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CQ's Carey addresses health IT legislation, House approval of HSA expansion, Medicare payment cuts, Ryan White CARE Act reauthorization

Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat, discusses House and Senate negotiations on legislation that would expand health care information technology, House approval of a measure to expand health savings accounts, Congress' inaction on scheduled Medicare physician payment cuts and Senate Democrats' attempt to block reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act in this week's "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ."

3 Oct 2006

Advanced Neuromodulation Systems receives Australian approval for rechargeable chronic pain system

Advanced Neuromodulation Systems (ANS), the neuromodulation business of St. Jude Medical, Inc, today announced Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) regulatory approval for its Eon Rechargeable Neurostimulation System.

3 Oct 2006

New York State to receive $1.5B to improve Medicaid

HHS has agreed to pay New York $1.5 billion over five years to help stabilize the state's hospital industry in exchange for renewed efforts to shrink the industry, curb Medicaid costs and reduce Medicaid fraud, the New York Times reports.

3 Oct 2006

HHS says New Orleans-area health care reform proposal needs revising

A draft proposal from the Louisiana Health Care Design Collaborative on reforms for the New Orleans-area health care system requires some revisions to receive federal approval, a representative for HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said on Thursday, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports (Moller, New Orleans Times-Picayune, 9/29).

3 Oct 2006

Massachusetts health insurance mandate does not include children

The new Massachusetts health insurance law "contains a little-known loophole: The mandate that all residents have coverage by next summer does not include children," the Boston Globe reports.

3 Oct 2006

Indonesia confirms 69th human case of bird flu

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed the country's 69th case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

3 Oct 2006

Delhi on the verge of a dengue fever epidemic

Diseases such as dengue and malaria are common in the monsoon season and the Indian capital, Delhi appears to be in the grip of a likely epidemic of dengue fever.

3 Oct 2006

Research implicates brain circuits involved in drug craving and emotional response to food

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have found new clues to how the brain and the stomach interact with emotions to cause overeating and obesity.

2 Oct 2006

When it comes to the flu, antivirals far more effective than antibiotics

It seems that even though influenza has been shown to be better treated with anti-viral medication doctors and hospitals continue to use antibiotics, often with deadly consequences.

2 Oct 2006

Smoke alarm using parent's voice more effective in rousing children

A new study has found that a smoke alarm using a parent's voice is significantly more effective than a conventional tone alarm for waking children who are sleeping soundly.

2 Oct 2006

Chicago dentist has license suspended following death of a 5-year-old patient

Following the death of a 5-year-old patient, a dentist in Chicago has had his license to practice suspended by State regulators.

2 Oct 2006

Bayer forgot to tell risks of heart surgery drug

According to the German drug giant Bayer AG, the reason the company failed to inform U.S. regulators about a study on the risks of the heart-surgery drug Trasylol was a mistake.

2 Oct 2006

Five year old dies after dental visit

A routine visit to the dentist has ended in death for a 5-year-old girl in Chicago.

28 Sep 2006

Sydney bird flu suspect may be just another drug mule

According to reports the man who triggered a bird flu scare in Sydney after becoming ill on a flight from Vietnam may have been a drug courier.

28 Sep 2006

Los Angeles Times examines medical identity theft problems, risks

The Los Angeles Times on Monday examined medical identity fraud, in which individuals use the names and medical records of others to obtain health care.

26 Sep 2006

Retrial of medical workers accused of infecting Libyan children with HIV adjourned after defense lawyer hospitalized

The retrial of five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian doctor accused of infecting Libyan children with HIV adjourned on Thursday until Oct. 31 after a defense lawyer for the Bulgarian nurses was hospitalized for high blood pressure and could not appear in court, the Sofia News Agency reports (Sofia News Agency, 9/22).

26 Sep 2006

Hispanics more likely to lack health care coverage

Hispanics in smaller, more rural communities have greater barriers in accessing care than do Hispanics in larger communities, according to a report released on Thursday by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, the Bradenton Herald reports.

26 Sep 2006

Hospital services most expensive part of U.S. health aystem

About 33% of every dollar spent on U.S. health care goes toward inpatient hospital care, according to a report by HHS's Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Washington Times reports (Howard Price, Washington Times, 9/23).

26 Sep 2006

Washington DC's HIV prevalence more than twice national average

Initial results from a Washington, D.C., campaign to have all residents tested for HIV show that HIV prevalence in the city is more than twice the nation's average, according to results released Tuesday during a meeting of the Mayor's Task Force on HIV and AIDS, the Washington Post reports.

26 Sep 2006