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Beryl Institute awards $1,000 grants to health care organizations

As part of its commitment to supporting efforts to improve the patient experience in healthcare, The Beryl Institute has awarded $1,000 grants to ten health care organizations that are exploring effective methods for addressing patient experience issues.

20 Oct 2010

Experts at Ninth International Symposium discuss health effects and safety of S-equol

The latest research into the health effects and safety of a soy-based compound called S-equol was described in talks and presentations by experts at a special session on Tuesday, Oct. 19 during the Ninth International Symposium on the Role of Soy in Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention and Treatment, held Oct. 16 to 19 in Washington, D.C.

20 Oct 2010

U-M hopes to make concept of recycling pacemakers a life-saving reality

Millions worldwide die each year because they can't afford a pacemaker. Meanwhile heart patients in the United States say they'd be willing to donate theirs after death to someone in need.

20 Oct 2010

Hospital mortality rates decline by 7.98% from 2007 to 2009

A new independent study by HealthGrades of patient outcomes at America's hospitals found that patients at 5-star rated hospitals had a 72% lower risk of dying when compared with patients at 1-star-rated hospitals -- an enormous gap that has held steady over the past years even as overall mortality rates have improved.

20 Oct 2010

Project LAUNCH receives $19 million from SAMHSA

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is awarding over $19 million in Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children's Health) grants to tribal and community-based programs over the next five years. Project LAUNCH promotes the wellness of children from birth to eight years of age by addressing the physical, emotional, social, cognitive and behavioral aspects of their development.

20 Oct 2010

Studies explore efforts to measure, improve hospitals' surgical outcomes

Hospital Compare, an HHS website that allows patients to compare hospitals online using various indicators of quality, is intended to help them choose better facilities for their medical care. But a new report in the Archives of Surgery says the website doesn't help Medicare beneficiaries in need of certain high-risk surgeries find better facilities.

20 Oct 2010

AU launches African women's decade project to improve health, development

Delegates from around the world attended the launch of the African Women's Decade, 2010-2020, (AWD) at an event in Nairobi, Kenya, on Friday, the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation reports.

20 Oct 2010

LCRF receives 2.1 million dollar donation

The largest donation in the Lung Cancer Research Foundation's history was announced in New York today by LCRF founder Laurie C. Carson.

20 Oct 2010

Campaign claims examined as some democrats embrace health law in re-election bids

Kaiser Health News/The Washington Post analyze myths and facts in the congressional campaigns. "The debate that preceded passage of the health-care overhaul resumed as a heated issue in the midterm elections.

20 Oct 2010

Campaign claims: Health law myths and facts

Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby and The Washington Post's N.C. Aizenman report: "The debate that preceded passage of the health-care overhaul resumed as a heated issue in the midterm elections.

20 Oct 2010

$IOF urges health professionals and public to recognize signs of spinal fractures$

IOF urges health professionals and public to recognize signs of spinal fractures

A new report issued by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) for World Osteoporosis Day puts the spotlight on the severe impact of spinal fractures and calls on health professionals to recognize the signs of these fractures in their patients.

20 Oct 2010

Judge in Va. to rule on health law's mandate by year's end

A federal judge will rule by the end of the year on a Virginia challenge to the federal health law provision requiring people to buy insurance, The New York Times reports.

20 Oct 2010

When hospital checklists don't tell the whole story

Kaiser Health News staff writer Aimee Miles reports: "The whole idea behind HHS' Hospital Compare is simple: patients can shop around by putting in their zip codes and the website churns out a list of nearby hospitals, with detail on available services, care outcomes, patient satisfaction ratings and more.

20 Oct 2010

DOJ sues Michigan Blue Cross Blue Shield over pricing deals

The U.S. Justice Department is suing Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and alleging that it violated antitrust laws by forcing hospitals to charge higher prices to rival insurers.

20 Oct 2010

Health IT sector may face workforce shortage

A top federal health IT official said there is a workforce shortage in the sector that could hinder the widespread adoption of electronic medical records, but federal aide is on the way, for that, too. David Blumenthal, the national health IT coordinator, said federal training programs would meet 85 percent of the demand, which he estimated as a shortage of about 50,000 workers.

20 Oct 2010

BIOTRONIK EHR DataSync software offers advanced patient management capabilities

BIOTRONIK SE Co. & KG, a leading manufacturer of implantable cardiac devices, has announced the European release of BIOTRONIK EHR DataSync. The software supports physicians, hospitals and clinics by integrating routine follow-up details, BIOTRONIK Home Monitoring remote follow-up information and data from the company's cardiac device programmers - ICS 3000 and the new programmer, Renamic, soon to be launched across Europe.

20 Oct 2010

Reports examine drug company payments to doctors

ProPublica: "Drug companies say the millions of dollars they pay physicians for speaking and consulting justly compensates them for the laudable work of educating their colleagues. But a series of lawsuits brought by former employees of those companies allege the money often was used for illegal purposes — financially rewarding doctors for prescribing their brand-name medications.

20 Oct 2010

Feds ask Connecticut to reconsider rate hike approval, other health law implementation news

The Hartford Courant reports that a high-ranking health official in the Obama administration has asked Connecticut insurance regulators to reconsider allowing Blue Cross Blue Shield in Connecticut to raise health insurance rates by as much as 47 percent.

20 Oct 2010

ASBP reviews current rules of prescription medication to treat obesity in Kansas

In response to the alarming increase in the overweight and obese population in Kansas, a representative of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP) recently testified to the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts. ASBP is America's oldest and most experienced society devoted to the medical treatment of overweight and obesity and associated health conditions and risks.

20 Oct 2010