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RACGP urging the government to restore mental health rebates

In its submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs regarding the Commonwealth funding and administration of mental health services, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) strongly argued for the restoration of GP mental health services. The College is gravely concerned regarding the proposed cuts to the Better Access program and the subsequent impact on mental health delivery for every patient age group, demographic and geography throughout Australia.

3 Aug 2011

Residents displaced during civil conflicts at higher risk of depression, anxiety and PTSD

Residents of Sri Lanka who were internally displaced during the civil conflict that occurred in their country from 1983 to 2009 have a higher prevalence of war-related mental health conditions that include depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder, according to a study in the August 3 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on violence and human rights.

3 Aug 2011

First Edition: August 3, 2011

Today's headlines showcase continuing reports about the impact the debt deal might have on health care providers, as well as how the agreement's "super committee" will be charged with finding spending reductions in Medicare, Medicaid and a range of other government programs.

3 Aug 2011

Elsevier announces new Gray's Anatomy for Students App for iPad

Elsevier, the leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, announced today its new Gray's Anatomy for Students App, for iPad, is now available on the App Store.

3 Aug 2011

TeleTracking announces new hospital contracts for TransferCenter referral automation software

TeleTracking Technologies continued to expand its lead in the hospital capacity management market during the second quarter of 2011, spurred by 14 new hospital contracts for its category-leading TransferCenter™ referral automation software, which has become the fastest selling application in its product portfolio.

3 Aug 2011

Feed for hens decides health of eggs

Eggs, one of the most commonly consumed breakfast foods in the United States, have long been a subject of controversy. Are they healthy or are they a high-cholesterol trap? The answer depends on what the hen eats, says a Tel Aviv University researcher.

3 Aug 2011

Famine will spread in Somalia unless 'massive' response mounted, U.N. says

The drought and hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa is getting worse, and unless there is "a massive increase in the response, the famine will spread to five or six more regions" in Somalia, Valerie Amos, the U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, told reporters on Monday, Reuters reports.

3 Aug 2011

Study: Advanced practice nurse care as effective as physicians

Today's primary care physicians in the U.S. are too few in number to meet the healthcare needs of a burgeoning population; healthcare reform will only amplify the problem. That's where nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and other advanced practice nurses enter the picture.

3 Aug 2011

Hospitalist care does not reduce overall costs: Study

Inpatients cared for by hospitalists have higher Medicare costs in the 30 days after discharge than those whose personal physicians oversee their care. This is partly because hospitalists' patients are more likely to be discharged to a rehabilitation or nursing facility than to their homes and more likely to have subsequent emergency room visits and readmissions.

3 Aug 2011

Debt deal triggers nerves in health industry; Medicare providers brace for cuts

Physicians, hospitals, nursing homes and home health care providers are all bracing for pain as the debt-ceiling agreement kicks in.

3 Aug 2011

Menu labels not effective in improving meal choices and nutrient intakes

Researchers from the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering of Ghent University introduced the star-rating system to signal the nutritional quality of the canteen meals and as such to highlight the healthiest meal options.

3 Aug 2011

Different health care delivery systems offer differing visions of efficiency

One California partnership that involved a large insurance company, a major hospital chain and a group of doctors has reduced health care costs. But a new report shows that the growing number of hospital-based physicians may ultimately be taxing Medicare resources.

3 Aug 2011

Model for comprehensive health care systems in developing countries

This report from researchers at Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business and the George W. Bush Institute, published in the MIT Press journal Innovations, looks at a "model and methods that provide an outline for complete and comprehensive health care systems for developing countries," according to a Rice University press release.

3 Aug 2011

AACE's five-tiered approach to elimination of endocrine healthcare disparities

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) today is announcing the adoption of a new policy reaffirming the Association's commitment to the elimination of endocrine healthcare disparities in the United States.

3 Aug 2011

APA to demonstrate three psychological science applications at 119th Annual Convention

The American Psychological Association plans to feature three public demonstrations of psychological science applications, including one that enables "seeing" with one's ears rather than eyes, at the organization's 119th Annual Convention here this week.

3 Aug 2011

GlobalPost interviews USAID officials about family planning, funding

GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog features an interview with Ellen Starbird, deputy director of the Office of Population and Reproductive Health at USAID, and Judy Manning, health development officer in USAID's Research, Technology and Utilization Division, who discuss "family planning and reproductive health issues, including new innovations and promising technologies still in the research stage."

3 Aug 2011

Neglected tropical diseases becoming more common in Europe, study shows

"Worm infestations, food parasites, Chagas disease, sand fly-transmitted infections and other neglected tropical diseases usually found in Africa and Asia are turning up more often in Europe, according to a new study" published recently in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases by researchers from the Sabin Vaccine Institute, the New York Times reports.

3 Aug 2011

Double-lung transplant survivor stays busy since retirement

Fewer than half of lung transplant patients survive for five years. But nearly 14 years after receiving a double-lung transplant at Loyola University Medical Center, Damian Neuberger's lungs continue to function normally. He breathes easily while walking four or five miles a day.

3 Aug 2011

Editorials dissect debt deal, contraception, HSAs, long-term care

The long-term challenge for the federal budget is in benefit programs. Rising healthcare costs and the aging population are driving the budgets for Medicaid and Medicare through the roof, causing those programs to consume an ever-larger percentage of the budget.

3 Aug 2011

Models should guide decision-making for HIV prevention strategies

Ronald Valdesarri, HHS deputy assistant secretary for health, infectious diseases, discusses a recent "two-day workshop on 'Modeling and Evidence-Based Decision Making' sponsored by amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research and cosponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, and the Urban Coalition for HIV/AIDS Prevention Services" in this AIDS.gov blog post.

3 Aug 2011