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Another government shutdown possible in coming months, say majority of Americans in poll

Nearly two-thirds (65%) of Americans say it’s likely there will be another government shutdown in the months ahead as Congress continues to debate deficit and budget issues, according to a new national public opinion poll commissioned by Research!America and the American Society of Hematology.

4 Dec 2013

State highlights: Okla. gov. looks for cuts to cover $60M more in health care costs; Miss. gov. wants to offer hospitals money to offset health law

A selection of health policy stories from Oklahoma, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Delaware, Texas, Colorado, Massachusetts, Georgia and California.

4 Dec 2013

Health law complicates Democratic Senators' reelection efforts in the south

The Wall Street Journal reports that three of the four most vulnerable Senate Democrats are from southern states. The paper also looks at how members of Congress will fare on the new online insurance marketplace.

4 Dec 2013

Hospital prices -- biggest driver of medical inflation -- remain opaque

Nothing is more convoluted than hospital charges, which represent about a third of the nation's $2.7 trillion annual health care bill, reports The New York Times. Reuters finds that hospitals may quote prices for parking but not for procedures. Meanwhile, Kaiser Health News describes the trend in palliative care programs, designed to relieve pain and distress, regardless of how long a patient has to live.

4 Dec 2013

Frequent emergency department users have multiple chronic conditions, many hospitalizations

While it has often been said that the most frequent users of overburdened hospital emergency departments are mentally ill substance abusers, a study out today (Dec. 3) by researchers from NYU Wagner and the University of California, San Francisco, has found that this belief is unfounded - an "urban legend."

4 Dec 2013

CJR surgeons to perform free joint replacement surgeries on 17 patients

More than 2 million Americans suffer from debilitating hip, knee and joint conditions. Severe joint pain and arthritis can affect almost all aspects of an individual's life, often preventing them from working, enjoying the activities they love and performing simple, everyday tasks.

4 Dec 2013

Toshiba introduces new MR technologies that improve image quality, patient comfort

To help healthcare providers image patients faster and more comfortably, Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. is introducing enhancements to its Vantage TitanTM MR product line. The new technologies improve workflow, image quality and patient comfort.

4 Dec 2013

Allegiance Health, UMHS sign letter of intent to serve Jackson community

The University of Michigan Health System (UMHS) and Allegiance Health have signed a letter of intent to affiliate, with Allegiance Health becoming a member of the UMHS network.

4 Dec 2013

Supreme Court turns down Liberty University's challenge to the health law's employer mandate

The Christian college, located in Virginia, argued that the mandate is unconstitutional, but the high court rejected the petition, marking the second time in two years that it has declined to review the constitutionality of the overhaul's requirements for most large employers regarding health coverage for workers.

4 Dec 2013

MHIF creates scientific program to address gaps in treating valvular heart disease patients

Despite significant medical advances, there continue to be significant gaps in the health care of the growing number of patients with valvular heart disease. In the USA, the total number of people aged 65 years or older with valvular heart disease will grow to approximately 5.2 million by year 2020, and 6.8 million individuals by the year 2030. The Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation- has created a scientific program, "Valve Summit 2014: The Science and Delivery of Optimal, Multi-Disciplinary Care," to address the ongoing, complex evolution in the clinical management of patients with valvular heart disease. The conference will be held on April 25th and 26th at the Radisson Blu in downtown Minneapolis.

4 Dec 2013

Study reveals strategies to contain acute care costs

The acute care system, which includes urgent care and retail clinics, emergency departments, hospitals, and doctors' offices, reflects the best and worst in American medicine. While acting as a safety net for the under- and uninsured, the system is also fragmented, disconnected, and costly.

4 Dec 2013

UH Rainbow receives Top Children's Hospital distinction from Leapfrog Group

University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital (UH Rainbow) is one of only 13 children's hospitals in the country - and the only one in northern Ohio - to receive the Top Children's Hospital distinction from The Leapfrog Group.

