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Central African Republic in state of 'chronic medical emergency,' MSF report says

"The Central African Republic (CAR) is in the grips of a chronic medical emergency, according to a report released today by the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)," an MSF press release states.

14 Dec 2011

With federal court action looming, Sebelius says Plan B decision 'not about politics'

A federal judge in Brooklyn will hear arguments Tuesday afternoon on the constitutionality of the federal decision regarding the access teenage girls should have to morning-after contraceptive pills. Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the decision about Plan B's over-the-counter status was not a political one.

14 Dec 2011

Viewpoints: The high cost of treating patients who may die; Young girls and Plan B

You've probably heard that we spend a lot of money on patients who die. It's true. ... But what about my patient? How could it be that we were prudent with health care dollars because he lived, but would have been described as wasteful had he died? Doctors in an emergency room cannot know which will occur. They do not have divining rods that direct them to patients they can save and away from those they can't. Rather, caring for the sick means caring for people who may die.

14 Dec 2011

Donors must continue funding R&D to bring new global health technologies to patients

In this post in the Hill's "Congress Blog," Kaitlin Christenson, the coalition director of the Global Health Technologies Coalition; Jim Connolly, president and CEO of Aeras; and Mel Spigelman, president and CEO of the TB Alliance, respond to a recently released G-FINDER report that shows "overall global investment in the research and development (R&D) of new global health technologies has declined for the first time since 2007, when the tracking of such funding began."

14 Dec 2011

Medtronic agrees to $23.5 million settlement in Kickback case

Medtronic Inc. has agreed to pay $23.5 million to resolve allegations that it paid illegal kickbacks to physicians who participated in its postmarket studies and device registries to induce doctors to implant the company's pacemakers and defibrillators, the Department of Justice said Monday.

14 Dec 2011

Nighttime satellite images could provide clues to disease outbreaks, researchers suggest

"The intensity of light shining from cities at night could help identify hot spots where outbreaks of infectious disease are likely to take place," PBS NewsHour's "The Rundown" reports.

14 Dec 2011

NYUCI experts present latest research findings about hematologic cancers at 53rd ASH meeting

Experts from the NYU Cancer Institute, an NCI-designated cancer center at NYU Langone Medical Center, presented their latest research findings about hematologic cancers at the 53rd ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition held December 10-13, 2011 in San Diego, California.

14 Dec 2011

Early warning systems helping aid agencies respond to potential 'food crisis' in Sahel region

Africa's Sahel region is facing a potential "food crisis," "but the good news is that the world's Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET) is giving West African countries and donor nations a period of time to prepare, says the aid group Oxfam," the Christian Science Monitor reports.

14 Dec 2011

Unexplained kidney disease affecting rural workers across Central America, PRI's 'The World' reports

PRI's "The World" reports on an epidemic of an unexplained kidney disease that is affecting rural workers across Central America, writing, "[I]t's the second biggest cause of death among men in El Salvador, and in Nicaragua it's a bigger killer of men than HIV and diabetes combined," and "the latest theory is that the victims are literally working themselves to death."

14 Dec 2011

Bronx churches, Montefiore partner to fight against hypertension

Montefiore Medical Center is sponsoring screenings and educational workshops at churches in the Bronx in order to help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in congregants who are identified with hypertension. Congregants learn about hypertension, medication management, weight control, healthy cooking habits and perform yoga exercises to reduce stress.

14 Dec 2011

Roundup: FBI reportedly questioning Prime Healthcare billers in Calif.; Uninsured ranks grow in Wash.

The FBI is interviewing witnesses about billing practices at Prime Healthcare Services, the hospital chain that has charged Medicare for treating elderly patients with rare medical conditions at far higher rates than other California hospitals. The FBI would neither confirm nor deny an investigation, but at least two former Prime medical coders say they were approached by the agency to discuss the chain's billing practices. ... A spokesman for Prime said the chain is unaware of an FBI probe.

