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Business trends shape medical practices

Minnesota Public Radio reports that independent practices increasingly face an uphill battle while the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes that the "company doctor" is making a comeback in workplaces across the nation.

17 May 2011

World Health Assembly begins in Geneva

As the 64th World Health Assembly gets underway in Geneva, the body will consider "an array of subjects pertaining to reforms of the organisation and its financing, vaccines, fake medicines, and influenza pandemic preparedness, as well as communicable and non-communicable diseases," Intellectual Property Watch reports.

17 May 2011

Delay in seeking emergency medical care for asthma exacerbations can result in worse outcomes

Waiting to seek emergency medical care for asthma exacerbations can result in worse outcomes, including hospitalization, according to a study conducted by researchers from New York.

17 May 2011

Gingrich calls GOP Medicare voucher plan radical

Now that he is officially in the running to be the Republican nominee for president, Newt Gingrich made his opinions very clear while appearing on Sunday morning talk shows.

17 May 2011

MHAUS sponsors one-day conference on Malignant Hyperthermia

Medical professionals, patients and families can learn the basics on how recognize, diagnose, and treat Malignant Hyperthermia at a one-day Malignant Hyperthermia conference happening from 10 am to 4 pm June 25 at Lake Receptions located in Mt. Dora, Florida.

17 May 2011

WHO releases annual World Health Statistics report

The WHO on Friday released its annual World Health Statistics report, which includes data on more than 100 indicators - such as life expectancy, mother and child mortality, disease prevalence and health expenditures - from the agency's 193 member states, the Associated Press reports (5/14).

17 May 2011

HealthPartners prescribes walking or exercise for patients with depression

Giving pedometers to patients screened for depression, HealthPartners Medical Group (HPMG) is prescribing walking or exercise in addition to medication and/or therapy as an effective tool in helping patients with depression.

17 May 2011

COPD Foundation to host biannual conference in the U.S. for the first time

Originally hosted in Europe on even calendar years, the COPD Conference series for researchers and healthcare professionals is coming to the U.S. for the first time. The COPD Foundation is hosting the COPD7USA Conference, named after the seventh COPD Conference held last summer in the U.K. COPD7USA will be held on December 3rd and 4th at the Crystal City Gateway Marriott, 1700 Jefferson Davis Highway, Crystal City, VA 22202.

17 May 2011

Fits and starts continue for health law implementation

News outlets report on a variety of aspects of the health law ranging from the IPAB and ACOs to the two states to most recently gain waivers from the Department of Health and Human Services.

17 May 2011

Medicare trustees: Funds will run out sooner than expected

Last Friday, the Medicare trustees offered their annual take on the fiscal fitness of the health insurance program for senior citizens and the disabled. The reviews were worse than last year's projections.

17 May 2011

State roundup: Calif. considers safety measures for mental hospitals

Nearly eight months after a Napa State Hospital patient strangled a psychiatric technician, lawmakers and employee groups are pushing proposals aimed at reversing a worsening safety trend at California's mental health facilities.

17 May 2011

Viewpoints: Ryan on 'shared scarcity'; Romney fallout; Baltimore's ambitious health plan

Too many in Washington remain fixated on the next election, at the expense of the next generation. But there is a hidden cost to the shared scarcity mentality — a cost measured in lost prosperity and lost freedom. We face a choice between two futures. We can continue to go down the path toward shared scarcity, or we can choose the path of renewed prosperity.

17 May 2011

Opinion: New HIV infections more expensive than providing antiretroviral drugs to existing patients

In light of study findings released last week showing the risk of HIV transmission can be reduced by 96 percent if HIV-positive patients begin combination antiretroviral therapy as soon as possible, a San Francisco Chronicle editorial asks, "The evidence is clearly starting to show that it's much better to treat patients earlier, but from where will the money come?".

17 May 2011

FDA warns consumers about look like antimicrobial dietary supplements

The FDA is warning consumers not to use products marketed as dietary supplements that also claim to be antimicrobial (antibiotic, antifungal or antiviral) drugs. These illegal products are falsely promoted with claims to treat illnesses such as upper respiratory infections, sinusitis, pneumonia, bronchitis and the common cold.

16 May 2011

City of Philadelphia chooses eClinicalWorks' EHR suite to help improve patient care

eClinicalWorks, a market leader in ambulatory clinical systems, today announced that the City of Philadelphia has selected the company to help improve the continuity of care for the City's Department of Public Health.

16 May 2011

First Edition: May 16, 2011

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz reports: "Florida wants to be the first state in the nation to charge most of its Medicaid recipients a monthly premium as well as $100 for using the ER for routine care. But even supporters acknowledge that the new fees, passed recently by the state legislature as part of a sweeping Medicaid measure, face long odds getting federal approval".

16 May 2011

Study finds link between heart failure hospitalization and readmission rates

Researchers compared hospitalization rates and rehospitalization rates of patients admitted for heart attack and for heart failure. Heart attack admissions are considered non-discretionary, whereas, heart failure admissions are considered more discretionary.

16 May 2011

Gingrich criticizes Obama and GOP health plans; Medicare politics sway N.Y. race

News outlets today focused on newly-declared Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich's vision on health reform and on the continuing political fallout of Rep. Paul Ryan's Medicare proposal.

16 May 2011

Counterfeit medicines posing increasing risk to patients worldwide, U.N. agency says

Counterfeit medications are posing an increasing threat to patients' health worldwide, because they offer high returns and low risks for criminal organizations, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime said in a statement on Friday, Agence France-Presse reports.

16 May 2011

Report calls for developing new methods of contraception for women in developing countries

Women in the developing world need new methods of contraception that meet their needs and lifestyles, according to a Guttmacher Institute report that urges more investment in contraceptive technology, Agence France-Presse reports.

16 May 2011