4 Dec 2013

People who rely on visual identification of medications may risk poor BP control

People who identify their blood pressure medications by shape, size and color instead of by name may risk poor blood pressure control and increase their risk of hospitalization, finds a recent study in the Journal of Health Communication: International Perspectives.

4 Dec 2013

Problem transferring Medicaid enrollment data could leave some without coverage

The difficulty with sending the completed Medicaid applications from the federal website to states for final processing could leave some of the newly enrolled without coverage early next year. To circumvent the problem, administration officials agreed to let states enroll people without their full applications. But that poses potential risks for states.

4 Dec 2013

Reviews mixed for 'fixed' health care website

Some said the Monday's healthcare.gov relaunch -- marked by heavy traffic -- was "rocky" and "bumpy," but administration officials maintained the user experience was much smoother as a result of fixes.

4 Dec 2013

VISIUS iMRI and ClearPoint guidance platform make DBS surgery an option for children with dystonia

IMRIS Inc. and MRI Interventions, Inc. today announced that Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, is the first U.S. pediatric hospital to offer asleep deep brain stimulation surgery to children suffering from dystonia by utilizing the combination of MRI Interventions' ClearPoint Neuro Intervention System and an IMRIS VISIUS Surgical Theatre for real-time intraoperative image guidance and procedure visualization.

4 Dec 2013

Patients treated for traumatic eye socket injuries at academic medical centers fare well at far less cost

Adding to evidence that “high-volume” specialty care in busy teaching hospitals leads to efficiencies unavailable in community hospitals, a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers finds that patients undergoing repair of traumatic eye socket injuries at its busy academic medical center fared just as well at far less cost than those treated at all other Maryland hospitals.

4 Dec 2013

Top cancer research centers to establish new biotechnology company focused on cancer immunotherapy

The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Fred Hutch) and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), along with pediatric partner Seattle Children's Research Institute, have joined forces to launch Juno Therapeutics Inc., a new biotechnology company focused on bringing forward novel immunotherapies for cancer.

4 Dec 2013

Johns Hopkins team to develop disaster response resources for houses of worship

When floods, hurricanes, mass shootings and other disasters occur, the first place many people turn to for help are local houses of worship. But those cornerstones of aid and comfort can be affected, too, and the religious leaders who staff them may not be prepared to respond or meet the needs of their communities.

4 Dec 2013

Swedish Covenant Hospital recognized as one of 55 Top Urban Hospitals in the country

Swedish Covenant Hospital was honored as one of 55 Top Urban Hospitals in the country today at the Leapfrog Group's annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

4 Dec 2013

Healthcare News

Another government shutdown possible in coming months, say majority of Americans in poll

State highlights: Okla. gov. looks for cuts to cover $60M more in health care costs; Miss. gov. wants to offer hospitals money to offset health law

Health law complicates Democratic Senators' reelection efforts in the south

Hospital prices -- biggest driver of medical inflation -- remain opaque

Frequent emergency department users have multiple chronic conditions, many hospitalizations

CJR surgeons to perform free joint replacement surgeries on 17 patients

Toshiba introduces new MR technologies that improve image quality, patient comfort

Allegiance Health, UMHS sign letter of intent to serve Jackson community

Supreme Court turns down Liberty University's challenge to the health law's employer mandate

MHIF creates scientific program to address gaps in treating valvular heart disease patients

Study reveals strategies to contain acute care costs

UH Rainbow receives Top Children's Hospital distinction from Leapfrog Group

People who rely on visual identification of medications may risk poor BP control

Problem transferring Medicaid enrollment data could leave some without coverage

Reviews mixed for 'fixed' health care website

VISIUS iMRI and ClearPoint guidance platform make DBS surgery an option for children with dystonia

Patients treated for traumatic eye socket injuries at academic medical centers fare well at far less cost

Top cancer research centers to establish new biotechnology company focused on cancer immunotherapy

Johns Hopkins team to develop disaster response resources for houses of worship

Swedish Covenant Hospital recognized as one of 55 Top Urban Hospitals in the country

Managing vibration in IVF laboratories

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

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