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AACR invites application for carcinoid and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor research grant

The American Association for Cancer Research is pleased to announce new grant-giving partnerships with the Caring for Carcinoid Foundation (CFCF) and the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Fund for the Arts and Sciences.

17 Aug 2010

Innovative programs help blunt problems caused by primary care shortage

USA Today: "The shortage of primary care doctors could lead to longer waits not only for primary care, but also for specialty care as well as greater use of expensive emergency rooms for non-emergencies, researcher Walt Zywiak of Computer Sciences Corp., an international consulting company headquartered in Falls Church, Va., noted in a July report.

17 Aug 2010

Albert Einstein College of Medicine named 1 of 5 Nathan Shock Centers

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has been named one of the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Nathan Shock Centers of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging. The select group of five centers nationwide provides leadership in the pursuit of basic research into the biology of aging. Einstein's designation includes a $3.1 million, five-year grant from the NIH's National Institute on Aging.

17 Aug 2010

States scrambling to ensure they comply with health reform law

The New York Times reports that some states are scrambling to ensure they can comply with the new federal health law. "Insurance commissioners in about half the states say they do not have clear authority to enforce consumer protection standards that take effect next month. Federal and state officials are searching for ways to plug the gap. Otherwise, they say, the ability of consumers to secure the benefits of the new law could vary widely, depending on where they live."

17 Aug 2010

HHS awards States $46 million to oversee health insurance premium increases

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced grant awards of $46 million to 45 states and the District of Columbia. These Affordable Care Act grants will be used to help improve the oversight of proposed health insurance premium increases, take action against insurers seeking unreasonable rate hikes, and ensure consumers receive value for their premium dollars.

17 Aug 2010

Insurance industry looks to make lemonade from health reform

Restaurant workers - who account for 4 to 6 million of the nation's uninsured - will have new options for health coverage even before the law kicks in with new subsidies and "exchanges" in 2014, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "Their trade group, the National Restaurant Association, was able to line up a smorgasbord of individual and small-group plans from UnitedHealth, some priced 15 to 20 percent cheaper than the open market.

17 Aug 2010

As EMR vision takes shape, doctors brace — especially those who are late in their careers

The vision of a fully wired health system — the goal of a push by doctors, hospitals and the federal government — is coalescing at a Michigan hospital, the Detroit Free Press reports. "Patients at some of the state's largest health systems over the next few years, for example, will have hospital rooms wired into a computer system that lets them see their vital signs, medicines and the name and photograph of the hospital staffer who enters their room.

17 Aug 2010

Ill effects of methamphetamine

On the street it's known as meth, speed, ice, chalk, crank, fire, glass or crystal. Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug that wreaks havoc on the entire body, including the user's oral health. Approximately 10 million Americans have tried methamphetamine, while more than 1.4 million are habitual users.

17 Aug 2010

Global vaccine sales up 16% in 2009, report says

Global vaccine sales "grew by a healthy 16 percent last year, when sales shot up to $22.1 billion, healthcare market research publisher Kalorama Information reported Friday," according to the Associated Press. Kalorama is also forecasting sales "will rise at a compound annual rate of 9.7 percent during the next five years," (Johnson, 8/14).

17 Aug 2010

QuadraMed, CPMRC partner to provide integrated EHR solution with evidence-based content

QuadraMed, a leading provider of healthcare technologies and services, and the CPM Resource Center (CPMRC), an Elsevier company and leader in developing clinical practice guidelines for healthcare, today announced their partnership to provide QuadraMed's clients with nursing and allied health clinical documentation, care planning, and clinical practice guidelines, as well as transformation services.

17 Aug 2010

Doctors online

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's plans for e-health mean that physicians will be able to diagnose patients using webcams over the internet under a hi-tech health policy. Ms Gillard launched her futuristic health plans in Brisbane yesterday. Under this $392 million health plan, families with home computers will be able to get access to an after hours online doctor using webcams and internet messaging services such as Skype from July 2012. Services would improve once the Government rolls out its high-speed national broadband network.

16 Aug 2010

Shah discusses foreign aid efficiency

At an event on Friday in Seattle, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah discussed foreign aid efficacy and ways "to streamline the federal agency and to help make the whole U.S. aid budget easier to understand and track," the Associated Press/Seattle Times reports. Shah said that the Obama administration is concerned about foreign aid transparency and its effectiveness, adding: "The president continues to live up to the overall commitment to develop foreign assistance."

16 Aug 2010

Washington Post: Debate over whether big health systems help cut costs

In Roanoke, Va., one company owns the city's two hospitals and six others in a region of 250,000 residents, commanding the area's largest economic engine and a workforce that includes 550 doctors, The Washington Post reports. Carilion Clinic's consolidation has sparked a local row: Is this the future of integrated, efficient health care delivery, or is it a gilded-age style monopoly?

16 Aug 2010

Also in Global Health News: Hunger in Guatemala; Flooding worsens Niger's food crisis; 'New Delhi' gene name concerns

"The efforts of public agencies, non-governmental organisations, private entities and international agencies have become indispensable in addressing the food crisis" in Guatemala, however "activists believe a greater public effort is necessary," Inter Press Service reports. The article examines efforts by various agencies working in Guatemala including the Rural Development Programme for Las Verapaces (PRODEVER), and Accion Contra el Hambre, a local anti-hunger organization.

16 Aug 2010

Politics and Health Reform: Democrats, Republicans trying to sway seniors

The Associated Press: Democrats, "running scared in an election year," are hopeful that a $250 check - to help seniors afford prescription drugs - will turn the tide of public opinion. "Democrats ... are trying to overcome older people's mistrust of the new health care law, which expands coverage for younger generations by cutting Medicare payments to hospitals and insurers. … Behind the hoopla, the reality is modest. The $250 check, for example, is just a fraction of what many people in the prescription coverage gap have to pay.

16 Aug 2010

State Roundup: Elderly inmates burden cash-strapped states; Drew University in LA faces financial troubles; Florida doctors opt not to break ties to AMA

The Associated Press reports on "the national surge in elderly inmates whose medical expenses are straining cash-strapped states and have officials looking for solutions, including early release, some possibly to nursing homes. ... That burden is becoming greater as the American Civil Liberties Union estimates that elderly prisoners — the fastest growing segment of the prison population, largely because of tough sentencing laws — are three times more expensive to incarcerate than younger inmates.

16 Aug 2010

Today's Opinions: Challenges for independent Medicare board; Lack of independent analysis of Medicare finances; Medical schools shouldn't fear restrictions on ties to industry

One of the most promising aspects of the new health-care reform is the creation of an independent board to recommend changes in federal health programs and a fast-track provision that would allow these changes to take effect automatically unless Congress comes up with alternatives that would save a similar amount (8/16).

16 Aug 2010

KHN column: Medicaid cutbacks not the same as private insurance rescission

In his latest Kaiser Health News column, done in collaboration with The New Republic, Jonathan Cohn writes: "Everywhere you look, Medicaid seems to be in jeopardy.

16 Aug 2010

PALS to host book club author reception to help seniors develop relationships

For nearly 13 years, Highmark Inc.'s People Able to Lend Support program has provided a wide array of programs and services to help seniors stay healthy and independent in their own homes, stimulate their minds and reduce isolation.

16 Aug 2010

Healthy Lifestyles, Healthy Communities event to provide free medical, dental services in five cities

Henry Schein, Inc., the largest distributor of health care products and services to office-based practitioners, announced today that Healthy Lifestyles, Healthy Communities will provide free medical and dental services to more than 5,000 children and their caregivers in five cities throughout the United States this summer and fall.

16 Aug 2010