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Physician shortage could grow under new health law

HealthDay/Bloomberg BusinessWeek: With tens of millions of patients newly insured under the law, "[s]ome experts worry that there could be longer wait times to see a doctor, particularly in rural areas and underserved markets where primary-care physicians are in short supply. … [P]rimary-care physicians make up only 35 percent of America's physician workforce, and the pipeline of fresh talent is tapering off.

10 Sep 2010

Dartmouth study says primary care not always a cure-all

A new study by Dartmouth Health Atlas researchers contends that making primary care more widely accessible -- one of the goals of the health overhaul -- won't necessarily improve the nation's health, Reuters reports. The researchers found wide variations in the quality of care that do not always match up with the level of access to physicians.

10 Sep 2010

Doctor works to measure outcomes of provider care

Forbes profiles "the most powerful doctor you never heard of," a Yale cardiologist who does "outcomes research" in which he measures "how well doctors are doing in the real world, outside of controlled trials--what they are doing right, what they are doing wrong and what they are forgetting to do entirely."

10 Sep 2010

NACHC Conference to discuss primary care foundation in America under Affordable Care Act

Former Health and Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt will address a national conference of Community, Migrant and Homeless Health Center representatives scheduled to convene this week. The 2010 Community Health Institute (CHI) and EXPO, hosted by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), will take place in Dallas, TX, September 10-14th.

10 Sep 2010

First Edition: September 10, 2010

In this morning's news, the Obama administration takes a hard line against insurers -- warning them not to blame the new health law for their rate hikes.

10 Sep 2010

Experts advise men to maintain record of prostate specific antigen test results for risk detection

Experts at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center advise men to keep a record of their prostate specific antigen (PSA) test results to help determine if they are at increased risk for prostate cancer.

10 Sep 2010

Study finds misclassification of risk groups for heart diseases

The widespread use of a simplified clinical tool to estimate future coronary risk could lead to the classification of millions of Americans into different risk groups than when using the original, "gold-standard" tool. Millions of patients may have been misclassified into higher-risk groups and therefore potentially over-treated, while others may have ended up in lower-risk groups and therefore potentially under-treated for heart disease. The study-, led by William Gordon from Weill Cornell Medical College in the US and colleagues, is published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine-, published by Springer.

10 Sep 2010

Survey finds women mistreat yeast infections

Few women go through life having never suffered from the uncomfortable symptoms of a yeast infection. In fact, nearly 3 in 4 (72 percent) women will experience their first yeast infection before age 25. Furthermore, the incidence of yeast infections is highest among young women ages 18-24, who are new to the category and uncertain about symptoms and available treatment options.

10 Sep 2010

Method to predict risk of major coronary event may underestimate risk for millions of Americans: Study

A method that is widely used to predict the risk of a major coronary event may over- or underestimate risk for millions of Americans, according to a study directed by a researcher at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco.

10 Sep 2010

Today's OpEds: Medicare's long-term liabilities; Reforming and funding native health care; Frustrations surrounding stem cell research

Under ObamaCare it will get much worse. Hospitals also will shut down or stop serving Medicare patients. … Everyone should know by now that Medicare suffers dramatic long-term deficits and unfunded liabilities, and is in need of fundamental, structural reforms. But effectively refusing to pay the doctors and hospitals that provide the medical care the program promises to seniors is no way to solve that problem (Peter Ferrara and Larry Hunter, 9/9).

10 Sep 2010

Ohio doctor starts new clinic with lower charges but doesn't accept insurance

Dr. James Brockman has taken on a new business model with his medical practice to maintain less overhead and avoid hassles with insurance companies and people who won't pay their bills. No insurance is accepted at his Affordable Health Care Center, which opened in April and offers visits starting at $45 and capped at $100 for more complicated cases.

10 Sep 2010

Democrats, Republicans take health reform, midterm battle to the airwaves

The group "Revere America" is running a multi-million dollar television ad campaign aimed at defeating Democrats who voted for the health overhaul. The ad campaign was announced by former Gov. George E. Pataki of New York, a Republican who is now serving as chairman of Revere America.

10 Sep 2010

VAP Cholesterol Test can evaluate Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, known as PCOS, is a silent and often mysterious disease that plays havoc with a woman's body and increases the risk of serious illness. There is no single test for diagnosing the illness, but a detailed cholesterol profile called the VAP Cholesterol Test, along with diet, exercise and the right medication, is changing how doctors approach PCOS and is dramatically altering patients' lives for the better.

10 Sep 2010

56% of Australians won’t vaccinate against Swine flu: Survey

Over fifty per cent of Australians were not vaccinated against the swine flu before winter arrived this year, with many of these people deliberately choosing not to be vaccinated.

9 Sep 2010

Microvisk secures £2.5 million to develop world’s first medical diagnostic SmartStrip®

Microvisk Technologies, the developer of a handheld system to monitor the blood clotting status of patients taking the drug Warfarin, has raised £2.5 million through a rights issue to existing investors. The round was significantly oversubscribed and completed within four weeks.

9 Sep 2010

BioMedTracker launches Thought Leader Opinions service for drug information

BioMedTracker, a product of Sagient Research Systems, the leading provider of competitive intelligence and investment analytics on the biotech/pharmaceutical sector, today announced the recent launch of its new service, Thought Leader Opinions (TLO). This service provides its subscribers with direct access to the latest expert opinions in the disease areas that they follow within the intuitive BioMedTracker drug information platform.

9 Sep 2010

First Edition: September 9, 2010

Today's headlines highlight a government study that finds the new health law won't fuel significant increases in spending.

9 Sep 2010

Health reforms alone not sufficient to reduce healthcare inequality gap

A new study looking at the effects of the 2006 Massachusetts Health Reform on access to care, health status and ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in healthcare, shows that the legislation has led to improvements in insurance coverage as well as a decline in financial barriers to care. However, to date, it has not increased people's access to a personal physician or improved their self-rated health. Neither has it reduced healthcare inequalities between ethnic or income groups.

9 Sep 2010

SDI's VaccineTrack data reports on season's flu vaccination

More than 690,000 Americans have already received this season's flu vaccine from their doctor, according to SDI's VaccineTrack data through Sept. 4. VaccineTrack provides syndicated weekly vaccine usage by physicians based on medical office electronic healthcare reimbursement claims data.

9 Sep 2010

Focusing on most disadvantaged children more cost-effective than current strategies, UNICEF reports say

UNICEF on Tuesday said that by "comparing the effectiveness of different strategies for aid delivery, targeting the poorest and neediest children could save more lives per $1 million spent than the current path," Reuters reports (Charbonneau, 9/7).

9 Sep 2010