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Software to curb hospital readmissions?

Stung by a multimillion-dollar penalty for failing to meet new patient readmissions standards set by Medicare, UMass Memorial Health Care is using transaction analytics software to reduce frequent and costly readmissions for patients with heart attacks, heart failure and pneumonia.

5 Dec 2012

National Radiation Oncology Registry program for quality assessment and improvement

The National Radiation Oncology Registry (NROR) pilot program will serve as the basis for the creation of a nationwide electronic registry to capture reliable, population-based information on radiation treatment delivery and health outcomes and will be supported by an innovative information technology (IT) infrastructure that will maximize efficiency through the automated collection and electronic transfer of data, according to research presented at the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Quality Care Symposium.

5 Dec 2012

U.S. working with Namibia on AIDS response

U.S. Ambassador to Namibia Wanda Nesbitt writes in the State Department's "DipNote" blog, "Here in Namibia, the United States, through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), is working closely with the people and Government of Namibia to prevent new HIV infections, provide lifesaving HIV treatment to those who need it, and help put an end to AIDS in the country."

5 Dec 2012

Paper reveals how 'kinase' is distributed across membranes

Using a super-resolution fluorescent microscope, Australian medical scientists are a step closer to understanding why and how human immune cells decide to activate or not, thus enabling or preventing disease taking hold in the body.

5 Dec 2012

Trouble spot in fiscal talks: The down payment

Although there appears to be general agreement about tax code and entitlement changes that would begin next year and tally more than $1 trillion over 10 years, the initial installment of deficit reduction has become a sticking point between the White House and GOP leaders. Meanwhile, the Washington Post checks the facts on entitlement "spending cuts."

5 Dec 2012

Reflecting on global health challenges, opportunities

Writing in the BMJ Blog, George Alleyne, director emeritus of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), reflects on global health challenges and opportunities, writing, "There have been massive changes not only in the basic health problems, but also in how we have addressed them."

5 Dec 2012

Environmental tobacco smoke exposure during pregnancy may harm child’s health

It is a known fact that active maternal smoking during pregnancy has negative effects on child health, such as attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, new research suggests that second hand smoke, or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), may be just as harmful.

5 Dec 2012

Senior adviser to President reflects on World AIDS Day

"This week, as we gathered in the White House with key scientists, policymakers, and community stakeholders to commemorate World AIDS Day, I was so proud to help highlight the progress we've made in the fight against HIV/AIDS," Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to the President, writes in the AIDS.gov blog.

5 Dec 2012

Pharmacological stress echo can identify rejected hearts suitable for transplantation

Hearts previously rejected due to donors' age or other risk factors can now be declared viable for transplantation using pharmacological stress echo, according to research presented at EUROECHO and other Imaging Modalities 2012.

5 Dec 2012

USAID introduces 'first-ever' guidance on building resiliency

On Monday, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah "announced the launch of the agency's first-ever policy and program guidance on Building Resilience to Recurrent Crisis during an event in Washington, D.C.," according to an USAID press release.

5 Dec 2012

Patient-centered relationship increases pain tolerance: Study

A doctor-patient relationship built on trust and empathy doesn't just put patients at ease - it actually changes the brain's response to stress and increases pain tolerance, according to new findings from a Michigan State University research team.

5 Dec 2012

Report examines international funding for neglected diseases

"International financial support aimed at counteracting the world's 'neglected diseases' increased by nearly a half-billion dollars over the past five years, according to new research released Monday, but changing funding dynamics could already be having a negative impact on the development of cures for diseases that affect a substantial proportion of the world's poor," Inter Press Service reports.

5 Dec 2012

New method promises to boost stem cell production in laboratory

A new method for generating stem cells from mature cells promises to boost stem cell production in the laboratory, helping to remove a barrier to regenerative medicine therapies that would replace damaged or unhealthy body tissues.

5 Dec 2012

Global Fund, Tanzania sign new grant agreement worth $308M

"The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has signed a new grant agreement [with Tanzania] worth $308 million," Devex's "Development Newswire" reports. "The grant, signed Dec. 1, will help provide more than 660,000 Tanzanians access to antiretrovirals, HIV testing and counseling, and other health products for the next three years, according to a press release" from the Global Fund, the news service writes.

5 Dec 2012

New data from AstraZeneca's FASLODEX studies on breast cancer to be presented at SABSC

AstraZeneca today announced the presentation of important new data from studies of FASLODEX (fulvestrant) Injection at the 2012 CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium taking place from 4-8 December at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio, Texas.

5 Dec 2012

Tennessee nursing-care company charged with Medicare fraud

A Tennessee-based nursing-care company systematically defrauded Medicare of millions of dollars by pressuring therapists to perform expensive, unnecessary treatments, according to a recently unsealed federal complaint.

5 Dec 2012

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea have same early cardiovascular damage as diabetics

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea have the same early cardiovascular damage as diabetics, according to research presented at EUROECHO and other Imaging Modalities 2012.

5 Dec 2012

GOP counteroffer includes raising Medicare's eligibility age to 67

The Republican marker, which was almost immediately rebuffed by the White House, includes cuts to federal safety net programs, but does not meet the president's "test of balance" because it rejects tax increases for the wealthy.

5 Dec 2012

Nanoparticle-based drug delivery attacks cancer cells without harming normal ones

This month, Molecular Pharmaceutics reported promising findings from the Nemours Center for Childhood Cancer Research and the Materials Science and Engineering Department at the University of Delaware, about the potential for nanotechnology to deliver chemotherapeutic agents in a way that attacks cancer cells without harming healthy cells.

5 Dec 2012

Stakeholders focus on addressing Medicare physician payment issues

Stakeholders worry that, although a "doc fix" is likely to be included in a broad deficit-reduction deal, steps also need to be taken immediately to prevent scheduled Medicare physician payment cuts from kicking in.

5 Dec 2012