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NHPCO forms new council to address underutilization of hospice care in diverse populations

As Americans celebrate Black History Month, hospice professionals acknowledge that hospice utilization within African American communities is disproportionately low.

12 Feb 2015

New article assesses 40 years of intensive effort to improve end-of-life care

After four decades of work - first on patients' rights, then on family and caregiving relationships, and most recently on systemic reform -- we now know that it will take additional efforts in all three areas to improve care at the end of life, concludes an article in the New England Journal of Medicine.

11 Feb 2015

New study reveals eight highly specific physical signs associated with death in cancer patients

While the diagnosis of an impending death is always sad, it can be important for patients, families, and clinicians as they make decisions related to hospital discharge, hospice referral, and treatments. Now a new study published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, has revealed eight highly specific physical signs associated with death within three days in cancer patients.

10 Feb 2015

Researchers identify physical, cognitive signs associated with imminent death in patients with cancer

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have identified eight highly specific physical and cognitive signs associated with imminent death in cancer patients. The findings, published in the journal Cancer, could offer clinicians the ability to better communicate with patients and families.

9 Feb 2015

Scripps Green Hospital treats peripheral artery disease patient using new drug-coated balloon

A doctor at Scripps Green Hospital this week became the first in California to use a new drug-coated balloon to treat peripheral artery disease in a patient since regulatory approval of the IN.PACT Admiral device in January by the Food and Drug Administration.

5 Feb 2015

HealthSouth agrees to acquire Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital from Kentucky Easter Seal Society

HealthSouth Corporation today announced it has entered into an agreement to purchase Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, from the Kentucky Easter Seal Society, Inc.

3 Feb 2015

Perelman School of Medicine opens new medical education center

With the opening of the Henry A. Jordan M'62 Medical Education Center, the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has expanded its urban campus with an innovative new facility that's redefining medical education for 21st century doctors.

31 Jan 2015

Centura Health, DaVita HealthCare Partners jointly unveil FullWell

Centura Health and DaVita HealthCare Partners today unveiled FullWell, the brand name of the two partners' recently announced joint venture, a company that aims to bring greater value to health care and lower costs for consumers in Colorado and Kansas.

30 Jan 2015

Menopause does not exacerbate or cause sleep problems, shows study

Women in their late thirties and forties who have trouble sleeping are more than three times more likely to suffer sleep problems during menopause than women who have an easier time getting shut-eye, according to a new study by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

30 Jan 2015

Penn scientists explore potential therapeutic target for cerebral cavernous malformations

Tens of millions of people around the world have abnormal, leak-prone sproutings of blood vessels in the brain called cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs). These abnormal growths can lead to seizures, strokes, hemorrhages, and other serious conditions, yet their precise molecular cause has never been determined.

27 Jan 2015

Study evaluates link between Medicaid fee bump and appointment availability for Medicaid patients

The increase in Medicaid reimbursement for primary care providers, a key provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), was associated with a 7.7 percentage points increase in new patient appointment availability without longer wait times, according to results of a new 10-state study — co-authored by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the Urban Institute, and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation — published online-first by the New England Journal of Medicine.

22 Jan 2015

Penn, Spark Therapeutics expand strategic relationship to develop treatment for progressive blindness

The University of Pennsylvania has announced an expanded relationship with Spark Therapeutics, a late-stage gene therapy company developing treatments for debilitating, genetic diseases.

21 Jan 2015

Penn researchers make breakthrough on novel anesthetics

Penn Medicine researchers, in a continuation of their groundbreaking work to better understand how anesthesia works in the body, have found the first new class of novel anesthetics since the 1970s. Their findings, published in February issue of Anesthesiology, detail the processes through which the group uncovered these compounds.

21 Jan 2015

EvergreenHealth recognized as Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence

EvergreenHealth has achieved its sixth designation as a Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence from Healthgrades, placing the health care organization among the top 5 percent of hospitals of the more than 4,500 hospitals evaluated nationwide and based solely on its outstanding clinical performance.

20 Jan 2015

Shield HealthCare announces Colorado winners of 'What Makes Caregiving Rewarding' story contest

Shield HealthCare, a leading provider of medical supplies for care at home, is pleased to announce the Colorado winners of its 14th annual "What Makes Caregiving Rewarding" story contest, recognizing the dedicated role of professional and family caregivers. Through this contest, Shield HealthCare provides its caregiving audience a forum to share their stories, inspiring and encouraging others.

16 Jan 2015

Lung cancer rates are lower in higher-elevation counties, new study finds

Here's another potential reason to live up in the mountains. Lung cancer rates in both smokers and non-smokers are lower in higher-elevation counties in the western part of the United States, suggesting that oxygen may promote the incidence of lung cancer, according to a new study co-authored by a student at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

15 Jan 2015

Leading cardiac specialists propose new guidelines for donor heart allocation

A group of leading cardiac specialists has proposed new guidelines for the allocation of donor hearts to patients awaiting transplant. The changes are aimed at improving the organ distribution process to increase the survival rate of patients awaiting transplant and posttransplant.

14 Jan 2015

Latest wearable tracking devices alone may not change health behavior, say Penn researchers

New Year's weight loss resolutions are in full swing, but despite all the hype about the latest wearable tracking devices, there's little evidence that this technology alone can change behavior and improve health for those that need it most, according to a new online-first viewpoint piece in JAMA.

9 Jan 2015

CareSouth Health System to commence national rebranding of CareSouth agencies

CareSouth Health System, Inc., a national senior living services provider based in Augusta, Ga., announced today that it will begin a national rebranding of its CareSouth agencies across all CareSouth branded business lines including CareSouth Home Health, CareSouth Hospice, CareSouth Private Duty and CS Health & Wellness.

7 Jan 2015

Certain patients with type 2 diabetes, renal impairment discouraged from taking metformin

Many patients with type 2 diabetes in the United States may be discouraged from taking metformin—a proven, oral diabetes medicine—because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration inappropriately labels the drug unsafe for some patients also suffering from kidney problems, researchers from Penn Medicine and Weill Cornel Medical College report this week in a research letter published in JAMA Internal Medicine.