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Study: Majority of hospital deaths are due to late cancer diagnosis

Late cancer diagnosis in Northern Ireland contributes to hospital deaths despite patient's preference to die at home according to a major report launched at Queen's University Belfast.

8 Apr 2011

Loyola's HARRT program enhances emergency angioplasty times

The availability of an in-house, around-the-clock interventional cardiology team dramatically decreases the time it takes to restore blood flow to heart attack patients, according to data presented this week.

8 Apr 2011

Frailty in older patients not linked to high risk of adverse drug reactions

Contrary to popular belief among physicians, frailty in elderly patients is not associated with an increased risk of adverse reactions to medications, according to a study led by Michael Steinman, MD, a geriatrician at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.

8 Apr 2011

Orthopaedic surgeon: Broken bones and itching more common during spring weather

Spring weather signals the start of many outdoor activities as people of all ages eagerly embrace the change in weather. Paul Prinz, MD, orthopaedic surgeon at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, part of Loyola University Health System says, "Broken bones and fractures occur year 'round but the change in seasons always creates an increase of patients in our offices."

8 Apr 2011

Democratic Congresswoman highlights threat climate change poses to public health

Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) "called climate change a bigger public health threat than AIDS, malaria and pandemic flu" before a vote on Wednesday on a bill aimed at thwarting Environmental Protection Agency climate regulations, The Hill's "E2-Wire" blog reports.

8 Apr 2011

Visual Healthcare Lab Automation Platform gains traction with private industrial clients

Visual Healthcare Corp. announces that its new Lab Automation module is quickly gaining traction with private sector industrial clients.

8 Apr 2011

NCAJ launches new Web site to inform North Carolinians about workers comp bill

The North Carolina Advocates for Justice has launched a new Web site to inform North Carolinians about potential legislation that will restrict their rights if injured on the job.

8 Apr 2011

House Panel approves Ryan 2012 budget blueprint on party-line vote

The GOP budget proposal's Medicare provisions continue to draw scrutiny and debate about what the program's future should look like, how the plan would change senior citizens' health care costs and what its political implications might be.

8 Apr 2011

First trial to test shared decision making for weight-loss surgery

A video-based decision aid helped severely obese people to make more informed choices about bariatric surgery and reach more certainty about them, according to a trial involving 152 Group Health patients, e-published in Obesity in advance of print. This randomized controlled trial is the first to test shared decision making for weight-loss surgery.

8 Apr 2011

Conifer to present 'how to implement clinical denials management strategy' at NICM/ACMA

Conifer Health Solutions, a leader in revenue cycle and business process solutions for healthcare providers, announced the company will present "How to Implement an Effective Clinical Denials Management Strategy" at the 2011 NICM/ACMA Case Management conference on Saturday, April 9, at 12:15 p.m. EDT. The conference will be held at the World Marriot Hotel in Orlando, Fla.

8 Apr 2011

New Clinical Practice Guideline for evaluation and treatment of pituitary incidentalomas

Today, The Endocrine Society released a new Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) for the evaluation and treatment of pituitary incidentalomas. The CPG is published in the April 2011 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), a publication of The Endocrine Society.

8 Apr 2011

Hospira focuses on clinical surveillance systems to help reduce antimicrobial resistance

As part of World Health Day 2011, the World Health Organization is calling on policy makers, providers, the public and the healthcare industry to take action to combat the serious health threat of antimicrobial resistance.

8 Apr 2011

Though Congressional leaders cite progress, current-year spending deal still in play

If lawmakers fail to reach agreement on the 2011 budget, the government will shut down at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. Federal agencies have contingency plans in place in the event this happens. Media outlets report that Medicare and Medicaid would operate normally in the short run. Meanwhile, considerable discussion continues regarding what the political fallout will be and whether the public will hold Democrats or Republicans accountable.

8 Apr 2011

Refined carbohydrates create an ill and obese population

When it comes to feeding a body well, we've all been told we need proteins, fats and carbohydrates. For years, many of those we trust for health information have told us that the foundation of our diet should primarily consist of carbohydrates, namely, grains, breads and pastas.

8 Apr 2011

House subcommittee plans hearings on ACOs

In related news, Politico Pro reports that five leading health systems announced a plan to partner in sharing electronic health records. These systems note that the ability to share patient data with EHRs is key to success in creating ACOs.

8 Apr 2011

NAFC honors UT Southwestern nurse with Continence Care Champion Award

The National Association For Continence presented Tamara Dickinson, RN, CURN, CCCN, BCB-PMD, with its Rodney Appell Continence Care Champion Award at the Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates luncheon on March 11, held during the 2011 SUNA Annual Symposium in New Orleans.

8 Apr 2011

Longer looks: Could Ryan's plan be a pitfall for Democrats?; the cost of military health care; revealing more about doctors' billing practices

Every week, reporter Jessica Marcy selects interesting reading from around the Web.

8 Apr 2011

Michigan's CQI model improves patient outcomes, reduces health care costs

In a paper published today in the professional health care journal, Health Affairs, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the University of Michigan Health System report that their model for collaborative health care quality improvement has measurably improved safety and quality in several clinical areas, and has saved millions in health care costs.

8 Apr 2011

One-third of senior doctors are still working full time

More than 1 in 10 Canadian physicians is age 65 and older, but many doctors remain active in clinical practice after reaching the traditional retirement age, according to a study released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

8 Apr 2011

Study: Hospital adverse-event figures exceed previous estimates

The research, which was published in the journal Health Affairs, used new tools to find that as many as one in three people in the U.S. will experience some type of mistake during a hospital stay. Also, the findings estimate the number of actual hospital errors to be as much as 10 times higher than found by voluntary reporting programs.

8 Apr 2011