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Research roundup: The push for hospital quality and concerns about disparities; Rating physicians online

Researchers wondered if pay-for-performance (P4P) programs, which reward hospitals for meeting quality targets, have unintentional effects on racial and/or ethnic disparities. Using federal patient-level quality data, researchers found that "many hospitals treat Whites and minorities equitably" but they noted that since many minorities tend to seek care at hospitals that "perform poorly on common quality score composites, the pay for performance efforts could unintentionally penalize hospitals serving high numbers of minorities.

3 Mar 2012

AARDA hopes to educate public on autoimmune diseases during March

March is National Autoimmune Diseases Awareness Month, and the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) is working to educate the public on risk factors, prevalence, and the severe lack of awareness surrounding autoimmune diseases.

3 Mar 2012

NGOs welcome announcement of U.S., North Korean nuclear arms agreement that could bring food aid to nation

"The State Department's announcement that North Korea would halt nuclear activities in exchange for 240,000 metric tons of U.S. food aid was welcomed by aid groups that have long struggled to raise money to feed hungry people under an unpopular regime," the Los Angeles Times' "World Now" blog reports.

3 Mar 2012

WHO criticized for not efficiently communicating recommendations on HIV, contraception to African women, PlusNews reports

"HIV organizations, researchers and activists have criticized the WHO and UNAIDS for not clearly communicating guidelines on HIV and hormonal contraception to African women, who remain the most affected by the continent's high HIV prevalence rates," PlusNews reports.

3 Mar 2012

IFHP releases 2011 Comparative Price Report

The International Federation of Health Plans today released its 2011 Comparative Price Report detailing its annual survey of medical costs per unit. Designed to showcase the variation in healthcare costs around the world, the report examines the costs of medical procedures, tests, scans and treatments in nine countries.

3 Mar 2012

Four Cockrell School faculty members receive NSF CAREER awards

Four faculty members from the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin have been selected to receive Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) awards totaling nearly $1.4 million from the National Science Foundation.

3 Mar 2012

Union County Commission honors KF scientist with Women of Excellence Award

Helen Genova, PhD, research scientist at Kessler Foundation, received a Women of Excellence Award in Health Sciences from the Union County Commission on the Status of Women. In the Foundation's Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Laboratory, she investigates the effects of multiple sclerosis (MS) and traumatic brain injury on cognitive function with grant funding.

3 Mar 2012

New book on women's lives in Europe

Women in Southern Europe wish they could live under a Nordic-style welfare state so they could improve their lives as women. But the financial crisis has made their dreams less realistic than ever. This is according to John Eriksen, a researcher at the Norwegian Social Research Institute and the co-editor of a new book on women's lives in Europe.

3 Mar 2012

Abstinence therapy safer, preferable for opioid-addicted HCPs

Many health care professionals (HCPs) have easy access to controlled medications and the diversion and abuse of drugs among this group may be as high as 10%. Controversy surrounds the safety of allowing addicted HCPs to return to clinical practice while undergoing medical treatment with opioid substitution therapy such as buprenorphine.

3 Mar 2012

Teenagers with healthy behaviours more likely to have higher levels of happiness

Teenagers who turn their backs on a healthy lifestyle and turn to drink, cigarettes and junk food are significantly unhappier than their healthier peers. New research also shows that 12-13 is a catalyst age when young people turn away from the healthy habits of their younger years and start to get involved in risky behaviours.

2 Mar 2012

New ACR classification criteria for polymyalgia rheumatica

The American College of Rheumatology has released the first classification criteria for polymyalgia rheumatica - aimed at helping physicians identify patients with this condition, which occurs in persons aged 50 years or older who have recent onset of pain in the shoulders, neck and hips along with other inflammatory symptoms not explained by an alternate diagnosis.

2 Mar 2012

GOP presidential candidates go on attack with charges related to contraception, health reforms and the individual mandate

Republican presidential hopefuls Rick Santorum and Ron Paul launch new criticisms of Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich - not to mention of each other.

2 Mar 2012

Call for Expression of Interest to attend personalised medicine conference

The Call for Expression of Interest to attend or present at the Conference on Personalised Medicine: Better Healthcare in Cyprus in June 2012 is now open. The deadline is 1 April 2012.

2 Mar 2012

A longer spring allergy season due to winter's warmer-than-average temperatures

While this winter's warmer-than-average temperatures were a nice contrast for people who suffered through to last year's many winter storms, many may now pay for the balmy temperatures with an earlier and longer spring allergy season. For some, symptoms such as runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, itchy eyes, ears and throat, wheezing and shortness of breath have already begun and may last into early summer.

2 Mar 2012

Romney: Blunting confusion on support of contraception amendment

The campaign issued a clarification Wednesday after comments made by GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney to an Ohio reporter about the contraception-related Senate amendment. Romney's camp clarified his support for the amendment.

2 Mar 2012

Proceeds from Polo Under the Palms in Sarasota to benefit MD Anderson Cancer Center

Polo mallets and palm trees take center stage as Polo Under the Palms returns to Sarasota, Fla., March 24. Proceeds from the second annual competition benefit The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

2 Mar 2012

Congress urged to pass 'Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2012'

Colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening saves lives, but a loophole in current Medicare law may cause patients to think twice before undergoing this vital test. Legislation introduced today seeks to ensure that colorectal cancer screening for all Medicare beneficiaries is free, as intended.

2 Mar 2012

Millions at risk of malnutrition as Horn of Africa, Sahel face dry seasons

Only weeks after the U.N. declared an end to the famine in Somalia, regional climate scientists meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, at the 30th Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum have said preventive measures should be taken to stem the effects of drought that likely will return to Somalia and other parts of the Horn of Africa over the next three months, IRIN reports.

2 Mar 2012

New American Board of Wound Medicine and Surgery established

On October 20, 2011 the American Board of Wound Medicine and Surgery (ABWMS) was established and incorporated in the State of Ohio. The new Board, according to the President and Chairman of the Board, Richard Simman, MD, FACS, CWS, FACCWS, was established because the time has come to recognize the physician practice of wound medicine and surgery.

2 Mar 2012

Federal judge says govt. can't require grisly images on cigarette packages

The judge ruled on constitutional free speech grounds, but the case could end up in the Supreme Court.

2 Mar 2012

Healthcare News

Research roundup: The push for hospital quality and concerns about disparities; Rating physicians online

AARDA hopes to educate public on autoimmune diseases during March

NGOs welcome announcement of U.S., North Korean nuclear arms agreement that could bring food aid to nation

WHO criticized for not efficiently communicating recommendations on HIV, contraception to African women, PlusNews reports

IFHP releases 2011 Comparative Price Report

Four Cockrell School faculty members receive NSF CAREER awards

Union County Commission honors KF scientist with Women of Excellence Award

New book on women's lives in Europe

Abstinence therapy safer, preferable for opioid-addicted HCPs

Teenagers with healthy behaviours more likely to have higher levels of happiness

New ACR classification criteria for polymyalgia rheumatica

GOP presidential candidates go on attack with charges related to contraception, health reforms and the individual mandate

Call for Expression of Interest to attend personalised medicine conference

A longer spring allergy season due to winter's warmer-than-average temperatures

Romney: Blunting confusion on support of contraception amendment

Proceeds from Polo Under the Palms in Sarasota to benefit MD Anderson Cancer Center

Congress urged to pass 'Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2012'

Millions at risk of malnutrition as Horn of Africa, Sahel face dry seasons

New American Board of Wound Medicine and Surgery established

Federal judge says govt. can't require grisly images on cigarette packages

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

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