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UnitedHealth report examines how doctors get paid

A new report from UnitedHealth Group Inc. takes aim at the way U.S. doctors get paid, saying the nation could save up to $1 trillion over the next decade in health care costs if it were possible to "unleash the potential of payment reform initiatives."

6 Dec 2012

WHO establishes global monitoring framework for NCDs

"The World Health Organization (WHO) established a global monitoring framework for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) at a Geneva meeting on November 9, 2012 -- a little over a year after the U.N. General Assembly adopted a political declaration on NCDs," Management Sciences for Health's "Global Health Impact" blog reports, noting Ambassador Betty King, permanent representative of the U.S. to the U.N. and other international organizations in Geneva, announced the framework in November.

6 Dec 2012

Alcoholics Anonymous helps men and women maintain sobriety in different ways

A new study finds differences in the ways that participation in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) helps men and women maintain sobriety. Two Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators found that, while many factors are helpful to all AA participants, some were stronger in men and some in women.

6 Dec 2012

PEPFAR to buy additional 150 rapid TB testing devices

PEPFAR will purchase up to 150 rapid tuberculosis (TB) Xpert testing devices and cartridges to test about 450,000 people for TB, "addressing a need to improve diagnoses of drug-resistant strains of disease, and to identify the disease in HIV-positive people in sub-Saharan Africa and Myanmar, the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator announced" Tuesday, the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog reports.

6 Dec 2012

CINJ urologic oncology chief completes 1,000th robotic prostatectomy at RWJUH

Marking a major milestone in what has become a fast-growing standard of care in prostate cancer surgery, the chief of urologic oncology at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey has completed his 1,000th robotic prostatectomy at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), the Flagship Hospital of The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, which is a Center of Excellence of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

6 Dec 2012

Report examines partnership between PEPFAR, Botswana

This report from the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), titled "Competing Pressures for U.S. PEPFAR In Botswana: Rising Ambitions, Declining Resources," examines how the "partnership will be tested as the United States and Botswana negotiate a complex, multiyear handoff of PEPFAR-supported HIV/AIDS activities and as U.S. financial assistance is reduced," the report summary states.

6 Dec 2012

Rates of reported neonaticide have reduced after 'anonymous delivery' law implementation in Austria

Rates of reported neonaticide have more than halved following the implementation of a unique 'anonymous delivery' law in Austria, finds a new study published today (05 December) in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

6 Dec 2012

World Bank study examines quality of health care in India

A study led by World Bank economist Jishnu Das and published in Health Affairs on Monday examines the quality of primary care delivered by private and public health care providers in rural and urban India, a World Bank press release notes.

6 Dec 2012

Overlap in competing budget proposals points way to deal

The Associated Press reports the White House and House Republicans have identified areas of significant overlap that could form the basis for an agreement after posturing gives way to actual bargaining.

6 Dec 2012

Global Post examines unproven, unscientific HIV treatments

Global Post examines how "many HIV patients around the world continue to turn to more affordable but far less reliable treatments" instead of proven -- but more expensive -- therapies, such as antiretroviral (ARV) drugs.

6 Dec 2012

Government announces fraud collections hit record $5 billion

The Justice Department's civil division recovered a record $5 billion in the past fiscal year from companies that defrauded taxpayers, with much of the abuse occurring in the health care and mortgage industries.

6 Dec 2012

Spine Revitalizer develops infographic about non-surgical back pain treatment

More than 3 in 4 Americans experience back pain at some point in their life. Thankfully, Spine Revitalizer has released a helpful resource to give basic information for those suffering from back pain.

6 Dec 2012

Health care programs a clear target in deficit reduction efforts

As negotiators debate proposals to trim entitlement programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, stakeholders ranging from public hospitals to physician groups lobby to protect their interests.

6 Dec 2012

Boston Medical Center recognized among Leapfrog Group's Top Hospitals

The Leapfrog Group's annual list of Top Hospitals was announced on December 4th in Baltimore, Maryland and included Boston Medical Center in Boston, MA for the first time. The announcement came at Leapfrog's Annual Meeting, focusing on transparency as the key to improved hospital safety, and Top Hospital Awards.

6 Dec 2012

Supreme Court hears arguments in hospitals' Medicare claims lawsuit

A majority of Supreme Court justices on Tuesday sounded skeptical of a suit brought by hospitals to reopen Medicare claims as much as 25 years old because of calculations that were found to have underpaid them.

6 Dec 2012

Johns Hopkins focuses on MRSA, motherhood in November-December 2012 research news brief

Johns Hopkins Nursing researchers focus on MRSA, motherhood, hospital stress, intimate partner violence, and more in the November-December 2012 research news brief.

6 Dec 2012

U.S. must maintain commitment to research outlined in AIDS blueprint

Noting the recent release of the "PEPFAR Blueprint: Creating an AIDS-free Generation", Kim Lufkin, communications officer at the Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC), writes in the organization's "Breakthroughs" blog, "It's commendable that the U.S. government is continuing its legacy as a leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS, as this blueprint indicates.

6 Dec 2012

IOM's Forum on Microbial Threats to take place from Dec.11-12

A two-day symposium will explore how much we have learned about new and re-emerging infectious diseases in the two decades since the Institute of Medicine issued a 1992 report pointing to major challenges in detecting and managing disease outbreaks.

6 Dec 2012

Studies gauge health law's impact on consumer savings, Rx drug coverage

The Commonwealth Fund concluded that consumers saved $1.5 billion in 2011 as a result of a provision that limits how much insurers can spend on expenses not related to medical care. Meanwhile, Avalere Health found that drug coverage plans offered on health exchanges will vary by state.

6 Dec 2012

Maryland P3 Program can improve outcomes of patients with chronic diseases

A new program guide, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), features the Maryland Patients, Pharmacists, Partnerships (P3) as an effective model of how health care teams that include pharmacists can improve the outcomes of patients with chronic diseases.

6 Dec 2012