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Nearly 60% of Ontarians with rheumatoid arthritis fail to receive needed care from specialists: Study

Nearly 60 per cent of Ontarians with rheumatoid arthritis - an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints - were not seen by a specialist within a one year period to treat the debilitating disease, according to a new study. Even more concerning is that women of child-bearing age are less likely to see a specialist than women 45 or older, say researchers from St. Michael's Hospital, the Institute for Clinical and Evaluative Sciences, and Women's College Hospital

7 Jul 2010

Dell hedging on health IT investment; Privacy concerns remain

The Wall Street Journal: Dell is hoping to capitalize on its purchase of health technology firm Perot Systems by providing services to new clients such as the 2,600-doctor Methodist Hospital System in Houston. Dell has contracted to create an electronic medical records system for Methodist, a new foray into IT services for the hardware-focused firm.

7 Jul 2010

Some patients pay more at Madison clinic to subsidize others

At the Our Lady of Hope Clinic in Madison, Wis., some patients — about half — pay a premium for boutique -- or concierge -- services, which pays for care for the other half -- those without insurance at all. "Now one year old, the clinic started off slowly but is gaining momentum and seems to be a viable business model, clinic officials said. The clinic has 110 paying patients, called benefactors, and serves about two dozen uninsured people weekly."

7 Jul 2010

Emergency room visits increase in Mass., plus more hospital news

The Boston Globe: In Massachusetts, "[t]he number of people visiting hospital emergency rooms has climbed … despite the enactment of nearly universal health insurance that some hoped would reduce expensive emergency department use. According to state data released last week, emergency room visits rose by 9 percent from 2004 to 2008, to about 3 million visits a year.

7 Jul 2010

Battling medical jargon in doctor's office may improve patient health

The Wall Street Journal reports on efforts to make the language used in doctors' offices easier for patients to understand.

7 Jul 2010

AHRQ publishes new comparative effectiveness report on treatments for rotator cuff tears

Injuries to the rotator cuff are treatable, but it is unclear which treatment option - surgery or nonsurgical treatments such as exercise or medication - is best, according to a new comparative effectiveness report published by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

6 Jul 2010

Health Council of Canada applauds B.C. initiative for integrated primary and community care

The Health Council of Canada applauds the British Columbia Ministry of Health Services and the B.C. Medical Association on their June 24, 2010 announcement of $137 million toward integrated primary and community care that will connect every resident with a family doctor by 2015, starting with the province's most vulnerable citizens - high needs patients, frail seniors and patients with chronic diseases.

6 Jul 2010

The heart and the psyche – Link between heart disease and anxiety-depressive disorders

According to a new report published in the acclaimed journal Archives of General Psychiatry, concomitant anxiety and other psychiatric illnesses in heart patients raise their risk of getting heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and early death.

5 Jul 2010

Pennsylvania Department of Health announces new study on blood disorder Polycythemia vera

The Pennsylvania Department of Health today announced a new, federally-funded study on the blood disorder Polycythemia vera, or PV, in Bedford, Blair, Cambria and Somerset counties.

3 Jul 2010

Research Roundup: 'Pay-for-performance' unintended effects; Lessons from Mass.; End of life treatment

Archives of Internal Medicine: The Quality Of Care Provided To Hospitalized Patients At The End of Life - In this study, researchers used a set of quality indicators to assess the end-of-life care and pain management received by 496 patients who died three or more days after admission at the University of California-Los Angeles Medical Center. The authors found "pain assessments (94%) and treatments for pain (95%) and dyspnea [breathing problems] (87%) were performed with fidelity."

3 Jul 2010

First US forum gathers doctors and children who no longer need insulin

Twenty-five families who have overcome diabetes caused by a defect in a single gene will gather at "Celebrating the Miracles," a University of Chicago symposium for patients, parents and physicians. The first Monogenic Diabetes Forum is designed to review scientific studies, celebrate treatment successes, stress the importance of a genetic diagnosis for children diagnosed before age one, and exchange tips on how to make the most of a new concept--life without insulin injections.

3 Jul 2010

Positive reviews of health overhaul implementation so far but potential stumbling blocks lie ahead

The New York Times notes an uptick in support for the health overhaul in polls as parts of the law begin to take effect, as well as some positive reviews - even from conservatives - about the administration's performance in implementing the measures. Stuart Butler, a vice president of the Heritage Foundation, for instance, said, "I give them an A for effort. But there are land mines down the road because the law is fundamentally flawed." The latest poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows 48 percent hold a favorable view of the new law, while 41 percent oppose it.

