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Patients with sickle cell disease rely more on emergency room

Patients with sickle cell disease rely more on the emergency room as they move from pediatric to adult health care, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

10 Dec 2012

Many docs apply for 'meaningful use' of electronic health record payments, but few will pass muster

Two-thirds of office-based physicians plan to apply or have already applied for meaningful use incentives for using electronic health records (EHRs), a government survey found. However, only about a quarter have computer systems that support Stage 1 meaningful use objectives -- a prerequisite for receiving the incentives.

10 Dec 2012

Tips to prevent ‘holiday heart’ syndrome

The holiday season is supposed to be joyous, fun and happy. But it can also be stressful. The nation's emergency physicians want to remind all Americans to keep your stress in check.

10 Dec 2012

SAS and Optum team up to improve healthcare fraud, waste and abuse services

Optum, an industry leader in health care payment integrity services, is working with SAS to further enhance its comprehensive health care anti-fraud, waste and abuse services. This enhanced solution combines detection, investigation, prevention, case development and recovery services to provide commercial health plans with a flexible approach to ensuring proper payments to care providers.

10 Dec 2012

National health care costs continue to increase for both plan sponsors and their employees

HORAN, a leading advisor in employee benefits and financial services, announces national health care costs continue to increase for both plan sponsors and their employees, according to the 2012 Health Plan Survey conducted by its national partner, United Benefit Advisors (UBA), the nation's largest independent benefits advisory organization.

10 Dec 2012

New executive education healthcare program from Harvard Business School

Harvard Business School (HBS) announces Emerging Issues in Healthcare, a new executive education program taking place March 3-5, 2013 on the HBS campus. This unique program will examine forces that are shaping the future of healthcare and how leaders can prepare their organizations for inevitable changes in the industry.

10 Dec 2012

GAO takes hard look at anti-fraud effort inefficiencies in Medicare, Medicaid

The Medicaid program has government employees and contractors doing some of the exact same work, which is wasting government time and money, according to a new Government Accountability Office report to be released on Monday.

10 Dec 2012

Medical device tax repeal advocates feel momentum

Opponents of the health care law's tax on medical devices say they are making headway in their push to repeal the provision before it takes effect next year. But some also see delaying the implementation of the tax as a way to get around concerns about the cost of eliminating it if they're unable to fully repeal it before the end of the session.

10 Dec 2012

Communication and checklists may lead to fewer surgical complications

An article published in the December issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgery found decreases in some postoperative complications when surgical teams were trained in communication and to use a procedure check list.

10 Dec 2012

As clock ticks toward fiscal deadline, Obama, Boehner meet at the White House

Action this week is critical if a deal is to be reached this year, The Washington Post reports. Most analysts appear to agree that the contours of such an agreement are clear, but the specifics -- which include raising taxes as well as spending reductions for Medicare and Medicaid -- remain challenging and politically divisive.

10 Dec 2012

Roundup: Texas Medicaid funding fight looms; Minn. facing federal Medicaid scrutiny; health care jobs 'boom'

If the Texas Legislature is in session, there must be a fight about Medicaid going on. The health care program for the disabled, the elderly poor and the impoverished raises hackles every two years, mostly because the number in need keeps rising alongside health care costs.

10 Dec 2012

CareView Communications and IASIS Healthcare sign multi-hospital agreement

CareView Communications, Inc., an information technology provider to the healthcare industry, today announced the signing of a multi-hospital agreement with IASIS Healthcare, a leading owner and operator of acute care hospitals in urban and suburban markets ("IASIS").

10 Dec 2012

Surgical patients with chronic psychological symptoms require psychotherapeutic treatment

In their study, the research group, headed by Privatdozent Dr. Henning Krampe, psychologist at the Charité Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Prof. Claudia Spies, Director of the Charité Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine and Prof. Elmar Brähler, Head of the Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology at the University of Leipzig, initially recorded how many patients faced by a forthcoming operation were interested in psychotherapy sessions and to what extent this interest was associated with the increased psychological distress occurring before the operation. Finally, the scientists examined whether changes in the psychological symptoms took place during the six months following the surgery.

10 Dec 2012

First Edition: December 10, 2012

Today's headlines include news about yesterday's "fiscal cliff" meeting between President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner, as well as other health policy reports.

10 Dec 2012

SketchUp program helps open new communication doors with grandparents of autistic children

For three years, University of Utah researchers have been deploying a computer-based design program called SketchUp in workshops to teach and develop life skills for youth on the autism spectrum. An earlier study showed that using the program helps kids develop their spatial and visual acuity, as well as to leverage those strengths to build positive social interactions.

10 Dec 2012

Apollo launches telemedicine service in Yangon

The Apollo Group of Hospitals, one of Asia's largest healthcare providerm, formally announced the launch of its telemedicine service in Yangon on 4th December 2012.

10 Dec 2012

MSKCC establishes new pancreatic cancer research center

A new pancreatic cancer research center has been created at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). The ambitious initiative was established with an initial commitment of $10 million from MSKCC Board member David M. Rubenstein.

10 Dec 2012

Survey finds heavy use of online physician-only communities

A new survey shows that about one in four physicians uses social media daily or multiple times a day to scan or explore medical information, and 14 percent use social media each day to contribute new information, according to an oncologist at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.

10 Dec 2012

Sinai Hospital of Baltimore announces opening of new geriatric surgery center

Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, a LifeBridge Health center, is proud to announce the opening of the Sinai Center for Geriatric Surgery, the nation's first surgical center dedicated exclusively to providing specialized surgical and pre and postoperative care for elderly patients.

10 Dec 2012

Delirium associated with higher mortality rates

A new meta-analysis has found that delirium, a condition developed by many patients in hospital intensive care units (ICU), is associated with higher mortality rates, more complications, longer stays in the ICU, and longer hospitalizations.

10 Dec 2012