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Lawsuits scaring Australian doctors away: Study

The latest study shows that Australian doctors are now so afraid of being sued by patients that one third are considering giving up medicine. The study looked at nearly 3,000 specialists, general practitioners and trainees. Alarmingly 32% are considering reducing their work hours and 40 per cent are considering early retirement.

14 Nov 2010

Pennsylvania health giant reports $93 million profit as outpatient demand surges

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Health giant UPMC will add 815 new full-time jobs through next June, officials announced yesterday after posting a strong first-quarter income. More than half of the jobs -- or about 430 -- will be throughout UPMC's network of 20 hospitals. They include physicians, nurses, food service workers, housekeepers and administrators, said Rob DeMichiei, senior vice president and chief financial officer.

12 Nov 2010

Research roundup: Doctors' industry ties; Patient safety and residents' hours; Designing a medical home

Archives of Internal Medicine: Physician Professionalism And Changes in Physician-Industry Relationships From 2004 to 2009 -"During the last 6 years a number of efforts have aimed to reduce, and in some cases eliminate, certain types of physician-industry relationships (PIRs)," including policies "that forbid physicians from accepting samples and receiving food and beverages in offices, limiting company representatives' access to physicians' offices and clinical areas, and banning faculty participation in speaker bureaus and other forms of promotional activity," write the authors.

12 Nov 2010

States' woes spur Medicaid drop-out talk

This story, a collaboration between Kaiser Health News' Marilyn Werber Serafini, the Kaiser Family Foundation's Robin Toner Distinguished Fellow, and the Texas Tribune's Emily Ramshaw, reports on Medicaid developments: "A week after newly emboldened Republicans in the Texas Legislature floated a radical cost-saving proposal — opting out of the federal Medicaid program — health care experts, economists and think tanks are trying to determine just how serious they are, and if it would even be possible" (Ramshaw and Serafini, 11/12).

12 Nov 2010

Changes to flexible spending accounts raise concerns

NPR reports on the upcoming change to flexible spending accounts, when "you'll no longer be able to set aside pretax dollars in that account to use for medicines bought without a doctor's prescription," and looks at the "loophole" that may allow consumers to use FSA dollars on over-the-counter medication if they obtain a prescription for it.

12 Nov 2010

EMS World Magazine announces winners of 2010 Top Innovation Awards

EMS World Magazine, the leading monthly publication for the emergency medical services market, has announced the winners of the 2010 Top Innovation Awards, which recognize the industry's most innovative products of the year. The winners were chosen by industry expert and EMS World Magazine Editorial Advisory Board Member Mike Smith, BS, MICP. The awards will be presented at the Texas EMS State Conference in Austin, TX, November 21-24.

12 Nov 2010

First Edition: November 12, 2010

Today's headlines include examinations of Medicaid and state budget issues as well as the next round of the congressional health overhaul fight.

12 Nov 2010

Progressive report recommends new practices to manage errors in HIT systems

An original and progressive report on health information technology (HIT) vendors, their customers and patients, published online today, makes ground-breaking recommendations for new practices that target the reduction or elimination of tensions that currently mar relationships between many HIT vendors and their customers, specifically with regard to indemnity and error management of HIT systems.

12 Nov 2010

Plant-based respiratory allergies on the rise due to climate change

Bad news for 35 million allergy sufferers - ragweed, fungal spores and poison ivy are thriving due to rising carbon dioxide levels. At the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Phoenix, Nov. 11-16, allergists and scientists discussed the effects of rising CO2 levels and a changing climate on plant biology and public health.

12 Nov 2010

LUHS executive named Joan L. Shaver Illinois Outstanding Nurse Leader

Paula Hindle, MSN, MBA, RN, has been named the Joan L. Shaver Illinois Outstanding Nurse Leader. Hindle is the vice president of health-care services and the chief nurse executive at Loyola University Health System (LUHS). She will receive this award at the 13th Annual Power of Nursing Leadership Event on Friday, Nov. 19, at the Hilton Hotel in Chicago.

12 Nov 2010

MEDecision publishes e-book to support PCMH implementations

MEDecision, Inc., a leading provider of collaborative healthcare management solutions, on November 4 published an e-book, The Patient-Centered Medical Home: The Cornerstone of Healthcare Transformation.

12 Nov 2010

Five Grand Challenges for Earth system

The international scientific community has identified five Grand Challenges that, if addressed in the next decade, will deliver knowledge to enable sustainable development, poverty eradication, and environmental protection in the face of global change. The Grand Challenges for Earth system science, published today, are the result of broad consultation as part of a visioning process spearheaded by the International Council for Science (ICSU) in cooperation with the International Social Science Council (ISSC).

12 Nov 2010

Eight students to receive Hartford Doctoral Fellowship in geriatric social work

Eight outstanding students have been chosen as the newest recipients of the prestigious Hartford Doctoral Fellowship in geriatric social work. The program is funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation, administered by The Gerontological Society of America, and directed by James Lubben, DSW, MPH.

12 Nov 2010

Working of doctor's office

While undergoing an X-ray, Holly Gage, of Bowmansville, Pa., shared details about her medical concerns with the technician and asked questions about the results, only to find out the technician wasn't permitted to answer them.

12 Nov 2010

EBS-RMSCO develops integrated solution to enhance service delivery

To meet the needs of employers challenged with offering competitive yet cost-effective employee benefits, leading benefits administrator EBS-RMSCO, Inc. has developed diversified, integrated services. The company added to their set of services web-based data integration, analysis and reporting solutions from Benefit Informatics to enhance service delivery.

12 Nov 2010

Garden State Pain and Radiology Centers announces migration to eRAD's integrated RIS/PACS

eRAD, a division of RadNet, Inc., an industry leader in workflow solutions through its native Web-based RIS, PACS and Teleradiology software platform, announced today the purchase of eRAD's integrated RIS/PACS software by Garden State Pain and Radiology Centers located in New Jersey.

12 Nov 2010

DOD-funded METRC consortium receives $38.6 million grant to improve care for wounded service members

One of two dozen major trauma centers named to be a part of the Department of Defense-funded Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium (METRC), Saint Louis University will work to improve treatment for wounded service members and civilians. The partnership aims to conduct research to improve the care of major orthopaedic injuries sustained on the battlefield.

12 Nov 2010

Mutual accountability on women's and children's health goals essential to Millennium Development Goal success

This year, governments, foundations, businesses, multilateral organizations, non-governmental organizations and health care professional associations publicly pledged more than $ 40 billion* to improve maternal and child health and save million of lives.

12 Nov 2010

New leaders in Congress called upon to fix restrictions on flexible spending accounts

Save Flexible Spending Plans today called on the new leaders in Congress to follow through on their campaign promises to fix problems with the health care reform law, including restrictions on employer-provided flexible spending accounts (FSAs).

12 Nov 2010

Survey highlights complex ethical issues confronting physicians

WebMD Health Corp., the leading source of health information, today released the findings of a survey from Medscape, the company's physician destination that provides new insight into doctors' attitudes about some of the most frequent and wrenching medical ethical issues of our time.

12 Nov 2010