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Gottlieb Memorial Hospital introduces Epic electronic medical record system

Gottlieb Memorial Hospital today introduced the Epic electronic medical record system for patients in the hospital. This new system will offer many benefits to patients and physicians.

29 Jan 2013

Viewpoints: Medicare obligation is heavy future obligation; Mental health's 'elephant in the room'

A growing body of empirical evidence points to increasing dependency on state largess. The evidence documents as well a number of perverse and disturbing changes that this entitlement state is imposing on society. ... Social Security and Medicare have already made tens of trillions of dollars in future promises that are not covered by their expected funding streams. If and when outside resources are required to honor their promises, these entitlements become transfer programs, not insurance programs.

28 Jan 2013

CDC recognizes Mayo Clinic as Regional TB Training and Medical Consultation Center

Mayo Clinic has been designated a Regional Tuberculosis Training and Medical Consultation Center by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As such, it will be responsible for developing new and enhanced training and technical support for medical and public health professionals in an 11-state area.

25 Jan 2013

Subsidised antimalarial drugs: an interview with Kara Hanson

Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) are the currently recommended drugs for treating malaria. However, they are expensive, which limits their affordability. This means that people with malaria are likely to buy cheaper, less effective antimalarials such as chloroquine and sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine; or to simply buy painkillers and antipyretics.

25 Jan 2013

Supreme Court dashes hospitals' hopes for recovering underpayments

The court's unanimous ruling rejected the arguments advanced by 18 hospitals that sought to reopen a set of Medicare claims that were more than 25 years old.

24 Jan 2013

Mental health issues take pole position in gun violence debate

Agreement appears to exist that mental health is central to this debate, with the Obama administration eyeing the related provisions of the health law as one of the answers.

19 Jan 2013

Survey finds shortage of TB medicines in U.S.; Consequences similar to lack of access in developing countries, advocate says

"More than 80 percent of health departments in the United States that treat tuberculosis [TB] resistant to standard treatment have trouble obtaining the drugs they need to cure the disease, according to a national survey released on Thursday," Reuters reports.

18 Jan 2013

WHO finds decline in number of measles deaths between 2000 and 2011

The number of measles deaths globally decreased by 71% between 2000 and 2011, from 542 000 to 158 000. Over the same period, new cases dropped 58% from 853 500 in 2000 to 355 000 in 2011, according to new data released Thursday by WHO, a leading member of the Measles and Rubella Initiative.

18 Jan 2013

Centerstone praises mental health recommendations made by President Obama

Centerstone and Centerstone Research Institute today praised mental health recommendations made by President Barack Obama as part of his Plan to Protect our Children and our Communities by Reducing Gun Violence and called on government leaders to assist in enacting the recommendations as quickly as possible.

18 Jan 2013

FDA clears Zimmer’s iASSIST technology for knee replacement procedures

Zimmer Holdings, Inc., a global leader in musculoskeletal health, today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market iASSIST Knee, the Personalized Guidance System for knee replacement procedures.

17 Jan 2013

Feds launch 'full throttle' effort to expand health coverage

The Department of Health and Human Services redesigns its website as part of its campaign to raise awareness about the health law's requirement that most people carry insurance. Meanwhile, a U.S. appeals judge temporarily blocks the government from forcing a Christian publisher to comply with its mandate to cover all birth control options.

17 Jan 2013

Communication key in helping patients adhere to medicine

Patients are less likely to take their medications properly if they feel their family doctor or other primary care clinician is failing to communicate with them adequately, suggests a US study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

14 Jan 2013

Examining growing attention toward health systems strengthening

In an article published in the journal Health Policy and Planning, Tamara Hafner and Jeremy Shiffman of the Department of Public Administration and Policy at American University examine the factors behind why "many organizations involved in global health have come to direct attention and resources to the issue of health systems strengthening," especially since 2005, according to the abstract. They "construct a case history and analyze the factors shaping and inhibiting global political attention for health systems strengthening," the abstract states.

11 Jan 2013

Cost-ineffective drug prescribing practices revealed

Around four in 10 physicians prescribe a brand-name drug due to a patient request, when a generic equivalent is available, find researchers.

8 Jan 2013

Health care and the shakeout from the fiscal cliff

News outlets parse the particulars of how the fiscal deal will impact the health care system, and how the health industry is bracing for the next rounds in the budget battles.

7 Jan 2013

California Nurses Association, National Union Of Healthcare Workers join forces

The move could change the scope of labor battles statewide and renew a rivalry between the nurses organization and the Service Employees International Union, according to media reports.

7 Jan 2013

Despite uncertainty, 2012 was good year for hospital stocks

Hospital stocks ended 2012 posting big gains despite a year that was filled with uncertainty regarding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. When the closing bell rang Dec. 31, HCA, Nashville, the largest investor-owned chain, was trading 37% higher than it was on the last trading day of 2011.

4 Jan 2013

Minn. health system merger complete, largest in Twin Cities in decade

A merger of two health systems in Minnesota completed Tuesday creates a health care organization in the Twin Cities with 20,000 employees and 1,500 doctors.

3 Jan 2013

Trovagene adds Duke University Health System to worldwide licensees of NPM1 marker for AML

Trovagene, Inc., a developer of transrenal molecular diagnostics, announced it has granted Duke University and Duke University Health Systems a non-exclusive license to incorporate nucleophosmin protein (NPM1) into research and clinical testing services for acute myelogenous leukemia (AML).

27 Dec 2012

PEPFAR scale-up linked to strengthening of health systems, study says

Noting "PEPFAR has been criticized for its vertical or 'stove-piping' structure, with resources targeting a specific disease rather than working to strengthen the underlying health system," a study published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes "aimed to evaluate whether PEPFAR activities were associated with system-wide improvements in both proximal and distal indicators of health systems strengthening."

21 Dec 2012