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HHS releases first-ever inventory of quality measures

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released the first-ever inventory of quality measures that are used for reporting, payment, or quality improvement by its agencies and operating divisions.

24 Nov 2008

New plan to tackle off-label prescribing

Physicians and policy-makers know that drugs are frequently prescribed to treat certain diseases despite a lack of FDA approval - a practice known as off-label prescribing.

24 Nov 2008

Acute kidney injury predisposes elderly to serious kidney disease

Acute kidney injury (AKI) - which is often caused by trauma, illness, or surgery - predisposes elderly individuals to the most serious form of chronic kidney disease (CKD), known as end stage renal disease (ESRD), according to a study appearing in the January 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN).

19 Nov 2008

Poor understanding of medicare leads to worse healthcare access

A study appearing in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society shows that Medicare beneficiaries' understanding of their healthcare benefits may affect their ability to access needed care effectively and could lead them to the delay or avoid seeking care.

18 Nov 2008

Seniors happy with Medicare drug coverage just the way it is

Ninety-two percent of seniors enrolled in the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit in 2008 are satisfied with their coverage according to a national phone survey by RetireSafe, a nationwide education and advocacy group for older Americans.

18 Nov 2008

Lower socioeconomic status decreases chances of early detection and survival of colorectal cancer

An abstract presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's Seventh Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research shows that lower socioeconomic status reduced the chance of early stage diagnosis and survival of colorectal cancer in Colorado.

18 Nov 2008

Ginkgo biloba does nothing for dementia, Alzheimer's

One of the most widely used herbal supplements for improving memory and cognition has no impact on the development of dementia or Alzheimer's disease, according to new results from a $30 million, multi-center study.

18 Nov 2008

Behavioral risk factors influence cancer risk among the elderly

Behavioral risk factors have a significant effect on cancer risk in the U.S. elderly population, according to research presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's Seventh Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research.

17 Nov 2008

Adults with severe heart failure have more doctor visits, medications than others on Medicare

Adults with severe heart failure see almost three times as many Medicare providers each year compared to a typical beneficiary, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008.

12 Nov 2008

Regularly exercise good for heart failure patients

Heart failure patients who regularly exercise fare better and feel better about their lives than do similar patients who do not work out on a regular basis, say researchers at Duke University Medical Center.

12 Nov 2008

Osteoporosis care at risk in the U.S.

Cuts to Medicare reimbursement of DXA undermine efforts to properly diagnose and treat osteoporosis and diminish quality of patient care.

12 Nov 2008

Study finds rise in rate of diagnostic imaging in managed care

Use of radiology imaging tests has soared in the past decade with a significant increase in newer technologies, according to a new study that is the first to track imaging patterns in a managed care setting over a substantial time period.

11 Nov 2008

Eye problems the most common disorder for Australian children

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) roughly one in every six Australian children wears glasses - and eye disorders are the most common long-term health problem for Australia's youth.

10 Nov 2008

Impact of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) Medicare reform explained

The end-stage renal disease (ESRD) Medicare reform measures recently passed by Congress represent the most significant ESRD reforms in decades.

8 Nov 2008

Age, race are among factors that influence carotid-surgery success

Advanced age and race are among the factors that can affect whether a patient dies or suffers a stroke after carotid-artery surgery, a UT Southwestern Medical Center physician involved in a multicenter study has found.

6 Nov 2008

NCPA statement on Florida study about prescription drug prices

Health Service Online has published a study called "Variation in Drug Prices at Pharmacies: Are Drug Prices Higher in Poor Areas," by Walid F. Gellad.

6 Nov 2008

Medicaid policies vary widely for biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs

Patients with inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis now have many more treatment options than in the past, including biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).

5 Nov 2008

Study look at use of insulin via insulin pump

Using an insulin pump to manage diabetes is more convenient than managing the disease with daily insulin injections.

5 Nov 2008

Survey finds health care in the U.S. must be fundamentally reformed

Leaders in health care and health care policy feel strongly that the way we pay for health care in the U.S. must be fundamentally reformed.

4 Nov 2008

Improved communication about medications reduces complications among patients using common blood thinner

Patients who report receiving written and verbal instructions on the proper way to take the blood thinner warfarin are significantly less likely to suffer the serious gastrointestinal and brain bleeding problems that are associated with misuse of the drug, according to new research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

27 Oct 2008