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White House struggles to save health law

The Associated Press reports the president needs breakthroughs on three fronts: the cancellations and technology messes and the crisis in confidence among his own supporters. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reports the White House is probing how the rollout flopped despite what they had believed was sufficient planning.

19 Nov 2013

First Edition: November 18, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about the political implications of the healthcare.gov difficulties as well continued coverage of reaction to President Barack Obama's policy cancellation fix.

18 Nov 2013

Scientists identify genetic signature of respiratory syncytial virus

Scientists have identified the genetic signature of respiratory syncytial virus, the leading cause of infant hospitalizations around the world. The work is a key step toward a better understanding of the immune response to RSV, which will aid the development of a vaccine and a tool that could allow physicians to determine the severity of the infection when symptoms first develop. The study, from a team at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, was published this week in PLOS Medicine.

15 Nov 2013

System-wide improvements could yield dramatic gains in physician capacity, reduce burnout

Producing more healthcare providers is often touted as the principle solution to the looming shortage in the primary care workforce. A quicker and less costly approach to offset primary care physician shortages can occur with the workforce already in place, through efforts to reduce the widespread waste and inefficiency in the typical physician workday.

13 Nov 2013

Research roundup: Pricing and the SHOP exchange; health use in rural vs. urban areas; the health law and AIDS care

Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.

11 Nov 2013

Traumatic injuries can be more severe for older adults, yet do not get right level of care

Traumatic injuries can be more severe for older adults, yet they often do not get the right level of care, according to a study appearing in the October issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. Instead of going to a trauma center, many elderly patients end up in facilities without specialized expertise in trauma care that can treat all of their injuries.

18 Oct 2013

Simple urine test uses nanotechnology to detect dangerous blood clotting

Life-threatening blood clots can form in anyone who sits on a plane for a long time, is confined to bed while recovering from surgery, or takes certain medications.

17 Oct 2013

Study shows huge cost implications in getting injured patients to appropriate trauma hospitals

During a three-year period in seven metropolitan areas in the western United States, the emergency medical services system sent more than 85,000 injured patients to major trauma hospitals who didn't need to go there - costing the health care system more than $130 million per year, according to an Oregon Health & Science University study published today in the journal Health Affairs.

11 Sep 2013

Biomarker strategy in suspected ACS patients has potential to change clinical practice

An emergency department strategy that uses two biomarkers to triage patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) can increase the rate of early, safe hospital discharge, according to results of the Biomarkers in Cardiology 8 (BIC-8) trial.

5 Sep 2013

New model to predict which patients are most likely to have severe kidney failure from rhabdomyolysis

Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have developed a risk score calculation that can help predict which patients with rhabdomyolysis (a condition that occurs due to muscle damage) may be at risk for the severe complication of kidney failure or death.

3 Sep 2013

DE-MRI before ablation can stage atrial fibrosis and help predict success treatment

In patients with atrial fibrillation, delayed enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (DE-MRI) performed before ablative treatment can stage the degree of damaged heart tissue (atrial fibrosis) and help predict whether treatment will be successful or not, according to results of Delayed Enhancement - MRI determinant of successful Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation (DECAAF) trial.

2 Sep 2013

5LINX offers easy access to affordable healthcare from anywhere

5LINX enhancedcareMD offers easy access to affordable healthcare from anywhere, all day, every day for everyone in your household. This comprehensive, supplemental health care solution provides members with prompt access to registered nurses and medical doctors over the phone.

31 Aug 2013

Electronic communication unlikely to be widely adopted by physician practices

Patients like it and so do health organizations, but electronic communications in clinical care will likely not be widely adopted by primary care physicians unless patient workloads are reduced or they are paid for the time they spend phoning and emailing patients, both during and after office hours.

6 Aug 2013

Pediatric trauma patients with preexisting chronic conditions have higher mortality risk

In a recent study published in the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, researchers from the Center for Injury Research and Policy in The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital found that pediatric trauma patients with preexisting chronic conditions have longer hospital stays, higher hospital charges and an increased mortality risk.

6 Aug 2013

CCTA offers alternative means of improving triage of chest pain patients: Study

A study of two sets of 894 matched Emergency Department patients presenting with chest pain revealed that the use of coronary computed tomographic angiography led to fewer hospital admissions and shorter ED stays. According to lead researcher Michael Poon, MD, of Stony Brook University School of Medicine, the findings provide evidence that CCTA offers an alternative means of improving the triage of chest pain patients.

1 Aug 2013

Semi-quantitative pregnancy tests: an interview with Dr. Paul Blumenthal, Stanford University School of Medicine

Regular pregnancy tests work a little bit like a simple light switch that you have on your wall. It’s either on or off. When it’s on, that means the test is positive; if it’s off, obviously, it’s negative.

12 Jul 2013

Radiologists must become gatekeepers of medical imaging, says Penn Medicine's Saurabh Jha

Big changes are coming to the US health care system—some in response to the mounting scrutiny of medical imaging. New task force recommendations, the Choosing Wisely campaign, and Affordable Care Act policies are all attempting to curtail overtesting—with CT scans, MRIs and any other screening often ordered unnecessarily—that can drive up medical costs, lead to waste and unnecessary radiation, and prompt undue anxiety about false positive results.

6 Jul 2013

Study evaluates implementation of out-of hospital stroke policy in some Chicago hospitals

Implementing an out-of hospital stroke policy in some Chicago hospitals was associated with significant improvements in emergency medical services use and increased intravenous tissue plasminogen activator use at primary stroke centers, according to a study published by JAMA Neurology.

2 Jul 2013

Research roundup: Examining the health of future Medicaid patients; Rural trauma care issues; Lessons from Medicare Part D

Under the federal health law, states have the option of expanding Medicaid coverage to most-low income populations, potentially adding millions of new enrollees. Researchers analyzed 2007-2010 survey data from a study population of more than 1,000 people, and found that, compared to adults already enrolled in state Medicaid programs, low-income uninsured adults who stand to gain from Medicaid expansion "will differ significantly from current Medicaid enrollees," the authors write.

25 Jun 2013

Banyan Biomarkers completes $6 million series A funding for further biomarker research

Banyan Biomarkers, Inc. today announced that it has completed a $6 million series A funding from private investors for further biomarker research and continued development of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) diagnostic test. Currently, the company is enrolling subjects in a 2,000 patient pivotal clinical trial funded by a $26.3 million contract with the United States Department of Defense.

20 Jun 2013