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Dwindling donor funding in Burundi leads to national shortage of ARVs

"Burundian NGOs say at least 20 people have died" as a result of a "months-long shortage" of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), although "Ministry of Health officials could not be reached to confirm the number of people affected," PlusNews reports.

7 Sep 2011

President's tough tasks before election: Deficit plan, sell health reform

President Obama will be crafting his own deficit-reduction plan and will also shape an election strategy for the health law.

7 Sep 2011

Business leaders concerned about economic impact of health law

To many Republicans and business leaders, there's little doubt: The health care law and sweeping new Wall Street regulation -; two of President Obama's signature legislative victories -; are causing uncertainty and killing jobs. Take, for example, a massive public relations campaign organized by House Republican leaders.

7 Sep 2011

The ABCs of proper brushing

For kids, brushing their teeth isn't always top of mind, and getting them to brush properly can be a real challenge for parents. But getting back into daily school routines is a great time to make sure kids are brushing often - and properly.

7 Sep 2011

At GOP presidential candidate forum, focus is on Romney and health reform

In a Labor Day warm-up for this week's presidential debate, a partial cast of Republican contenders argued Monday for turning back the clock on legislation passed at the federal level, starting with President Obama's health care law and going back nearly a century.

7 Sep 2011

International researchers to assess role of pre-clinical animal models in drug discovery

The New York Academy of Sciences and the Global Medical Excellence Cluster (GMEC), in collaboration with Imperial College London and King's College London, will host a two-day scientific conference, "Animal Models and Their Value in Predicting Drug Efficacy and Toxicity," that will provide a forum to critically examine the role of pre-clinical animal models in drug discovery.

7 Sep 2011

Abortion-rights supporters looking to courts for help

Federal courts have been hesitant so far to support moves in a number of states by GOP officials to restrict abortion options. Last Friday, a judge in South Dakota said that while the state may require doctors to tell women about their legal relationship with the fetus, they do not have to tell women that an abortion increases their risk of suicide.

7 Sep 2011

More medical students seeking MBAs; paramedics providing primary care services

Under heavy pressure from government regulators and insurance companies, more and more physicians across the country are learning to think like entrepreneurs. As recently as the late 1990s, there were only five or six joint M.D./M.B.A degree programs at the nation's universities, said Dr. Maria Y. Chandler, a pediatrician with an M.B.A. who is an associate clinical professor in the medical and business schools at the University of California, Irvine. "Now there are 65," she said.

7 Sep 2011

Ohio man dies from tooth infection after he couldn't afford medicine

A 24-year-old Cincinnati father died from a tooth infection this week because he couldn't afford his medication, offering a sobering reminder of the importance of oral health and the number of people without access to dental or health care. According to NBC affiliate WLWT, Kyle Willis' wisdom tooth started hurting two weeks ago. When dentists told him it needed to be pulled, he decided to forgo the procedure, because he was unemployed and had no health insurance.

7 Sep 2011

Electronic monitoring systems, medical records could improve quality, save money

"Epidermal electronics" -; a term coined by researchers who have produced prototype devices at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign -; may enable constant medical monitoring anywhere. The devices are part of a growing field, called mHealth, that uses mobile technologies. Simpler forms include smartphone apps for patient education or disease management.

7 Sep 2011

Continued funding from all countries needed to fight HIV/AIDS

"There is no doubt that" a 10 percent reduction in funding from donor governments for the AIDS response in low- and middle-income countries in 2010 from the previous year's levels "is linked to economic strain felt by countries across the globe," a VOA News editorial says.

7 Sep 2011

Health Endeavors launches web-based tool that tracks physician non-monetary compensation

Physician Non-Monetary Comp Tracker is a web-based program that tracks non-monetary compensation, such as events, advertising, CME programs, meals and other areas, from a hospital to a physician.

7 Sep 2011

Mental health care issues confound nation's jails

Three hundred and fifty thousand: That's a conservative estimate for the number of offenders with mental illness confined in America's prisons and jails. More Americans receive mental health treatment in prisons and jails than in hospitals or treatment centers.

7 Sep 2011

Washington woman spearheading drive for suicide prevention for service members

A Washington state social worker is circulating a petition urging federal lawmakers and the military to adopt a policy declaring that service members shouldn't be punished if they seek help for behavioral health issues, such as post-traumatic stress.

7 Sep 2011

Patient quality, care coordination programs surface in California

The University of California, San Francisco's heart failure program is an effort to reduce repeat hospitalizations by giving patients plenty of information and support to help them after they are discharged. Since the program began three years ago, the hospital's readmission rate has dropped by 30 percent. The hospital says the program has also saved Medicare at least $1 million a year.

7 Sep 2011

Penn researchers receive NIH grant to continue programs of Musculoskeletal disorders center

Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have been awarded another five-year, $3.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue the programs of the Penn Center for Musculoskeletal Disorders.

7 Sep 2011

DOJ investigates Miss. mental health care; N.H. pharmacists win permission to vaccinate

The Justice Department is now investigating Mississippi's mental health system, seeking to determine whether those suffering from mental illness are receiving appropriate treatment. Justice Department officials are expected to return to the Magnolia State later this month, and it's a safe bet they will make similar recommendations against Mississippi as they have against Virginia and other states, said Region 8 Executive Director Dave Van.

7 Sep 2011

U.N. declares famine in sixth region of Somalia, expresses concern over spread of disease

The U.N. "announced Monday that Somalia's famine had spread to a sixth area within the country, with officials warning that 750,000 people could die in the next few months unless aid efforts were scaled up," the New York Times reports.

7 Sep 2011

Settlement in UT Southwestern/Parkland billing fraud; CMS postpones final Parkland ruling

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas pays settlement in Medicare and Medicaid billing fraud investigation. Meanwhile, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says it will wait for state investigation before ruling continued on Medicare funding for Parkland.

7 Sep 2011

Impact of colds and flu on school absenteeism, workplace and economy

Queen's University medical researchers today released some key findings from the first study of its kind done in Canada on the impact of colds and flu on school absenteeism, the workplace, and the economy.

7 Sep 2011