Healthcare News

RSS

Stanford Hospital offers iPads to enhance patient experience

Instead of television, Stanford Hospital is offering some patients a more high-tech form of entertainment, iPads. As part of a pilot program, the hospital has outfitted its catheterization and angiography laboratory with five of the tablet computers. They've been loaded with movies, books and games. They can also connect to the Internet through the hospital's wireless network.

16 Nov 2010

Lancet World Report details new U.S. Global Development Policy, Global Health community's reaction

Lancet World Report examines elements of President Barack Obama's U.S. Global Development Policy strategy that he unveiled during the U.N. summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in September.

16 Nov 2010

Employees' perks for healthy behavior will increase next year

Employers plan to further reward workers for healthy behavior such as quitting smoking or losing weight with lower insurance premiums or cash prizes, the Los Angeles Times reports.

16 Nov 2010

Employees will see changes in 2011 health benefits

"Workers who have received their annual enrollment packets for insurance benefits" should expect slight changes to their plans this year due to the health care overhaul. Most employees can expect to pay more next year, due in part to the 1 to 2 percent increase in insurance costs brought about by the law.

16 Nov 2010

As Congress heads into lame-duck, repeal of 1099 reporting provision likely

Heading into a lame-duck session, "Congress has several other items left on its docket. … there's a rewrite of the 1099 tax reporting requirements under the health care bill, which presently require businesses to report every expense over $600.

16 Nov 2010

Medicare open enrollment period starts today

Coming changes to Medicare will benefit some recipients but will make coverage more expensive for people with higher incomes. Thanks in part to this year's health care overhaul, everything from benefits and enrollment rules to the number of choices available will be affected beginning Jan. 1.

16 Nov 2010

Study finds significant variability in CPR quality between day and night

CPR quality is worse during in-hospital cardiac arrests occurring overnight than those that happen during the day, according to a new University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine study that will be presented at the American Heart Association's annual Scientific Sessions on November 14.

16 Nov 2010

IFPA announces winner of Under the Spotlight Award for psoriasis documentary

125 million people worldwide suffer from psoriasis and the hardships this difficult disease brings. Today, on the International Day of Tolerance we are very proud to announce the winner of the 1st Under the Spotlight Award for Best International Documentary on Psoriasis.

16 Nov 2010

National campaign to highlight significance of antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance is one of the world's most pressing public health threats. To bring attention to this increasing problem, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other government partners will observe its third annual Get Smart About Antibiotics Week on Nov. 15-21, 2010.

16 Nov 2010

Health researchers to address mental health concerns at world conference

More than 500 mental health researchers, practitioners, and advocates representing over 40 countries will gather for the Sixth World Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioral Disorders, November 17–19, 2010, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. With the theme Addressing Imbalances: Promoting Equity in Mental Health, the conference will focus on inequalities in care, research, and practice in ways that protect the most vulnerable.

16 Nov 2010

Mobile phones aid in health firm's promotion

A Washington, D.C., based firm has pioneered targeted public service announcements via mobile phones, and nine months after their experiment began, they say it was a success, The Washington Post reports.

16 Nov 2010

CMS awards $230M task order contract to CSC

CSC announced today that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Clinical Standards and Quality awarded the company a task order to migrate key information technology systems to a new service-oriented architecture. The contract, which was awarded during CSC's fiscal 2011 second quarter, has a six-month base period and six one-year options, bringing the estimated 78-month contract value to $230 million.

16 Nov 2010

Children's Hospital pediatric immunologist collaborates with European gene therapy researchers to study WAS syndrome

A pediatric immunologist at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia collaborated with European gene therapy researchers who achieved marked clinical improvements in two young children with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, a very rare but often severe immunodeficiency disorder.

16 Nov 2010

City, national leaders to develop policies to improve health of city dwellers

In an unprecedented demonstration of global collaboration, city and national leaders from around the world are coming together in Kobe, Japan, to compare approaches and develop policies to improve the health of city dwellers.

16 Nov 2010

Study discovers health care gap in treating young patients with thyroid cancer

Thyroid cancer is the third most common malignancy in children, and the incidence is rising approximately one percent per year. Now a new analysis published in the October issue of Annals of Surgical Oncology indicates that although the proportion of young patients undergoing total thyroidectomy increased by 34 percent between 1985 and 2007, a variety of hospital and patient factors—including disparities in access to surgeons and state-of-the-art care—affect whether a child actually receives this procedure or another less extensive operation.

16 Nov 2010

As VA touts quality of system, study shows no difference in mortality rate

The Department of Veterans Affairs has touted for years the achievements of its health-care system, but a new study, published in the journal Medical Care, shows its health outcomes are about like everybody else's.

16 Nov 2010

Reducing salt intake can enhance health of young adults in future: Research

Cutting back on salt in teenagers' diets by as little as one-half teaspoon, or three grams, a day, could reduce the number of young adults with high blood pressure by 44 to 63 percent, according to new research presented Sunday, Nov. 14 at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2010 meeting in Chicago.

16 Nov 2010

Universal Health Services acquires Psychiatric Solutions

Universal Health Services, Inc. announced today that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Psychiatric Solutions, Inc.

16 Nov 2010

Large tobacco companies fight tougher restrictions around the globe

As sales to developing nations become ever more important to giant tobacco companies, they are stepping up efforts around the world to fight tough restrictions on the marketing of cigarettes.

16 Nov 2010

Leaders speak at Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health conference

Education for women is the most important factor for positively influencing the health of women and children, Indian President Pratibha Patil said on Saturday at a meeting in New Delhi of The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH), IANS/Sify News reports. "Education is a powerful driver of health. The relationship between poverty, lack of education and limited access to health services, is well recognised," Patil said at the start of the two-day conference (11/13).

16 Nov 2010