Healthcare News

RSS

Older Americans fare well with budget impasse regarding Medicare, other entitlements

With Congress increasingly unable to resolve budget disputes, federal programs on automatic pilot are consuming ever larger amounts of government resources.

13 May 2013

WVU ICRH director named 2013 Rural Health Practitioner of the Year

Larry Rhodes, M.D., interim chair of the West Virginia University Department of Pediatrics and director of the WVU Institute for Community and Rural Health, has been named the 2013 Rural Health Practitioner of the Year by the National Rural Health Association.

13 May 2013

Viewpoints: The threat from 'contagion exhaustion;' An economist sees humor in hospital pricing

There has been a flurry of recent attention over two novel infectious agents: the first, a strain of avian influenza virus (H7N9) in China that is causing severe respiratory disease and other serious health complications in people; the second, a coronavirus, first reported last year in the Middle East, that has brought a crop of new infections.

13 May 2013

New edition to shape ethical and legal framework for decision-making on treatment, end-of-life care

This major new work updates and significantly expands The Hastings Center's 1987 Guidelines on the Termination of Life-Sustaining Treatment and Care of the Dying.

13 May 2013

Senate bill on FDA oversight of compounding pharmacies gets broad backing as hearings move closer

A bill to give the FDA greater authority over compounding pharmacies like the one behind a deadly meningitis outbreak gets broad -- including bipartisan -- backing, and a key committee chairman readies a hearing on the legislation.

13 May 2013

Gotlieb Memorial Hospital receives "A" Hospital Safety Score

Gotlieb Memorial Hospital, part of Loyola University Medical Center, has received an "A" Hospital Safety Score from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national non-profit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits.

13 May 2013

Highlights: Feds sue Fla. Senate president's former company over Medicare billing practices; Okla. eyes existing Medicaid program to cover more people

Department of Justice is suing the hospice company founded by Florida's Senate president, accusing it of submitting tens of millions of dollars in fraudulent Medicare claims for more than a decade, including while Don Gaetz was vice chairman of the board (5/9).

13 May 2013

More studies needed to determine how decision aids help guide choices for cancer screening

When it comes to a cancer diagnosis, timing can be everything - the sooner it's found, the more treatable it is. But when and how often should someone get screened?

13 May 2013

Research roundup: Out-of-pocket costs on individual market; Federal spending on mental health care; Underused Medicare benefit

Since many of the people who will gain insurance under the federal health law will likely get such individual plans through the state-based online marketplaces, or exchanges, researchers sought to identify the effects on vulnerable populations, some of whom with incomes above 400 percent of the poverty level and thus will not qualify for Medicaid or receive subsidies.

13 May 2013

High levels of OR noise can have disruptive effect on surgeon's auditory processing abilities, study finds

Ambient background noise-whether it is the sound of loud surgical equipment, talkative team members, or music-is a patient and surgical safety factor that can affect auditory processing among surgeons and the members of their team in the operating room, according to a new study that appears in the May issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

13 May 2013

Obama to talk health law's benefits for women, families

In an effort to rally public support for the overhaul, President Barack Obama will talk about provisions that benefit women as part of a Mother's Day-themed event.

13 May 2013

In states that opt against Medicaid expansion, rural areas could miss out most

Also in the news, updates from Kentucky, where Gov. Steve Beshear announced he will proceed with the expansion; Michigan, where lawmakers advance a plan to expand Medicaid -- with conditions; and California, where a compromise proposal continues to be a hot topic.

13 May 2013

UI professor highlights future challenges for improving tools for evaluating pain in older people

Although several types of pain assessment tools are available to help clinicians evaluate pain in older people, too often the sole initial emphasis is to gauge pain intensity instead of determining how the pain affects function and the need for treatment, according to research presented at the American Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting.

13 May 2013

Cancer Institute of New Jersey honors nurses with Oncology Nursing Excellence Awards

From treatment, to research, to education, the expertise of oncology nurses in managing cancer runs the gamut. To celebrate the dedication of these professionals, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey this week honored members of its nursing team with its annual Oncology Nursing Excellence Awards during the Elizabeth Gibby Osborne Lecture.

13 May 2013

Community health centers get $150M to help uninsured enroll in new coverage

The funding is to hire staff, train existing staff and perform outreach and educational activities. The idea is to help consumers sign up for coverage sold through new online insurance marketplaces that are scheduled to open on Oct. 1 under the Affordable Care Act.

13 May 2013

Juice products from Juices Incorporated have potential health risk, FDA warns

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to consume any juice products or other beverages from Juices Incorporated (aka Juices International and Juices Enterprises) of Brooklyn, N.Y.

13 May 2013

GOP leaders refuse to name candidates for Medicare cost control board

House Speaker John Boehner tells reporters that he and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will not nominate anyone to serve on the Independent Payment Advisory Board.

13 May 2013

Study shows patient satisfaction from a pharmacy program

As hospitals look for ways to improve patient satisfaction and boost their Medicare reimbursement, a Henry Ford Hospital study found that an inpatient pharmacist-directed anticoagulation service might be an unexpected opportunity.

13 May 2013

Private insurers have cost Medicare almost $300 billion more over the life of the program

A study published online today finds that the private insurance companies that participate in Medicare under the Medicare Advantage program and its predecessors have cost the publicly funded program for the elderly and disabled an extra $282.6 billion since 1985, most of it over the past eight years. In 2012 alone, private insurers were overpaid $34.1 billion.

13 May 2013

Journal provides guidance for clinicians on prescribing exercise for depressed patients

Exercise has been shown to be an effective treatment for major depressive disorder, both when used alone and in combination with other treatments.

13 May 2013

Healthcare News

Older Americans fare well with budget impasse regarding Medicare, other entitlements

WVU ICRH director named 2013 Rural Health Practitioner of the Year

Viewpoints: The threat from 'contagion exhaustion;' An economist sees humor in hospital pricing

New edition to shape ethical and legal framework for decision-making on treatment, end-of-life care

Senate bill on FDA oversight of compounding pharmacies gets broad backing as hearings move closer

Gotlieb Memorial Hospital receives "A" Hospital Safety Score

Highlights: Feds sue Fla. Senate president's former company over Medicare billing practices; Okla. eyes existing Medicaid program to cover more people

More studies needed to determine how decision aids help guide choices for cancer screening

Research roundup: Out-of-pocket costs on individual market; Federal spending on mental health care; Underused Medicare benefit

High levels of OR noise can have disruptive effect on surgeon's auditory processing abilities, study finds

Obama to talk health law's benefits for women, families

In states that opt against Medicaid expansion, rural areas could miss out most

UI professor highlights future challenges for improving tools for evaluating pain in older people

Cancer Institute of New Jersey honors nurses with Oncology Nursing Excellence Awards

Community health centers get $150M to help uninsured enroll in new coverage

Juice products from Juices Incorporated have potential health risk, FDA warns

GOP leaders refuse to name candidates for Medicare cost control board

Study shows patient satisfaction from a pharmacy program

Private insurers have cost Medicare almost $300 billion more over the life of the program

Journal provides guidance for clinicians on prescribing exercise for depressed patients

Building quality into drug development for safer, faster medicines

How Pulp Fixin Is Turning Paper into High-Performance Sustainable Labware

A new method to measure intracellular water in biological systems

Latest News