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KHN column – The Medicare doc fix: Physicians again are staring into the abyss

What used to be an annual exercise -- waiting to see whether and by how much Congress would increase payments to physicians under Medicare -- has now become a more frequent and even more frustrating activity for physicians.

19 Nov 2010

Today's Op-Eds: The ObamaCare suit; Fixing physician pay; A federal takeover of Medicaid; Cues from Britain

The voters showed their loathing for the law on November 2, and a large, united legal front of states would increase the chances that the courts find it unconstitutional and preserve our federal system (11/18).

19 Nov 2010

Clinical trial results of ArterX presented at Veith Meeting

US clinical trial results for Tenaxis' investigational vascular surgical sealant, ArterX, were presented today at the Veith Meeting in New York. William M. Stone, MD of the Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale AZ reported a more than 20% margin of improvement for ArterX Surgical Sealant in the sealing of vascular suture lines compared with a control group featuring a commercially available gelatin foam/thrombin combination.

19 Nov 2010

Bed shortages plague Queensland public hospitals

According to the Australian Medical Association of Queensland there is a 500 bed shortage in the public hospitals in Queensland. This information came in the national public hospital report card on Thursday that was released by the Australian Medical Association.

18 Nov 2010

University of Missouri researchers find key to combating medication non-adherence

Medications do not have a chance to fight health problems if they are taken improperly or not taken at all. Non-adherence to medications costs thousands of lives and billions of dollars each year in the United States alone, according to the New England Healthcare Institute. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have developed an intervention strategy that is three times more effective than previously studied techniques at improving adherence in patients.

18 Nov 2010

COPD both a burden and a loss

Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD, revealed that they perceive their disease as both a burden they must deal with and as a loss they have experienced, according to recent in-home research conducted by GlaxoSmithKline. Patients participating in the research characterized their sense of loss as a combination of factors including loss of energy, loss of control, loss of independence and loss of their old self.

18 Nov 2010

Community education shortens onset to hospital arrival times for patients with chest pain

Systematic education in rural and suburban communities can significantly shorten onset to hospital arrival times for patients with chest pain, according to study findings to be presented Nov. 16 at the 2010 annual American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions in Chicago.

18 Nov 2010

Good Garage Scheme launches new initiative for garage owners

The UK-wide Good Garage Scheme has launched a new initiative to help garage owners better protect themselves against workshop accidents. The 3000-member organisation, backed by leading trade-only treatments company Forté, has launched a "health & safety support scheme" for member garages to help them fully understand the need to protect their business by putting proper health and safety policies in place.

18 Nov 2010

57 million Americans have prediabetes: Study

Prediabetes is a warning sign that type 2 diabetes is around the corner. People with prediabetes have blood sugar levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Approximately 24 million Americans have type 2 diabetes, but an even more staggering 57 million people in the United States have prediabetes, meaning they are at grave risk of developing this disease. And once a prediabetic person becomes diabetic, there is no turning back.

18 Nov 2010

NTU to develop Five Peaks of Excellence under 5-year strategic plan

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) today unveiled NTU 2015, a five-year strategic plan that maps out how the university will become a great global university by 2015. Under this blueprint, NTU will build on its current strengths and heritage to make its mark globally in sustainability, healthcare, new media, the best of the East and West, and innovation.

18 Nov 2010

Call for more transparency and improvements to drug safety in Canada

A commissioned discussion paper released today by the Health Council of Canada, Keeping an Eye on Prescription Drugs, Keeping Canadians Safe, underscores the many limitations to how drug safety and effectiveness is monitored and reported in Canada. The report provides clear recommendations for changes to the current system to ensure Canadians are safe from undue pharmaceutical harm.

18 Nov 2010

Technogym launches first U.S. wellness center

Technogym, a world leader in fitness and wellness, launches their first U.S. wellness center in the U.S. in Soho, New York, which will be a one-stop education center, retail location and showroom.

18 Nov 2010

CDS implements eRAD's ASP hosted teleradiology software solution

eRAD, a division of RadNet, Inc., an industry leader in Web-based RIS, PACS and Teleradiology solutions, announced teleradiology service provider Century Digitec Services, Inc. (CDS) has gone live on eRAD's ASP Hosted Teleradiology Software Platform.

18 Nov 2010

Study reveals higher levels of body fat among South Asian children living in the UK

South Asian children living in the UK have higher average levels of body fat than white European and black African Caribbean children in the UK. The findings show that body mass index (BMI), the most widely used tool to measure body composition, underestimated their body fat, and add to doubts about its use as a measure.

18 Nov 2010

Health literacy leads to less hospitalization for heart failure

Being able to read and understand words like anemia, hormones and seizure means a patient with heart failure may be less likely to be hospitalized, according to a new study from Emory University School of Medicine. Findings will be presented Nov. 17 at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions conference in Chicago.

18 Nov 2010

Urgent action needed to address urban health inequities

A new report published today by WHO and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) shows for the first time how ill-health is linked to poverty in cities, and not just among the poorest urban populations. It calls for policymakers to take action targeting health inequities.

18 Nov 2010

Despite progress in testing Americans for HIV, lack of federal/private insurance impedes expansion

With projections that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection rates are increasing in some populations, former Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop -- who charted the nation's policies on HIV/AIDS following the first deaths from AIDS in 1981 -- today issued a stern warning to the public health community: HIV/AIDS continues to be a major epidemic and requires a national mobilization to identify and provide immediate care for many Americans with HIV who remain undiagnosed -- an estimated 200,000 people.

18 Nov 2010

Ontario physicians produce positive results using EMRs

Ontario physicians using Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) are reporting that EMRs enable them to improve patient care and operate more efficient practices.

18 Nov 2010

PAREXEL reaches milestone in early phase studies

PAREXEL International Corporation, a leading global biopharmaceutical services provider, today announced that it reached a milestone of completing 200 early phase studies in patient populations during the past three years.

From Parexel 18 Nov 2010

MFA reports that senior and Medicaid markets drive health enrollment gains

The nation's leading health insurers saw an aggregate increase of 363,000 members for the first six months of 2010. Declining commercial enrollment was offset primarily by gains in products offered to seniors and growth in Medicaid business. Administrative Services Only (ASO) enrollment gained 1.4 million members from December 2009 to June 2010. All of the leading health plans saw year-over-year profitability improvement.

18 Nov 2010