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GOP fissures likely to emerge with efforts to revamp budget deal, Medicare

House Republicans appear divided over whether to push for deeper spending cuts in the 2013 budget plan than those agreed upon during last year's debt ceiling deal. Democrats and Republicans are also preparing for a Medicare fight. Meanwhile, some GOP senators have requested a hearing with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to discuss revised cost estimates for the health law.

14 Mar 2012

Healthcare exchange regulations announced

The U.S. government this Monday released broad new operating rules for state-run health insurance exchanges, which form a key part of the 2010 federal healthcare reform law. The reforms would face Supreme Court hearings in just two weeks.

14 Mar 2012

Both low-carb and low-fat diets help improve blood vessel function in overweight people

Overweight people who shed pounds, especially belly fat, can improve the function of their blood vessels no matter whether they are on a low-carb or a low-fat diet, according to a study being presented by Johns Hopkins researchers at an American Heart Association scientific meeting in San Diego on March 13 that is focused on cardiovascular disease prevention.

14 Mar 2012

Kenya, Tanzania face ongoing health worker strikes

About 2,000 Kenyan health workers attended a demonstration outside the Ministry of Health on Friday, the Associated Press/Seattle Times reports, noting, "Some 40,000 health workers nationwide went on strike on March 1 to protest low pay and poor working conditions."

14 Mar 2012

Romney, now 65, won't enroll in Medicare

Instead, GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney will buy private health insurance. News reports describe this step as Romney's effort to make a political point. He supports transforming Medicare into a premium support program and has taken the position that wealthier seniors should pay more for their Medicare benefits.

14 Mar 2012

Uncovering the science behind generations of mental illness

Sometimes the most interesting way to digest scientific information is within the context of personal experiences. Likewise, the story of someone's personal journey or struggle can take on broader significance when melded with the insights of scientific knowledge.

14 Mar 2012

Red meat associated with increased risk of death, nuts become the preferred protein substitute

A major new study, "Red Meat Consumption and Mortality" concludes that red meat is associated with a thirteen percent increased risk of death and substitution of other healthy protein sources for red meat lowers mortality risk, with nuts being the top choice. Over half the nuts eaten in the US are peanuts and they have more protein than any other nut.

14 Mar 2012

Thermo Fisher launches innovations that enable customers to improve lab productivity

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, today introduced innovations that enable customers to improve laboratory productivity - by delivering results faster and with greater accuracy - while extending the boundaries of routine analysis. During Pittcon, being held from March 11-15, in Orlando, the company will showcase its scale and depth of capabilities across its three premier brands: Thermo Scientific, Fisher Scientific and Unity Lab Services.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 13 Mar 2012

Florida Hospital purchases Mazor Robotics' Renaissance system

Mazor Robotics Ltd, the leader in innovative surgical robots and complementary products for spine surgery, announced that Florida Hospital has purchased a Renaissance system.

13 Mar 2012

Orra Health transcription software for physicians

One can now dictate patient observations on the way home from the clinic and view the transcripts the following morning. Calls for "Accessibility anywhere, anytime" have already started rending the air around healthcare, and here is an app that seeks to do just that!

13 Mar 2012

Feds reject J & J's $1 billion drug settlement

Prosecutors in Washington, D.C., have rejected a roughly $1 billion proposed settlement to resolve allegations that Johnson & Johnson promoted the antipsychotic drug Risperdal for unapproved uses, according to people familiar with the matter.

13 Mar 2012

Einstein earns an 'A' for conflict-of-interest policies from AMSA

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has earned an "A," the top mark, for its conflict-of-interest policies from the American Medical Student Association (AMSA), the oldest and largest independent association of physicians-in-training in the United States.

13 Mar 2012

Quality issues: Patient safety and physicians' well-being

Medscape investigates the intersection between patient safety initiatives and how physicians practice medicine.

13 Mar 2012

Study examines how symptoms presented online influence people's reactions to medical conditions

Maybe you've had a reoccurring sore throat or frequent headaches. Perhaps the pain in your leg won't go away. In the past, you might have gone to a doctor's office to diagnose symptoms.

13 Mar 2012

Health program cuts, cost-saving measures big issues at state capitols

Legislatures around the country are dealing with changes or cost-saving measures to health programs as they consider their budgets.

13 Mar 2012

Many premature infants continue to receive iNO during NICU stay

Many premature infants throughout the United States continue to receive inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) during their NICU stay, despite the lack of evidence to support its use. Whether or not a preemie will receive iNO treatment, when and for how long, varies greatly throughout the country, as its use in premature infants appears to be unstandardized.

13 Mar 2012

Feds won't renew $30 million funding for Texas' women's health program

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius confirmed Friday that the federal government would stop funding the program which provides health care to more than 100,000 women after Texas barred Planned Parenthood and other "affiliates of abortion providers" from participating. Gov. Rick Perry has pledged to replace the money, but has not said where it would come from.

13 Mar 2012

New York Times Magazine examines 'medical brain drain'

"[T]he United States, with its high salaries and technological innovation, is ... the world's most powerful magnet for doctors, attracting more every year than Britain, Canada and Australia -- the next most popular destinations for migrating doctors -- combined," the New York Times Magazine reports in a story on how the promise of a better salary and working conditions is drawing newly trained doctors away from their countries to the U.S.

13 Mar 2012

Study describes horrific experiences of poor organ trafficking victims

A Michigan State University anthropologist who spent more than a year infiltrating the black market for human kidneys has published the first in-depth study describing the often horrific experiences of poor people who were victims of organ trafficking.

13 Mar 2012

Many children with Crohn's disease and IBD benefit from ImproveCareNow

Many children with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis who received treatment through ImproveCareNow, a national quality improvement and research network, ceased to have symptoms and no longer needed to take steroids for disease management.

13 Mar 2012