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Netherlands shows the way in healthcare accountability

As national healthcare reform initiatives grab headlines throughout the U.S., Maasstad Hospital in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, is quietly demonstrating how physicians, nurses, and administrators can be held accountable to national performance standards.

3 Sep 2009

Pfizer to pay $2.3 billion for health care fraud settlement

American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. and its subsidiary Pharmacia & Upjohn Company Inc. (hereinafter together "Pfizer") have agreed to pay $2.3 billion, the largest health care fraud settlement in the history of the Department of Justice, to resolve criminal and civil liability arising from the illegal promotion of certain pharmaceutical products, the Justice Department announced today.

3 Sep 2009

Tort reform and changes to doctor payment could cut health costs

Limiting medical malpractice lawsuits and changing the doctor payment system are being debated as possible ways to make health care more cost-effective.

3 Sep 2009

Avastin increases survival rates in recurrent glioblastoma affected patients

The targeted therapy Avastin, alone and in combination with the chemotherapy drug CPT-11, significantly increased response rates, progression-free survival times and survival rates in patients with a deadly form of brain cancer that had recurred.

3 Sep 2009

How to make the most of expiring health coverage

"Job loss or the fear of it has pushed more people to use their employer-sponsored health insurance before they lose it. Major health insurers have seen their medical costs rise in recent quarters, in part because people covered by employer-sponsored plans have rushed to use services before their benefits are cut off."

3 Sep 2009

Despite health reform efforts, Milwaukee clinic for low-income patients may close

A clinic in a low-income Milwaukee neighborhood has filled a need for 23 years, but people running it worry that it may not be helped by any changes to the health care system. The New York Times reports on the Milwaukee Immediate Care Center, a small nonprofit clinic, "which keeps hours at night and on weekends, [and] is the only full-time operation in the neighborhood that provides urgent care, luring patients with a sign that reads, 'When You Need a Doctor Today.'"

2 Sep 2009

NCPA urges Congress to prevent Medicaid pharmacy reimbursement cuts

The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) is urging Congressional action in the next 30 days to preserve the access Medicaid patients have to approximately 23,000 community pharmacies.

2 Sep 2009

CIGNA partners with MCNT to launch a medical home type program in Texas

CIGNA (NYSE:CI) and Medical Clinic of North Texas (MCNT) are preparing to launch a pilot program that incorporates components of the medical home model based on a comprehensive, accountable and collaborative approach they believe will lead to improved patient access, better continuity and coordination of care, improved quality of care for patients, and lower medical costs.

2 Sep 2009

Dr. Samadi of the Mount Sinai Medical Center stresses on prostate cancer awareness

September signifies the start of fall, back to school and back to homework. September is also National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. The awareness month was proclaimed by President Bush in 2003, and bolstered later that year by former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, a prostate cancer survivor, who became the spokesman for the National Prostate Cancer Coalition.

2 Sep 2009

Novo Nordisk's NCDP provides support for accurate cost and benefit assessments of preventive health

The National Changing Diabetes((R) )Program (NCDP), a program of Novo Nordisk, commends Representative Donna M. Christensen, M.D. (D-VI) and Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX) for sponsoring legislation that will lead to a more accurate assessment of the cost and benefits of preventive health, including preventing complications and delaying progression of chronic diseases such as diabetes.

From Novo Nordisk 2 Sep 2009

Mistrust of healthcare system could harm patients' health and raise overall health care costs

Mistrust among patients, providers and insurers could harm patients' health and raise overall health care costs, reports a new study.

2 Sep 2009

Healthcare promises to be a sound investment

Amazing medical advancements are made almost every year and Americans are more health-conscious than they've ever been before. As a result, people are living longer lives. While that is unarguably a good thing, the combination of an aging population and new medical discoveries has created a huge demand for healthcare professionals.

2 Sep 2009

Patient perception of physician disclosure key to gaining trust

When reporting medical errors, patients' perceptions of their physicians' disclosure may be key to gaining their trust, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. However, a positive perception of the disclosure has little effect on the lawsuit risk a physician faces.

2 Sep 2009

White matter hyperintensities could lead to permanent thinking problems

Elderly people with no memory or thinking problems are more likely to later develop thinking problems if they have a growing amount of "brain rust," or small areas of brain damage, according to a study published in the July 14, 2009, print issue of NeurologyÂ®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

2 Sep 2009

Majority of women depend on family or friend's opinion to decide on breast cancer surgery

About three-quarters of women newly diagnosed with breast cancer have a friend or family member with them at their first visit with a surgeon. And that person plays a significant role in the patient's decision of what type of surgery to have, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

2 Sep 2009

Visioneer document scanner streamlines patient care delivery systems

There is constant pressure in the healthcare industry to streamline patient care delivery systems that will function effectively under the real world constraints faced by public and private hospitals. Whether it is an admissions process, patient records or a doctor’s office environment, Visioneer scanners make short and easy work out of converting paper into digital documents.

2 Sep 2009

Legal immigrants to receive scaled back health care benefits in Massachusetts

Thousands of legal immigrants in Massachusetts will face scaled-back health care benefits, the governor announced Monday.

2 Sep 2009

Dr. House's prescription: More medicine is better

Kaiser Health News reports on the impact that television shows can have on the expectations of patients and, as a result, the costs of care to the health delivery system.

1 Sep 2009

Study reveals that 31% of doctors believe that internet complicates their relationship with patients

Patients who ask their doctor about information they have read on the Internet, or webs that better inform them of their diagnosis, are no longer a rarity. A study undertaken by Spanish researchers reveals the advantages and disadvantages of online medical enquiries. Some 31% of doctors believe that the Internet complicates their relationship with patients and undermines their credibility.

1 Sep 2009