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Anti-abortion groups use health law in efforts to restrict insurance coverage

Abortion opponents fought passage of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul to the bitter end, and now that it's the law, they're using it to limit coverage by private insurers. An obscure part of the law allows states to restrict abortion coverage by private plans operating in new insurance markets.

17 May 2010

Country's first nurses to finish new nurse-midwifery program receive DNP degrees

The first nurses in the country to finish a rigorous new nurse-midwifery program will receive their degrees today (May 14) from Dallas-based Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing.

15 May 2010

Canadian cancer patients cross the border for second opinion

Two years ago, Beverlee London of Toronto was diagnosed with Stage I lung cancer. London was given the news by her lung specialist in Toronto that she had a malignant tumor on her right lung. She also decided at the time to visit the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Center in Detroit for a second opinion, since she had family living in the area.

15 May 2010

The George Washington University Board of Trustees approve formation of GW School of Nursing

Today, The George Washington University Board of Trustees voted to approve the formation of the GW School of Nursing. The nursing school will be composed of the Master of Science in Nursing programs, the Doctor of Nursing Practice program, the second degree Bachelor of Science in nursing program, and other post-masters certificate programs.

15 May 2010

Today's opinions: Medicare threatened by poor doctor-payment system, new health law's impact on small business, U.S. commitment to AIDS relief

Only the U.S. Congress can stop this imminent Medicare meltdown. Permanent repeal of the broken [doctor] payment formula that creates this whopping cut will preserve access to care for Texas' Medicare and TRICARE patients. This is the only way to fix the problem once and for all before the baby boomers begin to use Medicare in droves (J. James Rohack, 5/13).

15 May 2010

GOP launches new challenge to health law with coordinated messaging

Republicans are starting a new bid to undermine Democratic attempts at touting a new health law. The GOP effort includes attacks on both President Barack Obama's pick to run Medicare and on claims that implementation is going smoothly.

15 May 2010

Hospitals plan joint efforts to increase efficiency

An association of California hospitals has proposed creating a foundation to supply doctors to at least 20 of its 160 members, with more likely to join if the project takes off, The Wall Street Journal reports. The foundation "would own clinics and centralize administrative matters including billing and electronic medical records," and it shows another step in efforts to align "doctors and hospitals, a trend expected to be accelerated by the health overhaul."

14 May 2010

First Edition: May 14, 2010

Today's headlines suggest that, even as congressional Democrats appear to be suffering from "health reform fatigue" and shying away from other health-related legislation, the G.O.P. is applying newfound vigor and skepticism to the White House's pick to head the agency that runs Medicare and to the administration's claims that the implementation phase of reform is going smoothly.

14 May 2010

Guidelines for reducing risk of falling among older adults

Falling down is hazardous to a senior citizen's health, yet fewer than half of all seniors see a doctor after a fall. And those who don't seek medical attention are far less likely to engage in any of the six widely recommended activities - such as a review of their medications or getting a cane or walker - that might prevent repeated falls, according to a new policy brief from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

14 May 2010

Interruptions in ER may harm patient care, researchers find

CNN: "Interruptions in the emergency room may exact an unhealthy toll on patient care, a group of Australian researchers reported Thursday. The researchers, from the University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales, found that interruptions led emergency department doctors to spend less time on the tasks they were working on and, in nearly a fifth of cases, to give up on the task altogether.

14 May 2010

GOP launches attacks on CMS nominee Berwick

Republicans have begun attacking Donald Berwick, a doctor and Harvard professor nominated to head the Obama administration's Medicare and Medicaid agency, The Boston Globe reports. If confirmed, Berwick would run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, an agency with 4,500 employees and an annual budget of $780 billion.

14 May 2010

SAGE launches further two Therapeutic Advances journals

SAGE has extended its suite of Therapeutic Advances journals with the launch of a further two titles: Therapeutic Advances in Chronic Disease and Therapeutic Advances in Endocrinology and Metabolism.

13 May 2010

Robotic surgery keeps features intact in head, neck cancer removal procedures

Surgeons who perform procedures to remove head and neck cancers often work for six to eight hours on what is typically major, invasive surgery, which many times comes with facial disfigurement and debilitating side effects for the patient.

13 May 2010

Prescription costs more likely to keep Hispanics away from pharmacy counter: Study

Drug costs could prevent some people from filling their prescriptions, which can interfere with optimal health care. A new study of Medicare beneficiaries finds that cost concerns are more likely keep Hispanics away from the pharmacy counter than non-Hispanics.

13 May 2010

Melanoma is becoming increasingly common: Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource

Melanoma -- the most serious form of skin cancer -- is becoming increasingly common, according to the May issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource.

13 May 2010

Computerized systems can detect early eye problems related to diabetes: UI team

People with diabetes have an increased risk of blindness, yet nearly half of the approximately 23 million Americans with diabetes do not get an annual eye exam to detect possible problems.

13 May 2010

Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource offers information about abdominal aortic aneurysms

Abdominal aortic aneurysms have been considered mainly a man's problem. Men, more often than women, develop a weakened and bulging area in the aorta, the body's largest artery, which poses a risk of rupture. But according to the May issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource, women aren't risk free.

13 May 2010

Prescription drug instructions often lost in translation

Chicago Tribune: "Pharmacies that print prescription labels translated into Spanish often issue inaccurate or confusing instructions that could be potentially hazardous to a patient's health, according to a report in the May issue of Pediatrics journal."

13 May 2010

More for mental health and first nurse led clinic

Tuesday’s budget saw the Australian government allocate $7.4 billion for health. Many critics have brought to notice that only $200 million has gone towards mental health. The Rudd government has denied such accusations.

12 May 2010