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Online dating surpasses all forms of matchmaking in the U.S.

Online dating has not only shed its stigma, it has surpassed all forms of matchmaking in the United States other than meeting through friends, according to a new analysis of research on the burgeoning relationship industry.

6 Feb 2012

Hospitals pay more for devices, according to government study

Some hospitals pay thousands of dollars more than others for big-ticket medical devices such as defibrillators and hip replacements, and a portion of the higher costs could be passed on to the federal Medicare program, a new government report says.

6 Feb 2012

Sharp rise in incidence of children hospitalizations due to physical abuse

In one year alone, over 4,500 children in the United States were hospitalized due to child abuse, and 300 of them died of their injuries, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in a new study. The findings are published in the March 2012 issue of Pediatrics.

6 Feb 2012

Questions emerge about whether war savings can pay for 'doc fix'

House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp said that using war savings to pay for an overhaul of the Medicare physician payment formula is likely out of the scope of the conference committee's deliberations. In addition, the proposal faces political obstacles.

6 Feb 2012

Komen denies cut in Planned Parenthood funding was political

Komen had said the decision was the result of newly adopted criteria barring grants to organizations under investigation - affecting Planned Parenthood because of an inquiry by a Republican congressman. On Thursday, Komen President Elizabeth Thompson told reporters that the funding decision was unrelated to the investigation into whether Planned Parenthood was illegally using federal funds to pay for abortions.

6 Feb 2012

Objet 3D Printer helps develop digital workflow for fabrication of dental implant models

Objet Ltd., the innovation leader in 3D printing for rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing today announced that Oratio B.V., a leading dental industry company in the Netherlands, has developed a complete in-house digital workflow for fabrication of models for dental implants with the help of an Objet 3D Printer.

6 Feb 2012

At local level, Komen affiliates express concern about decision

In California, seven Komen groups ask the national breast cancer group to reverse its funding decision. Others report concerns about community support for future money-raising activities.

6 Feb 2012

State developments: Florida hospitals dodge budget bullet

Spending cuts to health programs will be less than half as much as forecast in the Senate budget, that chamber's health-spending chief announced today. Now, the Senate Subcommittee on Health and Human Services Appropriations will have to cut only $390 million from current spending levels, rather than the more-draconian $850 million that had originally been assigned, said Sen. Joe Negron, chair of the panel.

6 Feb 2012

Early parenting intervention holds promise for childhood obesity prevention

Programs that support parents during their child's early years hold promise for obesity prevention, according to a new study in the online February 6 issue of Pediatrics.

6 Feb 2012

Research roundup: Safety-net hospitals stack up well against others

This study compares ER performance at safety-net hospitals (those with a disproportionate share of Medicaid and uninsured patients) to non-safety net hospitals to see if proposed pay-for-performance measures could have a negative impact.

6 Feb 2012

AOPO supports and facilitates living organ and tissue donation

Currently, there are more than 112,000 patients on the national organ transplant waiting list. These candidates often endure difficult yet necessary life-sustaining treatments while waiting for potential organ matches. Nineteen people die every day while waiting, and those that are eventually transplanted can endure wait times that can extend anywhere from 5-9 years.

6 Feb 2012

Medicaid news: Kansas insurer says 'no' to Medicaid

The state of Kansas' largest insurance company has decided it doesn't want to participate in Gov. Sam Brownback's plan to move Medicaid patients into privatized managed-care programs. In a letter addressed "Dear provider," Angie Strecker, director of institutional relations for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas, said the insurer "has decided not to submit a proposal to the state to be a Medicaid contractor."

6 Feb 2012

States, localities seek ways to trim health care costs for employees, retirees

Officials in Providence, R.I., and Iowa propose changes in health benefits. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he'll use health care reserve fund dollars to make up a shortfall.

6 Feb 2012

Tennessee Gov. declares February as 'St. Jude Month'

In 1962, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital opened its doors amid an emotionally charged debate regarding how to treat childhood cancer. At that time, few children with the most common form of childhood cancer survived, and many physicians believed treatment was futile. St. Jude physicians and researchers took a radically different approach, and these efforts proved pivotal in changing the way the world treats childhood cancer.

6 Feb 2012

Medicare, deficits and the politics of 2012

Reuters offers an analysis based on a recent poll and finds that people, shaken by the difficult economy, worry about the impact of efforts to address the nation's deficit. This concept could lead to Democrats finding traction for their positions on Medicare.

6 Feb 2012

Viewpoints: Komen takes a lashing; Is the safety net really intact?; Romney assails HHS' rule on contraception

With its roster of corporate sponsors and the pink ribbons that lend a halo to almost any kind of product you can think of, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation has a longstanding reputation as a staunch protector of women's health. That reputation suffered a grievous, perhaps mortal, wound this week from the news that Komen, the world's largest breast cancer organization, decided to betray that mission.

5 Feb 2012

Komen Foundation seeks to restore public support after ending cuts to Planned Parenthood

The prominent breast cancer charity announced Friday in a blog post that it had reversed this decision, which had stirred an outcry.

5 Feb 2012

Weight loss program for African-American women in a church may become more successful

As a brand new year gets underway, people all over America are resolving to better manage their weight and have a more healthy 2012. According to a new study, those starting new weight loss programs may be surprised to find out that both location and level of experience may influence their success.

4 Feb 2012

Analysis looks at cost effectiveness of simultaneously confronting several diseases

The great paradox of global health efforts is that regions of the world most plagued by poverty, poor infrastructure and rampant disease are often the most difficult to support. Now, scientists have demonstrated that confronting several diseases at once can make the most of thinly-stretched donor dollars and national health care budgets, to help to save lives.

4 Feb 2012

Global malaria deaths twice as high as previously estimated, IHME study suggests

"Malaria is killing more people worldwide than previously thought, but the number of deaths has fallen rapidly as efforts to combat the disease have ramped up, according to new research from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington" published in the Lancet on Thursday, an IHME press release reports.

4 Feb 2012