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Providing nutritional information may not be encouraging healthy eating habits

A study by Universit- Laval's Maurice Doyon and French and American researchers shows that U.S. consumers know surprisingly more about the fat content of the foods they buy than their French counterparts. Paradoxically, the obesity rate is nearly three times higher in the United States (35%) than it is in France (12%).

29 Mar 2012

Retired top military leaders advocate for 'strong and effective' International Affairs Budget in letter to Congress

"More than 80 retired top military leaders are calling on Congress to support a strong and effective International Affairs Budget and reiterating how critical this funding is to our national security in a letter released by the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition's (USGLC) National Security Advisory Council (NSAC)," according to a USGLC press release.

29 Mar 2012

DUHS chooses M*Modal's Speech Understanding technology

M*Modal, a leading provider of clinical documentation services and Speech Understanding technologies, today announced that Duke University Health System (DUHS) has selected the Company's cloud-based Speech Understanding technology to support the rollout of its Epic electronic health record.

29 Mar 2012

Bipartisan group of lawmakers offers budget plan modeled on Simpson-Bowles

The group of House members has incorporated in a new budget proposal parts of the plan put forward by an Obama-backed deficit reduction commission. The effort is likely to be rejected by the House this week.

29 Mar 2012

Cumulative negative impact of Medicare, Medicaid payment reductions on nursing facilities

Noting that sufficient levels of skilled nursing staff are essential to providing high quality care and reducing unnecessary, costly hospital readmissions, the new Spring 2012 Care Context health policy paper released today by the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care (AQNHC), with analytic support from Avalere Health, examines the cumulative negative impact of Medicare and Medicaid payment reductions on nursing facilities (NFs).

29 Mar 2012

Accidental ingestion of wire bristles leads to necessity for surgery

Rhode Island Hospital physicians identified six cases of accidental ingestion of wire grill brush bristles that required endoscopic or surgical removal. The paper calls attention to the need for the public and physicians to be aware of this potential danger.

29 Mar 2012

New strategy to ensure that GPs advise heavy drinkers to cut down

The new UK alcohol strategy includes a plan to ensure that General Practitioners (GPs) advise heavy drinkers to cut down.

29 Mar 2012

Castlight Health launches new mobile offerings

Castlight Health, developer of a personalized health care shopping platform, today announced the launch of Castlight Mobile, a new offering that extends the power of the Castlight Health platform to users' preferred mobile devices.

29 Mar 2012

The American Legion opposes proposed hikes in TRICARE premiums

The leader of the nation's largest veterans service organization, The American Legion, has expressed strong opposition to proposed hikes in premiums being paid by enrollees in TRICARE, the military's health insurance program. The recently released Fiscal Year 2013 federal budget plan calls for dramatically increased TRICARE enrollment fees and pharmacy co-pays.

29 Mar 2012

Philippines health department reports 72% increase in number of HIV cases recorded in February 2012 versus 2011

"Philippine health authorities diagnosed 274 people with new cases of HIV/AIDS in February this year, the health department said, adding the new figure represented a 72 percent rise compared with 159 cases reported in February 2011," Gulf News reports.

29 Mar 2012

Mere presence in a room can add 37 million bacteria

A person's mere presence in a room can add 37 million bacteria to the air every hour - material largely left behind by previous occupants and stirred up from the floor - according to new research by Yale University engineers.

29 Mar 2012

State experiences with insurance mandates offer cautionary tales

In Massachusetts, reforms are proceeding with an individual mandate, while Washington state and New Jersey faced hardships when they overhauled their health insurance markets without one.

29 Mar 2012

Viewpoints: Why doctors find it hard to tell the truth; The fruits of biomedical research; Cheney's 'taxpayer-subsidized' benefits

Last month, an article in the journal Health Affairs made headlines in the news media - "Physicians Are Not Always Open or Honest with Patients." A vast majority of the nearly 2,000 doctors surveyed agreed that physicians should be fully open and honest in all their communications with patients. ... I suspect that the dishonesty that is being uncovered in a study such as this - and frankly, I was amazed that the number of less-than-truthful instances was so low - reveals more about the diagnosis of being human than anything else. ... I couldn't bring myself to tell this young mother that she was going to die."

29 Mar 2012

Tips to help ensure best plastic surgery results

Believe it or not, you play just as big a role in the overall success of your cosmetic surgery as your surgeon. Board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Gregory A. Buford recently published a comprehensive list of tips to help ensure the best results, no matter what procedure you're preparing for.

29 Mar 2012

Perspectives on health law challenge: Does court recognize its own limits?; A dubious link to Civil Rights Act; The burden on young people

In ruling on the constitutionality of requiring most Americans to obtain health insurance, the Supreme Court faces a central test: whether it will recognize limits on its own authority to overturn well-founded acts of Congress.

29 Mar 2012

BCBSMF launches Connect for Health Challenge

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation today announced the launch of the Connect for Health Challenge, a new grantmaking initiative that will award up to $500,000 to eligible nonprofits, schools and local units of government to support efforts that strengthen social connections in low-income communities across Minnesota.

29 Mar 2012

CDC Director provides update on AIDS epidemic in anticipation of AIDS 2012 conference

In anticipation of the AIDS 2012 conference, to be held in Washington, D.C., from July 22-27, CDC Director Thomas Frieden spoke at the Washington-based Center for Strategic & International Studies, where he provided an update on the epidemic in the U.S. and abroad, VOA News reports.

29 Mar 2012

AFB announces Access Award recipients for 2012

What do the leaders of "America's pastime," a free open-source screen-reading software company, an orientation and mobility (O&M) program, and the founder of Camp Abilities have in common? All have taken successful strides toward creating a better quality of life for people who are blind or visually impaired, which is why they were named the recipients of the 2012 Access Awards, announced today by the American Foundation for the Blind.

29 Mar 2012

Many medical implants never tested for safety

A new investigation by Consumer Reports reveals that while tens of millions of American consumers live with medical devices implanted in their bodies, many of these implants have never been tested for safety and manufacturers are often required to do nothing more than file paperwork and pay a user fee before bringing their products to market.

29 Mar 2012

Greenway announces availability of PrimeMOBILE

Greenway Medical Technologies, Inc. today announced the availability of its remote clinical and financial solution PrimeMOBILE as a native application for download onto Android smartphone and tablet devices.

29 Mar 2012