Health and Human Services News and Research

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Doctors view on surrogate decision making process

A growing number of hospitalized adults are incapable of making their own health decisions, but little research has explored how doctors feel about making medical decisions with a patient's surrogate decision maker.

9 Sep 2009

Philadelphia MCAN project as model for managing childhood asthma and reducing H1N1 risk

Nearly a dozen 7th graders with asthma were welcomed along with other classmates back to school today by a special guest who had a message for them about staying healthy - Kathleen Sebelius, 21st Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).

9 Sep 2009

Shalala, Cleveland Clinic's Cosgrove weigh in on current health debate

Two health care industry players have views about to handle the current overhaul debate.

8 Sep 2009

MyMedicalRecords PHR offers medical reimbursement for H1N1 affected susbcribers

MMR Information Systems, Inc. (OTCBB: MMRF) (the "Company"), which through its wholly-owned operating subsidiary, MyMedicalRecords, Inc. ("MMR") provides consumer-controlled Personal Health Records ("PHRs") (www.mymedicalrecords.com) and electronic safe deposit box storage solutions (www.myesafedepositbox.com), today announced that it has launched a new subscriber Program to reimburse up to $5,000 for remaining medical insurance deductibles, or out-of-pocket medical expenses up to $5,000, for a MyMedicalRecords PHR subscriber family member who has a confirmed case of the H1N1 (Swine Flu) virus.

8 Sep 2009

New protein fragments identified for anthrax vaccine development

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have identified two small protein fragments that could be developed into an anthrax vaccine that may cause fewer side effects than the current vaccine.

4 Sep 2009

New report released to highlight health insurance reform for senior women

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will travel to Maine today and formally release a new report on the importance of health insurance reform for older women (ages 55-64) and senior women (ages 65 and older).

4 Sep 2009

Competition results in wide approval of Rev Vac safety syringe

Revolutions Medical Corporation ("Revolutions Medical" or the "Company") (OTCBB: RMCP), producers of the Rev Vac safety syringe, today confirmed that the opportunities for its Rev Vac safety syringe became even more significant with the August 31 announcement of close competitor Retractable Technologies, Inc. ("Retractable Technologies").

4 Sep 2009

The American Association for Homecare deems OIG report as misleading

In a study released yesterday, the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) ignored the substantial costs of services related to providing power wheelchairs, including complex rehab, to seniors and people with disabilities who require mobility assistance.

4 Sep 2009

Touch of MIDAS to prepare the world for contagious outbreaks

To help the nation-and the world-understand and prepare for contagious outbreaks, the National Institutes of Health's Models of Infectious Disease Agent Study (MIDAS) adds new research expertise to increase its capacity to simulate disease spread, evaluate different intervention strategies and help inform public health officials and policymakers.

4 Sep 2009

Medicare advantage rates could go up, while Part D 'exceeding expectations'

"Despite near-zero inflation and recessionary conditions, health insurers in 2010 face another year of double-digit increases in the charges they pay for hospital services, physicians, drugs, and other healthcare costs," U.S. News and World Report writes in a news column.

4 Sep 2009

BF STEM tomography allows to visualize fine details of cell structure

Scientists in the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) Laboratory of Bioengineering and Physical Science have developed a new technique that allows researchers to visualize fine details of cell structure three-dimensionally in thick sections, thus providing greater insight into how cells are organized and how they function. The work is described in a report published online this week in Nature Methods.

4 Sep 2009

Health workers' misdeeds kept in secret database

NPR: "Twenty-two years ago, the federal government started keeping a list of nurses, nurse aides, pharmacists and pharmacy aides who've been disciplined by state licensing boards. It's called the Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank. But hospitals and nursing homes aren't allowed to see the database." The database was intended to be "open to hospitals and nursing homes when they hire staff and want to run a background check.

4 Sep 2009

New center to study mathematical modeling of drug resistance and internention to be established at HSPH

A new center that will focus on mathematical modeling of drug resistance, seasonal infectious diseases, and intervention allocation will be established at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH).

4 Sep 2009

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to purchase flu products from BD

BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX) announced today that it has received a significant order from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the purchase of syringes and needles, sharps collectors and alcohol swabs to be used in national flu pandemic preparedness efforts.

From BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) 3 Sep 2009

Criminal pricing of Merck’s HIV/AIDS drug Isentress challenged by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation

As part of its ongoing campaign to lower drug prices and increase access, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) today unveiled its latest advocacy campaign challenging Merck and Co. Pharmaceuticals over the steep price of its key HIV/AIDS drug, Isentress (raltegravir). The first phase of the public awareness campaign includes a postcard mailer, scheduled to arrive this week in the mailboxes of residents of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, where Merck is headquartered.

3 Sep 2009

Pfizer finalizes settlement agreement with U.S. DOJ regarding past promotional practices

Pfizer Inc today announced that it has finalized a previously reported agreement in principle with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to settle an investigation regarding past off-label promotional practices related to Bextra, which Pfizer voluntarily withdrew from the market in 2005.

3 Sep 2009

Brookhaven Retreat to raise awareness on substance abuse

An estimated 22 million Americans suffered from substance dependence or abuse, according to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in 2002. September is National Recovery Month and Brookhaven Retreat, a multidisciplinary treatment facility that helps women overcome emotional trauma and addiction challenges, is working to raise awareness about one of the nation’s biggest health crises: substance abuse and how recovery is essential to regain the balance a person once had over their life.

3 Sep 2009

New clinical trials to address the effectiveness of antimicrobial drugs

Scientists are addressing the threat of antimicrobial drug resistance by launching two new clinical trials aimed at prolonging the effectiveness of currently available antibacterial drugs. The concept underlying both studies: Less is more.

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

The 2009 H1N1 influenza virus causes more severe disease than human seasonal influenza viruses

Preliminary findings in ferrets suggest that the novel 2009 H1N1 influenza virus may outcompete human seasonal influenza viruses, researchers say. Tests in animals showed that levels of the 2009 H1N1 virus rose more quickly than levels of the seasonal virus strains, and the new virus caused more severe disease. In line with previous findings by other research groups, the University of Maryland researchers also observed that the novel H1N1 virus was transmitted more easily from infected to uninfected ferrets than either of the two seasonal influenza viruses.

2 Sep 2009