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BC Tech's new, miniature single use video camera can help reduce healthcare costs

BC Tech, a medical product development and manufacturing company, has launched a miniature single use video camera that can be integrated into medical devices to improve safety and help reduce healthcare costs.

7 Jan 2010

Fresenius Medical Care offers tips on how dialysis patients can plan their treatment during winter season

As winter brings freezing temperatures and blankets regions of the U.S. with snow, dialysis patients are especially vulnerable because they typically need treatment every two to three days, and any substantial delay can be life threatening. Power outages can disrupt their regular treatments, and snow and ice can make driving treacherous, preventing patients from getting treatment at dialysis facilities.

7 Jan 2010

CCAC doubles its efforts to convince Canadians to prevent colorectal cancer

Following the results of the Angus Reid Strategies and the Applied Health Research Centre at Toronto's St. Michael's Hospital survey conducted on behalf of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer finding that the majority of Canadians have a good understanding of the benefits of colorectal cancer screening, but are not taking action to get screened, the Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada ("CCAC") is doubling its efforts in 2010 to convince Canadians that they must be more proactive concerning their health and the onset of colorectal cancer.

7 Jan 2010

Looking Forward: What might change quickly if health overhaul passes

Several news outlets look at what might happen if health reform legislation passes.

7 Jan 2010

Veterans Affairs and Kaiser Permanente launch pilot medical data exchange program in San Diego

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Kaiser Permanente recently launched a pilot medical data exchange program in San Diego using the Nationwide Health Information Network. This

7 Jan 2010

Texas Mutual Insurance offers tips to prevent H1N1 flu

Flu season peaks in January and February. For adults, the workplace is the most common place to catch the flu.

7 Jan 2010

Reuters examines TB in China

Reuters examines efforts to control tuberculosis in China, which has the "world's second largest tuberculosis burden after India." The news service writes, "China has 4.5 million TB cases currently; and each year 1.4 million people fall ill with the disease. TB killed 160,000 people in China in 2008, according to the World Health Organization."

7 Jan 2010

Similar effectiveness in treatment options for low-risk prostate cancer; research may help improve patient outcomes

A comprehensive appraisal of the management and treatment options for low-risk prostate cancer found that the rates of survival and tumor recurrence are similar among the most common treatment approaches, although costs can vary considerably.

6 Jan 2010

Excessive gestational weight gain in obese women is associated with severe medical conditions

Recent recommendations by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) call for women who are overweight or obese to gain more weight than they should, a Saint Louis University obstetrician wrote in a January commentary for Obstetrics & Gynecology.

6 Jan 2010

'Make Today the Day' public awareness campaign to quit smoking launched

At a time when many smokers consider quitting for the New Year, today is a timely launch of a partnership that joins together mutual public health interests sought by the American Lung Association in California, Healthy San Francisco and the city's Public Health Office in a citywide public awareness campaign aimed to help smokers achieve that goal.

6 Jan 2010

Health bills include proposals for new physician payment system

The health care overhaul bills on Capitol Hill do not upend traditional 'fee for service' payment for doctors, but they do include financial incentives for doctors to cut medical costs and improve patient care. Both the House and Senate bills include provisions to encourage the creation of accountable care organizations, or ACOs, as a way to test their viability.

6 Jan 2010

Congress would make insurers spend more money on consumers' care

Slate: "One of the biggest lingering criticisms of the Democrats' health care reform plan is that it doesn't control costs. This line persists in part because it's hard to refute in simple terms. ... But for those who want a single, clear example of how reform will attempt to keep the cost of health care -- or, at least, the cost of insurance -- down, there's no easier-to-grasp concept than the medical loss ratio."

5 Jan 2010

Circumcision lowers HIV risk; changes bacterial community on penis microbiome

Circumcision, which substantially lowers HIV risk in men, also dramatically changes the bacterial communities of the penis, according to a study led by scientists at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Johns Hopkins University and published Jan. 6 in the scientific journal PLoS ONE.

5 Jan 2010

Survey reveals majority of Americans would seek new coverage options, but some would delay coverage

When given a choice between waiting for health reform legislation to pass or researching and seeking health insurance coverage immediately, 24% of adults surveyed would choose to wait before seeking coverage if they lost their coverage today, according to a new poll.

5 Jan 2010

Spinal surgery issues simplified

Spine patients afflicted with severe degenerative disc diseases often find diagnostic and treatment options as daunting as the surgery itself. Fortunately, "Getting Back on Their Feet," a new documentary released by the Arthroplasty Patient Foundation, was created specifically to help spine surgery patients overcome obstacles they encounter in their search for wellness.

5 Jan 2010

NQF endorses 70 measures to improve gathering of clinical electronic data

As an incremental step toward wider use of electronic data platforms to measure, report, and improve quality, the National Quality Forum (NQF) has endorsed 70 measures that combine data from two or more common electronic sources such as administrative claims, pharmacy and laboratory systems, and registries.

5 Jan 2010