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Federal officials extend Ariz. Medicaid program while reviewing new plan; Wis. announces eligibility changes to cut budget shortfall

In other state Medicaid news, doctors in Washington state are suing to stop a new rule that limits enrollees' visits to the emergency department and Gov. Cuomo's administration dismisses a proposal for N.Y. to pay for transgender surgery.

4 Oct 2011

Mild stroke patients may live with hidden disabilities: Study

On the surface they appear unaffected, but people who have mild strokes may live with hidden disabilities, including depression, vision problems and difficulty thinking, according to a study released today at the Canadian Stroke Congress.

3 Oct 2011

Hassenfeld family, NYU Langone unveil $50M gift to create new pediatric hospital

NYU Langone Medical Center and the Hassenfeld family unveiled a $50 million gift today that will create a comprehensive pediatric hospital at NYU Langone Medical Center.

3 Oct 2011

Improper footwear may lead to severe foot pain, impairment and disability in gout patients

New research shows that use of poor footwear is common among patients with gout. According to the study published in Arthritis Care & Research, a peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), gout patients who make poor footwear choices experienced higher foot-related pain, impairment and disability. Gout patients also reported that comfort, fit, support and cost were the most important factors for selecting footwear.

3 Oct 2011

FDA releases new PSA on safe medication use

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Women's Health today released a new public service announcement (PSA) titled, "Use Medicines Wisely," to help raise awareness about safe medication use.

3 Oct 2011

Vejthani Hospital brings Digital Lightbox to help surgeon plan the surgery pre-operatively

Vejthani Hospital Bangkok brought intelligent medical equipment in Orthopedic Knee Surgery, the so called "Digital lightbox", this can be used to enhance the capability of the Image Guided surgery (Computer Assisted Navigation System) for total joint replacement surgery.

1 Oct 2011

State highlights: Many states moving workers' children to CHIP plans

After a nine-year court battle, a landmark class-action settlement was preliminarily approved this week that would require the state to provide more effective mental health services for the children in or about to enter foster care. Its reach is expected to be significant. California has 61,000 children in the foster care system, and it runs the nation's largest child welfare system at a cost of about $4.7 billion per year.

1 Oct 2011

Tips for seniors to avoid serious complications from prescription meds

For seniors, October is a month in which medications - particularly prescription meds - will likely be on their minds. Not only is October national "Talk About Prescriptions Month," but Oct. 15 marks the start of Medicare's Annual Election Period during which beneficiaries can disenroll from, switch or enroll into a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan.

1 Oct 2011

Hospitals confront budget strains, debt, market pressure

News outlets offer a variety of reports on how hospitals are faring in the health care marketplace. The outlook is full of challenges.

1 Oct 2011

First Edition: September 30, 2011

Today's headlines include reports about how new and old health policy positions are playing on the campaign trail.

30 Sep 2011

Hospital readmission rates reflect problem in addressing hospital failures

If you're a Medicare patient admitted to the hospital, the odds are about one in six that you'll end up back in the hospital within a month. And there was very little progress made in reducing that rate between 2004-09.

30 Sep 2011

Members of MAPRx coalition urge supercommittee to protect Part D program

Writing on behalf of millions of Medicare beneficiaries with chronic health conditions who rely on Part D for their essential medications, 26 members of the Medicare Access for Patients Rx (MAPRx) coalition sent a joint letter urging members of the joint deficit panel ("supercommittee") to reject proposals to increase Medicare beneficiary cost-sharing, raise coinsurance, and freeze income thresholds as they seek ways to reduce federal spending.

30 Sep 2011

Viewpoints: Rising health costs and the health law

Even a slow economy can't stop healthcare costs from rising. A new report by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust shows that the cost of employer-provided insurance rose 9% this year - even as workers and their families were cutting back on trips to the doctor's office - and has more than doubled over the last decade.

30 Sep 2011

Poor hospital supplies could spell danger for vulnerable patients

It was found that most hospitals operate with less than a month's supply of many essential medicines, leaving patients vulnerable if local distributors are unable to import them through fragile international supply chains.

29 Sep 2011

First Edition: September 29, 2011

In today's headlines, reports that a Supreme Court ruling on the 2010 health law is now likely before the 2012 presidential election.

29 Sep 2011

Hospitals fall short in efforts to curb readmissions

A Dartmouth Atlas report that studied Medicare beneficiaries concluded that hospital readmission rates are largely static. Facilities will face financial penalities next year if they do not improve their statistics.

29 Sep 2011

Roundup: Calif. legislator's health bill comes under scrutiny; D.C. facing doctor shortage

A few hours earlier, using an obscure parliamentary procedure, the senator had carved the contents out of a bill about local gas taxes and "amended" it into a proposal to warn women about breast cancer risks. It was now speeding through the statehouse so fast, and with so little scrutiny, that Sen. Joe Simitian would later be on the defensive about one significant effect: a possible multimillion-dollar windfall for a medical business in his district.

29 Sep 2011

Viewpoints: Blocking, replacing health law; a doc's HPV advice; County wellness plan working

Too often, the Republican Party health-care agenda seems to consist of incanting "repeal and replace" and then to stop thinking - if the thinking ever begins at all. Certainly the current Presidential field is saying little beyond promising to repeal ObamaCare, but in the nick of time Paul Ryan has provided some intellectual guidance in an important speech yesterday at Stanford's Hoover Institution. he said "we cannot simply revert to the status quo."

29 Sep 2011

DaTscan aids doctors in diagnosing patients with Parkinson's disease

Fifty thousand to 60,000 new cases of Parkinson's disease are diagnosed in the United States each year. Central DuPage Hospital (CDH) in Winfield, Ill., is among the first medical centers in North America to be using a new technology called DaTscan, an imaging tool that aids doctors in diagnosing patients who demonstrate Parkinsonian symptoms, like Parkinson's disease.

29 Sep 2011

Low plasma level of copper and zinc in pregnant women may be associated with spontaneous abortion

Scientists at the University of Granada have confirmed that a low plasma level of copper and zinc in pregnant women may be a factor associated with spontaneous abortion, a hypothesis that had not been confirmed to date, and which had never been proven in humans before.

28 Sep 2011