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Defense, VA wrestle with health record system

Members of a Senate committee expressed concern Wednesday that reforms taken by the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs have done little to cut the maze of bureaucracy experienced by many service members and veterans trying to navigate the military health-care system.

27 May 2011

State lawmakers take up effort to defund Planned Parenthood

After Congress failed in its recent attempt to cut off federal funding, lawmakers in several states are taking aim at the organization. Meanwhile, the House voted Wednesday to ban teaching health centers from using federal dollars to train physicians on how to perform abortions.

27 May 2011

SEIU-UHW members at Tenet Hospitals reach tentative agreement to maintain high quality patient care

Certified nurse assistants, respiratory therapists, ER technicians and other caregivers who are members of Service Employees International Union, United Healthcare Workers - West at Tenet Hospitals have reached a tentative agreement that will help the hospitals maintain high standards for patient care.

27 May 2011

Poorer African countries spend greater proportion of their budgets on social programs that benefit children, report says

"The oil-rich governments of Sudan and Angola are among the worst in Africa for looking after children, while poorer Tanzania, Mozambique and Niger are the best," according to a report from the African Child Policy Forum that ranked countries based on their health, education and social program budgets, Reuters reports.

27 May 2011

New six month braces system straightens adult front teeth with lower cost, less discomfort

A new braces system utilized by Minneapolis-based dentist Dr. Shamblott straightens adult front teeth with lower cost, less discomfort, and in less time than traditional orthodontics.

27 May 2011

Longer looks: Stem cells, vaccinating against addictive drugs, the GOP's budget hatchet man

Krista and Tatiana are not like most other sets of twins. They are connected at their heads, where their skulls merge under a mass of shaggy brown bangs. The girls run and play and go down their backyard slide, but whatever they do, they do together, their heads forever inclined toward each other's, their neck muscles strong and sinuous from a never-ending workout. Twins joined at the head — the medical term is craniopagus — are extremely rare.

27 May 2011

Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center offers free life-changing procedures for uninsured patients

Patients from Family Health Care Centers of Greater Los Angeles received pro bono outpatient surgeries to repair hernias, remove cataracts and gallbladders on Saturday, May 21. A team of about 70 doctors, nurses and support staff from Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center worked for free to provide patients with life-changing procedures—some have been waiting for months even years for these surgeries.

27 May 2011

State roundup: Budget battles continue in statehouses

Massachusetts labor leaders have given up their full-throated battle to protect certain collective bargaining rights amid an increasing likelihood that the Legislature will empower local governments to raise the health insurance costs of teachers, firefighters, and other municipal employees.

27 May 2011

DHF receives two Telly Awards for diabetes awareness video Big Blue Test

Diabetes Hands Foundation (DHF) announced today that it is the recipient of two Telly Awards for the diabetes awareness video Big Blue Test.

27 May 2011

Opinion: Bipartisan consensus on medical research

"Good health makes good politics," Michael Castle, a former Republican Congressman from Delaware, and Kaitlin Christenson, director of the Global Health Technologies Coalition, write in a Roll Call opinion piece that makes a case for widespread support of medical research that aims to improve global health.

27 May 2011

Opinion: How universities can advance global health

"I am glad to see that U.S. research universities, too, now all seem to boast programs in global health. But claiming to have programs in global health is not the same thing as creating programs that can make a difference to populations facing poverty and ill health," Paul Farmer, chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School and founding director of Partners In Health, writes in the Harvard Crimson.

27 May 2011

Americans happy with Medicaid as it is

According to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey released on Wednesday, more than half of Americans do not want Medicaid funding cut and are skeptical of changing how the federal government funds the healthcare program for the poor.

26 May 2011

Geisinger reports positive results with computer-assisted and NLC-driven intelligent workflow solution

Geisinger Health System, widely recognized for its implementation of innovative care models, is among the first healthcare organizations in the nation to deploy advanced technology that combines a Computer-Assisted Coding application with Natural Language Comprehension™ (NLC) in order to improve clinical documentation and coding accuracy.

26 May 2011

First Edition: May 26, 2011

"If 60 Plus' goal was to inoculate Corwin from attacks on the Medicare issue, the effort failed badly. Corwin was beaten soundly by Democratic opponent Kathy Hochul, partly because of voter fears about House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's proposal to sharply transform Medicare".

26 May 2011

CNA launches National Expert Commission on health system improvement

The Canadian Nurses Association today officially launched its National Expert Commission on health system improvement, entitled The Health of Our Nation — The Future of Our Health System.

26 May 2011

Music therapy enhances quality of life for patients with fibromyalgia

University of Granada researchers have proven that music therapy combined with other relax techniques based on guided imagery reduces significantly pain, depression and anxiety, and improves sleep among patients suffering from fibromyalgia.

26 May 2011

Tips for building strong and healthy bones

Most of us think of our bone structure as a solid, static mass that is hard and unchanging. The fact is our skeletal structure is replaced approximately every ten years.

26 May 2011

New book on 'Overcoming Anxiety, Worry, and Fear'

Severe anxiety can leave its sufferers paralyzed with debilitating worry, uncontrollable fear and clinical depression. Although anxiety is the most common mental health problem in the U.S., many affected by anxiety don't know how to treat their problem or even how to seek help.

26 May 2011

Disputes over ACO rule, IPAB, MLR, health law continue

Some hot topics -- the IPAB, the medical-loss ratio rule and the health law's impact on employer-sponsored health care -- also claim headlines today. Meanwhile, MinnPost analyzes executive orders - including a controversial one on health care - by former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, now a GOP presidential candidate.

26 May 2011

GSK partners with NGOs to support health care workers in LDCs

Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal reports that GlaxoSmithKline announced Tuesday it has partnered with three non-governmental organizations to address the shortage of primary health care providers in least developed countries.

26 May 2011