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UAB Sports Medicine to open Concussion Clinic at Children's of Alabama

From the alluring smell of concession stand snacks to the sounds of the marching band, Friday nights in the fall are full of excitement surrounding an all-American tradition: football. But the sport has gained increasing attention in recent years more for the injuries it can cause than for the game itself.

6 Aug 2011

Pentagon officials urge lawmakers to find savings in Medicare

As the yet-to-be named members of the debt deal's 'super committee' set to work, Pentagon officials say deep cuts in defense spending will place the nation's security at risk. Meanwhile, one of the defense budget's fastest growing line items is health care costs.

6 Aug 2011

U.S. should demand human rights-based approach to HIV prevention programs in Uganda

"Uganda has sometimes been considered a success story in fighting HIV and has been a darling of international donors," including the U.S., which has poured over $1 billion into the country for AIDS programs.

6 Aug 2011

Tips to prevent heat stroke among school football players

Practices for football, cross country and other high school sports are starting up this month, and many athletes will do two-a-day workouts in the August heat. Last year, four high school football players died of heat stroke, according to the Annual Survey of Football Injury Research.

6 Aug 2011

Sending surplus medical supplies to developing country hospitals 'not the antidote' to poor conditions

"Every year, hospitals in America throw away thousands of tons of usable medical supplies and equipment - by some measures 7,000 tons a year, a value of $20 billion. … Yet every year, hospitals in developing countries around the world turn away patients or provide substandard care because they lack even the most basic medical equipment," journalist and author Tina Rosenberg writes in the New York Times' "Opinionator" blog.

6 Aug 2011

Roundup: State workers in Conn. get lock on retirement health funds

State employees have never warmed to the idea of having to contribute a portion of their pay to help fund their retirement health care, and one of the arguments they make against it is the history of special accounts' being used as a piggybank by legislators and governors when money is tight.

6 Aug 2011

Research roundup: Hospitalists & health costs; treating substance abuse

This study looks at the effects hospitalists -- or physicians who specialize in hospital medicine and health care -- have on patient care, costs and use of medical services.

6 Aug 2011

AHRQ: Arizona and Maryland see great drop in hospital deaths from pneumonia

Deaths of Americans age 18 and over hospitalized for pneumonia plummeted by 45 percent between 2000 and 2007 regardless of who paid for their care, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

6 Aug 2011

Viewpoints: Birth control decision fallout; docs on Medi-Cal reimbursement; cutting out middlemen insurers

The most important financial matter for members of Congress when they return from their vacation is to figure out what is essential and what should be reduced or eliminated. … Medicare and Medicaid are absolutely justified for all of us at all ages.

6 Aug 2011

Debt-ceiling legislation could reduce Medicare payments to hospitals

MedeAnalytics, a leading provider of healthcare performance management solutions, today released an estimate of the impact on Medicare payments to hospitals by recently enacted debt-ceiling legislation. Bottom line: over the next 10 years, individual hospitals could see Medicare payments reduced by $1.1 to $1.4 million per year.

5 Aug 2011

First Edition: August 5, 2011

In the news today... The cost of premiums for Medicare's prescription drug program won't rise in 2012. Meanwhile, Medicare data reveal a gap in hospital performance and perception.

5 Aug 2011

Triple threat of catching three varieties of flu in one season

Each year, 200,000 Americans are hospitalized due to flu-related complications. That number can rise or fall - often dramatically - based on the effectiveness of the selected flu vaccine, said Dr. Jorge Parada, director of infection prevention and control at Loyola University Health System.

5 Aug 2011

New York City Parks receive AAD shade structure grants to prevent skin cancer

In an effort to encourage communities across the country to protect themselves from the sun and prevent skin cancer, the American Academy of Dermatology today announced that it has awarded grants for the purchase of shade structures to New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and 33 other organizations.

5 Aug 2011

Cancer Information Service celebrates helping one million Canadians

Fear, anxiety, helplessness, anger - these are some of the often overwhelming feelings that people can encounter when dealing with cancer. When faced with a cancer diagnosis, knowledge is power. The Canadian Cancer Society empowers Canadians with timely cancer information so that people can make informed decisions about their health.

5 Aug 2011

Telephone interviewers enhance effectiveness of community stroke care screenings

Even though many Americans learn through community health screenings that they are at high risk for having a stroke, they rarely follow-up with their doctor for care.

5 Aug 2011

Dermatologist discusses common skin conditions that affect people of color at AAD 2011 meeting

The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that by the year 2050, more than half the U.S. population will have skin of color. Recognizing this trend, dermatologists are educating the public about the different ways that common skin conditions appear in various skin tones.

5 Aug 2011

Clinical warning system that uses wireless sensors can track vital signs of at-risk patients

A clinical warning system that uses wireless sensors to track the vital signs of at-risk patients is undergoing a feasibility study at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.

5 Aug 2011

More than 120 hospitals have high death rates for heart failure or pneumonia: USA TODAY

A USA TODAY analysis of more than 4,600 U.S. hospitals has found that 120 of those most highly rated by patients have higher than average death rates for heart attack, heart failure or pneumonia. More than a dozen of these hospitals have high death rates for at least two of those conditions.

5 Aug 2011

USAID swears in new Global Health assistant administrator

Ariel Pablos-Mendez on Wednesday was sworn in as the new assistant administrator for the Global Health Bureau at USAID, according to a USAID press release.

5 Aug 2011

Feed the future working to improve drought resiliency

Food insecurity in the Horn of Africa "is driven by cyclical drought, poor land management practices, limited availability of animal health services, food inflation, conflict over land and water, poor hygiene practices, and lack of dietary diversity," Paul Weisenfeld, assistant to the administrator, Bureau of Food Security at USAID, writes in the agency's "IMPACTblog."

5 Aug 2011