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ESC pleased with European Health Award recognition for Chronic Disease Alliance

The European Society of Cardiology is delighted to see the European Health Award 2010 handed to the Chronic Disease Alliance at the 13th European Health Forum held in Gastein 6 - 9 October 2010.

11 Oct 2010

Doctors, med students face higher risks of suicide

News outlets report on workforce issues for doctors, including elevated suicide risk and hesitance to e-mail with patients.

11 Oct 2010

Research roundup: Examining comparative effectiveness research and changes in Medicare Part D

Health Affairs: The Potential Impact Of Comparative Effectiveness Research On The Health Of Minority Populations -- This is part of a collection of reports this month on comparative effectiveness research. Studies that compare how different treatments work is a focus of the new health law because advocates believe it could help hold down costs.

11 Oct 2010

CDC, national leaders issue recommendations to standardize testosterone tests

The use of testosterone assays for patient care and research is on the rise as new research links testosterone to a variety of diseases and conditions. Although the assays are heavily used, discrepancies and inaccuracies in measurements resulting from the various assays are widespread.

11 Oct 2010

Democrats still wonder: Run on health reform or against it?

The Fiscal Times reports that some Democrats are trying to decide whether they should run for re-election on health reform or against it. "A new poll suggests it's not so clear-cut, and some Democrats seem to agree.

11 Oct 2010

Restaurant food makes people fat

If you think you eat healthier at the Sunburst Fresh Caf- than at Big Jims Beefy BBQ, you might be wrong. You could be a victim of the "Health Halo."

11 Oct 2010

Study finds inconsistencies in methods to identify CA-BSI infection in pediatric patients

A new study looking at how hospitals identify pediatric patients who develop catheter-associated bloodstream infections (CA-BSI) found significant inconsistencies in the methods used to report the number of patients who develop them.

11 Oct 2010

IPS examines water, sanitation MDG Targets

Inter Press Service looks at the U.N. Human Rights Council's (HRC) endorsement of water and sanitation as a basic human right last week, and the reality that water and sanitation have remained two of the most neglected sub-texts of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which came under scrutiny at the MDG summit in September.

11 Oct 2010

Aetna, other insurers develop plans to help cut costs

Health insurer Aetna Inc. is developing plans to pay a major San Diego medical group enhanced fees for providing extra services to keep patients healthier, and to share any resulting cost savings.

11 Oct 2010

Administration's waivers of health law raise questions about 'mini-med' plans

The White House on Thursday defended granting waivers to some employers from a key provision of the new health care law, saying it was the best way to keep people insured until the law fully takes effect.

11 Oct 2010

Are 'mini-med' plan waivers a good idea?

Kaiser Health News staff writer Andrew Villegas asks two experts with differing views whether it was a good idea for the Obama administration to grant one-year waivers to about 30 insurers, employers and union health plans to continue offering what are dubbed "mini-med" insurance plans.

11 Oct 2010

Opinions: Learning to live with malaria; U.S. food aid policy; foreign aid reform

Recent discoveries of a possible wild reservoir for humankind's most malignant malaria, some 130 years after the discovery of the malaria parasite, could mean that it will be impossible to eradicate malaria,Sonia Shah, the author of The Fever, How Malaria Has Ruled Humankind for 500,000 Years,observes in an International Herald Tribune opinion piece.

11 Oct 2010

Political Ads, rhetoric on health law heating up races in Alaska, Nevada, Pennsylvania

Alaska Senate candidate Joe Miller said this week that his family took benefits years ago from Medicaid and a state program for low-income children and pregnant women despite his criticism of entitlement programs, The Associated Press reports.

11 Oct 2010

Tobacco consumption raises risk of death in comparison with non-smokers

Researchers from the Polytechnic University of Cartagena (UPCT) estimate that each pack of cigarettes really costs €107 for men and €75 for women, when premature death is taken into account. These figures confirm previous studies, and are of key importance in the cost-benefit analysis of smoking-prevention policies.

8 Oct 2010

Young adults continue to represent Americans without health insurance

Young adults continue to represent one of the largest groups of Americans without health insurance, with nearly 15 million people aged 19-29 uninsured in 2009-an increase of more than 1 million over 2008, according to a Commonwealth Fund report released today. However, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is poised to make a significant difference for this population, as up to 12.1 million could gain subsidized insurance once all of the law's provisions go into effect in 2014.

8 Oct 2010

Fish located near coal-fired power plants can pose public health problems

A new study from North Carolina State University finds that fish located near coal-fired power plants have lower levels of mercury than fish that live much further away. The surprising finding appears to be linked to high levels of another chemical, selenium, found near such facilities, which unfortunately poses problems of its own.

8 Oct 2010

AFA quarterly magazine features President Obama as guest columnist

President Obama is featured as a guest columnist in the latest issue of the Alzheimer's Foundation of America's (AFA) quarterly magazine for caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related illnesses, care ADvantage. In his column, he outlines important provisions in the Affordable Care Act that are relevant to the Alzheimer's community, such as health insurance, drug coverage and long-term care.

8 Oct 2010

Lee National Denim Day event raises $4-$5 million fund for breast cancer

It didn't matter if they were faded, straight leg, boot cut or distressed; hundreds of thousands of people put on jeans with Felicity Huffman to celebrate Lee National Denim Day. The event has become one of the largest single-day fundraisers for breast cancer, and through $5 donations, has raised an estimated $4-$5 million for the Women's Cancer Programs of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), bringing the 15-year total to nearly $85 million.

8 Oct 2010

Reverby writes commentary for Bioethics Forum on syphilis study

The researcher whose revelations about unethical U.S. studies on syphilis in Guatemala in the 1940's led to apologies from the Obama administration last week has written a commentary for Bioethics Forum, the Hastings Center's online publication. She calls for the need to learn from history to better protect human subjects in the developing world.

8 Oct 2010

Progress made with enactment of ADA, but people still face challenges: Disability and Health Journal

In recognition of the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the October issue of Disability and Health Journal has brought together a series of articles to examine whether the ADA has in fact improved the health of people with disabilities. Areas of progress are identified, most notably acknowledging physical barriers and need for better staff training and communication about and with people with disabilities.

8 Oct 2010