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The RUC and the cost of health care

An investigation into the hidden relationship between the American Medical Association and Medicare and how it determines the cost of health care.

13 Jun 2012

Ruling to strike health care law could hurt Romney campaign

Mitt Romney is saying that overturning the health law is the "right thing" to do, but Politico explores whether he might lose a key rallying point for conservative voters if that were to happen.

13 Jun 2012

Medicaid still taking toll on state budgets

Even as state revenues are showing signs of recovering, health costs remain a budget drain, according to a new report.

13 Jun 2012

Millions suffer chronic food shortages in North Korea, U.N. report says

"Millions of North Koreans suffer chronic food shortages and dire health care ..., and there are no immediate signs of reforms to spur economic growth, the United Nations says" in a report released Thursday, Agence France-Presse reports.

13 Jun 2012

Relief groups appeal for aid to tackle worsening food crisis in West Africa

"Relief groups are stepping up their appeals for aid to tackle the worsening food crisis in West Africa, where more than 18 million people face hunger," the Guardian reports. "Relief agencies have been sounding the alarm for months about the effects of drought on the Sahel -- a region stretching from the Atlantic to the Red Sea," the newspaper writes.

13 Jun 2012

Lawmakers push to protect health care programs in Calif. budget plan

Lawmakers set to move a budget through the California legislature are pushing back against a plan by Gov. Jerry Brown to cut health care benefits -- notably for in-home care, kids, the elderly and the disabled.

13 Jun 2012

Obama administration warns about what's at stake in health law decision

Federal officials and health policy experts forecast what the future might hold if the Supreme Court overturns, or upholds the health law. Also, surveys highlight how employers plan to react to the decision, and how the law might help stabilize certain aspects of the insurance market.

13 Jun 2012

Save the Children releases pioneering report on newborn survival

Save the Children has released a pioneering report on newborn survival over the last decade that shows the world has greatly overlooked a key area for reducing child deaths-newborn care.

13 Jun 2012

Telephone intervention improves medication adherence in patients with glaucoma

A telephone intervention trial was associated with improvement in glaucoma medication adherence in both the treatment group and the control group but, when the two groups were compared, interactive telephone calls and tailored print materials did not significantly improve adherence, according to a report of a randomized controlled clinical trial published Online First by Archives of Ophthalmology, a JAMA Network publication.

13 Jun 2012

Report makes recommendations for improving allocation of scarce health funding

In this episode of the Center for Global Development's (CGD) "Global Prosperity Wonkcast," Lawrence MacDonald, vice president for communications and policy outreach at the CGD, interviews Amanda Glassman, a research fellow and director of CGD's global health program, about her recent report, Priority Setting in Health: Building Institutions for Smarter Public Spending, which "draws on the expertise of a CGD working group to offer recommendations for improving the allocation of scarce health funding, despite political and bureaucratic constraints."

13 Jun 2012

African-led innovation 'imperative' to overcoming health issues on the continent

In this post in the Guardian's "Poverty Matters" blog, Carel IJsselmuiden, executive director of the Council on Health for Development Group, writes that "Africa must turn its health research into treatments for African people," noting, "Despite large investments being made by donors in health products and delivery of health services, a large percentage of Africans still have limited access to sufficient and quality healthcare -- especially in rural areas."

13 Jun 2012

Think tank calls for new federal office to simplify health insurance administration

Health insurers, however, raise concerns and suggest other parts of health economy must also be considered.

13 Jun 2012

OpenAnesthesia shows phenomenal success, exponential growth

Since its launch in 2009, the open-access website OpenAnesthesia.org has developed into a popular and powerful tool for spreading up-to-date knowledge in anesthesiology, according to a special editorial in the July issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

13 Jun 2012

INTERACT program can reduce unnecessary hospitalizations in SNFs

There are more than 1.6 million Americans currently living in nursing homes, and approximately 60 percent are sent to emergency rooms and 25 percent are admitted to a hospital in a year. Although hospitalizations are often required for medical reasons, experts suggest that 28 to 40 percent of these admissions could be avoided with enhanced care in the skilled nursing facility (SNF).

13 Jun 2012

Alcohol consumption leads to increased social stress and poor grades in teens

Rather than gaining "liquid courage" to let loose with friends, teenage drinkers are more likely to feel like social outcasts, according to a new sociological study.

13 Jun 2012

Study finds gender pay disparity among physicians

Male doctors make more money than their female counterparts, even when factoring in medical specialty, title, work hours, productivity and a host of other factors, according to a comprehensive new analysis from researchers at the University of Michigan Health System and Duke University.

13 Jun 2012

Investment in global health programs protects national security, promotes economic growth

"Investment in global health programs protects our national security, promotes economic growth, and upholds humanitarian values," Jenny Eaton Dyer, executive director of Hope Through Healing Hands and a member of the Tennessee State Advisory Committee of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, writes in this opinion piece in the Tennessean.

13 Jun 2012

Georgia Institute of Technology launches HomeLab

Baby boomers have witnessed many technological innovations, and they expect technology to provide them with solutions to help maintain their independence for as long as possible. They are outfitting their homes with products to help them live healthy lifestyles, manage chronic conditions, remember to take medications and remain connected with their caregivers.

13 Jun 2012

New computer simulation program enables children with social anxiety to interact with avatars

Researchers at the University of Central Florida's Anxiety Disorders Clinic and the Atlanta-based company Virtually Better want to give more children with social anxiety the practice they need to become comfortable in social situations. They have developed a new, one-of-a-kind computer simulation program that enables children to interact with avatars playing the roles of classmates, teachers and a principal.

13 Jun 2012

State roundup: N.Y.'s drug Rx bill passes unanimously, Mass. poll finds Dr. communication essential

New York lawmakers unanimously approved legislation Monday that will require doctors to issue drug prescriptions electronically within three years, meanwhile establishing tighter restrictions on painkillers and other addictive drugs on the state list of controlled substances.

13 Jun 2012