3 Jul 2010

Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center's new children's outpatient facility named in honor of Alex Rodriguez

Alex Rodriguez joined Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center President and CEO Miguel A. Fuentes, Jr., as well as board members, staff and pediatric patients at a ceremony to dedicate a new children's outpatient center named in his honor on Wednesday, June 30, 2010.

3 Jul 2010

Today's OpEds: Insurance premium caps; Doc shortage; High-risk pool

The insurer's proposed premium hikes are staggering, but the problem is that medical costs have been growing considerably faster than inflation. AB 2578 would help put a check on unjustified hikes ... The Assembly passed the bill last month, and we urge the Senate to follow suit (7/2).

3 Jul 2010

Karolinska researchers recommend new routine for protection against infection during PEG

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet recommends a new routine for protection against infection when percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG), a tube for feeding directly through the abdominal wall, is surgically inserted in the stomach. The new routine is both simpler and cheaper than the one used today. The method, presented in the British Medical Journal, has been clinically tested on over 200 patients at the Karolinska University Hospital in Solna, Stockholm County, Sweden.

2 Jul 2010

Frozen blood samples shows promise to study mechanism of blood disorders

Cells from frozen human blood samples can be reprogrammed to an embryonic-stem-cell-like state, according to Whitehead Institute researchers. These cells can be multiplied and used to study the genetic and molecular mechanisms of blood disorders and other diseases.

2 Jul 2010

Blacks often diagnosed with advanced cancer, more likely to have other underlying health problems

Black people with cancer are up to twice as likely as other races to die from their disease. While disparities exist for nearly every common cancer type, the largest differences occur among cancers that benefit most from treatment -- suggesting that black patients are not getting needed lifesaving treatments, according to a review from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

2 Jul 2010

Genes can predict longevity with 77% accuracy: Study

In an analysis of genes of more than 1,000 centenarians, American researchers have come to the conclusion that genes play a large role in completing a century in life. The research team studied 1,055 Caucasians born between 1890 and 1910 and compared them with 1,267 people born later. They claim that there are signatures in the genetic makeup of these people that have a possible link with their longevity.

2 Jul 2010

Research findings suggest new treatment approach to improve corneal transplants

Although it is already one of medicine's most successful transplant procedures, doctors continue to seek ways to improve corneal transplants. Now, for the first time, a team of German and British researchers have confirmed that failure and rejection of transplanted corneas are more likely in patients whose eyes exhibit abnormal vessel growth, called corneal neovascularization, prior to surgery.

1 Jul 2010

New guide to get pregnant

Infertility affects about 7 million Americans -- that's about one in six couples during their childbearing years. There are many reasons for infertility, with equal chances it's his medical issue as it is hers. A new book, "A Baby at Last!: The Couples' Complete Guide to Getting Pregnant" (Fireside Books, Simon and Schuster), points the way for couples to get past the emotionally wrenching obstacle of infertility and finally bring home their bundle of joy.

1 Jul 2010

Doctor News and Research

Nearly 60% of Ontarians with rheumatoid arthritis fail to receive needed care from specialists: Study

Dell hedging on health IT investment; Privacy concerns remain

Some patients pay more at Madison clinic to subsidize others

Emergency room visits increase in Mass., plus more hospital news

Battling medical jargon in doctor's office may improve patient health

AHRQ publishes new comparative effectiveness report on treatments for rotator cuff tears

Health Council of Canada applauds B.C. initiative for integrated primary and community care

The heart and the psyche – Link between heart disease and anxiety-depressive disorders

Pennsylvania Department of Health announces new study on blood disorder Polycythemia vera

Research Roundup: 'Pay-for-performance' unintended effects; Lessons from Mass.; End of life treatment

First US forum gathers doctors and children who no longer need insulin

Positive reviews of health overhaul implementation so far but potential stumbling blocks lie ahead

Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center's new children's outpatient facility named in honor of Alex Rodriguez

Today's OpEds: Insurance premium caps; Doc shortage; High-risk pool

Karolinska researchers recommend new routine for protection against infection during PEG

Frozen blood samples shows promise to study mechanism of blood disorders

Blacks often diagnosed with advanced cancer, more likely to have other underlying health problems

Genes can predict longevity with 77% accuracy: Study

Research findings suggest new treatment approach to improve corneal transplants

New guide to get pregnant

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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