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Medicare to cover obesity counseling without cost sharing

Medicare officials announced Tuesday that this preventive service will cover screening and counseling in primary care providers' offices.

1 Dec 2011

Medical websites provide harmful information about postherpetic neuralgia treatments

Health information is plentiful on the Internet and many Web surfers consider medical advice they find online to be a cheaper alternative to visiting a doctor, according to some studies. However, the risk of obtaining useless or even harmful medical information from some websites is high for patients with postherpetic neuralgia, a common complication of shingles, according to new research reported in The Journal of Pain, published by the American Pain Society.

1 Dec 2011

Oral ingestion of apple polyphenols can prevent colitis in mice

Here's another reason why "an apple a day keeps the doctor away"-according to new research findings published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, oral ingestion of apple polyphenols can suppress T cell activation to prevent colitis in mice.

1 Dec 2011

Researchers create bone-like material and structure for orthopedic procedures

It looks like bone. It feels like bone. For the most part, it acts like bone. And it came off an inkjet printer. Washington State University researchers have used a 3D printer to create a bone-like material and structure that can be used in orthopedic procedures, dental work, and to deliver medicine for treating osteoporosis. Paired with actual bone, it acts as a scaffold for new bone to grow on and ultimately dissolves with no apparent ill effects.

30 Nov 2011

RSNA technology can control patient's access to medical images and reports

Patients at three major medical institutions can control the sharing of their medical images and reports with their doctors and medical providers. The RSNA Image Share network was demonstrated today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

30 Nov 2011

Viewpoints: GOP leaders, Obama share link to mandate; expensive benefits for seniors

I don't want to focus on the differences between Romney and Gingrich. I want to focus on the commonalities. Because these two men have a lot in common with not only each other but also with President Obama. Both Gingrich and Romney, for instance, supported a universal health care plan backed by an individual mandate requiring all Americans of means to purchase health-care insurance - just as Obama does.

30 Nov 2011

Self-referred medical imaging contributes to medical cost escalation

Physicians who have a financial interest in imaging equipment are more likely to refer their patients for potentially unnecessary imaging exams, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

30 Nov 2011

IVC filter study reinforces SIR's guidelines surrounding retrieval or permanent placement

Researchers have published the largest single patient population study to date on a method for following patients with retrievable inferior vena cava (IVC) filters-devices used to keep blood clots from traveling to the lungs.

29 Nov 2011

African countries lose billions of dollars training doctors who then leave for developed nations, study says

Nine African countries -- Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe – "have lost approximately $2 billion in their investment in doctors who have subsequently migrated abroad," with South Africa and Zimbabwe suffering "the greatest economic losses," according to a study published Friday in BMJ, VOA's "Breaking News" blog reports (11/25).

29 Nov 2011

QUT to study why futile medical treatment is provided to dying patients

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) will undertake a study into why futile medical treatment is, at times, provided to dying patients.

29 Nov 2011

Heart operation at the age of 22 hours: Toby’s story

A 22 hours age, baby Toby Dring became Britain’s youngest open heart surgery patient. He had Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and had to be given the life-saving operation when his health deteriorated dramatically at birth. Toby’s condition affects one in 5,000 babies and occurs when the left side of the heart fails to form properly.

28 Nov 2011

Some states take slower implementation pace as they wait for Supreme Court decision

Many of this slow down is related to the creation of health exchanges, as some states wondering if they should hold tight until the high court's decision is made. In other news, media outlets detail some of the specifics of the measure's preventive benefits as well as rate review processes.

28 Nov 2011

Viewpoints: What now for deficit cutters; Berwick's replacement

There's already a bipartisan group of senators, the maverick "Gang of Six," that is volunteering to produce a new compromise package. ... The Gang of Six plan won't make anybody happy.

28 Nov 2011

A dramatic shift in US healthcare policy

Dr. Wayne Iverson, San Diego physician and candidate for the US House of Representatives in the California 52nd Congressional District, today commented on the surprise announcement from Washington, D.C. "The abrupt resignation of Don Berwick as the head of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) signals a dramatic shift in this nation's healthcare policy."

28 Nov 2011

Sub-Saharan African countries lose billions of dollars due to migration of doctors

Sub-Saharan African countries that train and invest in their doctors end up losing billions of dollars as the clinicians leave to work in developed nations, finds research published on bmj.com today.

24 Nov 2011

Study finds use of retail clinics rising

Researchers from the RAND Corporation found a dramatic increase in adults seeking care at clinics in drugs stores and other outlets.

24 Nov 2011

Study finds patient satisfaction with outpatient medical treatment in the U.S.

Patients overall in the United States are very satisfied with their physicians and with treatment they receive in outpatient settings, according to new information which challenges common public perceptions about outpatient medical treatment.

24 Nov 2011

Congress facing deadline on Medicare payments to doctors

Preventing the cut in Medicare payments to doctors is estimated to cost more than $20 billion next year. It is considered a near certainty that Congress will address it because of the clout that Medicare and doctors have with lawmakers. Within minutes of Monday's announcement that the supercommittee had failed, the American Medical Association was warning that the 27 percent cut would "force many physicians to limit the number of Medicare and TRICARE patients they can care for in their practices."

24 Nov 2011

Body-conscious Shakespeare: Sensory disturbances in troubled characters

Shakespeare was a master at portraying profound emotional upset in the physical symptoms of his characters, and many modern day doctors would do well to study the Bard to better understand the mind-body connection, concludes an analysis of his works, published in Medical Humanities.

24 Nov 2011

First Edition: November 23, 2011

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations include an examination of changes in Medicare that the Democrats have endorses and a Kansas abortion case.

23 Nov 2011