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Football, cheerleading-related head and neck injury prevention tips from AANS

With kids going back to school soon and football practice already underway in many communities, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) is issuing an injury prevention message about football and cheerleading. "We decided to focus on this topic for Neurosurgery Outreach Month because there needs to be greater awareness about the potentially devastating consequences of head and spinal cord injuries associated with these sports," said Gail L. Rosseau, a Chicago-area neurosurgeon and AANS spokesperson.

31 Jul 2010

Study uses text messages to increase medication compliance in adolescent diabetes patients

Jennifer Dyer, MD, MPH, an endocrinologist at Nationwide Children's Hospital, has developed and completed a pilot study that uses weekly, customized text messages to remind adolescent diabetes patients about their personal treatment activities. At the conclusion of the study, Dr. Dyer found an increase in overall treatment adherence and improved blood glucose levels.

31 Jul 2010

Union Dental adds new surgeon for Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery

Union Dental Holdings, Inc, a provider of multi-state dental services for union members, is pleased to announce the addition of Stuart Hirsch D.M.D., as an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon to its staff. Dr. Hirsch is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and did continuing work as Chief Resident, Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery, at St. Luke's Hospital in New York.

31 Jul 2010

Feeding Our Future program serves 12,400 summer lunches to Denver children at risk of hunger

Leveraging a $20,000 "Feeding Our Future" grant from the Sodexo Foundation, St. Anthony Central Hospital, along with volunteers from Sodexo and the Food Bank of the Rockies, serves 12,400 summer lunches to Denver children at risk of hunger. Sodexo's Feeding Our Future program provides school children who rely on free and reduced-price meals during the academic year with nutritious lunches during the summer break.

31 Jul 2010

VBDS secondary to nevirapine use in HIV-positive, pregnant female: Report

Vanishing bile duct syndrome refers to a group of disorders characterized by destruction and disappearance of intrahepatic (inside the liver) bile ducts. Multiple causes have been identified including infections, malignancies, autoimmune conditions and adverse effects of medications. The usual course of this condition is variable and many patients with VBDS respond to treatment of the underlying condition and/ or removal of the offending agent. However, others progress to cirrhosis and end stage liver disease requiring liver transplantation.

31 Jul 2010

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center ranked in 100 "Best Places to Work in IT"

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has been selected as one of the top work environments for technology specialists in the United States by Computerworld, a leading national publication devoted to information technology. The award recognizes dynamic work environments in which IT professionals support new technologies and contribute to projects that are critical to the business goals of an organization.

31 Jul 2010

Innovative health care effort in Chicago reports successes and disappointments

"An initiative designed to transform health care on Chicago's South Side ... has linked 5,600 people to a 'medical home' since 2005, University of Chicago executives said Thursday," The Chicago Tribune reported.

31 Jul 2010

Oral contraceptives, HRT may protect women against formation, rupture of brain aneurysms: Study

Results from a new study suggest that oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy may yield additional benefit of protecting against the formation and rupture of brain aneurysms in women. The findings from this first-of-its-kind study by a neurointerventional expert from Rush University Medical Center were presented at the Society of Neurointerventional Surgery 7th annual meeting.

31 Jul 2010

Poll: Many Americans not sure of provisions of new healthcare legislation

Not sure what's in—and not in—the new healthcare legislation signed into law by President Barack Obama in March? You're not alone. More than 2,100 adults were given a list of 18 reform items and asked to identify what's included and what's not included in the law. Only four items were correctly identified by the majority of those polled.

31 Jul 2010

Mental-health treatment could reduce pain in osteoarthritis patients: Study

How much pain osteoarthritis sufferers feel is directly related to their mental health, a new study by researchers at UC Davis School of Medicine has found. In the study, people with better mental health felt less pain, and people with worse mental health felt more.

