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ASD-related health care expenditures escalate in state Medicaid programs

Autism was described as early as 1940, but a marked increase in the prevalence for the broader class of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) during the past decade highlights the demand for treatment of affected individuals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the prevalence of ASD was one in 110 children in 2006 and increased at an average annual rate of 57% between 2002 and 2006. The rising prevalence has heightened concern about the financial impact of treating ASDs in the private and public health care systems.

25 Oct 2010

Candidates debating health law as election nears

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) needled President Obama upon his planned campaign stop in the state on Saturday. Pawlenty, a potential Republican candidate to challenge Obama in 2012, leveled criticisms against the president.

25 Oct 2010

Opinions: U.S. aid for Haiti delays; U.S. Medical Education Initiative

In a Washington Examiner opinion piece, Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) writes about U.S. aid to Haiti and addresses allegations that he is holding up funding The situation in Haiti is confusing, but there are some things we know. First, we know that immediately after the earthquake the United States responded quickly and compassionately with aid and relief.

25 Oct 2010

Hepatitis C from anesthetist case assumes new proportions

According to Victoria’s chief health officer yesterday, another 1,100 people would be screened for hepatitis C that could have come from contact with an infected doctor at more than one clinic.

24 Oct 2010

AlloSource receives Foothills Award from CPEx

AlloSource, one of the nation's largest non-profit providers of skin, bone and soft tissue allografts for use in surgical procedures and the world's largest processor of live cellular bone growth substitutes, today announced its receipt of the Foothills Award from Colorado Performance Excellence (CPEx), a statewide non-profit that helps organizations improve performance and achieve results.

22 Oct 2010

Quest Diagnostics reports use of prescription opiates by American workers has increased by 40%

According to the American Council for Drug Education, more than 70 percent of substance abusers hold a job, which increases their risk of work related injury to them or others. While this statistic includes abuse of both legal and illegal drugs, Quest Diagnostics, a diagnostic testing company, reported the use of prescription opiates by American workers and job applicants has increased by 40% since 2005.

From Quest Diagnostics 22 Oct 2010

UTHealth renewed as 'Center of Excellence' by NIDA

By delivering an innovative, interdisciplinary approach to drug abuse and addiction research, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) has been renewed as a "Center of Excellence" by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health.

22 Oct 2010

Primary care-based patient navigation can reduce healthcare disparities

A new research study conducted by Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) shows that patient navigation services significantly improve biennial mammography screening rates among inner city women. The results, published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, indicate the importance of patient navigation in reducing health disparities in vulnerable patient populations.

22 Oct 2010

First Edition: October 22, 2010

Today's headlines detail the National Association of Insurance Commissioners vote on recommendations regarding a key provision of the health law.

22 Oct 2010

BIOCOM selects partneringONE platform for Global Life Science Partnering Conference

EBD Group, the leading partnering firm for the global life science industry, today announced that BIOCOM has selected partneringONE as the partnering platform for its inaugural Global Life Science Partnering Conference to be held February 22–24, 2011 at the Estancia Hotel and Spa in La Jolla, California. This conference is an exclusive global partnering and networking forum for senior executives and business development professionals of the life science industry.

22 Oct 2010

New technology could prove effective in mentoring general surgeons in remote locations

Telementoring may be an effective way for subspecialist surgeons to assist remotely located general surgeons in the care of patients in need of emergency subspecialty surgical procedures, according to new research findings published in the September issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

22 Oct 2010

Justice dept. pushes for services to move patients out of mental hospitals

A sweeping agreement this week between the Justice Department and the state of Georgia highlights an aggressive new campaign by the Obama administration to ensure that people with mental illness and developmental disabilities can get services in their communities and not be forced to live in institutions.

22 Oct 2010

PSST training helps mothers to cope with stress associated with child's disease

Mothers who have children diagnosed with cancer now have a better approach to address and cope with stresses associated with their child's disease. A new certified intervention has proven to be more effective long term compared to other psychological methods, as reported today at the 42nd Congress of the International Society of Pediatric Oncology.

22 Oct 2010

Health care fraud roundup: 30-year sentence for doctor upheld; KY. cracks down

An appeals court has upheld a 30-year prison term for a Medicare fraudster in Florida. Dr. Ana Alvarez-Jacinto, a Miami endocrinologist, was convicted of health care fraud and sentenced to 30 years behind bars.

22 Oct 2010

Nurses in health care facilities may perform better through harm reduction strategies: Researchers

University of Maryland School of Nursing researchers say nurses in hospitals and other health care facilities may perform better by following the lead of airlines, trucking, and nuclear plants, by limiting hours of service, ensuring prompt and definite breaks during shifts, and other scheduling strategies.

22 Oct 2010

Patients are under-informed about treatments; Home-based care gains popularity

A survey of more than 3,000 patients age 40 and older reveals that physicians often leave information out when they present treatment plans to patients, who "hear far more from doctors about the pros than cons of medications, tests and surgeries." Often, "physicians tend to offer opinions, not options, the researchers found, and rarely mention to patients that they can decide not to do anything," according to the study, which was funded by the Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making.

22 Oct 2010

Participants explore role of pediatric oncology nurses at APHON 34th Annual Convention

"While this is a topic most people - even nurses - avoid, it was a most informative presentation for me," said a participant in the session on "The Art of Pediatric Palliative Care Nursing" at the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses 34th Annual Convention, October 14-16, 2010, in Minneapolis, MN.

22 Oct 2010

American Academy takes measures to attract women to become orthopaedic surgeons

Only 3.9 percent of orthopaedic surgeons and 13.8 percent of orthopaedic residents are women, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. The academy is working to attract more women to the specialty by placing advertisements in medical student publications and sponsoring booths at medical student meetings.

22 Oct 2010

KHN column: Yeah, those emergency rooms are crowded

"Almost everyone understands that our emergency medical care system has real problems. Yet a surprising number of people, on many sides of the policy debate, wrongly view reducing emergency department use as a key measure of health reform's success" (10/21).

22 Oct 2010

Mount Sinai School of Medicine launches inner-city mental health program for children

Research has shown that nearly 40 percent of youth in low-income communities exhibit significant mental health needs - needs which remain largely unaddressed due to a myriad of barriers, including system-level obstacles, such as waiting lists, stigma related to seeking mental health care, poverty, family stress and competing priorities.

22 Oct 2010