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Medical mistakes, doctor ratings gain state-level attention

In Wisconsin, the issue of access to reports on medical mistakes is part of a bill being considered in the state legislature. In Minnesota, physicians are seeking a delay to the plan to provide ratings based on cost and quality.

18 Jan 2011

Viewpoints: Next step after health law repeal effort; Refuting 'job-killing' claims; Mental health care

The continuing resolution that extended funding for the federal government until Mar. 4 gives us an opportunity to include language in the appropriations that fund the rest of this fiscal year — and must be passed to avoid a government shutdown. The language would prohibit any funds from being used to implement or enforce Obamacare (Rep. Steve King, 1/18).

18 Jan 2011

Studies offer insights into end-of-life directives

News reports focus on how doctors' religious beliefs and U.S. laws impact decisions made in end-of-life care.

18 Jan 2011

Hotspur announces successful completion of GPSCath Catheter in peripheral angioplasty surgery

Hotspur Technologies, announced today that Dr. Greg Sampognaro, Interventional Cardiologist at P & S Surgical Hospital in Monroe, Louisiana, successfully completed the first use of the GPSCath Balloon Dilatation Catheter in an intervention to treat a blocked peripheral artery.

18 Jan 2011

Media look at what's ahead for South Sudan

"This week's independence referendum in southern Sudan marks an apparent victory for U.S. foreign policy in east Africa - one that has secured for Washington a deeper advisory role in what is expected to be the birth of a new, impoverished nation," according to a Wall Street Journal article looking at the issues facing the U.S. in south Sudan after voting concludes.

18 Jan 2011

AHRQ reports 1 in 5 Americans have no usual source of medical care

Roughly 60 million people -- 1 in 5 Americans -- have no usual source of medical care, such as a family doctor or clinic, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

18 Jan 2011

Health Canada approves GORE VIABIL Biliary Endoprosthesis device

W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. today announced it has received approval from Health Canada for the Removable GORE VIABIL Biliary Endoprosthesis.

17 Jan 2011

Illegal breast & buttock implant woman busted

A woman from New York City was arrested on Friday with the charge of performing illegal breast and buttocks enhancement procedures in her home, sometimes charging more than $1,000 for injections of liquid silicone.

16 Jan 2011

Johns Hopkins' online tool helps seniors assess risk for dementia

A quick online assessment tool developed by Johns Hopkins researchers can help worried seniors find out if they are at risk of developing dementia and determine whether they should seek a comprehensive, face-to-face diagnosis from a physician, according to a new study.

14 Jan 2011

Roundup: Texas insurance exchange proposal; Ill. safety net hole; Iowa abortion decision

A key House GOP health policy writer has filed legislation to create a state-run health insurance exchange in Texas. A bill by Rep. John Zerwas, R-Katy, would create a Texas Health Insurance Connector, or simplified insurance market.

14 Jan 2011

pH Advantage adds Pyranase to facial skin care line

pH Advantage LLC recently added a new breakthrough product to its highly effective facial skin care line. Pyranase is clinically proven to reverse the signs of aging, reduce fine lines and wrinkles and improve the overall texture and appearance of the skin. Pyranase brings the proven effectiveness of a class of plant growth factor (cytokinin) in an enhanced and proprietary molecular formula.

14 Jan 2011

Unintended direct conflict between pharmaceutical marketing and public health

Drugs that pharmaceutical companies market most aggressively to physicians and patients tend to offer less benefit and more harm to most patients - a phenomenon described as the "inverse benefit law" in a paper from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

14 Jan 2011

Study finds racial disparities in weight-related counseling

When it comes to advising obese patients, blacks receive less weight reduction and exercise counseling from physicians than their white counterparts. This is according to a recent study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who examined the impact of patient and doctor race concordance on weight-related counseling.

14 Jan 2011

New study finds prevalence of hypertension in older Mexican-Americans

A new study by researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston reveals that the prevalence of hypertension in older Mexican-Americans living in the Southwest region of the United States has increased slightly in the last decade.

14 Jan 2011

Metabolic profiling of tissue samples may transform the way surgeons make decisions

Metabolic profiling of tissue samples could transform the way surgeons make decisions in the operating theatre, say researchers at a new laboratory being launched today. Scientists at Imperial College London, in partnership with clinicians at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, have installed a high resolution solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer in St Mary's Hospital.

13 Jan 2011

First international conference on pediatric psychological trauma in infants and young children

The First International Conference: Pediatric Psychological Trauma in Infants and Young Children from Illness, Injury and Medical Intervention now available on DVD in its entirety, brought together ten of the most respected, multidisciplinary pediatric researchers and clinicians to present their individual assessments on the status of the care of young children who continue to be victims of psychological trauma from illness, injury and medical intervention.

13 Jan 2011

Appetite hormones influence 'yo-yo' effect of slimming diets

If you want to lose the kilos you've put on over Christmas, you may be interested in knowing that the hormones related to appetite play an important role in your likelihood of regaining weight after dieting. A new study confirms that people with the highest levels of leptin and lowest levels of ghrelin are more likely to put the centimetres they lost back on again.

13 Jan 2011

Health, social and economical consequences of sleep disorders: A controlled national study

"Snoring, sleep apnoea, and obesity-related respiratory difficulties are fairly common disorders that affect a large proportion of the population," according to Poul Jennum, Professor of Clinical Neurophysiology at the Center for Healthy Ageing at the University of Copenhagen Faculty of Health Sciences. He is head of the Danish Centre for Sleep Medicine, Glostrup Hospital, which treats patients from all over the country.

13 Jan 2011

NSAIDs raise risk of heart disease: Study

A new study published online in the British Medical Journal explores the relative safety of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs), commonly used to treat joint and muscle aches and pain and concludes that NSAIDs significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular events in patients who take them regularly.

12 Jan 2011

Doctors matter in treatment of breast cancer

A recent journal article presents evidence that suggests that the course of treatment that a doctor chooses to treat a breast cancer patient may play a larger role in expected outcomes than was previously believed. The Journal of the National Cancer Institute's article (online 01/03/2011; print 01/19/2011) Breast Cancer Outcome: Your Doctor Matters examines variations in outcomes from surgeon to surgeon.

12 Jan 2011