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S.M. Rezaian says that the spine degrades following inadequate treatment

S.M. Rezaian, MD, FRCS, FICS, PhD has treated well over 13,000 patients throughout his illustrious career in orthopedic medicine. He's truly been an innovator in the field, creating the Rezaian Spinal Fixator and applying minimally-invasive laser back surgery both of which allow for more comprehensive and less risky surgical treatments.

6 Jul 2013

CorMedix's Neutrolin catheter lock solution receives CE Mark approval

CorMedix Inc. today announced that it has received CE Mark approval for Neutrolin, a catheter lock solution, for patients with central venous catheters on hemodialysis secondary to advanced chronic kidney disease.

6 Jul 2013

Skanska inks contract to renovate Williamson County Hospital District, USA

Skanska has signed a contract with Williamson County Hospital District, Tennessee, USA to perform hospital additions and renovations on its campus.

5 Jul 2013

Affordable Care Act employer mandate requirement postponed for a year

The Administration announced on Tuesday, July 2, that it is postponing for one year the requirement that employers with 50 or more full-time employees provide health insurance to such employees or face significant monetary penalties.

5 Jul 2013

Weekend reading: Taking stock of your body; A designer seeks to improve health care; A researcher's quest to lower suicide rates

Today, I've been on the phone four times, for an average of 24 minutes a call. My last phone call was 22 minutes 23 seconds long, according to the digital time device on my landline. It took me exactly 45 minutes and 10 seconds on the train to reach Brooklyn the other night: I counted the seconds off on my smart phone. My average mile when I ran 5K yesterday was 8 minutes and 45 seconds that showed up on the pedometer. (Nothing to boast about, I know.) ... I am able to hold my plank at the gym for 54 seconds rather than the minute I always thought I could, which I know thanks to my phone's stopwatch. My optimal sleep time is seven hours and 20 minutes and I wake up twice a night: I discovered that from a wristband that measures sleep duration and intensity.

4 Jul 2013

Viewpoints on Medicare: Advantage program offers roadmap to improving the program; Rare bipartisan support for doctor pay fix

Concern about the size and cost of Medicare is understandable. With 10,000 or so baby boomers due to reach age 65 every day for the next 18 years, Medicare enrollment is exploding, and based on our projections, by 2023 -- 10 years from now -- should reach 66 million, up from 50.3. The need to find better ways to deliver quality health care to seniors at a reasonable cost is obvious. What's interesting is that an effective way to do this already exists: the Medicare Advantage program, which some in Washington are seeking to curtail (Daniel Gorlin and John Kaplan, 7/2).

4 Jul 2013

State highlights: Docs prescribe narcotics too often, CDC chief says; Fla. hospices get close scrutiny; Calif. Medi-Cal provider rate bump delayed

The nation's top public health official on Tuesday sharply criticized the widespread treatment of aches and pains with narcotics, saying that doctors are prescribing such drugs too soon, too often and for too long -- putting patients at risk of addiction and overdose. Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that doctors are relying on these powerful drugs to treat chronic pain when physical therapy, exercise and other remedies would be safer and in many cases more effective (Girion and Glover, 7/2).

4 Jul 2013

Announcement of delay in health law's employer mandate sparks heated -- and contrary -- views

Among range of perspectives offered by commentators: It is "the right thing to do" but the wrong way; "administration has undermined its sole claim to greatness;" "doesn't have much effect."

4 Jul 2013

AMA president says docs group will do 'whatever we can' on the health law

In an interview, Ardis Dee Hoven, the American Medical Association's new president, says that there is no formal role, but that the organization has been in touch with the Obama administration about how physicians can help patients get the information they need. Meanwhile, The Hill reports on a consumer survey that finds the health overhaul is not a consistent topic of conversation between doctors and patients.

4 Jul 2013

Short on funds, HHS failed to investigate 1,200 fraud cases last year

HHS was unable to investigate 1,200 cases of suspected Medicare or Medicaid fraud last year because the watchdog agency inside the department is stretched so thin.

4 Jul 2013

Expertly written, practical handbook of pediatric thrombosis and hemostasis

An expertly written, practical handbook for the clinical assessment and management of children with inherited or acquired bleeding and clotting disorders

4 Jul 2013

Businesses welcome enforcement delay for the health overhaul's employer mandate

Large employers, many of which already provide coverage to full-time workers, cheered the news because it would relieve them of complex new reporting requirements. Businesses with fewer than 50 employees are not subject to the coverage mandate.

4 Jul 2013

UnitedHealthcare to again review Tricare specialty care referrals

The Department of Defense will once again allow UnitedHealthcare to review and authorize every specialty care referral in Tricare. The insurer also notified California that it will no longer sell individual insurance in that state.

4 Jul 2013

Updated EULAR recommendations for management of rheumatoid arthritis

The European League Against Rheumatism has released updated recommendations for the management of RA. According to this latest guidance, treatment with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs should be initiated as soon as a diagnosis of RA is made, with the aim of reaching a target of remission or low disease activity in every patient.

4 Jul 2013

State exchanges largely unaffected by delay in employer mandate

Officials in California and Minnesota say that neither the timing, nor the content of insurance coverage offered in their new online insurance marketplaces will be affected by the administration's decision to suspend enforcement of penalties on large employers until 2015.

4 Jul 2013

Employers worry they'll pay bill for those exempt from contraceptive mandate

Businesses are concerned that non-religious employers will end up covering the bill for religious groups that refuse to pay for contraception for their employees. Meanwhile, church leaders continue their push to broaden the exemption from the contraception coverage rule.

4 Jul 2013

Researchers develop program to reduce hospital readmissions by more than half

When a Medicare patient heads home from the hospital, the last thing they want is to be part of the revolving door of readmission that costs the healthcare industry and Medicare billions of dollars each year.

4 Jul 2013

Texas abortion bill sent to full chamber

A Texas House committee approved sweeping abortion legislation early Wednesday, setting up a new fight on the proposal that would, along with other restrictions, ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The full chamber will take up the proposal early next week.

4 Jul 2013

FDA approves Orexo's Zubsolv for people suffering from opioid dependence

Orexo today announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Zubsolv (buprenorphine/naloxone) sublingual tablet CIII.

4 Jul 2013

Employers get extra year to carry out health law coverage mandate

The Obama administration's surprise announcement will delay penalties for one year -- until after the mid-term elections -- and raises doubts about the implementation process at a crucial moment. Officials said the extension was a response to business requests for more time to navigate complex regulations.

4 Jul 2013