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UNICEF representative highlights humanitarian challenges in Yemen

Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF's representative in Yemen, said the country is facing humanitarian challenges and is "absolutely in dire need of humanitarian assistance," Reuters reports.

9 Jun 2011

Number of new E. coli cases abating but more deaths expected

"Germany reported two more deaths and 300 more E. coli cases Wednesday, but its health minister insisted that new infections were dropping, giving some hope that the world's deadliest E. coli outbreak was abating," Associated Press reports.

9 Jun 2011

Health law's independent payment board draws new opposition

Politico reports on the Independent Payment Advisory Board's growing unpopularity and CQ HealthBeat details the complexities that will be involved in the overhaul's expansion of health coverage for children and families. In the background, politics come into play as part of the run up to 2012.

9 Jun 2011

Study finds lifelong difference in health-related quality of life between rich and poor

"We can't buy our way out of ageing," says Nancy Ross, a McGill geography professor. "As we get older we start to have vision problems, maybe some hearing loss, maybe lose some mobility - ageing is a kind of a social equalizer."

9 Jun 2011

A big day for the multi-state challenge to the health law

Florida already leads a lawsuit challenging the federal health care law, but state officials are going a step further and ignoring the law almost entirely — rejecting millions of federal dollars to provide health care for retirees, seniors, children and people with disabilities.

9 Jun 2011

PEPFAR, UNAIDS to announce new plan for preventing MTCT of HIV

At the U.N. High Level Meeting on AIDS, PEPFAR "will join with UNAIDS and other partners in releasing a new global action plan for the prevention of mother-to-child-transmission of HIV/AIDS. The U.S. will also place additional resources into helping move towards eliminating pediatric HIV," according to a State Department press release.

9 Jun 2011

National survey finds women more likely to see doctor on regular basis than men

A national survey found that women were three times more likely to see a doctor on a regular basis than men. Even though men on average die younger than women and have higher mortality rates for heart disease, cancer, stroke and AIDS, trying to get a man to a doctor can be harder than pulling teeth. So, why do men hate it so?.

9 Jun 2011

Blue Shield of California will cap earnings

Health insurer Blue Shield of California, under fire for a series of recent rate hikes and the pay of its chief executive, plans to cut this year's premiums by 2.5% for many of its 3.3 million policyholders as part of a new initiative to hold down costs.

9 Jun 2011

Torrential rains trigger flooding, mudslides, additional cholera cases in Haiti

"At least 20 people have died due to torrential downpours in Haiti, authorities said Tuesday, and aid agencies are scrambling to respond to a resurgence of cholera triggered by the heavy rain," CNN reports.

9 Jun 2011

Massachusetts 'pay for performance' health care program finds no signs of racial, ethnic disparities

Massachusetts' innovative use of "pay-for-performance" bonuses to try to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the case of Medicaid patients has turned up no evidence of the problem at any of the state's 66 acute-care hospitals, according to a new study that raises questions about the effectiveness of the state's novel approach.

9 Jun 2011

Costs, insurance company regulations can make physical therapy a pain

Rebecca Neusteter fell off her bike and shattered her knee. ... She pays $140 out of pocket for each weekly physical therapy session. ... Scott Ward, the president of the American Physical Therapy Association says insurance company regulations and policies essentially force physical therapists to see as many patients as they can. ... Susan Pisano, a spokeswoman for America's Health Insurance Plans, says it's a dilemma caused by the rising cost of care in the U.S.

9 Jun 2011

Eight out of 10 countries using mHealth services, WHO report says

Eighty-three percent of countries are using mobile phone technology for health services, according to a WHO study released on Tuesday at the Mobile Health Summit in Cape Town, South Africa, Agence France-Presse reports.

9 Jun 2011

Cancer professionals urge world leaders to attend U.N. meeting on NCDs

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) on Monday sent a letter signed by major U.S. medical societies representing about 300,000 health care professionals to the White House urging President Barack Obama to participate in the U.N. High Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases that is scheduled for September, Agence France-Presse reports.

9 Jun 2011

Akademiska Hus, NCC to build Skandion Clinic for advanced radiotherapy in Uppsala

NCC Construction Sweden will construct the Nordic region's first clinic for advanced radiotherapy using proton treatment in Uppsala, Sweden. The customer is Akademiska Hus and the construction contract is valued at SEK 470 million. The project is being conducted as a partnership between NCC and Akademiska Hus.

9 Jun 2011

Social, physical and spiritual activities can improve quality of life in older individuals

Small, healthy lifestyle changes and involvement in meaningful activities-going beyond just diet and exercise-are critical to healthy aging, according to a new USC study.

9 Jun 2011

Hospitals want race, ethnic issues factored into readmissions program

HHS should include patient characteristics such as race and limited English proficiency in its risk-adjustment methodology as it implements the hospital readmissions-reduction program outlined in the healthcare reform law, according to a letter Tuesday from American Hospital Association President and CEO Richard Umbdenstock to CMS Administrator Dr. Donald Berwick.

9 Jun 2011

HHS rule for health exchanges takes shape

In a Tuesday conference call on state health exchanges organized by the Commonwealth Fund, HHS Director of Coverage Policy Chiquita Brooks-LaSure dropped many hints of what to expect from the agency's proposed rule on health exchanges, due out sometime this month.

9 Jun 2011

Republican demands, Democrats' strategies emerge in debt-ceiling talks

As negotiators work to identify possible spending cuts, the impasse between the two parties becomes increasingly clear. Democrats oppose any deal that would include cuts to Medicare and other entitlement programs and Republicans oppose any deal that include tax increases.

9 Jun 2011

CAMH receives $2.5 million PHAC grant to expand school-based violence prevention program

The CAMH Centre for Prevention Science is delighted that the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, today announced funding to expand the reach of CAMH's highly successful Fourth R Program. This $2.5 million grant from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) through its Innovation Strategy supports the regional adaptation of an effective program with a special focus on Aboriginal youth.

9 Jun 2011

Rio Tinto Alcan donates $10M to CHUM and MUHC Joint Corporate Campaign

The Fondation du Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) and the McGill University Health Centre Foundation (MUHC) officially announce a significant gift of 10 million dollars donated by Rio Tinto Alcan to their Joint Corporate Campaign.

9 Jun 2011