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Cost/quality relationship in health care still poorly understood: Study

A new study examines -- and finds little clear -- on the relationship between health care quality and cost.

3 Jan 2013

New Congress means new key health care leaders, as one steps away

The 113th Congress will be the first one in 40 years to convene without California Congressman Pete Stark as a member. Stark was defeated in November by a fellow Democrat under new California voting rules. Stark may not be a household name. But he leaves a long-lasting mark on the nation's health care system.

3 Jan 2013

Opinion pieces, editorial address murders of polio workers in Pakistan

Several newspapers published opinion pieces regarding the recent murders of polio vaccination workers in Pakistan.

3 Jan 2013

UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine establishes Biomarker Discovery Center

Following recent discoveries by its researchers that could significantly change the diagnosis and treatment of a number of diseases, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-School of Osteopathic Medicine has established the Biomarker Discovery Center on its Stratford campus.

3 Jan 2013

Paul Farmer appointed as U.N. Special Adviser for Haiti cholera efforts

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "has appointed renowned United States physician Paul Farmer to help galvanize support to eliminate cholera in Haiti, where the disease has already claimed over 7,750 lives," the U.N. News Centre reports.

3 Jan 2013

Minn. health system merger complete, largest in Twin Cities in decade

A merger of two health systems in Minnesota completed Tuesday creates a health care organization in the Twin Cities with 20,000 employees and 1,500 doctors.

3 Jan 2013

Ineffective communication contributes to poor drug adherence

Even the best medicines in the world can be rendered ineffective if they are not taken as prescribed. The problem known as medication "non-adherence" is a major health issue in the United States, contributing to worse outcomes for people who have diabetes and other chronic diseases.

3 Jan 2013

Businesses and individuals grapple with decisions about coverage, penalties

News organizations preview what's to come in 2013 as provisions of the Affordable Care Act are put in place.

3 Jan 2013

Contraception coverage mandate could drive health law back to Supreme Court

A number of challenges to the birth control coverage requirement are making their way through the lower courts. Meanwhile, a U.S. district judge issued a ruling that the property mangement firm owned by the founder of Domino's Pizza will not have to immediately comply with this health law provision.

3 Jan 2013

GlobalPost blog interviews U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby

GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog interviews U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby "on the challenges and goals of the new PEPFAR blueprint and the promise of an AIDS-free generation."

3 Jan 2013

Texas judge refuses to stop Texas' Planned Parenthood defunding ahead of trial

A state district court ruled Monday that Texas' Women's Health Program can go forward without Planned Parenthood until a Jan. 11 trial is held in which the organization is challenging the state's rule excluding it from the new health care program for women.

3 Jan 2013

Roundup: Medicaid waiver challenges in Texas; Detailing Sandy's impact on NYC's mental care

By 2012's end, health care providers across Texas will have submitted proposals to state leaders to transform the way they care for the poor and uninsured. They have been spurred by a Medicaid waiver Texas officials sought and received in 2011 from the federal government, one that ties financing to cooperation, cost efficiency and better patient outcomes.

2 Jan 2013

7 more health workers killed in Pakistan in attacks suspected to be linked to murders of polio vaccinators

"Gunmen ambushed and shot dead six Pakistani women aid workers and a male doctor on Tuesday, police said, and the charity they worked for said it suspected the attacks were linked to recent murders of polio vaccination workers," Reuters reports.

2 Jan 2013

Viewpoints: Republicans reject their own market-based ideas; Analyzing entitlement spending; Access to after-hours care reduces ER visits

It's harder and harder for politicians on the right to think straight about health care. Conservatives once genuinely interested in finding market-based ways for the government to expand health insurance coverage have, since the rise of Obamacare, made choices that are dysfunctional, even from their own perspective. Start with the decision of the vast majority of Republican governors to refuse to set up the state insurance exchanges required under the law.

2 Jan 2013

First Edition: January 2, 2013

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a number of reports about congressional efforts to avert the "fiscal cliff."

2 Jan 2013

News anchor shares experience about link between multiple sclerosis and dental mercury fillings

Nashville news anchor (Fox 17) Stacy Case will share her personal experience about the link between multiple sclerosis (MS) and dental mercury fillings on the January 3rd episode of CBS's The Doctors entitled "Dangerous Toxins."

2 Jan 2013

Third annual conference of GAPIO held in Kerala, India

Physicians of Indian origin from across the globe congregated at the third annual conference of Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (GAPIO) in Kochi, Kerala, with a vision to improve healthcare worldwide from 1st to 3rd January 2013. GAPIO was launched in January 2011 to bring together 1.2 million physicians of Indian origin in the world on one professional platform. This substantial workforce of physicians is a valuable resource, which can help to mobilize significant developments in the healthcare globally. GAPIO already has representation from 15 countries in the President's Council.

2 Jan 2013

Nation-wide campaign to address myths and attitudes about dementia

Imagine a close friend tells you she has dementia. Would you avoid her for fear of being embarrassed by what she might say or do? According to a recent poll by Alzheimer's Disease International, 40 per cent of people with dementia reported they had been avoided or treated differently after diagnosis. It's no surprise, then, that one in four respondents cited stigma as a reason to conceal their diagnosis.

2 Jan 2013

Science of neurosurgical practice highlighted in Neurosurgical Focus journal

The January 2013 issue of Neurosurgical Focus is dedicated to the science of neurosurgical practice and is edited by Drs. Anthony L. Asher (Carolina Neurosurgery and Spine Associates & Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC), Paul C. McCormick (Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY), and Douglas Kondziolka (New York University, New York, NY).

2 Jan 2013

Tentative 'fiscal cliff' deal reported between White House, Senate Republicans

President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans sealed a budget deal late on the final day of the year to avert the fiscal cliff that would raise income-tax rates for the first time in nearly 20 years, maintain unemployment benefits to millions of people and extend a number of tax breaks for families of modest means.

1 Jan 2013