicians who care for low-income residents has come under criticism from child care advocates who say the program will lead doctors to stop participating in the state's CommunityCARE program, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports.

5 Apr 2009

Seattle not-for-profits awaiting stimulus funds to continue providing health care, other services to ethnic communities

Many Seattle not-for-profits that provide health care and other services to ethnic communities "are eagerly awaiting" the distribution of funds from the economic stimulus package, the Northwest Asian Weekly reports (Nguyen, Northwest Asian Weekly, 4/2).

5 Apr 2009

Texas needle-exchange bill deserves 'fair hearing' in State House, editorial says

The Texas Legislature should give a bill (S.B. 188) to establish a needle-exchange program a "fair hearing so that Texas can join the other 49 states in allowing the creation of programs that save lives and save taxpayer money," a San Antonio Express-News editorial says.

5 Apr 2009

U.S.-funded HIV/AIDS, malaria initiatives represent 'new approach' to foreign aid, opinion piece says

In her book "Dead Aid," author Dambisa Moyo comes to "disastrously wrongheaded conclusions" regarding U.S. foreign aid, columnist Michael Gerson writes in a Washington Post opinion piece.

5 Apr 2009

New York Times examines use of message placement on TV programs

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is "set to expand its involvement" with the entertainment industry and "spend more money on influencing popular culture" through a new deal with Viacom, the parent company to television networks that include MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon and BET, the New York Times reports.

5 Apr 2009

Canadian Senator proposes process to expedite export of low-cost drugs for HIV, other diseases

Canadian Sen. Yoine Goldstein earlier this week proposed a bill that would reform Canada's Access to Medicines Regime by expediting the process of exporting generic drugs for diseases such as HIV to developing countries, the Ottawa Citizen reports.

5 Apr 2009

UNITAID reaches deal with travel agencies to raise donations for HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria

UNITAID on Wednesday announced that it has reached an agreement with three travel reservation systems that will allow users to make voluntary $2 donations to HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria efforts, AFP/Google.com reports.

5 Apr 2009

Getting the word out when the need for speed is critical to public health

When the need for speed is critical, how can a public health department communicate with doctors and hospitals, sending alerts to help prevent or stop a public health crisis? How can thousands of health-care providers be notified about disease outbreaks, illness from food borne contaminants or even a possible pandemic?

4 Apr 2009

Colonoscopy versus virtual colonoscopy

Today, patients have a wide selection of colorectal cancer screening exams from which to choose, unlike with other types of cancers.

2 Apr 2009

Asthma in Australia

Woolcock Institute of Medical Research has released 9 key messages about asthma in Australia.

2 Apr 2009

Women's health increasingly undervalued in conflicts over reproductive rights

Beth Burkstrand-Reid says a review of recent reproductive rights cases shows that judges may shortchange women's health when it is pitted against other legal interests, such as religious freedom, potentially leading to rulings that could put health at risk.

1 Apr 2009

One out of five Medicare patients readmitted to hospital within a month

When a patient is discharged from the hospital, just about the last thing he or she wants is to be back in again within the next month.

1 Apr 2009

Research looks at the elimination of hepatitis B and C

Two new studies in the April issue of Hepatology explore the ways that hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) can be cleared from patients' bodies.

1 Apr 2009

Financial crisis strikes at health in all parts of the world

WHO last issued a public statement on the financial crisis in the days prior to the Washington meeting of the G20.

1 Apr 2009

FDA approves generic Topamax tablets (topiramate)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first generic versions of Topamax tablets (topiramate) to prevent seizures.

1 Apr 2009

One of five hospitalized Medicare patients readmitted to hospital within 30 days

One of five Medicare beneficiaries discharged from the hospital is readmitted within 30 days, and half of non-surgical patients are readmitted to the hospital without having seen an outpatient doctor in follow-up, according to a Commonwealth Fund-supported study in today's New England Journal of Medicine.

1 Apr 2009

Medical leaders call for curbs on conflicts of interest

Calling professional medical associations' (PMAs) dependence on funding from pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers a threat to quality patient care and professional integrity, a group of influential medical leaders today urged these organizations to reduce and eventually eliminate industry contributions.

1 Apr 2009

Health Care News and Research

Most psychiatrists who wrote clinical guidelines had financial ties to drug companies, study shows

Massachusetts spent $793.7 million in FY 2008 on health coverage for employees of large businesses, report finds

About 500,000 Californians have lost health insurance during recession

Critics say Louisiana proposal to penalize doctors not meeting standards provides wrong type of incentive

Seattle not-for-profits awaiting stimulus funds to continue providing health care, other services to ethnic communities

Texas needle-exchange bill deserves 'fair hearing' in State House, editorial says

U.S.-funded HIV/AIDS, malaria initiatives represent 'new approach' to foreign aid, opinion piece says

New York Times examines use of message placement on TV programs

Canadian Senator proposes process to expedite export of low-cost drugs for HIV, other diseases

UNITAID reaches deal with travel agencies to raise donations for HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria

Getting the word out when the need for speed is critical to public health

Colonoscopy versus virtual colonoscopy

Asthma in Australia

Women's health increasingly undervalued in conflicts over reproductive rights

One out of five Medicare patients readmitted to hospital within a month

Research looks at the elimination of hepatitis B and C

Financial crisis strikes at health in all parts of the world

FDA approves generic Topamax tablets (topiramate)

One of five hospitalized Medicare patients readmitted to hospital within 30 days

Medical leaders call for curbs on conflicts of interest

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

How microplastics and bacteria interact to drive antibiotic resistance

Single-cell proteomics: Revealing proteome diversity from cellular heterogeneity to non-canonical biology

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