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Lancet series focuses on chronic diseases, development

"Just a small percentage of low- and middle-income countries' health care budgets are allocated toward the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases even though such illnesses are expected to account for 69% of global deaths by 2030," according to a paper published Wednesday in the Lancet, as part of a series on chronic disease and development, ModernHealthcare.com reports.

12 Nov 2010

Brass products in plumbing systems leach high levels of lead into drinking water

A new research study co-spearheaded by Virginia Tech researchers highlights problems with some brass products in plumbing systems that can leach high levels of lead into drinking water, even in brand new buildings - and suggests that such problems may often go undetected.

12 Nov 2010

Advocacy groups and politicians stake out health overhaul strategies in the changed political landscape

Kaiser Health News reports that advocates of the health law, which is under renewed attack by Republicans after the mid-term election, are "huddling … in an effort to thwart GOP efforts" to overturn the law. "Groups that back the law aren't likely to coalesce around a single message to increase public support. Some patient groups, for example, are likely to try to steer clear of partisan politics and focus instead on promoting the law and pressing for its full implementation.

12 Nov 2010

Debt panel's draft would take on Medicare, raise Social Security age

President Barack Obama's bipartisan debt-reduction panel laid out a draft version of its recommendations for cutting spending and raising taxes on Wednesday, The New York Times reports. The proposal includes increasing the retirement age for Social Security and plans to reduce the growth of the Medicare program. In all, the proposals would lower deficits by $4 trillion through 2020 and "stabilize" debt. Liberal groups immediately lashed back at what they see as excessive cuts in spending (Calmes, 11/10).

12 Nov 2010

IPC The Hospitalist Company announces acquisition of Zenith Hospitalists

IPC The Hospitalist Company, Inc., a leading national hospitalist physician group practice company, announced today that it has acquired Zenith Hospitalists, LLP, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. The acquisition represents an expansion in the Nevada market, where IPC already has a well-established presence. Zenith has an annualized volume of approximately 40,000 patient encounters.

12 Nov 2010

Advocates prepare to challenge GOP on health law

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey reports: "In the aftermath of Republicans' election victories, defenders of the health care law are huddling - once again - in an effort to thwart GOP efforts to eviscerate the sweeping measure" (Carey, 11/11).

12 Nov 2010

Veterans and caregivers face ongoing challenges

WebMD: "When veterans with service-related injuries or illness need caregivers, the role typically falls on women, usually spouses or partners," according to a new study by the National Alliance for Caregiving and the United Health Foundation. The study "reports that 96% of veterans' caregivers are women, compared to an overall nationwide finding that 65% of family caregivers are women.

12 Nov 2010

ESMO-symposium to highlight recent advancement in cancer biology

This ESMO-symposium will allow bed-side oriented oncologists to grasp key and timely-issues related to cancer biology. All presentations will have a clear focus towards potential clinical implications thus helping clinicians fully comprehend the major consequences that new developments in cancer biology may have in daily care.

12 Nov 2010

WHO annual global TB report released

The WHO on Thursday released its annual report on global tuberculosis control, which showed that in 2009 there were 9.4 million new tuberculosis cases and 1.7 million people died of the disease, Reuters reports.

12 Nov 2010

33rd CTRC-AACR Symposium to feature breast cancer research

The 33rd CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium will feature the latest findings in prevention, epidemiological, laboratory, translational and clinical breast cancer research. This year's symposium will highlight new therapies in the pipeline, new approaches with existing agents and emerging biology that will affect the quest for personalized medicine.

12 Nov 2010

Insurance commissioners: Miss. Head calls changes 'mind boggling' and partly 'socialist'; anthem challenges Maine superintendent's no-profit ruling for individual plans

Mississippi state Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney said Wednesday that the volume of changes under the federally mandated health care reform are 'mind boggling' and partly come from 'pure socialist communist ideas.

12 Nov 2010

Bristol-Myers Squibb announces first large-scale diabetes initiative to develop self-management program

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation today announced Together on Diabetes: Communities Uniting to Meet America's Diabetes Challenge, a 5-year, $100 million initiative to help patients living with type 2 diabetes better manage their disease beyond the doors of their doctor's office in their homes and communities and for the course of their disease.

12 Nov 2010

Comparative effectiveness push tailed by controversy, distrust

Two-third of Americans agree that studies comparing treatments are needed, but even more 75 percent say the government and insurers would use the results of such studies to ration medical care, MarketWatch reports.

12 Nov 2010

New A.D.A.M. Health Navigator for hospital, healthcare websites

A.D.A.M., Inc., a leading provider of health information and benefits technology solutions, announced today that the company will unveil the new A.D.A.M. Health Navigator at the 14th Annual Healthcare Internet Conference in Las Vegas, November 15th - 17th.

12 Nov 2010

Calif. nurses emerge as political force; Iowa official under fire for strict policy on nursing home inspections; new 'homey' facilities for seniors increasing

One of California's most powerful political players these days is a Bay Area-based nurses' union, which helped torpedo Republican Meg Whitman's efforts to become governor and boosted the prospects of the eventual winning candidate, Democrat Jerry Brown.

12 Nov 2010

Kaiser Permanente announces 2011 plans for Medicare-eligible beneficiaries

Kaiser Permanente has announced its 2011 plans for individual Medicare-eligible beneficiaries, reflecting its commitment to continuing participation in Medicare in all its existing service areas in nine states and the District of Columbia.

12 Nov 2010

Mobile health summit ends

The three-day mHealth Alliance summit wrapped up on Wednesday after discussions and seminars that aimed to advance the discussion around ways mobile technology can increase the access, efficiency and effectiveness of health systems, allAfrica.com reports.

11 Nov 2010

G20 summit opens in Seoul; development plan announcement expected

The world's biggest rich and emerging powers escalated a war of words over trade and currencies Thursday, as leaders opened a G20 summit [in Seoul, South Korea] struggling to iron out distortions that threaten global growth, Agence France-Presse reports in an article examining some of the major disputes.

11 Nov 2010

Australian Defence Force suffers from shortage of medical officers

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is battling with a shortage of medical officers, and is looking to recruit at least 200 health and medical personnel to fill the gap for current and future needs. According to Captain Julian Fidge, “I am certain the ADF have an enormous shortage of their specialist service officers despite recruiting many valuable, gifted applicants. These people are basically run out of the Army or the Navy through poor treatment…I worked alongside one of the civilian contractors and I had significant difficulties accepting their level of health care, their provision of health care, and so did my medics.”

11 Nov 2010