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Ambitious vision, lasting investment in science can save countless lives

In this post in the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene's "ASTMH Blog," Rick Steketee, science director of PATH's Malaria Control Program and ASTMH council member, responds to the results of the RTS,S malaria vaccine trial, writing, "It's milestones like this week's findings that remind us all that ambitious vision and a lasting investment in science can yield the tests, treatments and tools to save countless lives."

22 Oct 2011

ACOs: Docs, hospitals A-OK on revisions to final rule

The regulations, which were released Thursday, relaxed requirements for doctors and hospitals to participate in the program. Some insurers and employers, however, complained that the changes will increase the chances that providers will consolidate, which could reduce competition and drive up costs.

22 Oct 2011

Gates Foundation calls for greater global commitment, leadership, and funding to eradicate polio

On this year's World Polio Day (October 24, 2011), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a global community of partners are calling for increased commitment and greater accountability from political leaders to end polio, and for supporters around the world to lend their voices to the fight.

22 Oct 2011

Eighth Circuit hears health law arguments

The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Thursday regarding whether a health law legal challenge brought by two Missouri residents should be revived.

22 Oct 2011

On debate night, Perry 'sidesteps' question about Texas' uninsured children

The question from GOP debate moderator Anderson Cooper on Tuesday night was about health care, specifically the high number of uninsured children in Texas. Gov. Rick Perry's answer decidedly was not….

22 Oct 2011

NYT: Wal-Mart cutting some health benefits

After trying to mollify its critics in recent years by offering better health care benefits to its employees, Wal-Mart is substantially rolling back coverage for part-time workers and significantly raising premiums for many full-time staff (Greenhouse and Abelson, 10/20).

22 Oct 2011

RCUK welcomes NAO's Value for Money study recommendations

Research Councils UK (RCUK) welcomed the recommendations made in the NAO's Value for Money study of the project to establish the RCUK Shared Service Centre. We thank the NAO for endorsing, through their recommendations, the approach that the Research Councils are already taking to ensure that the SSC's service matures quickly.

22 Oct 2011

UNICEF calls for additional resources to fight hunger, famine in Somalia

Though the humanitarian response to the food crisis in the Horn of Africa has lessened the suffering of thousands of people in the region, "more resources are needed to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of children in famine-hit areas of Somalia, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said" in a progress report released Thursday, the U.N. News Centre reports.

22 Oct 2011

U.N. calls on international community to provide food aid to North Korea

"Wealthier countries need to put aside politics to help millions of North Koreans going hungry from food shortages, the U.N.'s top relief official said Friday, renewing an appeal for assistance that has largely gone unmet," the Associated Press/CBS News reports.

22 Oct 2011

HIV/AIDS clinic in Pakistan working to fight stigma, provide treatment

Inter Press Service reports on the Family Care Centre for people living with HIV/AIDS in Pakistan, which opened in Peshawar on September 1 "in the hope of breaking the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS" in a region where myths surrounding the disease and its transmission are prevalent.

22 Oct 2011

Medical homes save money, but many practices 'lack what it takes'

Families with special needs kids can save up to a third of their out-of pocket medical expenses by having a so-called "medical home" coordinate the care for their child, a news study suggests. A medical home could be a primary care doctor's office that incorporates the family in medical decision-making and coordinates and follows up on visits to specialists.

22 Oct 2011

Learning about politics in the midst of screening recommendations

The recent recommendation by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force that women get less frequent screenings for cervical cancer demonstrated a remarkably different response than other such recommendations.

22 Oct 2011

NIPPV helps decrease mortality rates among hospitalized COPD patients

Although increased use of noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (NIPPV) nationwide has helped decrease mortality rates among patients hospitalized with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a small group of patients requiring subsequent treatment with invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) have a significantly higher risk of death than those placed directly on IMV, according to researchers in the United States who studied patterns of NIPPV use.

22 Oct 2011

X Prize Foundation offers $10 million for innovative diagnostic device

Jim, I'm a doctor, not a device developer! Remember how in Star Trek, Dr. McCoy could point his tricorder at things and magically - oops, I mean, "scientifically" - determine all kinds of chemical components and medical diagnoses? The X Prize Foundation - best known for offering prizes for space flight and cheap genome decoding - is about to put up $10 million for the invention of a medical device in the spirit of that tricorder: It must be able to diagnose 15 common medical conditions within three days, with no intervention from a health care professional.

22 Oct 2011

ADA supports IOM's report on front-of-package food labeling

The American Dietetic Association supports a report released today by the Institute of Medicine calling for a standardized system for front-of-package food labeling that can be easily understood by most consumers.

22 Oct 2011

States react, act on health law waivers and other implementation issues

Sen. Ron Wyden draws line in the sand about how health law waivers should be used. Meanwhile, Kansas' planning board continues its efforts toward the creation of a state-based health exchange while acknowledging that the federal government may end up in charge. Also, in Oregon, a consumer-run health plan is positioning itself to be included in the state's exchange.

22 Oct 2011

Committed action, continued funding needed in global campaign against TB

A Lancet editorial responds to WHO's sixteenth annual report on global tuberculosis (TB) control, released on Oct 11, which shows that the incidence of tuberculosis has been falling worldwide since 2002, writing, "Successes in disease control in China and other countries show what sustained political and economic support can achieve. Rather than waiting for the elixir of economic success to arrive in all high-burden countries, committed action by donors, agencies, and governments in the most challenging settings is needed in the global campaign against tuberculosis."

22 Oct 2011

JAMA examines KFF/UNAIDS analysis on global HIV/AIDS funding

A news and perspectives piece in the current issue of JAMA examines a recent funding analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation and UNAIDS showing that "governments that support treatment and services for people with HIV/AIDS in low- and middle-income countries cut their annual contributions in 2010 by 10 percent," spending $6.9 billion last year compared with $7.6 billion in 2009.

22 Oct 2011

Urban environments and women's health

Women's Health and the World's Cities (Penn Press 2011) explores the relationships of urban environments and women's health worldwide, a topic expected to grow in importance in the coming decades.

22 Oct 2011

E-voucher program providing food to malnourished Zimbabweans living with HIV, TB

An electronic voucher system, introduced by the World Food Programme (WFP) and implemented by the health ministry and non-governmental organizations, is helping Zimbabweans living with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) and their families obtain food and fight malnutrition, PlusNews reports.

22 Oct 2011