14 Dec 2011

Top five tips for easy breathing during holiday season

Getting out the boxes of holiday decorations from years gone by is a time-honored tradition. But in addition to stirring up memories, it also stirs up allergies. "The dust from the boxes and on the decorations that have been packed away in dank basements or dusty attics is triggering reactions in my allergy and asthma patients," said Joseph Leija, MD, allergist at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital.

14 Dec 2011

Economic impact of PTSD in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has the world's highest recorded rates of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), ahead of war-hit regions such as Israel and Lebanon, at a yearly cost to the public purse of around £175 million, according to a major report by University of Ulster psychologists and Omagh-based trauma treatment experts.

14 Dec 2011

Study: Ex-smokers are more satisfied with their lives and feel healthier

Life without cigarettes is not all doom and gloom. In fact, successful quitters are more satisfied with their lives and feel healthier, both one year and three years afterwards, than those who continue to smoke. That's according to new research by Dr. Megan Piper, from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in the US, and her team.

14 Dec 2011

Medicaid news: HHS grants Texas waiver for managed care, denies family planning request; Florida pilot program criticized

The federal government on Monday granted Texas a waiver that could mean billions more in Medicaid dollars to hospitals over the next few years in return for having them work together to provide better care for the poor. ... State lawmakers cut deeply into the Medicaid budget this year, in part by requiring all Texas Medicaid patients to be enrolled in private health maintenance organizations for their doctor care. In recent years, patients in most urban areas were covered by HMOs, while patients in many rural counties and the Rio Grande Valley had their doctor bills paid directly by Medicaid.

14 Dec 2011

Mandatory screening helps identify more athletes with SCT

In response to a lawsuit after a college football player died from complications due to sickle cell trait (SCT) during a workout, the NCAA implemented mandatory SCT screening of all Division I student-athletes.

14 Dec 2011

Berwick places blame for health system's ills on delivery system

The now-former head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is speaking out about what he might do next and what is wrong with the health care system.

14 Dec 2011

Mandatory vaccination policy increases healthcare worker flu vaccination rates

A California hospital raised its employee influenza vaccination rate above 90 percent by shifting from a voluntary vaccination program to one mandating all healthcare workers either get vaccinated or wear a mask at work for the entire flu season (December through March).

13 Dec 2011

NJ underserved children less likely to receive dental care

When it comes to receiving dental care, New Jersey has its share of underserved children, according to a Rutgers study.

13 Dec 2011

Basque engineer develops computer-based psychological tool for sportsperson

Teskal is a computing application designed to relieve 'the loneliness of the sportsperson'. The better a sportsperson is, the more time he or she spends away from home, and few can afford the luxury of travelling with psychologists, coaches, etc.

13 Dec 2011

Healthcare News

Central African Republic in state of 'chronic medical emergency,' MSF report says

With federal court action looming, Sebelius says Plan B decision 'not about politics'

Viewpoints: The high cost of treating patients who may die; Young girls and Plan B

Donors must continue funding R&D to bring new global health technologies to patients

Medtronic agrees to $23.5 million settlement in Kickback case

Nighttime satellite images could provide clues to disease outbreaks, researchers suggest

NYUCI experts present latest research findings about hematologic cancers at 53rd ASH meeting

Early warning systems helping aid agencies respond to potential 'food crisis' in Sahel region

Unexplained kidney disease affecting rural workers across Central America, PRI's 'The World' reports

Bronx churches, Montefiore partner to fight against hypertension

Roundup: FBI reportedly questioning Prime Healthcare billers in Calif.; Uninsured ranks grow in Wash.

Top five tips for easy breathing during holiday season

Economic impact of PTSD in Northern Ireland

Study: Ex-smokers are more satisfied with their lives and feel healthier

Medicaid news: HHS grants Texas waiver for managed care, denies family planning request; Florida pilot program criticized

Mandatory screening helps identify more athletes with SCT

Berwick places blame for health system's ills on delivery system

Mandatory vaccination policy increases healthcare worker flu vaccination rates

NJ underserved children less likely to receive dental care

Basque engineer develops computer-based psychological tool for sportsperson

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

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