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The Economist examines lack of attention to Plasmodium vivax malaria parasite

The Economist profiles Plasmodium vivax, a type of malaria that affects between 80 million to 390 million people worldwide annually with a cost to sufferers between $1.4 billion and $4 billion each year.

27 May 2011

AHRQ: 94% of women hospitalized for pregnancy and delivery in the U.S. had complications

Over 9 out of every 10 women giving birth in the United States had some complication in 2008, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

27 May 2011

Parties craft strategies, Medicare spin in aftermath of NY-26 special election results

Because the of what many view as the vote-changing impact that Medicare had on this congressional contest, Democrats and Republicans are considering how to advance their positions toward 2012.

27 May 2011

Research Roundup: Medicaid co-payments, access to docs causes worse health

Disparities In Child Access To Emergency Care For Acute Oral Injury -- This study looked at the "impact of insurance status on dental practices' willingness to schedule an appointment for a child with a symptomatic fractured permanent front tooth." Six researchers posed as mothers of 10-year-old boys who all had the same injury but different coverage: Medicaid/Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) or private Blue Cross dental insurance.

27 May 2011

U.N., U.S. re-evaluate HIV/AIDS treatment targets

Ahead of the U.N. High Level Meeting on AIDS, scheduled for June 8-10 in New York, "public-health leaders face a paradox: New evidence suggests the epidemic can finally be controlled, but that would demand increased spending at a time of severe global budget restraints," the Wall Street Journal reports.

27 May 2011

IBM expands Dallas Health Analytics Solution Center

IBM today announced the expansion of its Health Analytics Solution Center. Located in Dallas, the center is adding new technology and has doubled the number of healthcare solution architects and technology specialists working at the center.

27 May 2011

Current efforts not enough to halt HIV/AIDS in Philippines, UNAIDS country coordinator says

"The Philippines has not been making progress in meeting its sixth Millennium Development Goal, which is halting and reversing the spread of ... HIV/AIDS..., according to the country coordinator of the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)," the Philippine Daily Inquirer reports.

27 May 2011

Viewpoints: Medicare controversy continues to raise outrage, prescriptions, vivid prose

The key to any reform is tackling the whole problem, not just one piece — like health care spending by the federal government, for example, or even the public sector as a whole. Unless spending on health care is curbed systemwide, federal reforms run the risk of just shifting skyrocketing costs to those least able to handle this added burden.

27 May 2011

In aftermath of Dem's upset special election, will budget balancers now set sights on Medicaid?

Not that there was much doubt left, but Tuesday's uphill victory by Democrat Kathy Hochul in a special election in a New York congressional district long dominated by the GOP has made it pretty clear that the budget blueprint approved by House Republicans last month, which would effectively privatize Medicare, isn't so popular with lots of actual voters.

27 May 2011

OPINION: U.S. must do more on global food security

"Washington cannot allow food insecurity to exacerbate instability in already volatile regions. We are not doing all that must be done," Catherine Bertini, a former executive director of the U.N. World Food Program, and Dan Glickman, a former agriculture secretary, write in Politico.

27 May 2011

AP examines debate over India's poverty line

The Associated Press examines the debate over the poverty line in India, noting that a commission that helps set the country's economic policy told the Supreme Court earlier this month that the poverty line in cities was 578 rupees ($12.75) per person per month, and about 450 rupees ($9.93) per person per month for rural areas.

27 May 2011

Recent releases in Global Health

As the G8 summit began in Deauville, France, on Thursday, David Olson, the council's director of policy communications, wrote on the Global Health Council's "Blog 4 Global Health" that "global health is nowhere visible on the agenda," which "is in striking contrast to the final communique of the G8 Muskoka, which devoted a significant amount of space to health" (5/26).

27 May 2011

Appointment of drug company to GAVI board draws criticism from NGOs

The appointment of Dutch pharmaceutical company Crucell, recently acquired by Johnson & Johnson, to the board of the GAVI Alliance is "sparking concerns over conflicts of interest and demands for tougher competition to reduce prices," the Financial Times reports.

