Doctor News and Research

RSS

Roundup: Cancer drug cost equity bill sitting on Calif. Gov's desk; Mass. cost-containment law could harm provider credit ratings

Out-of-pocket costs for cancer drugs can vary dramatically depending on whether the medications are administered through pill form or intravenous infusion. Newer oral drugs, which can be taken at home and often have fewer side effects than older drugs, can cost patients thousands of dollars a month, while receiving chemotherapy through an IV in an infusion center typically amounts to a standard co-payment for an office visit.

6 Sep 2012

Real-time prescription system reduces inappropriate prescribing of medications

A centralized prescription network providing real-time information to pharmacists in British Columbia, Canada, resulted in dramatic reductions in inappropriate prescriptions for opioid analgesics and benzodiazepines, widely used and potentially addictive drugs. The findings are reported in a study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

5 Sep 2012

Roundup: Texas probes Xerox in Medicaid overbilling; Miss. abortion clinic fights to stay open

Texas authorities are investigating whether Xerox Corp. played a role in allowing dentists to allegedly overbill the state's Medicaid system by millions of dollars.

5 Sep 2012

Democrats to spotlight health care, abortion rights support at convention

Party leaders will be touting the health overhaul passed two years ago, as well as efforts to expand contraception coverage. In addition, the platform looks ahead at issues such as health disparities, public health and HIV, Politico Pro reports.

5 Sep 2012

Converting blood cells to a stem cell state: an interview with Elias Zambidis, M.D., Ph.D.

The primitive stem cell state we created is called an “induced pluripotent stem cell” (iPSC). iPSC are a new, unique, and artificially-created type of stem cell that were first described in 2006 by a Japanese scientist named Shinya Yamanaka.

4 Sep 2012

New health insurance product from ICICI Lombard

ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd., the country's largest private sector general insurance company, announced the launch of a unique health insurance product called "ICICI Lombard Complete Health Insurance".

4 Sep 2012

$Noninvasive fractional flow reserve still out of reach$

Noninvasive fractional flow reserve still out of reach

A novel, noninvasive approach to determining fractional flow reserve failed to show sufficient diagnostic accuracy to meet the primary endpoint of the DeFACTO trial, but was more accurate for diagnosing coronary artery ischemia than computed tomography, reported the trial’s lead investigator.

3 Sep 2012

Complacency and apathy may have played a role in recent spike of West Nile cases

With almost 1,600 cases of West Nile Virus and 66 mortalities reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) nationwide, officials are calling the recent West Nile virus outbreak the largest ever seen in the United States.

1 Sep 2012

Nurses, midwives can safely perform abortions, review of evidence suggests

"Abortions are just as safe when performed by trained nurse practitioners, midwives and physician assistants as when doctors do them, a new review of the evidence suggests," Reuters reports.

1 Sep 2012

Longer looks: Too many pills for dad; Genetic secrets; A supermarket's dietitian

Job burnout can strike workers in nearly any field, but a new study finds that doctors are at special risk. Nearly 1 in 2 U.S. physicians report at least one symptom of burnout, with doctors at the front line of care particularly vulnerable, the study found -- a significantly higher rate than among the general working population.

1 Sep 2012

NFAT protein plays a part in development of acute pancreatitis

It is likely that the protein is also highly significant for other inflammatory diseases. The research results have been published in the American journal Gastroenterology.

1 Sep 2012

Roundup: Flurry of health bills as Calif. legislature winds down; Kansas City health data exchange opens up

The window to save the Healthy Families program is narrowing to a small slit, with just a single day left to pass bills. ... Today -- until midnight tonight -- is the last day for legislation to be passed this year. The governor has until the end of September to veto or approve bills.

1 Sep 2012

Well-known protein plays central role in development of acute pancreatitis

There is now a clear target for the treatment of acute pancreatitis, according to researchers at Lund University in Sweden, who have discovered that a well-known protein plays a central role in the development of the disease. It is likely that the protein is also highly significant for other inflammatory diseases.

