Health Systems News and Research

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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

Statement, article respond to new U.S. Office of Global Health Diplomacy

The State Department on Friday announced the selection of U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby to lead the State Department's new Office of Global Health Diplomacy.

21 Dec 2012

Roundup: Calif. Report sets 10-year health goals; Conn. hospitals plead to stop cuts; Colo. lawmaker wants state universal health care on ballot

With the state facing rising medical costs and increasing rates of chronic disease, California health leaders issued a report Wednesday setting specific health targets to meet by 2022. The state's goals include reducing smoking rates, increasing vaccinations among children and improving depression screening and treatment. The report also describes ways to improve end-of-life care, by expanding palliative care at hospitals and hospice programs at home.

20 Dec 2012

Roundup: States facing Medicaid woes; Experts say N.Y. squeezed; Colorado, N.C. govs extend funding for mental health care

Rising health care costs are pushing up the amounts states must spend on the Medicaid insurance program for the poor, sending some scrambling to find funds, according to a report released on Tuesday by the National Conference of State Legislatures. The report found that spending on Medicaid and other public health care programs is currently over budget in 10 states, compared to six states at the same point last year.

20 Dec 2012

Roundup: Minn. court rules relatives deserve same pay for personal care attendant work; Colo. governor wants $18.5M for expanded mental health care

The state's effort to reduce pay for some personal care attendants has hit a snag. The Minnesota Appeals Court ruled Monday that the state's attempt to pay PCAs who care for relatives 20 percent less than other personal care attendants is unconstitutional. "They have the same training, they have the same experience, they're limited to the same number of maximum hours," said attorney David Bradley Olsen, who represents 11 agencies and several personal care assistants who sued over the matter.

19 Dec 2012

Misoprostol helps prevent postpartum haemorrhage after home births

Research brings together evidence about the potential for misoprostol to prevent bleeding after home births in low resource countries.

18 Dec 2012

New AMGF healthcare campaign aims at preventing, detecting and controlling hypertension

A recent international survey on the global burden of disease identified hypertension (high blood pressure) as the leading "risk factor" for disease around the world.

18 Dec 2012

Calif. advocates worry court-OK'd payment reductions will make it harder for poor to get care

Some worry that a Medicaid expansion in California could be hampered by reduced payments to Medi-Cal providers that a court approved last week, making it more difficult for the poor to find specialists.

18 Dec 2012

New Global Burden of Disease Study provides 'data-rich framework' for global health conversations

"The World Bank Group welcomes the publication of the new Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD)," published in the Lancet on Thursday, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim writes in a Lancet opinion piece, adding, "The GBD gives us a data-rich framework for comparing the importance of different diseases, injuries, and risk factors in causing premature death and disability within and across populations."

15 Dec 2012

U.N. General Assembly votes in favor of draft resolution supporting universal health coverage

The U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday "voted in favor of a draft resolution supporting universal health coverage, signaling the importance of universal health care to the international development agenda," the Washington Post's "World Views" blog reports.

14 Dec 2012

Health systems must be more ‘adherence-friendly’

Heath system strategies must be appropriately designed to help narrow persistent racial/ethnic gaps in the use of antihypertensive therapy, say researchers.

13 Dec 2012

Analyzing the Medicaid expansion balance sheet

As states contemplate the financial implications of pursuing the health law's Medicaid expansion, the recent Health and Human Services' decision not to fund partial expansions continues to draw reactions.

13 Dec 2012

Innovation in immunization programs can mean better learning, sharing of information

In this Guardian "Global Development Professionals Network" blog post, Robert Steinglass, senior immunization adviser at John Snow, Inc., and immunization team leader for the USAID-funded Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program, writes about the importance of innovation to improving childhood immunization programs and health systems.

12 Dec 2012

Roundup: Texas Medicaid funding fight looms; Minn. facing federal Medicaid scrutiny; health care jobs 'boom'

If the Texas Legislature is in session, there must be a fight about Medicaid going on. The health care program for the disabled, the elderly poor and the impoverished raises hackles every two years, mostly because the number in need keeps rising alongside health care costs.

10 Dec 2012

Health Systems News and Research

Cost-ineffective drug prescribing practices revealed

Health care and the shakeout from the fiscal cliff

California Nurses Association, National Union Of Healthcare Workers join forces

Despite uncertainty, 2012 was good year for hospital stocks

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

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

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

Statement, article respond to new U.S. Office of Global Health Diplomacy

Roundup: Calif. Report sets 10-year health goals; Conn. hospitals plead to stop cuts; Colo. lawmaker wants state universal health care on ballot

Roundup: States facing Medicaid woes; Experts say N.Y. squeezed; Colorado, N.C. govs extend funding for mental health care

Roundup: Minn. court rules relatives deserve same pay for personal care attendant work; Colo. governor wants $18.5M for expanded mental health care

Misoprostol helps prevent postpartum haemorrhage after home births

New AMGF healthcare campaign aims at preventing, detecting and controlling hypertension

Calif. advocates worry court-OK'd payment reductions will make it harder for poor to get care

New Global Burden of Disease Study provides 'data-rich framework' for global health conversations

U.N. General Assembly votes in favor of draft resolution supporting universal health coverage

Health systems must be more ‘adherence-friendly’

Analyzing the Medicaid expansion balance sheet

Innovation in immunization programs can mean better learning, sharing of information

Roundup: Texas Medicaid funding fight looms; Minn. facing federal Medicaid scrutiny; health care jobs 'boom'

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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