31 Jul 2010

Nashville hospitals cut costs to keep up revenues, despite fewer patients

"Over the past year and a half, keeping costs in check has helped the large hospital chains based in the Nashville area to increase quarterly earnings, even when seeing fewer patients come through their doors," The Tennessean reports. "The recent second quarter was no different. Cost controls fueled an 18 percent increase in net income at Franklin-based Community Health Systems, despite a decline in the number of patients. HCA Inc. saw fewer inpatient visits, and higher interest expense kept its pre-tax profits flat.

31 Jul 2010

HealthSouth plans new rehabilitation hospital in northwest Houston

HealthSouth Corporation today announced plans to begin construction of a new 40-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital in the Cypress area of northwest Houston in the fourth quarter. In connection with such plans, HealthSouth has signed a contract to purchase a 6-acre tract of land from an affiliate of Caldwell Companies, based in Houston. The land is located on the northeast corner of Highway 290 and FM 1960 in Houston.

31 Jul 2010

Water Street Healthcare Partners acquires Medical Specialties Distributors

Water Street Healthcare Partners, a leading private equity firm focused exclusively on health care, announced today that it has acquired Medical Specialties Distributors, LLC (MSD). Headquartered in Stoughton, Massachusetts, MSD is the nation's leading provider of infusion products, supplies, biomedical services and technology solutions to the growing home infusion therapy market. The acquisition expands Water Street's current group of health care companies to 12.

From Baxter International Inc. 31 Jul 2010

Lundbeck voluntarily recalls two lots of NeoProfen Injection

Lundbeck Inc. has voluntarily recalled two lots of NeoProfen® (ibuprofen lysine) Injection that failed to meet a visible particulate quality requirement. These two lots are the only lots currently available to prescribers and therefore the recall will result in a temporary drug shortage. This voluntary recall is the result of the company's inspections of the two product lots of NeoProfen.

31 Jul 2010

Research Roundup:COBRA subsidies; Children's insurance and dental coverage; Adopting health IT; Race and heart treatments

Archives of Internal Medicine: Racial Differences In Admissions To High-Quality Hospitals For Coronary Heart Disease - "Racial disparities in the management of coronary heart disease (CHD) are widely documented, yet the reasons behind persistent gaps in quality of care are not fully understood," write the authors, who examined "Medicare patients with acute myocardial infarction and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) admitted during 2002 through 2005 to hospitals located in markets with top-ranked cardiac hospitals, as ascertained from the US News and World Report 'America's Best Hospitals' annual rankings."

31 Jul 2010

Today's OpEds: Medicare at 45; The politics of entitlement spending; Deciding health care's value

Forty-five years ago today, the creation of Medicare transformed our health-care system and our nation. It helped to make us a stronger and more prosperous country by freeing older Americans from the fear that sickness or injury would cost them their lifetime savings and security. ... The reason we have the Medicare we have today is that over the last 45 years, we have repeatedly acted to strengthen and update it for changing times (Kathleen Sebelius, 7/29).

31 Jul 2010

Ten steps to successful breastfeeding from WHO and UNICEF

During World Breastfeeding Week, celebrated from 1 to 7 August in more than 170 countries, WHO reiterates its call on health facilities and health workers to implement ten steps to help mothers breastfeed successfully and improve their babies' health and chances of survival.

30 Jul 2010

THL signs definitive merger agreement to acquire Intermedix from Parthenon

Intermedix Corporation, a leading provider of revenue cycle management and software solutions to the emergency healthcare industry, announced today that Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. has signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire the Company from Parthenon Capital Partners and its minority shareholders.

30 Jul 2010

Paperwork for reimbursement prevents PCTs access to high-cost cancer drugs

The amount of paperwork that primary care trusts (PCTs) have to fill out in order to be reimbursed for cancer drugs is so great that they may be missing out on millions of pounds, a report suggests.

30 Jul 2010

Higher case volume associated with better outcomes of cardiac surgery: Study

A new analysis led by researchers at UCSF shows that avoiding lowest-volume hospitals and maximizing adherence to quality care processes are both effective approaches to reducing costs associated with coronary bypass surgery.

30 Jul 2010