27 May 2011

Obama, Medvedev reaffirm efforts to eradicate polio ahead of G8 summit

President Barack Obama met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Deauville, France, ahead of the G8 summit, ABC News' "Political Punch" blog reports. "The two issued a number of joint statements and agreements on counterterrorism, civil aviation security, visa issues, the Bering Strait region, a joint report assessing 21st Century Missile Challenges, innovation, the rule of law, smart grid partnership, eradicating polio, and medical research," according to the blog.

27 May 2011

Brazilian Court denies claims for indemnification for damages attributed to smoking cigarettes

The judge of the 19th Civil Court of Sao Paulo denied the claims for indemnification brought by the Association for the Defence of the Health of Smokers (ADESF) in a class action suit filed against cigarette manufacturers Souza Cruz and Philip Morris Brasil that, according to the plaintiff, was evaluated at more than R$ 30 billion (US$ 18.4 billion).

27 May 2011

Gov. Shumlin signs law putting Vermont on path to single-payer system

Gov. Peter Shumlin signed a bill on Thursday that sets Vermont on a path to creating the nation's first publicly financed health care. The law calls for something close to a single-payer system, with doctors and hospitals billing one entity, the state government, for their services.

27 May 2011

First Medicare Meaningful Use incentive dollars issued to physicians using athenahealth EHR

athenahealth, Inc., the leading provider of cloud-based practice management, electronic health record (EHR), and patient communication services to medical groups, today announced that the first Medicare Meaningful Use incentive payment dollars have been issued to its physician clients using athenaClinicals®, the company's EHR offering.

27 May 2011

Dynamics in the health care system trigger ACO concerns

The traditional wariness that exists between doctors and hospitals, as well as worries related to anti-trust issues, raise questions about which players have the advantage as the specifics regarding accountable care organizations take shape. Meanwhile, ACOs finally have an advocate.

27 May 2011

Proposed rule for health law's CLASS Act expected in October

Federal officials plan to issue a proposed rule in October that will make major changes to the controversial Community Living Assistance Services and Support (CLASS) program, Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathy Greenlee said Thursday.

27 May 2011

AHRQ: 39,000 school-age children treated for sports-related concussions at emergency departments

About 39,000 school-age children were treated for sports-related concussions at hospital emergency departments in 2008 - approximately 90 percent of all emergency visits for that condition, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

27 May 2011

Healthcare News

The Economist examines lack of attention to Plasmodium vivax malaria parasite

AHRQ: 94% of women hospitalized for pregnancy and delivery in the U.S. had complications

Parties craft strategies, Medicare spin in aftermath of NY-26 special election results

Research Roundup: Medicaid co-payments, access to docs causes worse health

U.N., U.S. re-evaluate HIV/AIDS treatment targets

IBM expands Dallas Health Analytics Solution Center

Current efforts not enough to halt HIV/AIDS in Philippines, UNAIDS country coordinator says

Viewpoints: Medicare controversy continues to raise outrage, prescriptions, vivid prose

In aftermath of Dem's upset special election, will budget balancers now set sights on Medicaid?

OPINION: U.S. must do more on global food security

AP examines debate over India's poverty line

Recent releases in Global Health

Appointment of drug company to GAVI board draws criticism from NGOs

Obama, Medvedev reaffirm efforts to eradicate polio ahead of G8 summit

Brazilian Court denies claims for indemnification for damages attributed to smoking cigarettes

Gov. Shumlin signs law putting Vermont on path to single-payer system

First Medicare Meaningful Use incentive dollars issued to physicians using athenahealth EHR

Dynamics in the health care system trigger ACO concerns

Proposed rule for health law's CLASS Act expected in October

AHRQ: 39,000 school-age children treated for sports-related concussions at emergency departments

Exploring the nanoscale: How AFM is transforming cosmetic science

Innovating Texture and Culture in Plant-Based Foods

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

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