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Heart transplant patient becomes unexpected ambassador for organ donation

Kevin Riepl arrived at Cedars-Sinai in October 2010, suffering from sudden heart failure that left him fighting for his life. Surgeons swiftly installed a heart pump and later transplanted a new heart, saving his life and turning him into an unexpected ambassador for organ donation.

29 Dec 2012

MBL Physiology course has a positive 'real research' impact on students

What happens when graduate students in biology are given the freedom to play, dabble in new fields, launch into the unknowns of genuine research, not worry about getting "good" results?

29 Dec 2012

As fiscal cliff nears, there's a 'flurry of activity,' but hope for a deal is still slim

News outlets report that a patch to prevent a scheduled cut in payments to doctors who treat Medicare patients is among the items that could wind up in a last-minute fiscal deal.

29 Dec 2012

Broader criteria for background checks can help prevent firearm violence

Garen Wintemute, a leading authority on gun violence prevention and an emergency medicine physician at UC Davis, believes broader criteria for background checks and denials on gun purchases can help prevent future firearm violence, including mass shooting catastrophes such as those that occurred at Sandy Hook, Aurora, Virginia Tech and Columbine.

28 Dec 2012

Hospitals that provide uncompensated care may undergo unintended cuts

The decision by several states not to expand Medicaid health insurance for the poor may create unintended cuts for hospitals that provide uncompensated care, according to a study by John Graves, Ph.D., a Vanderbilt policy expert in the Department of Preventive Medicine.

28 Dec 2012

PCORI research award to explore integration of patient strengths in treatment

Case Western Reserve University has been approved for a research award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to study ways that applying patients' strengths can help enhance their health care and well-being. The project is part of a portfolio of patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research that addresses PCORI's National Priorities for Research and Research Agenda.

28 Dec 2012

Gates Foundation grant to promote effective use of new cholera vaccine

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health was awarded a four-year, $5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to promote the effective use of oral cholera vaccine around the world. The Delivering Oral Vaccine Effectively (DOVE) program will provide relief agencies and governments with technical assistance on how to use oral cholera vaccine, evaluate current vaccine-use practices and develop new field surveillance methods for monitoring and controlling outbreaks of the disease.

28 Dec 2012

European healthcare IT professional services market estimated to reach $1.93 billion in 2017

The need to enhance healthcare delivery is driving the market for IT professional services in Europe. Adoption levels are, however, being hampered by budget cuts and end user reluctance to invest in such services. These trends have triggered several changes in the market, including consolidation and the adoption of inorganic growth models.

27 Dec 2012

Implementation of appropriateness criteria required for elective procedures

Many of the most common inpatient surgeries in the United States are performed electively. These surgeries are expected to significantly increase with the enactment of the Affordable Care Act.

27 Dec 2012

Winter is not a good excuse to give up fitness routines

The weather outside might be frightful, but sitting by that fire might make your fitness routine frightful. Though your body may be layered under sweatshirts and coats, staying active and healthy is important no matter what the temperature is outside.

27 Dec 2012

Not all hospitals play fair in reporting first baby of the new year

"The race to have the first baby is something all hospitals share enthusiasm for, especially in large cities like Chicago, and, unfortunately, not all hospitals play fair," said Karen Deighan, MD, OB/GYN, director of OB/GYN at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, part of Loyola University Health System. Loyola has welcomed the first baby of the new year for Chicago twice in the past three years.

27 Dec 2012

NHI purchases 120-unit assisted living and memory care facility in Wisconsin

National Health Investors, Inc. announced today a $20.2 million purchase of Charleston House, a 120-unit assisted living and memory care facility in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.

26 Dec 2012

NORD remembers actor Jack Klugman for support to the Orphan Drug Act

Jack Klugman touched the lives of millions of Americans through his support for what ultimately became the Orphan Drug Act. By portraying on his Quincy, M.E. television show the plight of people with rare diseases with no treatment, Mr. Klugman focused a spotlight on the need for incentives to encourage the development of therapies for small patient populations. He did this in partnership with patients and patient advocates who had been unable to gain national attention until he lent his support.

25 Dec 2012

Survey reveals significant improvement in delivery of underused care

An analysis of nationally representative survey data found significant improvement in the delivery of underused care, but more limited changes in the reduction of inappropriate care in ambulatory health care settings between 1998 and 2009, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

25 Dec 2012

Children with chronic conditions use more resources at hospitals

Children with chronic conditions increasingly used more resources in a group of children's hospitals compared with patients without a chronic condition, according to a report that analyzed data from 28 U.S. children's hospitals between 2004 and 2009, and is being published Online First by Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

25 Dec 2012

Blood transfusion may increase risk of death in heart attack patients with anemia

When heart attack patients present in the emergency department with some degree of anemia, or anemic patients have a heart attack, physicians have a tendency, but not much guidance, about whether to provide a blood transfusion.

25 Dec 2012

Taxing health coverage would lead some to drop coverage, survey finds

Proposals to tax health benefits, sometimes touted as a way to help reduce the deficit, could have unintended consequences, according to a survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

21 Dec 2012

Shifting health care landscape changes how doctors practice, and for whom

News from the health care marketplace includes changes in how doctors practice -- they are increasingly seeing patients via webcam and working for insurers in insurer-run doctor offices.

21 Dec 2012

Roundup: Calif. hospitals fined over serious errors; Mass. pharmacy waiting period continues; Hospitals acquiring 'tough reimbursement climate' in Alabama?

Ten California hospitals received fines Thursday for errors that resulted in either serious injury or death to a patient. The California Department of Public Health issued a total of $785,000 in penalties for errors that include removing the wrong kidney, leaving surgical objects behind and failing to call for assistance when a patient began bleeding excessively (Gorman, 12/21).

21 Dec 2012

Post-Newtown: Parents, politicians, health officials press for more mental health funding

For parents around the U.S., the mass school shooting in Connecticut fueled fears about how to ensure the safety of their own children. But for parents like [Elizabeth] Guzman, the tragedy affected them in a different and terrifying way, as they saw signs of their children in the shooter.

21 Dec 2012