Doctor News and Research

RSS

Beth Israel patients to get a look at online doctors' notes

A Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center project called "open notes" will make doctor's notes available to as many as 35,000 patients online along with the rest of their medical records for a year, the Boston Globe reports.

21 Jun 2009

Texas "medical home" provides personal and coordinated health care

The Houston Chronicle reports on a medical philosophy that focuses on providing coordinated care and personal care to older patients, mostly indigent seniors. The paper examines Select Senior Clinic, a Texas facility that ascribes to the medical home concept.

21 Jun 2009

Recession and budget cuts hit children especially hard

As the recession forces more hospitals and doctors to pare costs and services, children are being especially hard hit.

18 Jun 2009

House bill may target drugmakers' advertising tax breaks

Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., says the House Ways and Means Committee may seek to raise money for health reform by imposing a $37 billion tax on drugmaker's advertisements, Bloomberg reports: "As lawmakers seek ways to pay for a health-care overhaul, 'one thing that's not off the table is you can pick up $37 billion knocking out the deduction for advertising' for prescription drugs,'" Rangel said. The idea is among several proposals by Democratic legislators to raise reform money (Donmoyer, 6/16).

18 Jun 2009

Telemedicine expands reach of care for Parkinson’s patients

A unique and innovative telemedicine project is providing distant nursing home patients with Parkinson's disease access to neurologists at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC).A pilot study of the project - the results of which were released this month at the International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders in Paris - demonstrates that the system can improve the quality of life and motor function of patients.

17 Jun 2009

Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs do not lower risk of pneumonia in seniors

Taking popular cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, such as Lipitor (atorvastatin), does not lower the risk of pneumonia. That's the new finding from a study of more than 3,000 Group Health patients published online on June 16 in advance of the British Medical Journal's June 20 print issue.

17 Jun 2009

Veterans Affairs Department expands coverage amid patient safety concerns

The Associated Press reports that the VA "opened the doors of its health care system Monday to about 266,000 nondisabled veterans with moderate incomes, some of whom have been shut out of those benefits. The veterans eligible are from a category known as "Priority 8." They have no illnesses or injuries attributed to their military service, and they earn more than the average wage in their communities."

17 Jun 2009

Bartering for health care rises

With no health insurance and little money, Gilberto Carrasco, a Reno, Nev., auto mechanic, didn't see much point in getting a physical. At 50, he felt healthy and couldn't afford treatment even if a doctor found a medical problem.

17 Jun 2009

Access issues persist for Indians, rural Americans, immigrants

Several reports today focus on inadequate health care for certain population groups within the United States.

15 Jun 2009

Physicians wait for health IT guidelines, officials want 'every doctor's office' online

Physicians are still waiting for clear cut rules for how they must use health information technology in order to be eligible for economic stimulus-funded incentives, American Medical News, a publication of the American Medical Association, reports.

15 Jun 2009

High-tech approach to combat sepsis

When Jason Martin gives a talk about his research, he begins with the dramatic story of Mariana Bridi da Costa: The young Brazilian supermodel died from severe sepsis in January after amputation of both her hands and feet failed to stop its spread.

15 Jun 2009

Men hit by 'inexplicable' greater cancer death risk

Men are almost 40 per cent more likely than women to die from cancer, reveals a report published today (Monday) by the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) and Cancer Research UK together with the Men's Health Forum to mark Men's Health Week.

14 Jun 2009

Drugstores group sues Delaware over Medicaid cutbacks

Walgreen Co.'s member organization in Delaware has "filed a suit against the state to put a stop to Medicaid rate cuts" just one week after "Walgreens announced it will stop filling prescriptions of brand-name medications for patients on Medicaid" in Delaware, the News Journal reports.

13 Jun 2009

Obama says doing nothing will cost more in long run

President Obama said at a health care town hall meeting at a school in Green Bay, Wis., Thursday that doing nothing on health reform will lead to increased costs and a higher deficit as he challenged critics of Congress' attempt at reform, The Associated Press reports.

11 Jun 2009

Study reveals publics’ ignorance of anatomy

A study of patients and members of the public has shown that most lack even basic knowledge of human anatomy. The research, featured in the open access journal BMC Family Practice, found that people were generally incapable of identifying the location of major organs, even if they were currently receiving relevant treatment.

11 Jun 2009

Yeast 'DNA damage sensor' provides chemotherapy resistance clue

Cancer Research UK scientists have been part of an international collaboration that has revealed the structure of a protein found in simple yeast cells and shown how it flags up damaged DNA for repair. The results of their study are published in Nature*. The finding may provide clues as to how some cancer cells become resistant to certain chemotherapy drugs.

11 Jun 2009

Doctors and hospitals look for ways to cut costs, improve quality

The "patient-centered" practices movement is growing in popularity, the New York Times reports. Primary care physicians in the practices "spend more time with patients, emphasize prevention and education" to keep patients healthy and "can handle many medical problems without referrals to specialists." Often, "this kind of care can reduce a patient's medical bills."

9 Jun 2009

St. Petersburg Times examines work of Paul Farmer, potential candidate for USAID, State Department position

The St. Petersburg Times examines the work of Paul Farmer – "the Harvard-educated doctor who, starting in Haiti, built a multinational organization on the radical idea that poor patients deserve the same care as rich ones" and is reportedly being considered for a high-level job with USAID or the State Department.

9 Jun 2009

Eleven accused of scamming Medicare in Michigan

Eleven people were charged in an indictment unsealed on Thursday with "scamming Medicare to get painkillers," the Associated Press reports.

5 Jun 2009

Industry leaders offer solutions for health care reform

The Chicago Tribune published a series of articles on industry's solutions for health care reform. The paper "turned to Chicago-area leaders in three key segments of the industry: insurers, medical providers and pharmacy," and presented their "thoughts on how best to expand medical-care coverage to all Americans."

5 Jun 2009