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Asthma coaching can reduce hospitalizations in some children

Working with an asthma coach helps to significantly reduce hospitalizations of low-income, African-American children with asthma, results of a new, two-year study show.

5 May 2009

Children's characteristics may determine response to inhaled corticosteroid therapy for asthma

In a study published online in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and five other sites nationwide found that children who showed the most improvement in days without wheezing using an inhaled corticosteroid drug were caucasian boys who had allergies and had a hospitalization or emergency department visit for asthma symptoms in the year prior to the trial.

5 May 2009

United Auto Workers planning to sell Chrysler stock obtained from bankruptcy deal to fund VEBA

United Auto Workers will sell its 55% stake in the reorganized Chrysler as soon as possible to fund a trust that will cover retirees' health care costs, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said Monday, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports.

5 May 2009

High health care costs affecting insured U.S. residents

Across the country, 64 million people younger than age 65 are part of families spending more than 10% of their pretax income on health care, according to a Families USA study, the Boston Globe reports.

5 May 2009

Medicare will not pay for genetic tests to determine best Warfarin dosage, according to proposed decision

CMS will not provide Medicare coverage for a genetic test that physicians can use to determine the proper dosage of the blood thinner drug warfarin, the New York Times reports.

5 May 2009

Sen. Schumer proposes holding public health insurance option to same standards, rules as private insurers

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Monday proposed that any public health insurance option developed as part of comprehensive health care reform legislation be subject to the same rules and standards as private insurance, the New York Times reports.

5 May 2009

Eliminating Rhode Island's HIV test signature requirement would boost prevention, treatment efforts

Rhode Island's legislature currently is considering a bill (H.B. 5415) that would eliminate a requirement that a person sign his or her name before undergoing an HIV test, which "would essentially make getting an HIV test more like getting any other medical test," Brian Alverson, assistant pediatrics professor at Brown University's Alpert Medical School and head of the Section of Pediatric Hospitalists at Hasbro Children's Hospital, writes in a Providence Journal opinion piece.

5 May 2009

CT scans increase cancer risk estimates in multiply-imaged emergency department patients

Physicians should review a patient's CT imaging history and cumulative radiation dose when considering whether to perform another CT exam, according to researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO.

5 May 2009

Researchers examine factors that contribute to children missing immunization visits

According to a new study led by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, there are several factors that contribute to children missing immunization visits.

5 May 2009

Study shows beneficial effects statins may have on gastrointestinal disorders

The commonly used prescription statin drugs may have a protective effect in the prevention of liver cancer and lead to a reduction in the need for gallbladder removals, according to two studies published in Gastroenterology.

5 May 2009

Arrythmia associated with heart attacks linked to higher risk of death

Heart attack patients who develop serious arrhythmia in connection with procedures to open blocked arteries face a significantly higher risk of death for several months after the procedure, when compared to similar patients who do not develop such complications, according to new research from Duke University Medical Center.

5 May 2009

Even mildly premature infants have increased risk of medically attended respiratory syncytial virus infection

Even mildly premature infants (gestational ages of 33 weeks through 36 weeks) have an increased risk of medically attended respiratory syncytial virus infection, which is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract infection in infants and young children and can lead to pneumonia in babies, according to a Kaiser Permanente Division of Research study.

5 May 2009

Research highlights importance of socializing over food

Sharing a meal in good company can stimulate the appetite - particularly among hospitalized seniors - according to a new University of Montreal study published in The Gerontologist.

5 May 2009

New DEAR1 gene predicts local recurrence in early-onset breast cancer

A newly discovered gene known as DEAR1 is mutated in breast cancer and is an independent predictor of local recurrence-free survival in early-onset breast cancer, a research team headed by scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports in the journal PLoS Medicine.

5 May 2009

Unique electronic strategy alerts physicians to latest clinical information on H1N1 flu

History was made at 2:30 p.m. (EDT) on Wednesday, April 29, when more than 3,000 physicians in Indianapolis were sent a broadcast alert on swine flu (H1N1 virus) from the Marion County Health Department. The message was of critical importance to patient care; history was made in the way it was transmitted and received.

5 May 2009

CMS announces series of proposed regulations, including payment cuts

CMS last week announced a series of proposed regulations, including a proposal to reduce Medicare payments for inpatient hospital care by 0.5% in fiscal year 2010, CQ HealthBeat reports. The agency said the proposed cut primarily is the result of adjustments for excessive payments to hospitals in past years.

5 May 2009

Utah hospitals significantly affected by Medicaid reimbursement cuts

Hospital officials in Utah say that recent cuts to Medicaid reimbursement rates were much steeper than anticipated and that they might be forced to offset costs by increasing fees on insured patients or scaling back on charity care, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. Hospitals are facing a nearly 25% cut in Medicaid reimbursement beginning July 1.

5 May 2009

Few hospitals have adopted a no-cost electronic health records system offered by VA

Few U.S. hospitals have taken advantage of a no-cost, open-source electronic health records system developed by the Veterans Health Administration, the Boston Globe reports (Wangsness, Boston Globe, 5/4).

5 May 2009

CMS announces series of proposed regulations, including payment cuts

5 May 2009

Some HIV-positive people in Wales denied treatment for common conditions, physician says

Some HIV-positive people in Wales are being denied medical treatment for common illnesses, Olwen Williams, a physician specializing in sexually transmitted infections, said recently, BBC News reports. Williams noted that primary care physicians often refer HIV-positive people to hospitals or HIV specialists for common conditions, such as colds.

5 May 2009

Hospital News and Research

Asthma coaching can reduce hospitalizations in some children

Children's characteristics may determine response to inhaled corticosteroid therapy for asthma

United Auto Workers planning to sell Chrysler stock obtained from bankruptcy deal to fund VEBA

High health care costs affecting insured U.S. residents

Medicare will not pay for genetic tests to determine best Warfarin dosage, according to proposed decision

Sen. Schumer proposes holding public health insurance option to same standards, rules as private insurers

Eliminating Rhode Island's HIV test signature requirement would boost prevention, treatment efforts

CT scans increase cancer risk estimates in multiply-imaged emergency department patients

Researchers examine factors that contribute to children missing immunization visits

Study shows beneficial effects statins may have on gastrointestinal disorders

Arrythmia associated with heart attacks linked to higher risk of death

Even mildly premature infants have increased risk of medically attended respiratory syncytial virus infection

Research highlights importance of socializing over food

New DEAR1 gene predicts local recurrence in early-onset breast cancer

Unique electronic strategy alerts physicians to latest clinical information on H1N1 flu

CMS announces series of proposed regulations, including payment cuts

Utah hospitals significantly affected by Medicaid reimbursement cuts

Few hospitals have adopted a no-cost electronic health records system offered by VA

CMS announces series of proposed regulations, including payment cuts

Some HIV-positive people in Wales denied treatment for common conditions, physician says

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