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Life Beyond Cancer's 12th annual retreat from November 18 to 20

Austin, Texas: Some 150 cancer survivors, health care providers and patient advocates will discover ways to inspire, empower and motivate those to a Life Beyond Cancer, November 18 to 20 at the Lakeway Resort and Spa.

17 Nov 2011

Study finds Medicare changes would impose additional costs on majority of 'healthy' beneficiaries

Several deficit-reduction committees have suggested changing the federal health-care program for seniors to combine the hospital- and doctor-services deductibles that participants currently pay separately. In this system, seniors could have a $550 annual deductible, and be required to pay 20 percent toward all services up to a $5,550 annual limit.

17 Nov 2011

Grants up to $30 million for those with innovative ideas for healthcare

The Obama administration on Monday announced a $1 billion federal fund allocation for last year's health reform law to be channeled toward innovation programs designed to boost jobs and improve patient care.

16 Nov 2011

Coronary calcium scoring can determine risk of cardiac events

If your doctor says you have a negative stress test, or that your cholesterol or blood pressure are normal, how assured can you be that you're not likely to have a heart attack in the next seven to 10 years?

16 Nov 2011

Blood-based gene expression test more effective in ruling out obstructive CAD

A blood-based gene expression test was found to be more effective for ruling out obstructive coronary artery disease in stable symptomatic patients than myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), a common test that uses a radioactive agent to evaluate the blood flow and function of the heart.

16 Nov 2011

State roundup: Md.'s medical home; N.Y. malpractice action; Texas nursing homes

Instead of a doctor seeing patients mostly when they're sick - and the physician is getting paid for that visit or service - this program gives financial rewards to practices that use a team of doctors, nurses and other staff to treat the whole person on a continuing basis, not just for one illness. ... The state initiative is among dozens of public and private experiments across the country that are trying to fundamentally change the way doctors practice medicine.

15 Nov 2011

Risk of heart failure appears to be higher among low-income seniors

The risk of heart failure appears to be higher among low-income seniors — even those with a college education — according to research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham presented during the 2011 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions.

15 Nov 2011

Pregnant women, new mothers benefit from text4baby mobile service

Researchers at UC San Diego Health System's Department of Reproductive Medicine and the National Latino Research Center (NLRC) at Cal State San Marcos University recently presented data at the American Public Health Association Conference in Washington D.C., demonstrating the impact of text4baby, a free mobile service that provides pregnant women and new mothers in San Diego with maternal, fetal and newborn health information via text messages and connects them to national health resources.

15 Nov 2011

New project to identify what gives biosonar the edge over human-made technologies

Sonar and ultrasound, which use sound as a navigational device and to paint accurate pictures of an environment, are the basis of countless technologies, including medical ultrasound machines and submarine navigation systems. But when it comes to more accurate sonar and ultrasound, animals' "biosonar" capabilities still have the human race beat.

14 Nov 2011

Super committee may delay tax details

As the panel's Nov. 23 deadline approaches and doubts about its ability for success persist, a new approach is emerging in which the panel may opt to postpone politically difficult decisions by deciding the amount of new revenue their deficit-reduction plan would require, but leaving specifics to Congress' tax-writing committees to fill in next year.

14 Nov 2011

The downfall of a database that offered patient safety insights

An agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that maintains a discipline and medical-malpractice database reopened it for public access yesterday, two months after the agency had first taken the database offline.

14 Nov 2011

Former soldier develops app to save lives of burns victims

A former soldier has developed an app which could save the lives of burns victims, both in combat and in hospitals around the world.

14 Nov 2011

Super committee stalled as Nov. 23 deadline approaches

The panel's top Republican said Thursday the main obstacle to a deal is Democratic insistence that tax increases be coupled with reforming health care programs.

11 Nov 2011

Longer looks: Do extra brain cells offer a clue to autism?; doctors leaving medicine

There's growing evidence that the brains of autistic children are very different from the brains of other youngsters. Now a new study that found an excess of brain cells in children with autism comes closer to pinpointing the origins of the condition: in utero versus in toddlerhood. In research reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), scientists at the University of California, San Diego, found that autistic children have about 67% more nerve cells in a part of the brain known as the prefrontal cortex than children without autism.

11 Nov 2011

Effective management of childhood asthma should extend beyond doctor's office: Study

Effective management of childhood asthma should extend beyond the doctor's office into communities, homes and schools where children spend most of their time dealing with the disease, according to a collection of newly published studies.

10 Nov 2011

Simple portable test can diagnose 'vegetative' patients with consciousness

The Coma Science Group, led by Dr Steven Laureys, has developed, along with its partners in London, Ontario, (Canada) and Cambridge (England), a portable test which will permit a simpler and less expensive diagnosis of 'vegetative' patients who still have consciousness, despite the fact that they do not have the means to express it.

9 Nov 2011

Sex of patient plays a relevant role in recovery from facial paralysis

Research work drawn up by specialists from the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery at the University of Navarra Hospital has shown that, after surgical treatment for facial paralysis through using muscular transplant and nervous transposition (connection of facial muscle to a nerve different from the injured facial nerve), the brain of a woman - in comparison to that of a male - manages to adapt itself better, recovers the spontaneous smile and has a greater time period available for repairing the paralysis.

9 Nov 2011

Medical malpractice efforts stall; Analysis in Texas reveals rural doctor gap

Politico reports that President Obama's initiative to institute medical malpractice reforms has stalled, falling prey to politics and tight money. In Texas, tort reform analysis reveals a widening doctor gap between cities and rural areas.

9 Nov 2011

Safe disposal of needles, syringes and other sharps

Many people use needles, syringes and lancets—called "sharps"—to manage their medical conditions at home. These conditions include diabetes, allergies, infertility, arthritis, hepatitis, HIV, blood clotting disorders, migraines and cancer.

9 Nov 2011

Seriously ill adults skip needed care due to costs and medical debt

Chronically and seriously ill adults who received care from a medical home-an accessible primary care practice that helps coordinate care-were less likely to report medical errors, test duplication, and other care coordination failures, according to a new Commonwealth Fund international survey of patients' experiences in the U.S. and 10 other high-income countries.

9 Nov 2011