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NAPBC accredits more than 500 breast centers

Today the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers announced that it has now accredited more than 500 breast centers and the program has widespread distribution in 48 states including Alaska, Hawaii, and the territory of Puerto Rico.

23 May 2013

Freedom Innovations officially launches new Kinterra Foot and Ankle System

Freedom Innovations, an Irvine, CA based manufacturer of advanced technology prosthetic devices, has officially launched its new Kinterra Foot and Ankle System, making the technology available to amputees on a global level.

From PROTEOR 23 May 2013

Medicaid expansion popular in Southern states, despite govs' opposition

A poll by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies found popular support for this and other health law provisions in five southern states despite the conservative political climate. Meanwhile, expansion supporters are strategizing about their next moves in states where they have not been successful.

23 May 2013

AASLD members at forefront to raise awareness of hepatitis B and C

Viral hepatitis is an asymptomatic disease affecting more than 5.3 million Americans. More than 75 percent of those with hepatitis C are unaware they have the virus.

23 May 2013

Tribal leaders pass resolution supporting Governor Brewer's Medicaid Expansion Effort

Tribal leaders passed a resolution supporting Governor Jan Brewer's Medicaid Expansion Effort at the May 17, 2013 meeting of the Arizona Indian Gaming Association.

23 May 2013

Health issues play a part in House immigration talks, budget cuts

Politico reports that issues related to the health benefits made available to undocumented immigrants as they seek citizenship could muddy House negotiations. In addition, House Republicans have pressed forward with budget cuts that would impact Indian health care and a number of other domestic programs.

23 May 2013

Federal appeals court strikes down Arizona ban on abortions after 18 weeks of pregnancy

A federal appeals court struck down an Arizona law Tuesday that bans most abortions in that state after 18 weeks of pregnancy. The three-judge panel said the law violates a woman's constitutional right to end a pregnancy before a fetus can survive outside the womb -- typically 24 weeks.

23 May 2013

Researchers find that over 40% of patients treated for COPD did not actually have the disease

More than 40 percent of patients being treated for COPD at a federally funded clinic did not have the disease, researchers found after evaluating the patients with spirometry, the diagnostic "gold standard" for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

23 May 2013

March of Dimes, Ohio research centers and hospitals establish new research program to prevent preterm birth

Three major Ohio universities and four hospitals have joined with the March of Dimes Foundation to establish a new collaborative research program aimed exclusively at finding the unknown causes of premature birth.

22 May 2013

First Edition: May 22, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about how the Medicaid expansion is shaking out in Virginia and Texas, as well as a report about the role health care is playing as the House attempts to negotiate an immigration reform measure.

22 May 2013

Study: Delayed transfer of patients to ICU increases risk of death in hospital

Delayed transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU) in hospitalized patients significantly increases the risk of dying in the hospital, according to a new study from researchers in Chicago.

22 May 2013

Implementation issues: Coverage 'ping pong' among emerging concerns

The notion of how life events could cause disrupted health coverage is a focus for policy makers. In addition, news outlets also are reporting on developments related to high-risk pools, and a break between the White House and organized labor regarding how the implementation process is shaping up.

22 May 2013

GWU launches Avance Center for the Advancement of Immigrant/Refugee Health

Today the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services announced the launch of the Avance Center for the Advancement of Immigrant/Refugee Health, a collaboration between SPHHS, the Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers, the Rivera Group, and other community partners.

22 May 2013

Viewpoints: Slowing health costs; What causes genetic testing to be so expensive; Iowa governor offers Medicaid supports a 'glimmer of hope'

We have done it. We have decreased the increase in the cost of healthcare. ... Is this decline the desperately needed bend in the healthcare cost curve or just the impact of the depressed economy? ... A slower growth of healthcare cost would mean less burden on the individual family, freeing that family to invest in and live a higher quality of life.

22 May 2013

Study: Physicians increasingly rely on ERs to determine whether patients need to be hospitalized

Emergency rooms account for about half of the nation's hospital admissions and accounted for virtually all of the rise in admissions between 2003 and 2009, according to a study released on Monday.

22 May 2013

RyMed's InVision-Plus neutral connector reduces CRBSIs by 33.3% at Johns Hopkins center

Research on different types of IV connectors led a Johns Hopkins cancer center to pilot a "neutral pressure" IV connector, according to a scientific presentation at the annual meeting of the Oncology Nursing Society.

22 May 2013

New study reveals racial differences in initial treatment of NSCLC

The surgical management of non-small cell lung cancer in U.S. hospitals varies widely depending on the race of the patient, according to a new study.

22 May 2013

State roundup: Nearly 13,000 Calif. hospital workers set to strike

Respiratory therapists, nursing aides, surgical technicians and other patient care workers plan to stage a walkout starting Tuesday morning at five University of California medical centers. More than 12,000 workers from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees are expected to participate in the two-day strike over staffing, pay and pension reform, union officials said. An additional 3,400 workers from the University Professional and Technical Employees union plan a one-day sympathy strike (Gorman, 5/21).

22 May 2013

State programs, agreements with feds aim at better mental health care delivery

States seek to improve how they deliver mental health care: In Georgia, a revamp shows success stories; Connecticut seeks an agreement to better care for children with mental health problems; and in Texas, lawmakers back a diversion program to keep the mentally ill from jail.

22 May 2013

Mayo Clinic expert offers tips for children with weather-related fears

Violent storms — often accompanied by lightning, thunder, heavy rain, powerful winds and even tornado warnings — can be stressful for anyone, but severe weather can trigger much more severe anxiety, especially among children.

22 May 2013