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Targeting mosquito larvae and not adults could worsen dengue epidemics, study says

Targeting only mosquito larvae and not adult insects in insecticide-based dengue control programs could increase mosquito resistance and decrease human immunity to the disease, particularly in urban areas, according to a study published online in the Lancet on Tuesday, Agence France-Presse reports.

5 May 2011

Roundup: Vt. universal care bill advances; Duluth, Minn., seeking to change retiree health benefits; Texas steps back from plan to close centers for disabled

Dr. James Mongan, a physician with a specialty in politics who for decades helped shape the health care debate in Washington, D.C., and the Commonwealth, and who formerly served as president of Massachusetts General Hospital and Partners HealthCare, died in MGH yesterday.

5 May 2011

ACOs, employer mandate continue to draw attention

The Hill reports that the Internal Revenue Service is seeking public comment on the health law's employer mandate while PBS NewsHour "decodes" accountable care organizations.

5 May 2011

Viewpoints: Basic benefits package budget buster?; Colorado CHIP cuts; pharma's public image

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act aims for a delicate balance that even its champions acknowledge as highly challenging: Making medical services affordable for tens of millions of uninsured Americans, and yet restraining the expenditures needed to vastly expand coverage. To grasp why the reform bill risks missing both goals -- and why the measure's margin for error is so perilously narrow -- it's crucial to follow the debate over its central provision, what it calls the "Essential Health Benefits" package.

5 May 2011

DaVita completes nationwide rollout of wireless Internet access at dialysis treatment clinics

DaVita Inc., a leading provider of kidney care services for those diagnosed with end stage renal disease and chronic kidney disease, today announced that every one of its clinics across the country now makes wireless Internet access available to all patients while they undergo dialysis treatments.

4 May 2011

Olympic Gold Medalist, P.A.D. Coalition raise awareness about peripheral arterial disease

Olympic Gold Medalist Peggy Fleming and the P.A.D. Coalition want to help educate women and their families about an often times silent cardiovascular disease, peripheral arterial disease.

4 May 2011

Congress returns to face health program costs, budget issues

News outlets report that lawmakers are returning to work after a two-week recess, during which they faced emotional challenges from constituents regarding the deficit and the nation's entitlement programs.

4 May 2011

ACO rule draws tough questions, highlights system's shortcomings

CQ HealthBeat reports that federal officials are considering the public criticism and comments they are receiving in response to the proposed rule issued regarding the health law's accountable care organizations. One expert, for instance, tells Politico Pro that data collection challenges could impede the formation of ACOs.

4 May 2011

Lack of insurance interferes with cervical cancer prevention, treatment

In her early 20s, Tamika Felder skipped seeing her gynecologist and getting Pap smears for a few years because she couldn't afford health insurance. ... In 2001, at age 25, Felder learned that she had cervical cancer.

4 May 2011

Top 10 gadget gifts for Mother's Day 2011

ElderGadget.com, the only website devoted to news, reviews, and information on the hottest consumer electronics with senior-friendly features, announces its top ten technology gifts for mom, sure to have a gadget she will find fun to own and easy to use.

From Garmin 4 May 2011

Japan pledges to maintain aid to Africa despite rebuilding costs

Japan will maintain its aid pledges to African nations, despite reconstruction costs following an earthquake and tsunami, a senior government official said on Sunday at a development conference in Dakar, Senegal, Agence France-Presse reports.

4 May 2011

AHA's new program helps educate Hispanic women about risk of heart disease

Heart disease remains the No. 1 killer of Hispanic women. On average, Hispanic women are likely to develop heart disease 10 years earlier than non-Hispanic white women. Yet, most are still unaware of this threat. This Mother's Day, the American Heart Association's Go Red Por Tu Corazon encourages daughters to have a heart-to-heart conversation that could potentially save their mother's life.

4 May 2011

Study measures cost-effectiveness of trauma drug published in PLoS One

How much would you pay for an extra year of healthy life? The cost of filling up your car at the petrol pumps? Researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine have found that a year of life could be saved for around the price of filling up the tank of an average family car in the UK - which is a fitting comparison bearing in mind that most of the patients who will benefit from this cheap life-saving drug have been hit by cars.

4 May 2011

An in-depth look at how a Medicaid block grant would work

Kansas Health Institute News published a package of stories detailing how the block grant concept works, the pros and cons of this approach, and the history of such proposals.

4 May 2011

Community-based care programs can improve children's mental health: SAMHSA

According to data released today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, children and youth affected by traumatic events improve their functioning in community-based "system of care" programs.

4 May 2011

House Republicans continue health law defunding push

More bills will move through the House this week designed to strip funding from specific provisions of the health law. The Obama administration has made clear its opposition - even threatened vetoes.

4 May 2011

Study: 15% of U.S. nursing homes receive infection control deficiency citation per year

Fifteen percent of U.S. nursing homes receive deficiency citations for infection control per year, according to a new study published in the May issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of APIC - the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

4 May 2011

New CDC data on World Asthma Day highlights importance of air quality standards

The simple act of taking a breath is a challenge for three million Hispanics with asthma," said Dr. Jane L. Delgado, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, the nation's leading Hispanic health advocacy group.

4 May 2011

New reports predict impending doctor shortage

In addition, researchers find that where there are more family physicians, readmission rates are lower.

4 May 2011

Coronary artery bypass graft surgeries have declined by 30% between 2001 and 2008

Between 2001 and 2008, the annual rate of coronary artery bypass graft surgeries performed in the United States decreased by more than 30 percent, but rates of percutaneous coronary interventions did not change significantly, according to a study in the May 4 issue of JAMA.

4 May 2011