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Today's Opinions: Views of the health law from Rove, Bachmann, Kondracke

A primary task for the new Republican House majority is to undo as many of the pernicious effects of ObamaCare that it can. One of these effects is the spectacle of employers going hat-in-hand to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for waivers from some of the law's more onerous provisions (Karl Rove, 1/6).

7 Jan 2011

Administration reverses federal rule on End-of-life planning

News outlets are reporting that some observers view the step an "embarrassing episode" for the administration and note that some of the rule's supporters consider it a "flip flop." All in all, the rule change and the reaction to it appear to highlight the continued politics that surround the issue.

7 Jan 2011

U.S. health expenditures increased 4% in 2009

This increase represents the smallest one in at least a half a century. At the same time, though, medical costs ate up a record share of the overall economy. Experts pointed to the recession as a key explanation.

7 Jan 2011

Obama health team undergoes reorganization

As work to implement and defend the health law kicks into high gear, the Obama administration is making major changes among the key players.

7 Jan 2011

Dade Medical College officially launches new School of Continuing Education on Jan 22

Dade Medical College will officially introduce its new School of Continuing Education on January 22. This new division will begin offering non-credit courses for students and working professionals.

6 Jan 2011

MAXIMUS signs Eligibility Support Services contract with HHSC

MAXIMUS, a leading provider of government services, announced today that it has signed the previously announced Eligibility Support Services contract with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. The three-year base contract is valued at $315.3 million with an additional two option years.

6 Jan 2011

Medical experts issue warning about common practice of tablet splitting

Medical experts have issued a warning about the common practice of tablet splitting, after a study found that nearly a third of the split fragments deviated from recommended dosages by 15 per cent or more.

6 Jan 2011

Researchers find intervention is less effective for surgical and neurological ICU patients

While a much hailed communication intervention works for families making decisions for chronically-ill loved ones in medical intensive care units, Case Western Reserve University researchers found the intervention was less effective for surgical and neurological ICU patients.

6 Jan 2011

Californians can now access information about local healthcare providers using MyHealthResource

Realizing the New Year's resolution of "good health" could be just a click of the mouse away - even for Californians without adequate health insurance, thanks to a free, online resource from Californians for Patient Care. Using MyHealthResource, available at www.calpatientcare.org, Californians can access information about local healthcare providers that provide primary, dental, vision and mental healthcare services to the uninsured and underinsured.

6 Jan 2011

InHealth awards grant to assess effects of hip replacement therapy on aging populations

The Institute for Health Technology Studies has awarded a grant of $240,000 to an international consortium of researchers, for a study that will assess the effects of hip replacement therapy on the employment and retirement decisions of older adults. Led by researchers at the Universit- Bocconi (Milan), the consortium also includes investigators at the University of York (York, UK), and the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health (Baltimore).

6 Jan 2011

Study provides global estimate of unreported mesothelioma cases

For every four to five reported cases of mesothelioma worldwide, at least one case goes unreported, according to estimates published online January 6 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

6 Jan 2011

Sudan referendum approaches, highlighting health, development challenges facing the south

"Southern Sudan is scheduled to start voting on January 9 on whether to become an independent country or remain part of Sudan, Africa's largest nation which has been wracked by decades of conflict," CNN reports (Wilkinson, 1/5).

6 Jan 2011

First web-based TBI screening tool for veterans

A team of researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine has developed the first web-based screening tool for Traumatic Brain Injury. This instrument has recently been used by soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who participated in the Sixth Annual Road to Recovery Conference and Tribute in Orlando to determine if they sustained a TBI.

6 Jan 2011

NCCN Guidelines provide treatment information for patients with melanoma, prostate and ovarian cancer

People with melanoma, ovarian cancer, or prostate cancer now have a new resource that provides them with the same credible information their physicians use when determining treatment options. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network announces three new additions to the library of NCCN Guidelines for Patients, patient-friendly translations of the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology.

6 Jan 2011

NY Times: U.S. alters rule on paying for end-of-life planning

The Obama administration, reversing course, will revise a Medicare regulation to delete references to end-of-life planning as part of the annual physical examinations covered under the new health care law, administration officials said Tuesday (Robert Pear, 1/4).

6 Jan 2011

JAX, Tufts University unveil new mammalian genetics track for PhD students

The Jackson Laboratory, Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts, and Tufts University School of Medicine have unveiled a new mammalian genetics track for PhD students. The joint track offers students in-depth research and training at both JAX and Tufts.

6 Jan 2011

States continue implementation efforts; Some newly-elected AGs step up legal attacks

Even as health overhaul drama continues on Capitol Hill, news outlets continue to watch how developments at the state level will impact the law's implementation.

6 Jan 2011

Nicotine replacement therapies to quit smoking

Although smoking is an expensive habit, let's face it, nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) to help you quit smoking can seem like expensive purchases as well.

6 Jan 2011

Study shows positive effects of formal child care in improving language skills

Fewer children who attend regular formal centre- and family-based child care at 1.5 years and 3 years of age were late talkers compared with children who are looked after at home by a parent, child-carer or in an outdoor nursery. This is shown in a new study by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health of nearly 20,000 children.

6 Jan 2011

IV fluids for trauma patients may not be life savers all the time

Severely injured patients who are routinely given IV fluids by paramedics before transport to the nearest trauma center are significantly more likely to die than similarly injured patients who don't get the time-consuming IV treatment before hospitalization, new Johns Hopkins-led research suggests.

6 Jan 2011