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Defibrillator implantations performed by physicians with low volume are more likely to have adverse outcomes

As the implantation of cardioverter-defibrillator devices to prevent sudden cardiac death becomes increasingly popular, patients are likely to get the best results when they are treated by physicians who perform the procedures frequently, according to a new study in the Oct. 18, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

11 Oct 2005

Rates for new cases of kidney failure have stabilized

After 20 years of annual increases from 5 to 10 percent, rates for new cases of kidney failure have stabilized, according to new research from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). At the same time, dramatic racial disparities persist.

11 Oct 2005

Cost-effectiveness of potentially life-saving implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) is an important public health issue

The use of implanted defibrillators that keep the heart beating in proper electrical rhythm to prevent cardiac arrest appears to be cost-effective for those patients who receive a significant mortality reduction, according to researchers from Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), Stanford University and the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Calif. They analyzed eight clinical trials of the devices to arrive at their conclusion.

5 Oct 2005

Cancer incidence among women has increased slightly

Overall rates of cancer death for both men and women have declined in the United States, and cancer incidence has remained stable among men. However, overall cancer incidence among women has increased slightly, according to a special article that appears in the October 5 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

4 Oct 2005

Americans' risk of dying from cancer continues to decline

The nation's leading cancer organizations report that Americans' risk of dying from cancer continues to decline and that the rate of new cancers is holding steady. The "Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2002," published in the Oct. 5, 2005, issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, shows observed cancer death rates from all cancers combined dropped 1.1 percent per year from 1993 to 2002.

4 Oct 2005

HeartMate XVE left ventricular assist device

Nine years ago this week, a team of University of Michigan doctors gave a dying heart patient a second chance at life by implanting a high-tech pump in his chest. The high-risk procedure was the first in Michigan performed using a new blood-pumping device called a HeartMate XVE left ventricular assist device, which helped the patient live until he received a heart transplant five weeks later.

28 Sep 2005

48 percent of adults in the U.S. have inadequate health literacy

Health problems that place limitations on daily activities and result in pain that interferes with normal work activities were more common among older individuals with poor health literacy, according to a study in the current issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

27 Sep 2005

Important new lessons learned from aspirin

No other medicine is as common, inexpensive, and yet powerful in so many ways as aspirin; yet despite a century of experience with the drug, researchers are still learning important new lessons, while raising new questions, according to seven special articles in the Sept. 20, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

20 Sep 2005

Cost-cutting strategy employed by HMOs for 15 years is simply not working

With rising concern over the cost of the new Medicare prescription drug benefit program – going into effect January, 2006 and estimated to cost $593 billion over the next decade – a new UCSF study reveals that a key cost-cutting strategy employed by HMOs for 15 years is simply not working.

19 Sep 2005

Health leaders to tour evacuee sites in hurricane region

According to reports Secretary Mike Leavitt is taking a team of health care, public health and social service leaders to Louisiana and the Gulf Region as part of ongoing efforts to extend care and services to where evacuees of Hurricane Katrina are located.

4 Sep 2005

Bush pushing seniors to sign up for prescription drug benefit program

Senior citizens skeptical about signing up for a new Medicare prescription drug benefit program, are being urged by President George Bush to enroll in the scheme which is promising a choice of plans with monthly premiums as low as $20.

30 Aug 2005

Appropriate tests need to be done earlier for ovarian cancer

A new study to be published in the journal CANCER in October has found that many women diagnosed with ovarian cancer actually complained of symptoms of the disease at least four months before they were diagnosed.

23 Aug 2005

Early clinical signs of ovarian cancer

Many women diagnosed with ovarian cancer actually complained of symptoms of the disease at least four months before they were diagnosed, according to a new study to be published in the October 1, 2005 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

22 Aug 2005

New guidelines to battle heart failure

Early diagnosis and new treatments can help battle heart failure -- a growing national problem that causes 1 million hospital admissions each year, according to new guidelines released by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA).

22 Aug 2005

Separate studies produce conflicting results on race and gender disparities in U.S. health system

Two newly released studies in the U.S. have to some extent come to conflicting results. According to one study, by researchers at Emory University, attempts over the last decade to address race and gender disparities in the treatment of U.S. patients hospitalized for heart attacks, still in some respects raise cause for concern.

18 Aug 2005

Seniors in U.S. can relax as official says Medicare drug benefit scheme will cost less

Federal officials have said that Medicare's controversial new drug benefit for seniors, may in fact cost less than first projected, because of the very competitive bids from insurers and other providers.

10 Aug 2005

Current clinical practice guidelines are not written with older adults with multiple illnesses in mind

The aging of the population and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases pose challenges to the development and application of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), according to background information in the article. In 1999, 48 percent of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years or older had at least 3 chronic medical conditions and 21 percent had 5 or more.

10 Aug 2005

Medicare access in the Sunshine state in jeopardy for seniors

The American Medical Association, (AMA), says that access to care for Florida's nearly 3 million Medicare patients will be in jeopardy if Congress does not act to halt a cut in payments to physicians.

9 Aug 2005

Australian doctors are well connected to information technology in their practices

Australian Medical Association (AMA) President, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, said this week that doctors are well connected to information technology in their practices, with over 90 per cent of GPs using electronic prescribing and communications systems.

4 Aug 2005

American Psychological Association lauds action agendas to transform U.S. mental health system

The American Psychological Association (APA) lauds the release of the Campaign for Mental Health Reform's action agenda, Emergency Response: A Roadmap for Federal Action on America's Mental Health Crisis, designed to help the federal government transform the delivery of mental health services.

2 Aug 2005