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State roundup: Report urges Mass. city employees to pay more health costs

Officially, Minnesota doesn't pay for an intensive type of autism therapy. Yet it has -- but only for some families. Two years ago, a single mother in the Twin Cities asked the state Medicaid program to pay for an intensive type of autism therapy for her 2-year-old son. She was turned down. State officials said the treatment -- known as Applied Behavior Analysis, or ABA -- is "not now, and never has been,'' a covered service.

6 Apr 2011

Treating obstructive sleep apnea in stroke patients improves recovery from stroke

A new study shows that patients in stroke rehabilitation treated for their co-existing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) recovered better from stroke than those whose OSA was not treated.

6 Apr 2011

Viewpoints: Ryan on his budget plan; Maryland, Wash. state making tough budget choices

The open-ended, blank-check nature of the Medicare subsidy threatens the solvency of this critical program and creates inexcusable levels of waste. This budget takes action where others have ducked. But because government should not force people to reorganize their lives, its reforms will not affect those in or near retirement in any way.

6 Apr 2011

Sleep apnea people may face risk of suffering ischemic stroke

According to research presented at the School of Medicine and the University of Navarra Hospital by Dr. Roberto Muñoz, a physician of the Neurology Service of the Hospital Complex of Navarra, those persons with serious cases of sleep apnea have more than twice the possibility of suffering an ischemic stroke. Specifically, 2.5 times more.

6 Apr 2011

AlwaysCare implements Plexis Healthcare Systems' Quantum Choice claims processing software

AlwaysCare Benefits, Inc., one of the country's fastest-growing insurance providers, announced the successful implementation of Plexis Healthcare Systems' Quantum Choice claims processing software to enhance efficient administration of vision benefits on behalf of its insured Members and dependents and its rapidly growing national network of vision care Providers.

5 Apr 2011

Acamprosate can help treat patients with autism, Fragile X syndrome

In small, early clinical trials, adults and children with autism and Fragile X syndrome have shown improved communication and social behavior when treated with acamprosate, according to Craig Erickson, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry at the Indiana University School of Medicine and chief of the Riley Hospital for Children Christian Sarkine Autism Treatment Center at Indiana University Health.

5 Apr 2011

WCRI finds higher costs per workers' compensation claim in New Jersey

The average cost per workers' compensation claim in New Jersey was 16 percent higher than the median of 16 states analyzed in a study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute.

2 Apr 2011

Viewpoints: The dangers of targeting the AARP; health reform in rural areas; prisoners faring better in Calif. than disabled

In hearings Friday, some of my former congressional colleagues are due to explore the operations of the AARP, the nation's oldest and largest organization representing Americans age 50 and older. Specifically, the hearing is to examine the group's tax status, evaluating it in view of its management structure and funding.

1 Apr 2011

SLF, UCD to offer group dental benefit plans

The U.S. business group of Sun Life Financial Inc. announced today a partnership with United Concordia Dental to offer group dental benefit plans.

1 Apr 2011

ACR releases new guidelines for JA treatment

Several Canadian pediatric rheumatologists and health professionals played a prominent role in developing new guidelines for treating juvenile arthritis.

31 Mar 2011

New clinical practice guidelines developed for juvenile idiopathic arthritis

The American College of Rheumatology has developed new guidelines for starting and monitoring treatments for children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. These are the first JIA guidelines endorsed by the ACR, with the goal of broad acceptance within the rheumatology community.

30 Mar 2011

California's aging LGB more likely to suffer from certain chronic conditions

Members of California's aging lesbian, gay and bisexual population are more likely to suffer from certain chronic conditions, even as they wrestle with the challenges of living alone in far higher numbers than the heterosexual population, according to new policy brief from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

30 Mar 2011

Navy sonar experts develop new medical device for stroke detection

A medical device developed by retired U.S. Navy sonar experts, using submarine technology, is a new paradigm for the detection, diagnosis and monitoring of stroke, says a team of interventional radiologists at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 36th Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago, Ill.

30 Mar 2011

Porter Adventist Hospital inaugurates new clinic to treat TIA

A transient ischemic attack is a form of minor stroke that can last just minutes, often without any lingering symptoms. But if left untreated, those who have one are at an estimated 25 percent greater risk of having another stroke or other complication within 90 days.

30 Mar 2011

Bariatric surgery highly cost-effective treatment for obese type 2 diabetics

Bariatric surgery is an especially cost-effective therapy for managing Type 2 diabetes in moderately and severely obese patients. These findings and others were presented today at the 2nd World Congress on Interventional Therapies for Type 2 Diabetes, hosted by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College.

29 Mar 2011

Study: Marijuana use may affect cognitive skills in patients with MS

Any possible pain relief that marijuana has for people with multiple sclerosis may be outweighed by the drug's apparent negative effect on thinking skills, according to research published in the March 29, 2011, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

29 Mar 2011

Researchers identify new mechanism underlying MS

Multiple sclerosis is a disabling autoimmune disease in which nerve fibers are attacked by the patient's own immune system. Researchers at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich have identified a new mechanism that contributes to nerve fiber damage - and shown that this damage can be reversed.

28 Mar 2011

Mild decompression procedure for lumbar spinal stenosis leads to sustained improvements in pain

Patients treated for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) with the mild decompression procedure (an alternative to open spinal surgery for many patients), reported sustained improvements in pain and mobility at one year and had no serious adverse events occur, according to the first multi-center one-year post-study follow-up of this patient cohort.

25 Mar 2011

POET-COPD study looks at controlling 'lung attacks' which can lead to increased ER visits

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a major cause for hospital stays and emergency room visits across Canada and researchers say minimizing exacerbations or flare-ups of the disease can go a long way to reducing hospitalizations.

25 Mar 2011

Patients with low back pain can benefit from new spinal neuromodulation device

Results from an ongoing prospective study report that a novel spinal neuromodulation device changes the paradigm for patients suffering with low back pain who have not found relief through conventional spinal cord stimulation.

25 Mar 2011