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One of five hospitalized Medicare patients readmitted to hospital within 30 days

One of five Medicare beneficiaries discharged from the hospital is readmitted within 30 days, and half of non-surgical patients are readmitted to the hospital without having seen an outpatient doctor in follow-up, according to a Commonwealth Fund-supported study in today's New England Journal of Medicine.

1 Apr 2009

How microglia diagnose damaged circuits in an in vivo brain

Microglia, immune cells in the brain, is suggested to be involved in the repair of damaged brain, like a medical doctor.

1 Apr 2009

Eye exercises help patients work out vision problems

You've probably been there. In a doctor's office, being advised to do what you dread - exercise.

1 Apr 2009

Bad mix of bacterial remnants and NOD2 gene lead to arthritis

Here's another reason to hate leftovers. A research study appearing in the April 2009 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology sheds light on one cause of arthritis: bacteria.

1 Apr 2009

Minorities underrepresented in New York state physician workforce, study finds

Few minorities in New York state are entering the health care field despite an increase in the number of minorities moving there, according to a study recently published by the University at Albany's Center for Health Workforce Studies, the Albany Times Union reports.

31 Mar 2009

Augmented reality improves training for keyhole surgery

Researcher Sanne Botden has improved the training methods for surgeons who perform keyhole operations. At present, a relatively large number of errors are made during surgery of this kind. She defends her doctoral dissertation at Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands on Wednesday, 1 April.

31 Mar 2009

Retention is part of the answer to the nursing shortage

A new research study, published in the March/April issue of the journal Nursing Economics, has determined what factors can help keep new nurses from leaving their jobs and - in doing so - save health systems money.

30 Mar 2009

South Carolina audit finds inadequacies in Medicaid transportation service program

The South Carolina Legislative Audit Council, the investigative arm of the General Assembly, on Wednesday released an audit report finding that the state might have improperly managed the Medicaid transportation program, the Columbia State reports.

30 Mar 2009

Federal lawsuit questions Medicaid's ability to deny care deemed necessary by doctor

Health officials from Florida, Georgia and Alabama this week argued in a federal appeals court in Atlanta that state Medicaid programs can cut treatments for children that a doctor has ordered as medically necessary, Florida Health News reports.

30 Mar 2009

High dosage brachytherapy obtains excellent results in head and neck tumors

High-dosage perioperative brachytherapy (applied within the surgical process) obtains excellent results in the treatment of head and neck tumours, at the same time as reducing the period of radiation.

29 Mar 2009

Polymer nanowires detect cancer biomarker

Investigators at the University of California, Riverside, have developed a simple and cost-effective method of building conducting polymer nanowires that can detect a wide range of levels of a cancer biomarker. This work, which was published in the journal Analytical Chemistry, could serve as a model for portable cancer detection equipment suitable for use in a doctor's office.

26 Mar 2009

Should all women be screened for domestic violence?

A screening programme which would require doctors and nurses to ask all women whether they have experienced domestic violence, whatever their reason for seeking medical attention, is not justified, according to a new report by researchers at the University of Bristol, funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme.

26 Mar 2009

Discovery of major new risk factor for melanoma in young women

Researchers may have found a more potent risk factor for melanoma than blistering sunburns, freckling, or family history of the deadly skin disease.

24 Mar 2009

Plan B ruling jeopardizes girls' health, expert says

Today US District Judge Edward R. Korman ordered the FDA to make the morning after pill available to 17-year-old minor girls without a physician's visit or prescription and without parental consent.

23 Mar 2009

Belfast gets new cancer centre

Belfast joins a unique chain of Cancer Research UK Centres that are being launched across the UK.

23 Mar 2009

Preliminary health insurer survey results indicate some patients want to know physician's race when selecting provider

According to preliminary results of an automated phone survey by Highmark, some health plan members would like the race of physicians included in the insurer's physician directory, the Pittsburgh Tribune Review reports.

23 Mar 2009

On demand doctor's appointments do not improve diabetes care

Same-day medical scheduling, also known as on demand scheduling, does not improve care of chronically ill individuals, according to a study of 4,060 adult patients with diabetes.

23 Mar 2009

Astrocytes help separate man from mouse

A type of brain cell that was long overlooked by researchers embodies one of very few ways in which the human brain differs fundamentally from that of a mouse or rat, according to researchers who published their findings as the cover story in the March 11 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

23 Mar 2009