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For hospitals, the rush is not on to become an ACO

According to a Commonwealth Fund report, only about 13 percent of hospitals surveyed are participating or planning to participate in an accountable care organizations.

18 Aug 2012

Obama and Romney offer competing Medicare visions

GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney broke out a whiteboard outside an air terminal to illustrate his key points. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama's campaign launched a new ad to argue his approach strengthens the program, citing plaudits from the seniors group AARP.

18 Aug 2012

Vanderbilt University signs TIPQC to increase breast-feeding in hospitals and delivery centers

Vanderbilt University has signed on for a statewide project to increase exclusive breast-feeding in hospitals and delivery centers.

18 Aug 2012

USAID blog examines structural issues fueling HIV epidemic

"During the recent International XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) in Washington, D.C., exciting breakthroughs in HIV prevention, treatment, and care -- even a possible cure -- took center stage," but, "despite recent advances, many men and women remain at risk of HIV as a result of structural issues that fuel and have an impact on the epidemic," Molly Fitzgerald, technical advisor for AIDSTAR-One, writes in this post in USAID's "Impact Blog."

18 Aug 2012

Analysis shows inconsistency in research incentives for prisoners

When members of the public participate in research studies, they are often given incentives - such as cash or gift cards for food - as compensation or reimbursement for their time and effort. Not so for Canada's prison population. A new analysis shows that there is inconsistency in how and when incentives are used for research participants under criminal justice supervision.

18 Aug 2012

Democrats unleash Medicare attack ads in congressional races

Ads from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee are being run against Rep. Dan Benishek of Michigan and North Carolina state Sen. David Rouzer, the Republican opponent of Rep. Mike McIntyre.

18 Aug 2012

New book on malaria tells story of Plasmodium falciparum Genome Project

Few infectious diseases can rival malaria's ability to kill and cripple. Each year the disease causes hundreds of millions of people to be sickened and more than a million - mostly African children under the age of five - die.

18 Aug 2012

Moody's, Standard & Poor's offer health industry perspectives

Moody's gave American not-for-profit health care sector a negative outlook because of uncertainly surrounding funding for federal health programs and gridlock surrounding the health law. But the S & P notes that revenue for Medicare and commercial insurers grew over the year that ended in June.

18 Aug 2012

War does not trigger symptoms of PTSD in military personnel

A large-scale survey of the mental condition of military personnel before, during and after their posting to Afghanistan has proved thought-provoking. In total, 746 Danish soldiers took part in the survey. The soldiers completed a questionnaire five times in all - before their posting, during their time in Afghanistan and three times after their return to Denmark.

18 Aug 2012

Polls: Opposition to changing Medicare cuts across party lines

Two polls, one conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, and another conducted by KFF and the Washington Post, find that a majority of Republicans and Democrats oppose plans to cut Medicare benefits or transform the program into a "definied-contribution" model.

18 Aug 2012

Outcome of governors' races will impact the health law's reach

Politico Pro reports that if power shifts to the right the implementation of the health law could be minimized.

18 Aug 2012

Study finds 'alarming patterns' of tobacco use in developing countries

"Two fifths of men in developing countries still smoke or use tobacco, and women are increasingly starting to smoke at younger ages, according to a large international study which found 'alarming patterns' of tobacco use," Reuters reports.

18 Aug 2012

Research on body maintenance in women's football to be presented at ASA meeting

Women playing full-contact tackle football face challenges beyond the playing field-yet there's little research about this niche in athletics. Jennifer Carter, a University of Cincinnati doctoral student in the UC Department of Sociology, will present her research on body maintenance in women's professional football at the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association.

18 Aug 2012

U.N. calls for more aids to reach 2.5M people affected by conflict in Syria

"Some 2.5 million people face destitution in Syria as fighting grows ever more intense in populated areas, the United Nations top relief official said Thursday, calling on the Government and donors to facilitate more aid through non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on the ground," the U.N. News Centre reports.

18 Aug 2012

Long-term marriage appears to increase alcohol use among women

New research examining relationships and the use of alcohol finds that while a long-term marriage appears to curb men's drinking, it's associated with a slightly higher level of alcohol use among women.

18 Aug 2012

Australian ruling on cigarette logo ban a 'landmark event' for global health

"The ruling this week by Australia's high court to uphold its government's right to introduce 'plain packaging' for tobacco products is a landmark event for global health," John Seffrin, CEO of the American Cancer Society, writes in this Health-e opinion piece.

18 Aug 2012

Australia upholds cigarette logo ban, dealing a 'major blow' to global tobacco

"Australia's highest court Wednesday rejected a challenge from big tobacco companies to tough new plain-packaging laws due to come into effect later this year, in a legal battle closely watched around the world," the Wall Street Journal reports, adding, "The ruling is a major blow for global tobacco giants that had been seeking to stop Australia implementing the new laws, fearing the move would set a precedent for other countries to follow."

18 Aug 2012

CDC reports worst West Nile virus outbreak in the U.S.

This past year's mild winter and wet spring could be contributing to the worst West Nile virus outbreak since the disease was first detected in the United States in 1999. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been more cases of the virus so far this year than any year. As of August 14, almost 700 cases had been reported across the nation, including 26 deaths. This year also marks the earliest reported case of West Nile virus in New Jersey.

18 Aug 2012

Views from Mass.: Novel effort to curb health costs is being closely watched

Now Massachusetts, which has the highest per capita health spending of any state in the country, is moving on the cost front. A bill signed last week by Democratic Governor Deval Patrick seeks to cut expenses by shifting the entire health system away from traditional open-ended fee-for-service medicine and setting legal limits on what the state and its residents are willing to pay. According to a statement by Patrick, the new law "cracks the code on cost," by "ushering in the end of fee-for-service in Massachusetts in favor of better care and lower costs."

18 Aug 2012

Ryan pressed on $716 billion, 10-year Medicare cut

Romney criticizes those reductions in the future growth of Medicare, which were put in place by the 2010 health law. But his running mate, Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan, is put on the spot by reporters about why he included those same reductions in his budget proposals, which were passed twice by the House.

18 Aug 2012