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School nurses are among the casualties of tough fiscal times

In a pair of stories, NPR reports on how tight budgets are playing out with staff reductions for full-time school nurses and how hospitals and medical schools are marketing themselves.

5 Jan 2012

Michigan opts not to appeal feds' MLR rule

The state was one of 13 seeking an exemption from the health law's medical-loss ratio requirement that insurance companies spend at least 80 percent of premiums on medical care. Others, however, get a 30-day extension. Also in the news, the Department of Health and Human Services named 73 advisers to work with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation.

5 Jan 2012

ACP's Medical Home Builder 2.0 tool available free to PCMH practices

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) today announced that it has joined with the American College of Physicians (ACP) to make available the ACP's Medical Home Builder- 2.0 (MHB 2.0) tool to participating CareFirst Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) practices.

5 Jan 2012

ACS report shows decline in overall cancer death rates

The American Cancer Society's annual cancer statistics report shows that between 2004 and 2008, overall cancer incidence rates declined by 0.6% per year in men and were stable in women, while cancer death rates decreased by 1.8% per year in men and by 1.6% per year in women.

5 Jan 2012

Hypothermia rarely used in the U.S. hospitals to reduce heart attack cases

Therapeutic hypothermia has been proven to reduce mortality and improve neurologic outcomes after a heart attack, yet it was rarely used in a sample of more than 26,000 patients, according to a study published in Therapeutic Hypothermia and Temperature Management, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

5 Jan 2012

JHTR, COMBI introduce 'Tools for Clinical Use'

Starting this month, The Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation (JHTR)—in partnership with The Center For Outcome Measurement in Brain Injury (COMBI)—introduces a new feature designed to support effective and informed use of standardized assessments for evaluation of brain injury.

5 Jan 2012

UCSD's TREDS program receives California Office of Traffic Safety grant

The University of California, San Diego School of Medicine TREDS (Training, Research and Education for Driving Safety) program has been awarded a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety to continue their work on driving safety in older adults.

5 Jan 2012

New brochure makes planning and monitoring post-cancer exercise easy

Not only is overall quality of life higher in cancer survivors who exercise, but the rate of cancer recurrence is lower. Unfortunately, though most doctors recommend exercise, many patients fail to follow through.

5 Jan 2012

UCSD scientist honored for Down syndrome research

William C. Mobley, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Chairman of the U.S. Scientific Advisory Committee of the J-r-me Lejeune Foundation, was recognized by U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions from the floor of the House of Representatives in December. Sessions said of Mobley - who received the International Sisley-J-r-me Lejeune Prize in a ceremony at the Museum of Medical History in Paris on December 8.

5 Jan 2012

FDA issues order prohibiting certain uses of cephalosporins in food-producing animals

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued an order that prohibits certain uses of the cephalosporin class of antimicrobial drugs in cattle, swine, chickens and turkeys effective April 5, 2012.

5 Jan 2012

State roundup: Mass. insurance co-ops to launch; Fla. hospital commission ponders nonprofits

A federal appeals court will review a judge's decision to temporarily block the state of Texas from enforcing a law requiring doctors to show sonograms to patients and describe the images before an abortion. In August, U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks in Austin, Texas, ruled that several provisions of the law violated the free-speech rights of abortion-performing doctors.

5 Jan 2012

New algorithm could help GPs identify women at risk of early ovarian cancer

The lives of hundreds of women could be saved every year, thanks to a simple online calculator that could help GPs identify women most at risk of having ovarian cancer at a much earlier stage.

5 Jan 2012

Viewpoints: Sebelius on 'essential benefits'; WSJ columnist on Democrats' 'Mediscare' argument - is it a lie?

Insurance needs and health systems vary state to state, and experience tells us that the best way forward is not to mandate a one-size-fits-all answer. Instead, our approach gives states the flexibility to take their own paths, while ensuring they all end up in the best place possible: with an Affordable Insurance Exchange that offers access to comprehensive, quality, affordable health insurance to small business owners and individuals who currently have few good choices in an expensive and broken market.

5 Jan 2012

Political cartoon: 'Technical Difficulties'

Kaiser Health News provides a fresh perspective on health policy issues with "Technical Difficulties" by Chris Wildt.

4 Jan 2012

Aseracare hospice in a federal lawsuit brought forth by whistleblowers

According to a federal lawsuit, AseraCare Hospice submitted “false and fraudulent” claims for payment to the U.S. and misspent millions of dollars in Medicare money meant for the care of terminally ill patients. AseraCare, based in Fort Smith, Arkansas, runs 65 hospice centers in 19 states, according to the lawsuit.

4 Jan 2012

New standards to ensure quality of probiotic food ingredients proposed

With strong consumer interest in probiotics-and new manufacturer innovations for incorporating these ingredients into a broader array of food products-new standards to help ensure the quality of probiotic food ingredients are being proposed for public review and comment.

4 Jan 2012

First Edition: January 4, 2012

In today's headlines, Romney wins a historically close contest in Iowa caucuses and Wall Street Journal readers favor televising the Supreme Court arguments regarding the health law.

4 Jan 2012

Working in Kazakhstan to end HIV stigma, discrimination

In this post on USAID's "IMPACTblog," Erin McKee, USAID mission director for the Central Asian Republics, recounts a discussion roundtable with people "on the front lines" in the battle against HIV/AIDS in Kazakhstan.

4 Jan 2012

Task force identifies key themes and challenges in critical care research

To reduce mortality and improve patient care in the nation's ICUs, a task force formed by the Critical Care Societies Collaborative (CCSC), in conjunction with the US Critical Illness and Injury Trials Group (USCIITG) has recommended that research in the field become less fragmented and better account for patient heterogeneity and the complexity of critical illness.

4 Jan 2012

U.S. offers initial $125 million to UNHCR in 2012

"The United States said Thursday it will contribute an initial $125 million to the [U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCR)] 2012 operations, including support for refugees returning to Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo," Agence France-Presse reports.

4 Jan 2012