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March issue of WHO Bulletin available online

The March issue of the WHO Bulletin features an editorial examining the concept of global health diplomacy, a public health news roundup, an article on emergency obstetric care in Mali, and a policy paper on "private sector contributions and their effect on physician emigration in the developing world," among others.

3 Mar 2013

The clock runs out on averting sequestration

Time ticked down to March 1 -- also known as sequestration D-day -- without the White House and lawmakers finding a way to avert the scheduled cuts.

3 Mar 2013

Hip implant safety at issue in high-stakes trial

Healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson played "Russian roulette" with patient safety by ignoring high failure rates and surgeons' complaints about its once-popular artificial hip, a Los Angeles jury was told during closing arguments at a high-stakes medical trial for the company.

3 Mar 2013

GOP bills would kill health law's employer mandate

The legislation, which has little chance of passage, would undo requirements that large employers offer workers insurance or pay a fine. Meanwhile, two Senate committees examine changes to Medicare.

3 Mar 2013

D.C., N.Y. hospitals consider new team-ups, merger

Health systems and hospitals in Washington and New York City are joining forces: In Washington, health systems are forming a bond they say will improve pediatric care. In New York, a merger of hospitals is proposed.

3 Mar 2013

KeyHIE Transform ensures care coordination between healthcare providers

A new, low-cost software tool has nursing homes and home health agencies — with or without an electronic health record —contributing patient assessment information to any health information exchange (HIE).

3 Mar 2013

IDC lead author outlines critical issues that impact diabetes management

Most adults and children with type 1 diabetes are not in optimal glycemic control, despite advances in insulin formulations and delivery systems and glucose monitoring approaches. Critical barriers to optimal glycemic control remain.

3 Mar 2013

Improvements needed to safeguard medical records

Hacking into patient medical records can be as easy as tapping into a hospital's unsecured wireless network from a laptop in the parking lot. Government auditors proved it "by sitting in hospital parking lots with simple laptop computers" and obtaining "patient information from unsecured hospital wireless networks," according to Julie K. Taitsman, M.D., J.D., and colleagues from the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services.

3 Mar 2013

Clothing closely linked to peak performance for skiers

The sport of cross-country skiing has always been preoccupied with its skis and waxing. Research now demonstrates that to shave off those extra hundredths of a second, competitive skiers should pay more attention to their clothing.

3 Mar 2013

Medicaid expansion in the states: Who's in? Who's out?

The tally continues to change regarding the governors who have said they will pursue the health law's Medicaid expansion. Most recently, Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell said he is opposed to it, while Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett appears to be on the verge of reversing his position against the expansion. And, in Ohio, Gov. John Kasich is looking for allies to convince Republicans in the state legislature to follow his lead.

3 Mar 2013

Facebook ‘Likes’ indeed an indicator of hospital quality and patient satisfaction

While those active on social media aren't shy about expressing opinions on their Facebook pages, how much do their "Likes" really reflect the quality of an organization? American Journal of Medical Quality (a SAGE journal) recently published a study that found that Facebook "Likes" were indeed an indicator of hospital quality and patient satisfaction.

3 Mar 2013

State lawmakers consider bills to establish health exchanges

Also in the news, data indicate the federal government will ultimately be running the insurance marketplaces for the states that have the highest rates of uninsured residents.

3 Mar 2013

International experts to examine global issues around water management and sustainability

International experts are speaking at a series of seminars in Greenwich to examine the global issues around water management and sustainability.

2 Mar 2013

Community-led engagement, greater access needed to end polio

"While the challenges we face in the last polio reservoirs are difficult, they are not intractable," Bekele Geleta, secretary general of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, writes in an AlertNet opinion piece.

2 Mar 2013

Sustained funding necessary for success of global polio eradication plan

"We are teaming up to tackle one of the most ambitious public health goals ever set: eradicating polio, a disease that has haunted humanity at least since ancient Egypt," New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P., and Bill Gates, chair of Microsoft and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, write in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

2 Mar 2013

Three Penn students develop award-winning healthcare technology

Three students at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing have developed award-winning healthcare technology.

2 Mar 2013

Measles epidemic affecting tens of thousands of children in DRC, MSF warns

"A measles epidemic has affected tens of thousands of children in northern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), overwhelming health facilities, says medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)," IRIN reports.

2 Mar 2013

India needs political leadership, resources to ensure children's right to health

"India is making positive strides in reducing child mortality through new policies and ambitious programs, but preventing the deaths of millions of children remains one of the country's greatest challenges," health expert and blogger John Butler writes in the Wall Street Journals "India Real Time" blog, noting, "Roughly 1.7 million children under five years old die every year in India, says UNICEF, representing more than a fifth of all child deaths worldwide."

2 Mar 2013

Gap between desires of hospital management and experiences of frontline clinicians

Quality is a central component of any discussion around health care and one of the key dimensions and measurements of quality care is the patient experience. However, many healthcare organizations struggle to become 'patient focused' and fail to score well on patient satisfaction surveys.

2 Mar 2013

U.S. announces non-lethal aid to Syrian opposition, including food, medical supplies

"The U.S. unveiled a package of non-lethal aid to the Syrian opposition, as the U.K. was expected to provide combat gear, in a new Western effort to support the fight against President Bashar al-Assad that Syrian rebels immediately blasted as insufficient," the Wall Street Journal reports.

2 Mar 2013