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Senior Scientific receives QTDP grants for cancer detection and treatment

Manhattan Scientifics, Inc. (OTCBB: MHTX) announced that Senior Scientific LLC is the recipient of four grants totaling $702,899 awarded by the Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Grant Program.

10 Nov 2010

Common foot disorders more prevalent among African Americans

Common foot disorders such as flat feet, corns and bunions are more prevalent among African Americans than in whites, a new study by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers has found.

10 Nov 2010

Health reform policy: Flexible spending, device taxes and waivers

One health law provision will be a bummer for people who use the tax-free dollars stored in flexible spending accounts, Kaiser Health News reports. "Starting in January, you'll no longer be able to use your FSA for over-the-counter drugs and medicines unless you have a doctor's prescription. Experts agree that the new rules will likely discourage people from tapping their FSAs for routine purchases of aspirin, vitamins, cough medicine and other drugstore essentials" (Andrews, 11/8).

10 Nov 2010

Investigations examine Medicare’s dialysis system, CT scanners and drugs

ProPublica reports on the costs and risks associated with dialysis: "In 1972, after a month of deliberation, Congress launched the nation's most ambitious experiment in universal health care: a change to the Social Security Act that granted comprehensive coverage under Medicare to virtually anyone diagnosed with kidney failure, regardless of age or income.

10 Nov 2010

Republicans' committee plans take shape amid health reform questions

The Hill: "House Ways and Means Chairman-to-be Dave Camp (R-Mich.) is making his case for repealing and replacing the healthcare overhaul, touting his own version of a bill that he says would reduce premiums." Camp made his case in a USA Today editorial and says the GOP plan would reduce premiums by up to 10 percent. Camp says his plan would reform medical malpractice lawsuits, allow Americans to buy health insurance across state lines, and gives "states the flexibility to make changes that best meet the needs of their residents."

10 Nov 2010

Survey says majority of voters want some or all of health law repealed

The Washington Post: "A new Kaiser Family Foundation post-election poll suggests that a majority of people who voted on Nov. 2 favor repealing some or all of the health-care legislation passed by the Democratic-controlled Congress and signed into law by President Obama earlier this year. ... Political strategists continue to debate just how much of an impact healthcare had on the 2010 midterms.

10 Nov 2010

Doctor ties to drug companies decline, but remain high, survey finds

The Associated Press: "Doctors have sharply cut some financial ties to drug companies, thanks to increased scrutiny about relationships that critics say improperly influence medical treatment," a survey published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found.

10 Nov 2010

Federal inspectors crack down on corrupt drug company executives

"Federal inspectors want to prevent drug-company executives from doing business with the U.S. government when their companies are convicted of Medicare fraud," The Washington Post reports. New guidelines from the Department of Health and Human Services say "executives can be barred from contracting with federal health programs when they knew, or if the inspector general concludes they should have known, about fraud at their firms."

10 Nov 2010

Doctors urge Congress to delay pay cuts — again

Doctors are renewing their campaign to get Congress to block a 23 percent cut to Medicare reimbursements that would begin Dec. 1, the Los Angeles Times reports. The cuts — part of a 1997 law designed to control Medicare costs — are a lingering issue that Congress and doctors typically address at least once a year.

10 Nov 2010

Gov't health IT spending attracts investments from all over

As part of its foray into health IT, AT&T has partnered with WellDoc, a Baltimore-based company that makes an FDA-approved mobile-phone application to help manage diabetes, The Baltimore Sun reports. "The telecommunications giant launched a new business segment last week that will focus on technology solutions for the health care industry. And WellDoc's software will be pitched by AT&T's huge marketing muscle to commercial clients ranging from hospitals to insurers to employers" (Sentementes, 11/8).

10 Nov 2010

Nursing homes fear Medicaid cuts under GOP-led House

The nursing home industry is concerned about pending Medicaid cuts, news outlets report.

9 Nov 2010

Insuring your health: OTC medicines cut from 2011 flexible spending accounts

In her latest Kaiser Health News consumer column, Michelle Andrews writes: "The health-care overhaul has taken some of the flex out of flexible spending accounts, which let workers pay medical expenses with pretax dollars. Starting in January, you'll no longer be able to use your FSA for over-the-counter drugs and medicines unless you have a doctor's prescription" (11/9).

9 Nov 2010

Poll: Economy -- not health law -- topped voters' concerns

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz reports: "Health care ranked fourth among factors that influenced how people voted last week, according to the monthly Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll that was released Tuesday" (Kaiser Health News).

9 Nov 2010

Health advice on NHS website saves £44 million per year

The latest study has shown that as more people self diagnose using the NHS Choices website, Britain’s national healthcare service saves millions of pounds every year. The website was launched three years ago. Last year more than 100 million visits were recorded at the site which offers patients a quick reference guide to illnesses, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. Overall, there was a 10% increase in the number of visits to the website in 2010 compared to 2009. Some 19 million people logged on to NHS Choices for information on swine flu.

9 Nov 2010

First Edition: November 9, 2010

Today's news includes reports about the Supreme Court's decision regarding an early challenge to the health law.

9 Nov 2010

Changes in Medicare policies may hamper supply of power wheelchairs

Will power wheelchairs continue to be available to Nevada's Medicare patients following a series of federal regulatory and policy changes?

9 Nov 2010

Study says looking older does not necessarily point to poor health

Even though most adults want to avoid looking older than their actual age, research led by St. Michael's Hospital shows that looking older does not necessarily point to poor health. The study found that a person needed to look at least 10 years older than their actual age before assumptions about their health could be made.

9 Nov 2010

Excessive texting and networking raise new health concerns for teens

Texting while driving can be a deadly combination for teenagers. Yet, new data released today reveal that the dangers of excessive texting among teens are not limited to the road. Hyper-texting and hyper-networking are now giving rise to a new health risk category for this age group.

9 Nov 2010

Late retirement or cancellation of compulsory retirement needs to be encouraged

Workers who agreed to take early retirement were likely to not have considered that option if it hadn't been for pressure at the workplace to do so. This has been revealed in a new study carried out at the University of Haifa that examined the significance of early retirement. "A policy of late retirement or canceling compulsory retirement ought to be encouraged.

9 Nov 2010

Data breaches of patient information cost healthcare organizations $6 billion annually

The latest benchmark study by Ponemon Institute, sponsored by ID Experts®, finds that data breaches of patient information cost healthcare organizations nearly $6 billion annually, and that many breaches go undetected. The research indicates that protecting patient data is a low priority for hospitals and that organizations have little confidence in their ability to secure patient records, putting individuals at great risk for medical identity theft, financial theft and embarrassment of exposure of private information.

9 Nov 2010