Healthcare News

RSS

International Microbicides Conference 2012 concludes

The conclusion of the 2012 International Microbicides Conference, a gathering of researchers, advocates and funders in the HIV prevention field, wrapped up three days of discussion focused on access to prevention technologies, adherence in clinical trials, innovative financing, dual prevention technologies and new methods of preventing rectal transmission of HIV.

26 Apr 2012

U.S. government must be prepared to handle dual use research of concern

"This week, a Senate panel is investigating biological security in the wake of" controversial "potentially dangerous research" on H5N1 avian influenza, "with good reason," Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.) writes in a Washington Times opinion piece.

26 Apr 2012

Pervasive racial bias in medical practice adversely affects treatment and diagnosis

Pervasive racial bias in American medical practice adversely affects treatment and diagnosis for African American patients, according to new research from The University of Texas at Austin.

26 Apr 2012

Study of lean finely textured beef's fall from grace

The process for producing what has become known as "pink slime" actually seemed like a triumph of technology in an industry haunted by the specter of food poisoning and, at one point, even got rave reviews in the news media, according to an article in the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News. C&EN is the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.

26 Apr 2012

Nonprofit hospitals will likely face higher costs if mandate is overturned

Striking the mandate but leaving other parts of the law would put many hospitals in a bind, according to Moody's Investors Service. Meanwhile, The Hill reports that a majority of hospital executives expect the overhaul to shrink revenues.

26 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 26, 2012

Today's headlines include news about how House Republicans are eyeing the health law's prevention trust fund as a means to pay the cost of extending the current student loan interest rate for another year. House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, has scheduled a Friday vote on this proposal.

26 Apr 2012

Health care not structured in the interest of the patient

You're enjoying a quiet weekend at home when suddenly you double over in pain. You need emergency appendectomy surgery. How much should it cost? And how much price shopping are you able to do?

26 Apr 2012

CMS proposal would factor patient safety, efficiency into hospital pay formula

The draft rule adds measures of patient safety and a financial assessment to determine whether hospitals are careful with Medicare's money.

26 Apr 2012

Physicians, med schools fret about future, but some see signs of hope

One survey reveals that doctors fear some of the changes due to the health law, while primary care physicians say the law may spur needed change.

26 Apr 2012

AAA to gather for anatomy meeting in conjunction with Experimental Biology 2012

The American Association of Anatomists will gather this week for its annual meeting in conjunction with the Experimental Biology 2012 conference, which will draw more than 14,000 scientists from industry, government and academia. Below are some programming highlights for the anatomy meeting. All presentations will be made at the San Diego Convention Center.

26 Apr 2012

Ariz. Senate approves bill to ban state funds for Planned Parenthood

The vote follows abortion restrictions passed by the Arizona legislature this year. In addition, N.H., Calif. and La. lawmakers are weighing abortion bills.

26 Apr 2012

MSF says number of annual malaria cases treated in DRC has tripled since 2009

Ahead of World Malaria Day on April 25, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Tuesday said the number of malaria cases it has treated in the country "more than tripled to 155,000 last year from two years previous," Reuters reports.

26 Apr 2012

IMPAKT 2012 breast cancer conference to focus on four major areas

"Basic science and clinical medicine move at different pace because they follow different paths. Both however aim at improving strategies to manage cancer patients. We need to efficiently translate the good things from basic science and efficiently implement them in the clinic."

26 Apr 2012

Medicaid news: Florida prepares for shift to managed care

Preparing for Florida's shift to a statewide Medicaid managed-care system, 20 health companies and organizations are interested in competing for contracts to serve seniors who need long-term care. ... The list of potential bidders only reflects health plans interested in the long-term care portion of a statewide managed-care system. AHCA has not sought similar letters of intent for plans hoping to serve the broader Medicaid population, such as children and women.

26 Apr 2012

Romney sweeps 5 GOP primaries, moves closer to presidential nomination

Meanwhile, news outlets report on criticism aimed at Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and action in congressional races in Arizona and Pennsylvania.

26 Apr 2012

Study examines reasons why individuals misreport smoke alarm coverage

One in three households in Baltimore misreports its smoke alarm coverage, with the vast majority of errors due to over-reporting coverage, according to a study by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy. Reasons for over-reporting included study participants incorrectly assuming all of their alarms were working because they weren't beeping, and not having alarms on every level of the home.

26 Apr 2012

Draft farm bill includes 'promising' fixes to U.S. food aid system

In this post in the Center for Global Development's (CDG) "Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Blog," Connie Veillette, director of CGD's rethinking U.S. foreign assistance initiative, comments on a draft farm bill released by Congress last week, which she writes "includes some promising fixes to the notoriously inefficient U.S. food aid system."

26 Apr 2012

Studies: Against best advice, docs continue unneeded prostate screenings

JAMA and another journal found that despite government recommendations, doctors continue to screen too many men for prostate cancer.

26 Apr 2012

Cardiovascular emergencies may benefit from regionalized systems of care

Experts are proposing a new model of care collaboration to diagnosis, treat and follow patients who present with various emergent cardiovascular conditions which require rapid, resource-intensive care and confer a high risk of mortality, in an article published April 24 in Circulation.

26 Apr 2012

Funding for HIV programs among MSM populations lacking, largely due to stigma

"Despite high prevalence rates of HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM), funding for HIV prevention, treatment and care consistently neglects these populations, often due to stigma and discrimination," Owen Ryan, deputy director of public policy at amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, writes in this guest post in the Funders Concerned About AIDS blog.

26 Apr 2012