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Unjustified repeat tests common among Medicare patients

Dartmouth researchers found that up to half of older adults who had a heart, lung, stomach or bladder test had the same procedure repeated within three years despite guidelines against routine testing, leading to unnecessary costs.

21 Nov 2012

Forty percent of vets have little understanding of benefits due them

More than half of America's veterans say they have little or no understanding of the benefits due them, despite efforts over recent years to match returning soldiers with the help and services they need. An analysis of Department of Veterans Affairs survey data found that younger veterans – those who served in the post-9/11 war period – are better versed in their benefits.

21 Nov 2012

Global health programs need to address community needs

A "key problem" in reaching the goal of polio elimination "may well be that organizers of the global anti-polio initiative, and of other global health programs, are not listening to the people they want to help -- or to each other," Thomas Abraham, an associate professor in the Journalism and Media Studies Center at the University of Hong Kong, writes in a New York Times opinion piece.

21 Nov 2012

Questions continue over state, FDA oversight of specialty pharmacies

Several news outlets analyze the hearings last week into the meningitis outbreak resulting from a New England compounding pharmacy.

21 Nov 2012

Panel backs routine HIV screenings for teens, adults

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force advises that nearly everyone ages 15 to 64 should be screened for the HIV virus, a recommendation which, if adopted, would require Medicare and most private health insurers to pay for the tests.

21 Nov 2012

Sudan launches yellow fever vaccination campaign to immunize 2.4M

"Sudan has launched a massive vaccination campaign to immunize 2.4 million people against an outbreak of yellow fever in the restive region of Darfur, the U.N. said Monday," according to the Associated Press.

21 Nov 2012

Aidspan publishes new issue of 'Global Fund Observer'

Aidspan, an independent watchdog of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, on Monday published Issue 202 of its "Global Fund Observer."

21 Nov 2012

Democrats face intra-party divide on changes to Medicare, other safety net programs

A split is evident on proposals to raise Medicare's eligibility age and increase premium costs for wealthier beneficiaries as part of a 'grand bargain' on the deficit, according to media reports.

21 Nov 2012

UNAIDS report shows progress due to 'unprecedented acceleration' in global AIDS response

UNAIDS' new World AIDS Day report: Results, released on Tuesday, "shows that unprecedented acceleration in the AIDS response is producing results for people," according to a UNAIDS press release.

21 Nov 2012

Federal judge grants temporary injunction in Bible publisher's contraception rule challenge

In separate action, another judge ruled against Hobby Lobby's effort to be exempted from the contraception mandate.

21 Nov 2012

HHS releases proposed rules on essential health benefits, other key parts of health law

The Obama Administration Tuesday released some much anticipated rules that will govern the types of benefits insurers must offer in policies sold after 2014 and rules on how they can design wellness programs.

21 Nov 2012

The IRS gears up for health law tasks; Messages for coverage expansion campaigns are fine-tuned

News outlets report on the moving parts involved in the next phase of the health law's implementation. Meanwhile, legislators consider what the sweeping measure might mean for their states.

21 Nov 2012

Viewpoints: Papa John's complaint; Renewed criticism of Justice Roberts; Calif. voters rout food police

If ObamaCare negatively impacts your business, you better not complain about it. That's what Papa John's CEO John Schnatter found out when he announced the health-care law would increase the price of a pizza by up to 14 cents. ... But Papa John's isn't the only restaurant chain to complain that the Affordable Care Act is bad for business.

21 Nov 2012

Health professionals may soon have new method to diagnose Parkinson's

Health professionals may soon have a new method of diagnosing Parkinson's disease, one that is noninvasive and inexpensive, and, in early testing, has proved to be effective more than 90 percent of the time.

21 Nov 2012

Academic rigor, better data needed for WASH programs

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and community-led total sanitation (CLTS) programs are coming under increased academic scrutiny, Darren Saywell, the WASH/CLTS technical director at Plan International USA and vice-chair to the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) initiative, writes in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, adding, "I personally see this trend as positive.

21 Nov 2012

Case Western Reserve dental and nursing students to treat patients in new 3-year test project

Patients in dental chairs at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine will see something new: a nurse.

21 Nov 2012

WHO DG Chan says media allegations of agency receiving food industry funding to fight NCDs 'wrong'

In a statement released on Monday, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said "[s]everal recent media articles are creating misinformation and confusion in the public health arena" by "erroneously suggesting that, in working to reduce non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes, WHO receives funding from the food and beverage industry," the U.N. News Centre reports.

21 Nov 2012

As administration gears up for 2014 launch of health exchanges, states still wrestling with policy choice

Oklahoma has opted not to proceed with a state-based exchange or with the Medicaid expansion, while Republican governors from Tennessee, Utah and Iowa continue to press the Department of Health and Human Services for more guidance.

21 Nov 2012

Sharp decline in ECT availability and use in the U.S. general hospitals

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is considered the most effective treatment option for patients with severe depression who cannot find symptom relief through antidepressant medications or psychotherapy. In a new study, researchers at Butler Hospital and Bradley Hospital in Rhode Island found a sharp decline in the availability and use of ECT in general hospitals across the U.S.

21 Nov 2012

Emergency obstetric care reduced maternal mortality rates up to 74% in two African projects, MSF reports

According to a new briefing paper from Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), access to emergency obstetric care, including ambulance service, could help save the lives of up to three quarters of women who might otherwise die in childbirth, AlertNet reports.

21 Nov 2012

Healthcare News

Unjustified repeat tests common among Medicare patients

Forty percent of vets have little understanding of benefits due them

Global health programs need to address community needs

Questions continue over state, FDA oversight of specialty pharmacies

Panel backs routine HIV screenings for teens, adults

Sudan launches yellow fever vaccination campaign to immunize 2.4M

Aidspan publishes new issue of 'Global Fund Observer'

Democrats face intra-party divide on changes to Medicare, other safety net programs

UNAIDS report shows progress due to 'unprecedented acceleration' in global AIDS response

Federal judge grants temporary injunction in Bible publisher's contraception rule challenge

HHS releases proposed rules on essential health benefits, other key parts of health law

The IRS gears up for health law tasks; Messages for coverage expansion campaigns are fine-tuned

Viewpoints: Papa John's complaint; Renewed criticism of Justice Roberts; Calif. voters rout food police

Health professionals may soon have new method to diagnose Parkinson's

Academic rigor, better data needed for WASH programs

Case Western Reserve dental and nursing students to treat patients in new 3-year test project

WHO DG Chan says media allegations of agency receiving food industry funding to fight NCDs 'wrong'

As administration gears up for 2014 launch of health exchanges, states still wrestling with policy choice

Sharp decline in ECT availability and use in the U.S. general hospitals

Emergency obstetric care reduced maternal mortality rates up to 74% in two African projects, MSF reports

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

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