31 Aug 2012

Residency cap may hamper efforts to expand number of doctors

Bloomberg examines the need for more primary care physicians and the limit on the number of slots for training doctors.

30 Aug 2012

Heart Rhythm Society, ECAS and EHRA develop 2012 expert consensus statement on AF ablation

The 2012 expert consensus statement on catheter and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation was developed by the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), a registered branch of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), and the European Cardiac Arrhythmia Society (ECAS) and published in their respective journals: Heart Rhythm, EP Europace and the Journal of Interventional Cardiovascular Electrophysiology (JICE).

30 Aug 2012

NYU-Poly creates ultra-sensitive biosensor to identify small single virus particles

Researchers at Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly) have created an ultra-sensitive biosensor capable of identifying the smallest single virus particles in solution, an advance that may revolutionize early disease detection in a point-of-care setting and shrink test result wait times from weeks to minutes.

29 Aug 2012

One in four women experience vulvar pain at some point in their lifetime

According to a study conducted by the University of Michigan, one in four women experience vulvar pain at some point in their lifetime. Like all medical concerns, vulvar pain causes both physical and mental stress. Additionally, vulvar pain can have an adverse effect on intimacy and relationships.

29 Aug 2012

American Academy of Pediatrics says circumcision benefits outweigh risks

Shifting its stance, the pediatricians' group now says the benefits of circumcising boys to protect against disease outweighs the risk, but that the decision should be up to parents.

28 Aug 2012

Mergers, acquisitions and new affiliations change roles for insurers, providers

But something had changed: his cardiologist's practice had been bought by Renown Health, a local hospital system. Dr. Hubbard was caught up in a structural shift that is sweeping through health care in the U.S. -- hospitals are increasingly acquiring private physician practices. Hospitals say the acquisitions will make health care more efficient. But the phenomenon, in some cases, also is having another effect: higher prices.

28 Aug 2012

Roundup: Ga. AIDS Drug Assistance waiting list at zero; Mass. signs up for health law's disabled adults program

The state has eliminated a waiting list for a program that provides lifesaving medications to thousands of low-income, uninsured Georgians with HIV/AIDS more than two years after the list was first started. Established in July 2010, the wait list for Georgia's AIDS Drug Assistance Program rapidly ballooned to more than 1,600 -- at one time becoming the largest in the country. A spike in the need for the program was largely fueled by the economic downturn as people lost their jobs and health insurance.

28 Aug 2012

Doctor News and Research

Roundup: Cancer drug cost equity bill sitting on Calif. Gov's desk; Mass. cost-containment law could harm provider credit ratings

Real-time prescription system reduces inappropriate prescribing of medications

Roundup: Texas probes Xerox in Medicaid overbilling; Miss. abortion clinic fights to stay open

Democrats to spotlight health care, abortion rights support at convention

Converting blood cells to a stem cell state: an interview with Elias Zambidis, M.D., Ph.D.

New health insurance product from ICICI Lombard

Noninvasive fractional flow reserve still out of reach

Complacency and apathy may have played a role in recent spike of West Nile cases

Nurses, midwives can safely perform abortions, review of evidence suggests

Longer looks: Too many pills for dad; Genetic secrets; A supermarket's dietitian

NFAT protein plays a part in development of acute pancreatitis

Roundup: Flurry of health bills as Calif. legislature winds down; Kansas City health data exchange opens up

Well-known protein plays central role in development of acute pancreatitis

Residency cap may hamper efforts to expand number of doctors

Heart Rhythm Society, ECAS and EHRA develop 2012 expert consensus statement on AF ablation

NYU-Poly creates ultra-sensitive biosensor to identify small single virus particles

One in four women experience vulvar pain at some point in their lifetime

American Academy of Pediatrics says circumcision benefits outweigh risks

Mergers, acquisitions and new affiliations change roles for insurers, providers

Roundup: Ga. AIDS Drug Assistance waiting list at zero; Mass. signs up for health law's disabled adults program

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Latest News