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Medicare triples customer phone support

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson and CMS Administrator Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D. today announced that Medicare has more than tripled the number of customer service representatives available through its toll-free information line, 1-800-MEDICARE, which also received a record number of calls on Monday.

28 Apr 2004

A high rate of marriage among deaf individuals can explain the increased frequency of connexin deafness in the United States

A high rate of marriage among deaf individuals can explain the increased frequency of connexin deafness in the United States and may have led to a doubling of its occurrence during the past 200 years, according to a study by hereditary deafness experts at Virginia Commonwealth University.

27 Apr 2004

The April 2004 issue of Otolaryngology focuses on head and neck surgery

The efficacy of a new cancer-fighting virus is tested in the study, “Treatment of Solid Sarcomas in Immunocompetent Mice with Novel Oncolytic Herpes Simplex Viruses.” A team of multi-disciplinary Japanese researchers found that a weakened version of herpes simplex virus (HSV) effectively eradicated neck and flank tumors in mice.

23 Apr 2004

'Medicare-Approved' cards available soon

Beginning in June 2004, the Medicare discount card program will provide America's seniors and disabled Medicare beneficiaries with much-needed discounts and information on their prescription drugs. The purchasing power behind the Medicare population is expected to save beneficiaries an average of 10 to 25 percent off the retail price of most drugs.

14 Apr 2004

Canadian health groups urge ban on exportation of pharmaceutical drugs from Canada to the U.S.

Canadian health groups today called on the Government of Canada to ban the exportation of pharmaceutical drugs from Canada to the U.S. The groups, who represent the interests of millions of Canadian patients, were in Washington to highlight their concerns with Internet pharmacies.

14 Apr 2004

New York City and FEMA finalize health insurance agreement

The current legal battle over the $1 billion Sept. 11 cleanup program ended Monday when federal officials agreed to a deal that could save New York City some $350 million.

13 Apr 2004

AMA tackles health literacy

An estimated 90 million adults – nearly half the adults in America – have trouble understanding medical terms and directions, according to two studies published on April 8 by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

12 Apr 2004

Call for sexual health policy to be driven by science instead of politics

Today three leading national public health organizations – the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD), the American Social Health Association (ASHA), and the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA) – renewed their call for sexual health policy to be driven by science instead of politics.

6 Apr 2004

Method of Bone Analysis May Clarify Human Origins

Bones, it is said, tell tales, but in the case of the bones of hominids or human ancestors the story has become complex and convoluted, as paleoanthropologists try to decipher relationships between a host of similar species with subtly shifting characteristics in a spotty fossil record.

30 Mar 2004

Three of the world’s top women chemists visit UK to inspire young scientists

Three of the world’s top women chemists are visiting the UK this week (29 March - 2 April) to tour institutions and talk about their research with the aim of inspiring young scientists to emulate their achievements. The inaugural Rosalind Franklin International Lectureship Programme has been masterminded by Professor Susan Gibson, Imperial College London, who funded the initiative with her prize money from the Royal Society Rosalind Franklin Award.

29 Mar 2004

Discovery of molecule that is part of the machinery that mediates the sense of hearing

A group of scientists at The Scripps Research Institute, at the University of California in San Diego, and at the Oregon Hearing Research Center and Vollum Institute at Oregon Health & Science University have discovered a key molecule that is part of the machinery that mediates the sense of hearing.

28 Mar 2004