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Joint Commission offers ranking of hospitals on quality, patient safety

The hospital accreditation board recognized 620 hospitals as top performers based on 45 measures. The rankings reflect performance in 2011.

20 Sep 2012

Minn. governor moves forward on insurance exchange, shifts oversight

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton is shifting responsibility for a key part of the federal health overhaul in his state -- a health insurance exchange -- to a different state agency. He's also moving forward on implementing the exchange, he said Tuesday.

20 Sep 2012

PCAN praises U.S. House for passage of Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act

Today, the United States House of Representatives passed unanimously the Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act (H.R. 733), formerly known as the Pancreatic Cancer Research & Education Act.

20 Sep 2012

Wis. officials say Medicaid funding will need to rise $650M over two years

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services in a request to Gov. Scott Walker said Tuesday that the increase was needed because of rising health care costs, higher program enrollment and lower federal funding.

20 Sep 2012

Romney's '47 percent' comments fuel analyses of who gets tax breaks, aid

Some news outlets report how the remarks underscore different views of the role of government by President Barack Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney. Meanwhile, Romney attempts to deflect criticism by going on the offensive, saying his comments help define the choice before voters.

20 Sep 2012

Health experts warn of linkages between climate change, increased malnutrition

"Malnutrition is likely to be the most serious health threat linked to climate shifts in the coming decades, as farmers struggle to cope with more unpredictable weather, ... epidemiologist Kris Ebi warned during a recent World Health Organization (WHO) briefing on adapting health systems to climate shifts," AlertNet reports.

20 Sep 2012

Weekly campaign highlights: News from Florida, Iowa, Pennsylvania and Virginia

As election day approaches, Kaiser Health News' Sarah Barr samples news coverage each week from swing states around the country – how health policy developments, and other political issues, are playing in this year's vote.

20 Sep 2012

Kaiser Family Foundation issue brief provides overview of global health diplomacy

Noting the U.S. "recently announced plans to create an Office of Global Health Diplomacy at the State Department, designed to promote the use of diplomacy to advance U.S. global health efforts and support the next phase of the Global Health Initiative (GHI) in the diplomatic arena," the Kaiser Family Foundation on Tuesday published an issue brief that "provides an overview of global health diplomacy, including how it has been defined and used historically both globally and in the U.S.," according to a summary on the foundation's webpage.

20 Sep 2012

Blog examines role of community health workers in Zambia's malaria control efforts

In this post in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, Laura Newman, a senior communications officer of the Malaria Control and Evaluation Partnership in Africa, examines the role of community health workers in "Zambia's three-step plan to establish large malaria-free zones in the country by 2015."

20 Sep 2012

Views on obesity: Difficulty changing eating habits; Huge changes in the food marketplace

The New York Times and the Journal of the American Medical Association offer opinions on the U.S. battle against obesity.

20 Sep 2012

WHO increasing efforts to fight cholera in Sierra Leone

An ongoing cholera outbreak continues to affect Sierra Leone, and the WHO said on Tuesday it is increasing efforts to fight the disease, "as fatalities from the water and food-borne disease continue to increase," the U.N. News Centre reports.

20 Sep 2012

Study analyzes effectiveness of ultrasonography in diagnosis and treatment of critical care patients

A study published in the October issue of Anesthesiology analyzed the effectiveness of ultrasound examination in the diagnosis and treatment of critical care patients. In particular, the study looked at the ability of ultrasound to detect hidden anomalies, prompt urgent changes in therapy, induce further testing or interventions, and confirm or modify diagnoses.

20 Sep 2012

NPR blog examines simple cervical cancer screening technique being adopted by African countries

NPR's "Shots" blog examines efforts to reduce cervical cancer deaths in Botswana, noting that "in Africa and other impoverished regions, few women get pap smears because the countries lack the laboratories and other resources necessary to offer them."

20 Sep 2012

New Cochrane Review: All countries should consider establishing proper home birth services

A new Cochrane Review concludes that all countries should consider establishing proper home birth services. They should also provide low-risk pregnant women with information enabling them to make an informed choice. The review has been prepared by senior researcher, statistician Ole Olsen, the Research Unit for General Practice, University of Copenhagen, and midwifery lecturer PhD Jette Aaroe Clausen.

20 Sep 2012

Report: Obesity rates will continue to grow, causing increases in health care costs, disease incidence

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Trust for America's Health concluded that, based on current trends, most Americans could be obese by 2030.

20 Sep 2012

Bill Gates describes how 'catalytic philanthropy' can help bring vaccines, medicines to untouched markets

In an essay adapted for Forbes magazine from a speech given at the Forbes 400 Summit on Philanthropy in June, Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, discusses how "innovations for the poor suffer from ... market limitations" and his idea of "catalytic philanthropy." Gates writes, "The market is not going to place huge bets on research when there are no buyers for a breakthrough. This explains why we have no vaccine for malaria today, even though a million people die from it every year."

20 Sep 2012

Global health funding cuts threatening fight against HIV, TB in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, NGO report says

The fight against HIV and tuberculosis (TB) in Eastern Europe and Central Asia is being threatened by cuts in global health funding, according to "a report [.pdf] by leading European non-governmental health organizations," Reuters reports.

20 Sep 2012

Research highlights various methods of reporting central line infections in hospitals

A new study has found that some kinds of infection data may not be comparable across hospitals, and may not be suitable for use as a performance measure.

20 Sep 2012

HHS rule limits access to exchanges, insurance subsidies for young immigrants who are exempt from deportation proceedings

The Department of Health and Human Services issued rules last month that said the young people wouldn't be allowed to shop for insurance policies through newly established health exchanges or receive federal subsidies toward the cost of premiums starting in 2014.

20 Sep 2012

Therapeutic video games can show health-related benefits

Can video games help patients with cancer, diabetes, asthma, depression, autism and Parkinson's disease? A new publication by researchers from the University of Utah, appearing in the Sept 19 issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine, indicates video games can be therapeutic and are already beginning to show health-related benefits.

20 Sep 2012

Healthcare News

Joint Commission offers ranking of hospitals on quality, patient safety

Minn. governor moves forward on insurance exchange, shifts oversight

PCAN praises U.S. House for passage of Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act

Wis. officials say Medicaid funding will need to rise $650M over two years

Romney's '47 percent' comments fuel analyses of who gets tax breaks, aid

Health experts warn of linkages between climate change, increased malnutrition

Weekly campaign highlights: News from Florida, Iowa, Pennsylvania and Virginia

Kaiser Family Foundation issue brief provides overview of global health diplomacy

Blog examines role of community health workers in Zambia's malaria control efforts

Views on obesity: Difficulty changing eating habits; Huge changes in the food marketplace

WHO increasing efforts to fight cholera in Sierra Leone

Study analyzes effectiveness of ultrasonography in diagnosis and treatment of critical care patients

NPR blog examines simple cervical cancer screening technique being adopted by African countries

New Cochrane Review: All countries should consider establishing proper home birth services

Report: Obesity rates will continue to grow, causing increases in health care costs, disease incidence

Bill Gates describes how 'catalytic philanthropy' can help bring vaccines, medicines to untouched markets

Global health funding cuts threatening fight against HIV, TB in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, NGO report says

Research highlights various methods of reporting central line infections in hospitals

HHS rule limits access to exchanges, insurance subsidies for young immigrants who are exempt from deportation proceedings

Therapeutic video games can show health-related benefits

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

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