Doctor News and Research

RSS

A look at the secretive AMA panel behind Medicare's payment rates

A group of 29 physicians, convened by the American Medical Associations and "mostly selected" by specialty trade groups, have the task of recommending how to divide Medicare money into payments for each service, procedure and treatment the program covers, The Wall Street Journal reports.

28 Oct 2010

Health Canada approves PRADAX anticoagulant for stroke prevention in AF patients

Boehringer Ingelheim Ltd. today announces that Health Canada has granted approval of PRADAX (dabigatran etexilate), an oral anticoagulant for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in adults with atrial fibrillation in whom anticoagulation is appropriate. PRADAX is the first innovative drug approved in Canada in more than two decades to reduce the risk of stroke in Canadians with atrial fibrillation.

28 Oct 2010

Intuit Health patient portal solutions selected by AMS for physician practices

American Medical Software (AMS) has selected Intuit Inc's Intuit Health to provide its physician practices with a patient portal solution. Through this agreement, millions of patients of AMS clients will now be able to easily communicate with their provider and complete key tasks online.

28 Oct 2010

Flu deaths analyzed for future lessons

A new report has looked at all of England’s swine flu deaths in children under 18 during the 2009 pandemic. Researchers found that there was a higher risk of dying from the influenza A H1N1 strain of flu among certain groups of children, such as those with pre-existing conditions and those of a Pakistani or Bangladeshi background. However it was unclear why.

27 Oct 2010

First Edition: October 27, 2010

Today's headlines note that the new health law has Democrats playing defense, while Republicans offer few new alternatives to the sweeping measure.

27 Oct 2010

Tips to prevent lead poisoning in children

California Poison Control System is observing National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week and warns consumers that lead can be found in a variety of products available to children.

27 Oct 2010

DMC and Vanguard extend definitive purchase agreement

The DMC Board voted this afternoon to extend their definitive purchase agreement with Vanguard Health Systems through the end of the year, allowing more time to complete governmental approvals. Vanguard's purchase of – and $850 million capital investment in – the Detroit Medical Center is the single largest private investment in Detroit's history.

27 Oct 2010

AZ-TMJ develops effective treatment for migraine headaches

AZ-TMJ is once again leading the way in innovative and effective treatments for severe cases of Temporomandibular Joint Disorders or TMD. AZ-TMJ has developed a variety of highly effective treatments to greatly reduce the frequency and severity of migraine headaches for a large percentage of sufferers. Approximately 16% to 17% of the population suffers from migraine headaches, which often have a debilitating effect on suffers' daily lives.

27 Oct 2010

New intervention strategies help manage depression

In the 15 minutes a primary care doctor typically has with a patient, she's expected to diagnose the current ailment, help manage ongoing health issues and provide preventive care. In this setting, confronting all but the most obvious and immediate mental health needs of patients is an ongoing challenge.

27 Oct 2010

Survey shows Americans are unaware about causes of lung cancer

Men and women worry about prostate and breast cancer, yet the number one cancer killer in the United States – lung cancer – isn't on their radar. According to a survey released today by the National Lung Cancer Partnership, Americans know little about lung cancer's causes, symptoms and the number of lives it takes compared to other cancers.

27 Oct 2010

USAID announces LAUNCH: Health innovators

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), NASA, NIKE, Inc. and the U.S. Department of State are pleased to announce those selected to participate in the LAUNCH: Health Forum. The innovators selected will participate in an event at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida October 30-31, followed immediately by the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery on November 1.

27 Oct 2010

Physicians' efforts keep payments on Medicare database confidential

The Wall Street Journal mined a database with extensive information about tax payments that suggests fraud and discovered a New York City doctor who most likely took more than $2 million from Medicare. But the paper could not name her because of strict confidentiality requirements on physician reimbursements.

27 Oct 2010

Columbia University researchers to use IBM's streaming analytics to detect complications in brain injury

IBM today announced a new project in which researchers at Columbia University Medical Center will utilize IBM's streaming analytics technology to potentially detect severe complications in brain injured patients up to 48 hours earlier than traditional methods.

27 Oct 2010

New technologies streamline health IT system; Electronic medical records raise privacy issues

The Associated Press: Although many healthcare providers are making the jump to computerized medical records, an "e-chart stored in one doctor's computer too often can't be read by another's across town." Surescripts, "the country's largest network for paperless prescribing," is expanding "so that doctors around the country can choose to share medical reports, X-rays and other health data over its network much as they send e-prescriptions to drugstores today, regardless of what competing brand of computerized health records they use."

27 Oct 2010

Health care angst keeps campaigns on edge in final week

Interest and anger about health care is fueling tension in political campaigns for offices ranging from insurance commissioner to U.S. senator.

27 Oct 2010

First Edition: October 26, 2010

In today's headlines, more reports from the campaign trail -- highlighting how tempers and politics continue to flare around health overhaul issues.

26 Oct 2010

Innovative program for new graduate doctors to ensure safety prescription

A new software based program has recently been created for new graduate doctors to ensure they prescribe safely from day one on the wards.

26 Oct 2010

Challenges in overcoming communication barriers when treating non-Swedish-speaking patients

The healthcare system faces a challenge in overcoming communication barriers when treating non-Swedish-speaking patients, reveals a thesis from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

26 Oct 2010

Stereotactic radiation effective for trigeminal neuralgia

Stereotactic radiation is an effective, long-term treatment for trigeminal neuralgia: a painful condition that occurs with increased frequency in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Radiation is noninvasive and has less negative side effects than other treatments, according to the longest follow-up in a study of its kind presented October 31, 2010, at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

26 Oct 2010

Barbers help customers control high blood pressure

Neighborhood barbers, by conducting a monitoring, education and physician-referral program, can help their African-American customers better control high blood pressure problems that pose special health risks for them, a new study from the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute shows.

26 Oct 2010