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First Edition: December 7, 2011

In the news today, a status check on the work -- including the Medicare doc fix -- that Congress still needs to attend to before leaving Washington for the holidays.

7 Dec 2011

Gingrich's policy positions draw attention as his popularity in polls grows

The Boston Globe examines how Gingrich's view of the individual mandate has changed. Meanwhile, Reuters reports on GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's efforts to keep his record as governor of Massachusetts under wraps. Finally, Rick Santorum gets into a health policy fracas in Iowa.

7 Dec 2011

Majority of women do not receive guideline-recommended breast cancer adjuvant therapy

A first-of-its kind study led by Xiao-Cheng Wu, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Public Health at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, reports that a significant number of women are not receiving guideline-recommended treatment for breast cancer and what factors contribute.

7 Dec 2011

Cautious Patient Foundation introduces new national YDA program

Known as "Your Doctor's Advice" (YDA), the program provides an easy-to-use, high-tech solution to a major contributing factor in patient noncompliance and poor medical outcomes.

7 Dec 2011

New book explains distressing breathing problems of children

Why do infants make snorting sounds during feedings? Is snoring normal in a toddler? Is it safe to give popcorn to a 2-year-old? How many colds a year are normal for a 5-year-old? Does air quality in the home affect a child's respiratory system?

7 Dec 2011

Leapfrog names UMHHC a top hospital for safety and quality

The University of Michigan hospitals are among the safest and most effective hospitals in the country, according to a new national ranking from the respected independent health care quality rating organization, The Leapfrog Group. This is the second year in a row, and third year overall, that Leapfrog named the U-M Hospitals and Health Centers a top hospital.

7 Dec 2011

New updated site shows how well UMHS provides care in clinical settings

Plenty of hospitals and medical providers claim they do a great job at caring for patients and protecting their safety during care. But very few actually publish the cold, hard numbers that could prove those claims. And even fewer do it like the University of Michigan Health System has: on a website open to anyone, with dozens of charts and graphs showing actual performance and comparisons to national averages and benchmarks.

7 Dec 2011

New research on bed bug's ability to withstand genetic bottleneck of inbreeding

New research on the bed bug's ability to withstand the genetic bottleneck of inbreeding, announced today at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) annual meeting, provides new clues to explain the rapidly growing problem of bed bugs across the United States and globally.

7 Dec 2011

True impact of injuries in the UK higher than previously thought

Injuries in the UK are having a much greater impact on peoples' lives than previously estimated, a study has found.

7 Dec 2011

Kenyans affected by flooding in need of humanitarian, medical aid

Heavy rains and flooding in Kenya, which have affected more than 40,000 people and caused at least a dozen deaths, are "complicating efforts to reach thousands of people made homeless by the flooding, an official of the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) told IRIN."

7 Dec 2011

Public sector employees retire sooner to protect health benefits, pensions

As states and cities struggle to resolve paralyzing budget shortfalls by sending workers on unpaid furloughs, freezing salaries and extracting larger contributions for health benefits and pensions, a growing number of public-sector workers are finding fewer reasons to stay.

7 Dec 2011

Addressing sexual violence in the context of conflict, disasters

In this post in USAID's "IMPACTblog," Anita Malley, internal displacement and protection adviser at the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, examines the importance of addressing sexual violence in conflicts and disasters, recapping a trip she took to Cote d'Ivoire with her colleagues in June.

7 Dec 2011

A changing of the guard at CMS

CQ HealthBeat reports on the new head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, while other news outlets report on the outgoing administrator's thoughts on the job and the system.

7 Dec 2011

New approach can benefit parents with gender nonconforming and transgender children

How should parents respond when their four years old son insists on wearing girls' clothes, or their daughter switches to using a male version of their name? These are the questions increasingly being asked of family therapist Jean Malpas who writes in Family Process about a new approach to support parents with gender nonconforming and transgender children.

7 Dec 2011

Comparative-effectiveness research takes center stage

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute attracted a larger-then-expected volume of applications for its pilot projects grants program. Meanwhile, the institute, which was created by the health law, will release its draft agenda next month.

7 Dec 2011

Future of drug discovery and development to be highlighted at 2011 BPS Winter Meeting

The future of drug discovery and development at the bench and in the boardroom will be highlighted at a major international pharmacology conference in London, Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 December.

7 Dec 2011

Survey finds high level of physician unhappiness with insurance companies

More than 10,000 physicians across the nation participated in Medscape's Insurer Ratings Report 2011. Feelings of outrage, resignation, and powerlessness dominated the comments that we received. In more than 4,700 physician remarks, the vitriol jumped off the page about physicians' perceptions of unjustified denials of claims, needless preauthorization demands, and requests for documentation that seem designed to stall payment for as long as possible.

7 Dec 2011

Health law's insurance exchanges studied, demonstrated

According to data from Connecticut insurers, the majority of health plans sold to individuals and small businesses provide less generous coverage -- most likely, at a lower cost -- than plans sold on the exchange will be required to provide. The analysis suggests that people buying insurance through the exchange could get plans that offer more coverage with lower out-of-pocket costs, but they would likely have to pay more for them.

7 Dec 2011

UH Case Medical Center designated as 'Top Hospital' and leader in quality patient care

University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio is among 65 hospitals nationwide to be designated as a "Top Hospital" and leader in quality patient care by The Leapfrog Group.

7 Dec 2011

Legislative update: A range of congressional health measures draw attention

New legislation was introduced to make drug price gouging a federal crime. Also, a measure is pending that seeks to make the upcoming Supreme Court term "must-see TV." The abortion battle will heat up again in a hearing scheduled today over the Prenatal NonDiscrimination Act.

7 Dec 2011