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Views on health reform: U.S. not getting value for its spending; Cutting doctors' school debt to curb costs

When it comes to healthcare, Americans are not getting a lot of value for their money. The United States spends 17.6% of its gross domestic product, nearly twice the average of the nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. But life expectancy in the United States in 2010, at 78.7 years, is below the OECD average of 79.8 years. The U.S. infant mortality rate is higher than in most developed countries - it is higher than the rates in Greece, Hungary and Slovakia.

21 Jul 2012

Caregivers of stroke survivors are at risk for depression and complications from chronic stress

Caregivers of stroke survivors are at risk for developing depression and complications from chronic stress, according to a study published by researchers at the Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing (MNSON) in the latest issue of Biological Research for Nursing.

21 Jul 2012

1M Yemeni children face severe malnutrition, contribute to 62M people worldwide in need of humanitarian aid, U.N. says

"One million Yemeni children face severe malnutrition within months as families struggle to pay for food in one of the Arab world's poorest countries, the U.N. World Food Programme has warned," Reuters reports.

21 Jul 2012

Study describes 2010 whooping cough epidemic and details strategies to reduce infection incidence

Because whooping cough (pertussis) is almost as contagious as measles (affecting ~12-17 individuals with each case), clinicians are required to report cases of this bacterial respiratory tract infection to the state's department of public health. In 2010, California had the highest number of cases of whooping cough in 60 years. A new study scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics describes the 2010 whooping cough epidemic and details strategies to decrease the incidence of this infection.

20 Jul 2012

Examining challenges facing Global Fund during its reform

Optimism surrounding the science of HIV treatment and prevention "is tempered by less auspicious trends, particularly shrinking budgets for global health in the U.S. and around the world," Victoria Fan, Amanda Glassman, and Rachel Silverman of the Center for Global Development (CGD) write in the center's "Global Health Policy" blog.

20 Jul 2012

'Saving Lives at Birth' finalists convene at DevelopmentXChange

In a post on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, the foundation's Gary Darmstadt, Wendy Prosser, and Andrew Serazin discuss the finalists of the Saving Lives at Birth initiative, who came together at last week's DevelopmentXChange in Seattle.

20 Jul 2012

Peace Corps Volunteers provide HIV/AIDS prevention, awareness

Carrie Hessler-Radelet, deputy director of the Peace Corps, discusses the agency's work in HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and support in an AIDS.gov blog post. "Last year alone, 52 percent of all Peace Corps Volunteers engaged in such work in communities overseas," she writes, noting, "In 2013, through the Global Health Service Partnership, we look forward to placing doctors and nurses as adjunct faculty in training institutions in Africa."

20 Jul 2012

Funding must support optimism surrounding HIV prevention, treatment

The goal of an "AIDS-free generation" "requires an ambitious implementation-science agenda that improves efficiency and effectiveness and incorporates strategies for overcoming the stigma and discrimination that continue to limit the uptake and utilization of treatment, prevention and care services," AIDS 2012 Co-Chair Diane Havlir of the University of California-San Francisco School of Medicine and Chris Beyrer of the Johns Hopkins Center for AIDS Research write in a New England Journal of Medicine opinion piece.

20 Jul 2012

Postal Service expects to miss health benefits payment

The annual $5.5 billion payment, due Aug. 1, is to a health benefits fund for future retirees. The Postal Service is warning that it will default without congressional action.

20 Jul 2012

American leadership on HIV/AIDS making a difference in U.S. and abroad

"As two people who worked as physicians in the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic before the miracle of antiretroviral drug (ARV) therapy, and who now have the honor of leading the domestic and global HIV/AIDS programs for the Obama administration, we look back in awe of the American leadership that has transformed the epidemic in the 22 years since the International AIDS Conference was last held on U.S. soil," Grant Colfax, director of the Office of National AIDS Policy, and U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby write in a Washington Blade opinion piece.

20 Jul 2012

EHR adoption by doctors reaches 55 percent

Physician adoption of the electronic health record (EHR) may be at - or even past - the proverbial tipping point, or so suggests a government study released yesterday that is a litany of progress. In 2011, 55% of physicians reported having adopted an EHR, and of those, 85% said they were either somewhat or very satisfied with the technology, according to the report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

20 Jul 2012

Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology receives Gates Foundation grant

Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology is pleased to announce that it has received a fourth grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to promote discoveries that will solve urgent global health problems via support of infectious disease conferences in the "Keystone Symposia Global Health Series."

20 Jul 2012

Gates Foundation blog posts reflect on London Summit on Family Planning

In this post in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, Melinda Gates, co-chair of the foundation, reflects on the London Summit on Family Planning, which took place last week, writing, "I was humbled and thrilled by the world's commitment to put women and girls back at the heart of the global health agenda. ... Their enthusiasm shows that family planning is a high priority in the countries where many women and girls lack access, and that is the key to success in the long term."

20 Jul 2012

Editors of Writer's Web Watch honor Aesthetic Surgery Journal with APEX Award

Aesthetic Surgery Journal was recently honored by the editors of Writer's Web Watch with an Annual Awards for Publication Excellence Competition (APEX) award in the category of Magazines & Journals - Electronic & Web. APEX awards are open to communicators in corporate, nonprofit and independent settings across 11 different categories.

20 Jul 2012

House subcommittee approves spending bill that deletes health law funding

The measure, which is part of the GOP plan to defund the health overhaul, also deletes all federal funding for Planned Parenthood and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

20 Jul 2012

Maine governor's Medicaid plan could lead to 'direct confrontation' with feds

Gov. Paul LePage views the recent Supreme Court health law decision as license to make deep cuts to Maine's Medicaid rolls. Meanwhile, in news related to the Medicaid expansion, Arkansas officials estimate future savings of $372 million if it proceeds with the expansion.

20 Jul 2012

UNAIDS releases report highlighting gains, gaps in global HIV/AIDS response

Ahead of the XIX International AIDS Conference next week, UNAIDS on Wednesday launched a new report, titled "Together we will end AIDS", "that shows that a record eight million people are now receiving antiretroviral therapy [ARVs], and that domestic funding for HIV has exceeded global investments," the U.N. News Centre reports.

20 Jul 2012

Family planning, equality for women essential for global development, experts say

"Improving family planning to avoid unwanted pregnancies in developing countries, as well as assuring girls' access to education, and women's participation in the economy, are essential components of a sound development policy, according to Western experts and African activists," Inter Press Service reports.

20 Jul 2012

ASA, Iowa Society of Anesthesiologists launch public education campaign

The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and Iowa Society of Anesthesiologists (ISA) today launched a public education campaign to help put the minds of Iowa residents at ease about surgical procedures and the associated risks of anesthesia.

20 Jul 2012

HIV epidemic in MSM could be helped by better interaction with their health system

The second paper in The Lancet Series on HIV in MSM focuses on clinical care, and says that optimum clinical care for sexual and gender minorities is a fundamental human right. “MSM deserve to be treated with respect, and health-care providers need to interact with them in ways that promote disclosure of actionable health information,” say the authors, led by Dr Ken Mayer, Fenway Health, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

20 Jul 2012