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Health law headlines: PR challenges and overhaul tell-alls

Although Democrats are having some success with attacks on the GOP Medicare plan, they are still playing defense on the health law, according to Politico. Meanwhile, former Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag writes a "tell-all" for the magazine Foreign Affairs about the health overhaul.

28 Jun 2011

UC Health chooses Recondo software services to reduce costly insurance denials

UC Health, the University of Cincinnati Hospital system, has selected Recondo software services Auth-DP and EligibilityPlus.

28 Jun 2011

Kindstar, Mayo Clinic enter multiyear agreement to offer specialized laboratory support

Mayo Clinic today announced that it has entered into a multiyear agreement with Wuhan Kindstar Globalgene Technology, Inc. (Kindstar) to provide specialized laboratory support based on provision of knowledge from Mayo Clinic's Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and its reference laboratory, Mayo Medical Laboratories.

28 Jun 2011

Roll over Hippocrates: Medicine undergoing revolution of overturning traditional ethics

Everybody seems to think that doctors swear to the Oath of Hippocrates, and follow a long ethical tradition dating back to the 5th century before Christ. Not anymore. The new doctors seem to be making it up as they go along.

27 Jun 2011

BMA warns NHS reforms may undermine public trust

According to the British Medical Association (BMA) the Coalition government’s plans to reward GPs for enforcing budgetary controls could fundamentally damage trust with their patients.

27 Jun 2011

Brazil stepping up efforts to fight HIV/AIDS

"Long heralded as a model for the global response to HIV/AIDS, Brazil is intensifying its actions, at home and abroad, in the face of potential setbacks including an arising need for new treatment regimens, the resultant increase in drug prices and the debate over intellectual property rights," Inter Press Service reports.

27 Jun 2011

GAO report examines U.S. food aid

A new GAO report (.pdf) examines international food aid. "GAO recommends that Congress consider eliminating the 3-year waiting period for foreign vessels that acquire U.S.-flag registry to be eligible to transport U.S. food aid.

27 Jun 2011

U.S., South Korea sign international development coordination agreement

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan "on Friday signed an agreement to better coordinate international development aid during a meeting [in Washington] between the two countries' top diplomats," Agence France-Presse reports.

27 Jun 2011

With the clock ticking, Obama enters deficit negotiations

Even though the threat of default looms, Democrats and Republicans remain split over the possibility of tax increases and cuts to programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.

27 Jun 2011

Eating more soluble fiber and engagement in moderate activity reduces belly fat

All fat is not created equal. Unsightly as it is, subcutaneous fat, the fat right under the skin, is not as dangerous to overall health as visceral fat, the fat deep in the belly surrounding vital organs.

27 Jun 2011

Abortion policies under scrutiny in a number of states

Wisconsin's governor signed a budget that cuts some funds to health clinics, including Planned Parenthood, but in Indiana, a federal judge ruled against the state's plans to end funding for the group. Those developments came as abortion policies are coming under scrutiny in a number of states.

27 Jun 2011

Problems of unrecognized alcohol misuse among the elderly

The Royal College of Psychiatrists of London has published a report related primarily to problems of unrecognized alcohol misuse among the elderly. The report provides guidelines for psychiatrists and family physicians on how to find and how to treat elderly people with misuse of alcohol and drugs.

27 Jun 2011

Voluntary conversation decreases marijuana use among teenagers

Marijuana is the most prevalent illicit drug used by teenagers and adults around the world. Nearly a third of high school students in the United States report smoking it, and most high schoolers say they have access to the drug.

27 Jun 2011

Obama administration plans 'stealth' study of patient access to physicians

In an effort to explore what the administration termed a "critical public policy problem" — a shortage of primary care physicians — a team of "mystery shoppers" will be recruited to find out how hard it is to get care when it is needed.

27 Jun 2011

West End Orthopaedic Clinic announces name change to OrthoVirginia

West End Orthopaedic Clinic has announced that they are changing the name of their practice to OrthoVirginia. Coinciding with the name change will be the opening of a new facility completely dedicated to orthopedic specialty care and sports medicine, at the Boulders near Chippenham Hospital.

27 Jun 2011

Viewpoints: Supreme Court drug decisions; Medicaid's burden; Concierge medicine questioned

The image of Justice blindfolded, holding her scales, is familiar from courthouses all over the United States and the world. Sadly, in its Thursday ruling in the case of PLIVA v Mensing, the U.S. Supreme Court made a decision that makes one wonder if that blindfold made the court unable to see the right thing to do.

27 Jun 2011

State roundup: Indiana's effort to privatize public assistance

(Louise) Cohoon's mother, now suffering from Alzheimer's disease, was one of thousands of Indiana residents who abruptly and erroneously lost their welfare, Medicaid or food stamp benefits after Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels privatized the state's public assistance program — the result of an efficiency plan that went awry from the very beginning, the state now admits.

27 Jun 2011

Redefinition of cardiac hypertrophy term needed

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Working Group on Myocardial Function is calling for a redefinition of the term cardiac hypertrophy which is currently used to describe changes to the morphology (structure) of the heart. Instead the position paper, published online today in the European Journal of Heart Failure, suggests that use of the general term myocardial remodelling should be preferred.

27 Jun 2011

First Edition: June 27, 2011

Today's headlines include reports about the status of ongoing deficit negotiations and details about a "stealth" survey on access to doctors.

27 Jun 2011

BD receives CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation

BD has received CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation, recognizing the company's commitment to reducing cancer risk by promoting healthy lifestyle choices, encouraging early detection through cancer screenings, and ensuring access to quality treatment for its own employees and their covered family members.

From BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) 27 Jun 2011