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New research offers significant insights into the long-term impact of a major disaster on routine surgical services

New research published in the September issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons offers important insights into the long-term impact of a major disaster on routine surgical services in a hospital. In the study, researchers at Ochsner Health System, New Orleans, LA, showed that although Hurricane Katrina resulted in a significant loss of surgical staff and an increase in the number of uninsured patients undergoing operations, greater cost efficiencies were achieved.

25 Sep 2009

No medical errors in the month of July as widely believed: Study

New research published in the September issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons challenges the widely held belief that more medical errors occur in teaching hospitals during the month of July due to the influx of new graduates from medical and nursing schools - also known as the "July Phenomenon." The study shows no differences in in-hospital mortality rates, number of days in the intensive care unit (ICU) or on ventilator support, or minutes spent undergoing resuscitation for trauma patients in July compared with results for other months of the year.

25 Sep 2009

State round-up: Warnings, coverage and violations in health care

Modern Healthcare: "States would have up to one year to repay the federal government a share of the money they recoup from fraudulent or improper Medicaid payments, under an amendment approved by the Senate Finance Committee. Under current law, once state inspectors identify fraudulent practices, they have 60 days to return a portion of the federal dollars back to the government. Under the new amendment, states would instead have a full year to make those payments while expanding the role of recovery audit contractors" (DoBias, 9/24).

25 Sep 2009

Recipients of the Lundbeck Neonatal Nursing Career Path Scholarship announced

The National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN) is proud to announce the recipients of the Lundbeck Neonatal Nursing Career Path Scholarship. The program, made possible through a grant from Lundbeck Inc. (formerly Ovation Pharmaceuticals), supports clinical neonatal nurses who seek to advance their education and become neonatal nurse practitioners.

25 Sep 2009

Hamilton Health Sciences contravening the collective agreement: Registered nurses of ONA

Thirty-seven registered nurses, members of the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) will attend an arbitration hearing in Hamilton tomorrow that will decide whether Hamilton Health Sciences will be allowed to continue to arbitrarily reassign nurses to other vacant positions within the hospital.

25 Sep 2009

Entertainment Arts Research to acquire Explain My Surgery

Entertainment Arts Research, Inc. (EARI) today announced that they have issued a letter of intent to acquire Explain My Surgery, Inc. (EMS) and have the company become a wholly-owned subsidiary of EARI.

25 Sep 2009

Phase III PLATO study proves that ticagrelor is more effective than clopidogrel

New data from the phase III PLATO study showed that ticagrelor (BRILINTA((TM))) provided greater reduction of cardiovascular (CV) events (composite of CV death, heart attack and stroke) than clopidogrel (9.02% vs. 10.65%,>

25 Sep 2009

Baylor Health Care receives $20 million donation from Sammons Enterprises

Today the Baylor Health Care System Foundation announced gifts exceeding $20 million for what will be North Texas' largest outpatient cancer center and first dedicated hospital focusing on cancer patients.

25 Sep 2009

Vermont Information Technology Leaders to collaborate with Allscripts

Vermont Information Technology Leaders, Inc., the non-profit organization facilitating the expanded use of health information technology in Vermont, and Allscripts, the leading U.S. health information technology provider with a major facility located in South Burlington, Vermont, today announced their intention to enter into a strategic alliance.

25 Sep 2009

Survey reveals that cardiologists are seeing more patients than ever before

The healthcare crisis that has affected millions of Americans has hit the nation's cardiologists as well, according to a new survey: they are seeing more patients than ever and performing more tests on those patients. But they are being reimbursed less for those services by Medicare and insurance firms, in what one cardiologist called "a revenue roller coaster of uncertainty," even as their costs continue to increase steadily.

25 Sep 2009

Researchers to use Intravenous Immune Globulin for slowing AD progression

Researchers from the Memory and Cognition Center at University Hospitals Case Medical Center will begin testing an intriguing new approach to slowing down the progression of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) using Intravenous Immune Globulin (IGIV), also known as gammaglobulin.

25 Sep 2009

Research to develop small-molecule drug that blocks excess iron absorption

Excess iron in the body, if left unchecked, can form toxic deposits in major organs leading to serious conditions including heart failure, diabetes, liver cirrhosis, arthritis, and even infertility. Iron overload can be a consequence of a genetically mutated gene known as hereditary hemochromatosis, or a consequence of red blood cell transfusions, required as life saving treatments, for patients with diseases such as thalassemia.

25 Sep 2009

NIH to award $348 million for investigators to speed the translation of research into improved health

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced today that it is awarding $348 million to encourage investigators to explore bold ideas that have the potential to catapult fields forward and speed the translation of research into improved health.

25 Sep 2009

Researchers study about abnormal gene functioning in mitochondria

Researchers are delving into abnormal gene function in mitochondria, structures within cells that power our lives. Mitochondria are the place where energy is generated from the most basic molecules of food. Because this function is essential to life, defects in mitochondria may affect a wide range of organ systems in humans and animals.

25 Sep 2009

Profile of Grady Memorial Hospital highlights the difficulties faced by safety net facilities

The New York Times: Illegal immigrants say an effort to close the dialysis center at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta could synch their only source of care. The closure may foreshadow broader problems "safety-net" hospitals could face under the health care overhaul.

25 Sep 2009

Registered Nurses of CNA/NNOC requests meeting with HCA regarding its policy on use of surgical masks

In response to a new policy imposed by the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) mandating flu shots for all employees and requiring masks, the Registered Nurses of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC) have requested a meeting with hospital executives on behalf of the chain's 50,000 RNs over this life-and-death issue.

25 Sep 2009

$10 million grant to Weill Cornell Institute from NIMH to study geriatric depression

The Weill Cornell Institute of Geriatric Psychiatry at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division announced today it has received the largest grant in its 20-year history. One of a handful awarded nationally, the new $10 million, five-year "Center Grant" from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) will enable NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell investigators to advance their pioneering work in understanding the biological, medical, cognitive and psychosocial problems of depressed seniors.

25 Sep 2009

The Adiana permanent contraception system supported by UK's NICE

Hologic, Inc., a leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of premium diagnostics, medical imaging systems and surgical products dedicated to serving the healthcare needs of women, today announced the United Kingdom's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), in its updated guidance for hysteroscopic sterilization, supports the use of Hologic's Adiana((R)) permanent contraception system.

25 Sep 2009

Results from COGENT clinical trial presented at TCT symposium

Results from a late breaking clinical trial called COGENT demonstrate that the combination of giving patients clopidogrel, a blood thinner commonly prescribed to patients with cardiovascular disease, and stomach medicines such as omeprazole, known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), did not lead to adverse events, as some prior studies had suggested.

25 Sep 2009

Researchers develop a process to tag cancer cells

Scientists label cells with coloured or glowing chemicals to observe how basic cellular activities differ between healthy and cancerous cells. Existing techniques for labelling cells are either too slow or too toxic to perform on live cells. Now, a study reviewed by Philip Dawson, a member of Faculty of 1000 Biology and leading authority in chemistry and cell biology, describes a novel labelling technique that uses a chemical reaction to make live cancer cells light up quickly and safely.

25 Sep 2009