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First Edition: January 3, 2011

Today's headlines include forward looking reports about the health law's possible impact in 2011 as well as early plans for the new Congress.

3 Jan 2011

Book on the business side of medicine

The Medical Entrepreneur Pearls, Pitfalls and Practical Business Advice for Doctors (Nano 2.0 Business Press 2010) was written to help physicians, residents and medical students prepare for the business side of private practice. "In medical school curricula there is barely enough time to cover all the necessary medical courses so there certainly is no room for teaching the business of medicine," says Dr. Steven Hacker, author of The Medical Entrepreneur and a successful physician entrepreneur.

3 Jan 2011

LHC Group announces acquisition of hospice locations in Alabama and Louisiana

LHC Group, Inc., a national provider of home health and hospice, announced today that it has acquired hospice locations in Alabama and Louisiana and entered into a home health joint venture in Kentucky.

3 Jan 2011

Team care to help multiple chronic conditions

According to a new study patients with multiple chronic diseases like diabetes mellitus and heart disease are at higher risk of depression that can render medication ineffective. Lead researcher Dr. Wayne J. Katon and colleagues at University of Washington in the study found that patients who received care from nurses who worked with patients and physicians to manage the care for depression and diabetes and heart disease had better outcomes. The study was published in the Dec 30, 2010 issue of New England Journal of Medicine.

2 Jan 2011

A ‘tough’ 2011 for Britain’s NHS

The NHS would have a tough year ahead said the NHS Confederation suggesting 2011 could end up being the “toughest year” in the NHS’ 62-year history. The major issues would be the structural reforms from health secretary Andrew Lansley, the difficulty of finding £20 billion of efficiency savings and the uncertainty created by debate over a major piece of healthcare legislation would all contribute to a tough year.

30 Dec 2010

Winner Medical receives Shenzhen Baoan District Quality Award for quality, organizational performance

Winner Medical Group Inc., a leading manufacturer of medical dressings, medical disposables and non-woven fabric made from 100% natural PurCotton® products in China, today announced that it was honored to receive the Shenzhen Baoan District Quality Award from the Market Supervision Administration of Shenzhen Municipality.

30 Dec 2010

New Year resolution: Cosmetic dentistry

This New Year, we can make the same tired resolutions -- start exercising, eat better, stop smoking -- or we can make a resolution that's actually attainable: Smile more. If those last two words send a chill up your spine, you're not alone, says Charles Martin DDS, founder of the Richmond Smile Center.

30 Dec 2010

Adjusting mortality for reliability provides more stable estimates of hospital quality

New research published in the January issue of the Journal of Vascular Surgery® explores the impact that adjustments in statistical reliability can have on hospital quality rankings for vascular surgery. A total of 14,569 patients who underwent common vascular procedures (open and endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, carotid endarterectomy, lower extremity bypass and aorto-femoral bypass) were identified through the 2007 National Surgical Quality Improvement Project (NSQIP).

30 Dec 2010

Health and Safety Watch tracks over 500 food and product advisories and recalls in 2010

This year Health and Safety Watch tracked more than 500 advisories and recalls issued for food and products in Canada. The events included everything from the recent Quaker Canada cereal bar recall due to the possible presence of peanuts, to big ticket items such as GE dishwashers recalled due to possible fire hazards.

30 Dec 2010

URAC releases Patient Centered Health Care Home Program Toolkit

URAC, a leading health care accreditation and education organization, announces the release of its Patient Centered Health Care Home Program Toolkit. This new program provides an educational, step-wise, self-paced approach to guide health care practices, and sponsoring health plans, insurers, and pilot programs, on how practices can transform themselves into a patient centered health care home.

30 Dec 2010

Sleep-deprived physicians not to perform elective surgeries without patient's consent

While regulations have been put in place to restrict the work hours of doctors in training, no such regulations exist for fully trained physicians. An editorial in this week's New England Journal of Medicine argues that sleep-deprived physicians should not be permitted to proceed with an elective surgery without a patient's informed, written consent.

30 Dec 2010

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts announces new community partner strategy

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA), a locally-based, community-focused health plan, announced its new community partner strategy at a reception earlier this month. To support the Commonwealth, the company will focus on four key areas: healthy child development, education enrichment, healthy environments and family nutrition, and sustainable health care.

30 Dec 2010

Race to have the first baby of the new year

"The race to have the first baby is something all hospitals share enthusiasm for, especially in large cities like Chicago, and, unfortunately, not all hospitals play fair," said Karen Deighan, MD, OB/GYN, director of OB/GYN at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, part of Loyola University Health System.

30 Dec 2010

Tips to avoid allergy and asthma triggers at the gym

A New Year's resolution to get in shape is good news for your health. But if you have allergies or asthma, the hidden triggers at the gym may be bad for your condition.

30 Dec 2010

Children more likely to suffer from appendicitis in areas with few pediatricians

Children who live in areas with fewer pediatricians are more likely to suffer life-threatening ruptures of the appendix than those in areas with more pediatricians, even when accounting for other factors such as the number of hospitals, imaging technology, insurance coverage and the number of surgeons in an area, according to a study from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

30 Dec 2010

Indoor plants can contribute to patient well-being

Could a plant "intervention" improve the well-being of patients in a difficult rehab process? Scientists from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and Sweden's Uppsala University investigated this question in a recent study of 436 coronary and pulmonary patients at a Norwegian rehabilitation center.

30 Dec 2010

Winter grips Scotland with unprecedented rise in health concerns

Over three days of festivities Scotland’s NHS 24 has received almost 30,000 calls. This made 27th of December NHS 24’s busiest day since January 2007. The surge in demand for the service was due to the closure of GP surgeries over the festive weekend.

29 Dec 2010

New innovative program to identify and treat combat veterans suffering from PTSD

An innovative program to identify and treat combat veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - but who have not sought treatment - has been started by U.S.VETS, the nation's largest nonprofit devoted to providing housing and other services to homeless and at-risk veterans.

29 Dec 2010

NYBC urges communities to donate blood

New York Blood Center (NYBC), serving more than 20 million people in New York City, Long Island, the Hudson Valley, and New Jersey, calls upon our communities to please donate blood and platelets, after our tally of blood donations lost due to the weather doubled overnight – to more than 2,000.

29 Dec 2010

Top weight-loss behaviors

Losing weight and saving money are the top New Year's resolutions expected to vex Americans this year, experts say.

29 Dec 2010

Healthcare News

First Edition: January 3, 2011

Book on the business side of medicine

LHC Group announces acquisition of hospice locations in Alabama and Louisiana

Team care to help multiple chronic conditions

A ‘tough’ 2011 for Britain’s NHS

Winner Medical receives Shenzhen Baoan District Quality Award for quality, organizational performance

New Year resolution: Cosmetic dentistry

Adjusting mortality for reliability provides more stable estimates of hospital quality

Health and Safety Watch tracks over 500 food and product advisories and recalls in 2010

URAC releases Patient Centered Health Care Home Program Toolkit

Sleep-deprived physicians not to perform elective surgeries without patient's consent

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts announces new community partner strategy

Race to have the first baby of the new year

Tips to avoid allergy and asthma triggers at the gym

Children more likely to suffer from appendicitis in areas with few pediatricians

Indoor plants can contribute to patient well-being

Winter grips Scotland with unprecedented rise in health concerns

New innovative program to identify and treat combat veterans suffering from PTSD

NYBC urges communities to donate blood

Top weight-loss behaviors

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

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