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Quam outlines GHI at Global Health Council conference

Lois Quam, executive director of the Obama administration's Global Health Initiative (GHI), talked about GHI projects and "defended the program even if her panel was met with some hard questions" during a presentation on Tuesday at the annual Global Health Council conference in Washington, D.C., GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog reports.

16 Jun 2011

Majority of publicly-insured children unable to get doctor's appointment for medical conditions

Sixty-six percent of publicly-insured children were unable to get a doctor's appointment for medical conditions requiring outpatient specialty care including diabetes and seizures, while children with identical symptoms and private insurance were turned away only 11 percent of the time, according to an audit study of 273 specialty physician practices in Cook County, Ill.

16 Jun 2011

GAO: HHS okayed waivers mostly when high cost increases were projected

Democrats view the report as evidence that waivers were not given out by the administration as political rewards to labor unions and other allies.

16 Jun 2011

Children's Medical Center to open new $21M Specialty Care Center in Southlake

Children's Medical Center will debut its new Specialty Care Center in Southlake on June 18, a $21 million expansion which will serve children in one of the state's fastest-growing cities and the surrounding communities.

16 Jun 2011

AFP says battle against AIDS not over in India

Though the country has reduced by half the number of new infections since 2001, "UNAIDS coordinator in India, Charles Gilks, said that while the authorities should be commended for tackling the problem, the country had not yet won the battle," the news agency reports.

16 Jun 2011

Hybrid operating rooms emerging as a major market segment within OR integration systems

According to Millennium Research Group (MRG), the global authority on medical technology market intelligence, hybrid operating rooms (ORs) are emerging as a major market segment within operating room integration systems.

16 Jun 2011

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to relaunch online smoking-cessation study

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center announced today that it is relaunching an online study to help people quit smoking. The study, called WebQuit, is enrolling adult smokers nationwide. Participation is free to eligible individuals.

16 Jun 2011

Study: Glowing gel improves children's hand hygiene

Use of a glowing gel that shows kids how well they wash their hands by illustrating bacteria they missed while washing and may significantly improve hand hygiene, according to a study published in the July issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

16 Jun 2011

Study: Number of Americans caring for aging parents tripled since 1994

The percentage of Americans who provide care for their aging parents has tripled since 1994, according to a new study.

16 Jun 2011

Report: For-profit Medicaid managed care plans have higher admin costs

Commercial Medicaid managed care plans that are publicly traded may not be serving beneficiaries as well as other plans, according a report released Wednesday by the Commonwealth Fund.

16 Jun 2011

ACC to expand partnership and strategic alliance with FIGMD

FIGMD, Inc. today announced the American College of Cardiology (ACC) will expand its partnership and strategic alliance with FIGMD by making an equity investment.

16 Jun 2011

Senate Dems signal hard line on Medicare in budget talks

Although Vice President Joe Biden offered an optimistic assessment of progress in the budget talks that he has been leading, Senate Democratic leadership reiterated yesterday that Medicare cuts should not be on the table during these negotiations.

16 Jun 2011

Olive oil may help prevent stroke in older people

A new study suggests that consuming olive oil may help prevent a stroke in older people. The research is published in the June 15, 2011, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

16 Jun 2011

British government revises health care overhaul plan

The initial blueprint by Prime Minister David Cameron drew criticism from providers and members of his own coalition government, who argued it equaled "partial privatization of the system."

16 Jun 2011

State roundup: Mass. health spending's rise; huge Ky. hospital merger

A new report from the state Division of Health Care Finance and Policy shows that: ... "Spending per member on privately insured people grew 6 percent from 2007 to 2008 and another 10 percent from 2008 to 2009. This rate of growth was substantially higher than the increase in national personal health care expenditures per capita of 4.6 percent from 2008 to 2009. Spending by private payers also grew faster than spending by public payers".

16 Jun 2011

Women who make their sexual debut as young teens more likely to divorce

A University of Iowa study found that women who make their sexual debut as young teens are more likely to divorce, especially if "the first time" was unwanted, or if she had mixed feelings about it.

16 Jun 2011

Increase in admissions and hospital visits due to falls

According to the latest figures, women over the age of 80 are at the highest risk of falling and need home care. Figures released from the NHS Information Centre ahead of Falls Awareness Week revealed that women over the age of 80 accounted for 30.9 per cent of all fall-related admissions.

16 Jun 2011

Proposed NHS reforms face criticism

The former Labour Health Secretary Alan Milburn has said that the changes to NHS announced this week in the wake of demands from the Liberal Democrats and opposition from the health establishment represent a “disaster.” He warned that it means any chance of reforming the NHS meaningfully has been lost for a generation. George Osborne, the Chancellor, will now have to bail out the NHS with “a very large cheque” as the £20 billion of savings required will be impossible to find, he says.

16 Jun 2011

Viewpoints: Hiaasen on 'insane' insurance; residential facilities' budget nightmares; safety at VA hospitals

If Obama's healthcare plan is struck down in court, lots of politicians will celebrate it as a victory over big government. The dubious reward for taxpayers will be to continue footing the medical bills for 50 million uninsured Americans, and watching the dangerous deficit swell.

16 Jun 2011

First Edition: June 15, 2011

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a report that GOP governors are pushing back against federal Medicaid rules.

15 Jun 2011