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FlowCardia commences enrollment in CROSSER CTO Recanalization Catheter study

FlowCardia, Inc., a worldwide leader in the development of endovascular devices for the treatment of chronic total occlusions (CTOs), today announced Dr. John Paul Runyon from The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio successfully enrolled the first patient into the CENTRAL (Crosser ENters The Right Arterial Lumen) study.

9 Feb 2010

IHHS website provides medical resources for people suffering from dermatologic disorder

Therese has suffered with a dermatologic disorder called Hyperhidrosis since she was six years old, leaving her with perpetually wet hands and feet.

9 Feb 2010

Journal highlights toxic nature of herbal medicines

A University of Adelaide forensic pathologist has sounded a worldwide warning of the potential lethal dangers of herbal medicines if taken in large quantities, injected, or combined with prescription drugs.

9 Feb 2010

Emerging Healthcare Solutions issues Term Sheet review to ThromboVision

Emerging Healthcare Solutions, Inc. announced today that management has formally delivered an actionable Term Sheet to ThromboVision for review and that follow up communications have been very favorable.

9 Feb 2010

State health policy developments: Doctor shortages, hospital taxes, California insurance crackdown

The Los Angeles Times: "At a time when nearly 7 million Californians are uninsured, state regulators are trying to rein in discount health and dental plans that officials say frequently overstate benefits, offer little if any savings and promise access to doctors who aren't part of the system. Some of the discounters fraudulently market themselves as insurance, while preying on the poor, the elderly and others who urgently need care, officials say. ... Plan executives bristle at such criticism. They say a few bad apples have tarnished an industry that offers reliable -- and relatively inexpensive -- services.

9 Feb 2010

Texas court case and Florida web site raise questions about effectiveness of physician oversight

A Texas court case reveals gaps in physician oversight, The New York Times reports. "It was beyond [Anne Mitchell's] conception that she would be indicted and threatened with 10 years in prison for doing what she knew a nurse must: inform state regulators that a doctor at her rural hospital was practicing bad medicine." Mitchell was first jailed in June and will stand trial this week for "misuse of official information, a third-degree felony in Texas," after reporting a physician for using unorthodox procedures - some of which went awry - and practicing in an operating room where he did not have privileges.

9 Feb 2010

States deal with small budgets, Medicaid cuts

Virginian-Pilot: Area hospitals are preparing "for a round of Medicaid spending cuts that executives say could be the worst in decades and lead to more cutbacks in their organizations. Rising health care costs and a surge in the number of Medicaid patients have increased the state's obligation to the government health insurance program for the poor and disabled by $777.7 million over two years.

9 Feb 2010

Big Ow awareness campaign

When it comes to symptoms of menopause like hot flashes, weight gain or trouble sleeping, chances are most women wouldn't hesitate to speak to their doctor. But there is another common - and equally distressing - effect of menopause that many women just keep to themselves. The Big Ow, also known as vaginal atrophy, will affect as many as two million Canadian women in the next 10 years - but most are too shy or embarrassed to talk about it, even with their doctor.

8 Feb 2010

Smokers more likely to vaccinate their daughters against HPV

A parent's existing health habits or behaviors, like cigarette smoking, may influence the likelihood that they will have their daughters vaccinated against HPV.

8 Feb 2010

Excessive TV viewing, lack of sleep and low frequency of family meals increases risk of childhood obesity

A new national study suggests that preschool-aged children are likely to have a lower risk for obesity if they regularly engage in one or more of three specific household routines: eating dinner as a family, getting adequate sleep and limiting their weekday television viewing time.

8 Feb 2010

HealthSpring nurse practitioner identifies impending heart attack

Olive Branch, Miss. resident Glenn Lusk has a special perspective on the value of his Medicare Advantage plan. It was a HealthSpring-contracted nurse practitioner who discovered during a home visit in November that Lusk was experiencing serious heart trouble.

6 Feb 2010

Combination of Motrin and Robitussin drugs is safe for adults and children

A viral e-mail currently making the rounds between private accounts and public message boards warning of a danger posed by mixing over-the-counter medications Motrin and Robitussin is unfounded.

6 Feb 2010

For readers, health information from doctors is more reliable than blogs

Health information written by a doctor is rated as more credible when it appears on a Web site than in a blog or a homepage, according to a study of college students.

6 Feb 2010

Cardiologists recommend tips to prevent heart disease

There's a lot you can do to reduce your risk of heart disease and improve your chances for a longer, healthier life. Cardiologists from The Polyclinic in Seattle recommend that you first, learn more about some of the risk factors for heart disease.

6 Feb 2010

Illinois high court rules medical malpractice caps are unconstitutional

The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a medical malpractice law enacted in 2005 that limited monetary damages to $1 million from hospitals and $500,000 from doctors for pain and suffering, the Chicago Tribune reports. "The much-anticipated ruling deals a blow to doctors and hospital officials who say caps on damages are a way to tame rising health care costs. … The court said the law violates the state's separation-of-powers clause between the branches of government by allowing lawmakers to interfere with a jury's right to determine damages."

6 Feb 2010

Ohio hospitals advertise ER wait times on billboards, internet

Akron General Health System, a hospital system in Ohio, "recently began advertising up-to-the-minute wait times for its emergency rooms on billboards throughout town," the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

6 Feb 2010

'Doctor Shopping': Data from California's prescription monitoring program

Research presented at the American Academy of Pain Medicine's 26th Annual Meeting provides early published data analyzing information gathered from California's prescription monitoring program, known as the Controlled Substances Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES). The analysis found a two-fold increase in the likelihood of individuals receiving opioids from multiple providers or "doctor shopping" when they were also being simultaneously prescribed a single additional class of a controlled substances, such as benzodiazepines or amphetamines.

5 Feb 2010

Bioethicists create easy-to-remember checklist to assess patient's decision-making capacity in emergency

Physicians in training and bioethicists at Johns Hopkins have created an easy-to-remember checklist to help medical students and clinicians quickly assess a patient's decision-making capacity in an emergency.

5 Feb 2010

Intrathecal drug delivery cost effective for chronic pain treatments

Estimates of pain care treatment costs exceed $1 billion annually in the United States. Today at the American Academy of Pain Medicine's 26th Annual Meeting two abstracts looked at the issue. One evaluated intrathecal drug delivery (a targeted medicine delivery system) that could save costs over time. The other analyzed the differences between the costs of treatment for chronic pain treatments.

5 Feb 2010