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Surgery for extremely obese patients may be more effective for weight reduction

A new report issued today by HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality concludes that surgery for extremely obese patients who have tried and failed to lose weight with exercise and diet may be more effective for weight reduction.

10 Oct 2004

Sick could be thousands of dollars out of pocket if the Federal Labor Government abolishes the Medicare Safety Net

AMA (WA) President Dr Paul Skerritt said the plan to scrap the Medicare Safety Net, which complements the successful PBS Safety Net, will hit people hard when they are most vulnerable.

7 Oct 2004

18 percent of seniors with chronic conditions such as heart disease and depression skip medicines due to costs

A recent nationally representative survey of older adults finds that 18 percent of those with chronic conditions such as heart disease and depression skip some of their prescription medicines because of out-of-pocket cost pressures, and 14 percent do so at least every month.

6 Oct 2004

Medicare today announced a demonstration project for Medicare beneficiaries with high medical expenses

The Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) today announced a demonstration to find ways to improve the health and quality of life of Medicare beneficiaries with high medical expenses while reducing costs for the program and the beneficiaries.

6 Oct 2004

Noncardiac surgery risky for older heart failure patients

When heart failure patients undergo surgery for other health problems, they are much more likely to die or suffer complications than similar patients who have coronary artery disease

6 Oct 2004

Women in New York City continue to receive mammograms at much lower levels than those outside the downstate region

Women in New York City continue to receive mammograms at much lower levels than those outside the downstate region, while Kings County (Brooklyn) still has the lowest county-specific mammography rate, according to IPRO's second annual "snapshot" of mammography usage in New York State.

5 Oct 2004

Black and Hispanic patients experience marked delays in heart attack treatment compared with whites

Black and Hispanic patients experience marked delays in heart attack treatment compared with whites, Yale researchers report in an article published in the October 6 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

5 Oct 2004

Veterans in rural areas are in poorer health than their urban counterparts

The findings, reported in the October American Journal of Public Health, validate recent and ongoing VA efforts to expand health care for rural patients.

5 Oct 2004

Black men in the United States are significantly less likely to be screened for prostate cancer

Although black men in the United States are more likely than white men to be diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer and have a two-fold greater risk of dying from it, they are significantly less likely to be screened for prostate cancer

29 Sep 2004

Draft Medicare plan to cover implantable defibrillators

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today proposed to expand coverage of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), a move expected to save thousands of lives a year.

29 Sep 2004

Australian Medical Association says Labor’s Medicare Gold policy looks good in theory

Australian Medical Association Vice President, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, said today that Labor’s Medicare Gold policy is a genuine attempt to provide the long-awaited and much-needed links between hospital care, community care and aged care to ensure that older Australians have access to the right type of care in the right environment when they most need it.

29 Sep 2004

Last year over 36,000 Americans died from exposure to the flu

Another 200,000 people were hospitalized with symptoms of the illness. The flu and pneumonia (the most common complication of the flu) combined are the fifth leading cause of death among Americans age 65 and older.

29 Sep 2004

Australian Medical Association backs Labor’s commitment to focus on mental health

Dr Choong-Siew Yong, Psychiatrist and Chair of the AMA’s Public Health and Ethics Committee, today welcomed Labor’s commitment to focus on mental health as a national health priority

28 Sep 2004

Outbreak of whooping cough in South Australia

South Australia's Department of Health is urging parents to make sure their children are immunised against whooping cough as an outbreak is beginning in SA.

28 Sep 2004

Elderly African American men are less likely to get tested for prostate cancer

Elderly African American men are less likely to get tested for prostate cancer than elderly white men, according to an article in the September 27 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

26 Sep 2004

Medicare drug card savings growing, new data show

Seniors are now saving more money with the new Medicare-approved drug discount cards, the nation’s top Medicare official announced today at a forum held by the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging.

23 Sep 2004

So far only 4,000 of 50,000 slots have been filled in new demonstration prescription drug assistance program

The Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging is encouraging those on Medicare who have cancer and other serious diseases to consider signing up for a new demonstration prescription drug assistance program.

18 Sep 2004

One-third to buy cheaper Canadian drugs, 100 million find insurance coverage cut or costlier

Faced with a double-barreled crisis of shrinking health care coverage and fast-rising medical costs, two out of three American adults (67 percent) now think health care coverage should be a “guarantee” as in Canada, Britain and other nations.

16 Sep 2004

HHS enhances Medicare drug card program to help seniors

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced new measures to help seniors get the lowest price possible for their medicines by allowing them -- for the first time -- to compare prices for similar drugs used to treat common diseases such as high cholesterol or blood pressure.

15 Sep 2004

Cancer survivors' other medical problems poorly managed

People who survive cancer are less likely to receive necessary care for a wide range of other non-cancer-related medical problems according to a new study published September 13, 2004 in the online edition of CANCER, a peer- reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

12 Sep 2004

Medicare News and Research

Surgery for extremely obese patients may be more effective for weight reduction

Sick could be thousands of dollars out of pocket if the Federal Labor Government abolishes the Medicare Safety Net

18 percent of seniors with chronic conditions such as heart disease and depression skip medicines due to costs

Medicare today announced a demonstration project for Medicare beneficiaries with high medical expenses

Noncardiac surgery risky for older heart failure patients

Women in New York City continue to receive mammograms at much lower levels than those outside the downstate region

Black and Hispanic patients experience marked delays in heart attack treatment compared with whites

Veterans in rural areas are in poorer health than their urban counterparts

Black men in the United States are significantly less likely to be screened for prostate cancer

Draft Medicare plan to cover implantable defibrillators

Australian Medical Association says Labor’s Medicare Gold policy looks good in theory

Last year over 36,000 Americans died from exposure to the flu

Australian Medical Association backs Labor’s commitment to focus on mental health

Outbreak of whooping cough in South Australia

Elderly African American men are less likely to get tested for prostate cancer

Medicare drug card savings growing, new data show

So far only 4,000 of 50,000 slots have been filled in new demonstration prescription drug assistance program

One-third to buy cheaper Canadian drugs, 100 million find insurance coverage cut or costlier

HHS enhances Medicare drug card program to help seniors

Cancer survivors' other medical problems poorly managed

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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