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Specialised cancer centers may improve survival rates for patients

Survival rates for cancer patients may be improved by treatment in specialised cancer centers, according to Cochrane researchers. In a review of recent studies, they found that women diagnosed with gynaecological cancer lived longer when treated in specialist compared to non-specialist units.

15 Mar 2012

ACS, ASCCP and ASCP release new screening guidelines for cervical cancer

The American Cancer Society (ACS), the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP), and the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) have released new guidelines for the prevention and early detection of cervical cancer.

15 Mar 2012

State roundup: Caregivers face 'burnout' threat as need grows, Kansas nursing home staff inadequate?

Long term care advocates say they're concerned about caregiver burnout. And they say Wisconsin may be overestimating projected savings from uncompensated care that relatives provide. State health officials need to find nearly $80 million in savings from a popular program that keeps the elderly and disabled out of nursing homes. The administration wants to know what assistance friends and family are giving so that care isn't replaced by Medicaid services.

15 Mar 2012

UCSF's School of Pharmacy ranks first and School of Medicine ranks third in nationwide survey

UCSF's School of Pharmacy ranked first in its field this year, while its School of Medicine tied for third place nationwide, according to a new survey conducted by U.S. News & World Report.

14 Mar 2012

Joint U.N. statement on closure of drug detention camps is 'unequivocal'

Daniel Wolfe, director of the International Harm Reduction Development Program, part of the Open Society Public Health Program, writes in the Open Society Foundations' blog about "a recent joint U.N. statement calling for the immediate closure of the hundreds of centers in which drug users are detained in the name of treatment," saying the statement "came not a moment too soon."

14 Mar 2012

Heavy alcohol use associated with longer postoperative hospital stays

According to the results of a new study published in the March 2012 issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, patients who score highest on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) experience longer postoperative hospital stays and more days in the intensive care unit (ICU); they are also more likely to return to the operating room (OR) within 30 days of a surgical procedure than patients with low AUDIT-C scores.

14 Mar 2012

IPAB opponents eye curbs on medical malpractice lawsuits as means to pay for repeal

This idea has drawn support for some GOP lawmakers seeking to get rid of the Independent Payment Advisory Board, but trial lawyers are already lining up against it. Meanwhile, a new Congressional Budget Office estimate indicates that because Medicare spending is slowing, the board may never actually have to spring into action.

14 Mar 2012

New rule ensuring equal access for ESRD patients receives DPC praise

Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC), the nation's largest patient-led organization representing dialysis patients, applauded the Administration for taking steps to solidify a key provision that will ensure end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients have equal access to private coverage as Affordable Care Act reforms are implemented.

14 Mar 2012

Viewpoints: Sandra fluke on slurs; Shifting the cost of uncompensated care

(D)espite the misinformation being spread, the regulation under discussion has absolutely nothing to do with government funding: It is all about the insurance policies provided by private employers and universities that are financed by individual workers, students and their families -- not taxpayers.

14 Mar 2012

Highlights from Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

The Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT) is the first comprehensive study to look at the effectiveness of different treatments for low back and leg pain. It was designed to provide data and outcomes to guide doctors and their patients in their treatment choices for three common spinal disorders: intervertebral disk herniation (IDH), degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS), and lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS).

14 Mar 2012

Various State Legislatures consider insurance exchanges, HMO audits, mental health care

A selection of health policy news from Iowa, Oregon, California, Oregon, Maryland, Connecticut, Kansas and Texas.

14 Mar 2012

Higher spending on effective procedures and services leads to better patient outcomes

Among hospitals in Ontario, Canada, those with higher levels of spending, which included higher intensity nursing and greater use of specialists and procedures, had an associated lower rate of deaths, hospital readmissions, and better quality of care for severely ill hospitalized patients, according to a study in the March 14 issue of JAMA.

14 Mar 2012

Democrats launch efforts to educate voters about health law's benefits

The Democratic National Committee will do targeted mailings to improve the law's image. In addition, the Obama campaign posted an interactive website to spell out the measure's benefits.

14 Mar 2012

USAID's Shah provides 'critical leadership' in global health

Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) Communications Officer Kim Lufkin discusses USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah's second annual letter in this GHTC "Breakthroughs" blog post, writing, "Shah rightly emphasizes the role of science, technology, and innovation in meeting USAID's international health goals."

14 Mar 2012

Obama administration releases rules for health exchanges, emphasizes flexibility for states

The regulations outline minimum standards that states must meet to set up and run these health insurance marketplaces by a Jan. 1, 2014, deadline.

14 Mar 2012

Hospital Charitable Service Awards names Jefferson ARCHES Project as Program of Excellence

The ARCHES Project, a program of Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, was one of 10 programs from across the country named a Program of Excellence by the Hospital Charitable Service Awards, a national program sponsored by Jackson Healthcare.

14 Mar 2012

First Edition: March 14, 2012

Today's headlines feature coverage of the Congressional Budget Office's latest estimates regarding the health law's costs and the nation's deficit.

14 Mar 2012

Haitian cholera vaccination pilot project temporarily postponed, NPR reports

"A long-planned project to find out whether vaccination is feasible in the midst of an ongoing cholera outbreak in Haiti has been stymied -- temporarily, its proponents insist --" after "a Port-au-Prince radio station reported that the impending vaccination effort was actually a 'medical experiment on the Haitian people' -- a potentially incendiary charge," NPR's "Morning Edition" reports.

14 Mar 2012

CME conference on deep brain stimulation for movement disorders

CME Conference for physicians and health care professionals on deep brain stimulation for movement disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression

14 Mar 2012

State budget burdens, cost-cutting efforts focus on health programs

Burdened by budget deficits, states are cutting health programs to the chagrin of some. But others say the economic downturn has allowed states to take up long-term economic problems they wouldn't have addressed otherwise.

14 Mar 2012

Healthcare News

Specialised cancer centers may improve survival rates for patients

ACS, ASCCP and ASCP release new screening guidelines for cervical cancer

State roundup: Caregivers face 'burnout' threat as need grows, Kansas nursing home staff inadequate?

UCSF's School of Pharmacy ranks first and School of Medicine ranks third in nationwide survey

Joint U.N. statement on closure of drug detention camps is 'unequivocal'

Heavy alcohol use associated with longer postoperative hospital stays

IPAB opponents eye curbs on medical malpractice lawsuits as means to pay for repeal

New rule ensuring equal access for ESRD patients receives DPC praise

Viewpoints: Sandra fluke on slurs; Shifting the cost of uncompensated care

Highlights from Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Various State Legislatures consider insurance exchanges, HMO audits, mental health care

Higher spending on effective procedures and services leads to better patient outcomes

Democrats launch efforts to educate voters about health law's benefits

USAID's Shah provides 'critical leadership' in global health

Obama administration releases rules for health exchanges, emphasizes flexibility for states

Hospital Charitable Service Awards names Jefferson ARCHES Project as Program of Excellence

First Edition: March 14, 2012

Haitian cholera vaccination pilot project temporarily postponed, NPR reports

CME conference on deep brain stimulation for movement disorders

State budget burdens, cost-cutting efforts focus on health programs

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

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