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U.S. public health officials recommend early flu vaccination

With increased influenza activity anticipated this fall, U.S. public health officials and other leading medical experts today urged Americans to be vigilant and get immunized early for protection against seasonal influenza - a threat to Americans' health each and every year.

10 Sep 2009

Comparative effectiveness may not produce hoped-for savings, Study finds

One component of Democrats' health reform plan, comparative effectiveness research, would seek to improve quality and lower medical costs by identifying the most clinically and cost-effective treatments available, but a new study by the Rand Corp. finds the impact of the research may be slow to arrive, BusinessWeek reports.

10 Sep 2009

Business operations to be hit in the event of H1N1 outbreak

In a national survey of businesses that looks at their preparations for a possible widespread H1N1 outbreak, Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers found that only one-third believe they could sustain their business without severe operational problems if half their workforce were absent for two weeks due to H1N1 (also known as "swine flu").

10 Sep 2009

Virginia Tech wins National Science Foundation grant to study knee ligament sprains

A team of Virginia Tech engineering researchers has won a $300,000 National Science Foundation grant to study knee ligament sprains at the micro-mechanical level.

10 Sep 2009

New protocol to tackle postpartum depression

Up to 80 percent of women experience depressive symptoms postpartum, with one in eight reporting the emergence of major depression within weeks of delivery.

10 Sep 2009

Free, online self-assessment quiz helps assess health and lifestyle risks for PAD

As recent medical studies continue to highlight the seriousness of peripheral arterial disease (or PAD) and its association with heart attack, stroke and early mortality, the Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation recommends that older Americans, smokers and diabetics take its free, online self-assessment quiz.

10 Sep 2009

Hospital executives weigh benefits, risks of health reform

Hospital executives are balancing their hopes that expanded coverage will provide a windfall for facilities now burdened by uncompensated care with their fears that government intervention, such as the possible creation of a public insurance option, could cut into their revenues, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

10 Sep 2009

Annual convention of electrologists to focus on the subject of establishing relationships with physicians

Electrologists will gather in Las Vegas at the Flamingo Hotel on October 9-11, 2009 for the largest annual gathering of electrology professionals from all over the USA, Europe and Asia: The American Electrology Association (AEA) Annual Convention and Exhibitor’s Showcase. This year, the convention focuses on a subject of great importance to both practitioners and patients: getting the attention of physicians.

10 Sep 2009

Members of Blue Shield of California to receive administrative costs of the H1N1 virus vaccine

Blue Shield of California announced today that it will cover the administrative costs of the H1N1 virus (swine flu) vaccine for all its members, regardless of which plan they have. Blue Shield will be waiving prior authorizations, copays and deductibles for office visits when members go to an in-network doctor to get H1N1 vaccinations.

9 Sep 2009

New television program to raise awareness about cardiovascular diseases in women

Research shows that 80 percent of cardiac events in women could be prevented if women make the right choices for their hearts, involving diet, exercise and abstinence from smoking.

9 Sep 2009

PrimeDoc launches private-practice hospitalist program in Georgia

PrimeDoc Management Services, Inc., an Asheville-based, physician owned company that specializes in the establishment, staffing, and management of turnkey hospitalist programs, has launched a private-practice hospitalist program at Southeast Georgia Health System in Brunswick.

9 Sep 2009

Majority of surgical patients would consider an unsupervised trainee doctor to perform their operation: Survey

Three-quarters of surgical patients would consider allowing a competent unsupervised trainee junior doctor perform their entire operation if it meant they could have it done more quickly, according to a survey published in the September issue of BJUI.

9 Sep 2009

Prostate cancer treatment options discussed in a study

A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) appears to support the theory outlined in earlier studies that men with more advanced forms of prostate cancer don't benefit from a combination of hormone and radiation therapy.

9 Sep 2009

MyMedicalRecords PHR offers medical reimbursement for H1N1 affected susbcribers

MMR Information Systems, Inc. (OTCBB: MMRF) (the "Company"), which through its wholly-owned operating subsidiary, MyMedicalRecords, Inc. ("MMR") provides consumer-controlled Personal Health Records ("PHRs") (www.mymedicalrecords.com) and electronic safe deposit box storage solutions (www.myesafedepositbox.com), today announced that it has launched a new subscriber Program to reimburse up to $5,000 for remaining medical insurance deductibles, or out-of-pocket medical expenses up to $5,000, for a MyMedicalRecords PHR subscriber family member who has a confirmed case of the H1N1 (Swine Flu) virus.

8 Sep 2009

Screening rates for colorectal cancer are lower in safety net health system, study reveals

Colorectal cancer screening rates are much lower among those in a safety net health system compared to the national average, and the number one predictor of screening is a combination of regular visits and insurance access.

8 Sep 2009

Today's opinions and editorials

Tactically, however, (former Alaska Gov. Sarah) Palin's move was pure brilliance: in but a few keystrokes she synthesized the underlying suspicion at least half of Americans have about a government role in health care delivery and created a visual metaphor from which the Obama White House and congressional Democrats still haven't fully recovered. So would it surprise you that Palin has a legitimate point? Well, sort of (John Edgell, 9/4).

5 Sep 2009

Alcohol is harmful for unborn babies

Learning disabilities, mental health issues and behavior problems are just some of the issues that afflict babies exposed to alcohol in the womb, yet some doctors still tell their patients it is safe to have a drink now and then while pregnant.

5 Sep 2009

Fixing health care costs by changing patient behavior

Patient behavior plays a central role in fixing health. NPR reports: "Economists have long said health care, as a market, is a strange animal. A large part of this is because patients don't act like regular consumers."

4 Sep 2009

Town hall meetings continue to trigger unexpected events

The New York Times reports that conservatives are hungry for a real debate beyond the rhetoric at these events: "Far from embracing the attacks, many leading conservative health care policy experts said in recent interviews that the dynamic was precluding a more robust real-world debate while making it nearly impossible for them to inject their studied, free-market solutions into the discussion.

4 Sep 2009

Positive impact on medication adherence through Aetna's care management program

Aetna announced today results of an analysis from the first half of 2009, demonstrating an average medication adherence of over 95 percent for its members taking Specialty medications. Disease states evaluated in Aetna’s analysis include: multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV, Crohn's disease, Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH), psoriasis, Hepatitis C and asthma.

4 Sep 2009