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Doctors reluctant to report colleagues for being impaired, incompetent

The Associated Press: "Your doctor could be drunk, addicted to drugs or outright incompetent, but other physicians may not blow the whistle. A new survey finds that many American physicians fail to report troubled colleagues to authorities, believing that someone else will take care of it, that nothing will happen if they act or that they could be targeted for retribution.

15 Jul 2010

A new practice: The doctor will see you

Catherine Arnst, writing for Kaiser Health News in collaboration with The Boston Globe, reports: "Dr. Dennis M. Dimitri, a family physician, runs a pretty unusual office. Few appointments are accepted in advance. Instead, patients call in the morning and are assigned a time slot later that day.

15 Jul 2010

Final rules for e-health rewards unveiled

The federal government has issued new regulations defining the "meaningful use" of electronic medical records, a requirement doctors must fulfill in order to gain funds from a $27-billion pot set aside in the 2009 stimulus law, The New York Times reports. "A doctor can receive up to $44,000 under Medicare and $63,750 under Medicaid, while a hospital can receive millions of dollars, depending on its size."

15 Jul 2010

Health insurers confront dual uncertainties of recession, overhaul

Health insurers' Wall Street prospects remain uncertain as details of the health overhaul have yet to be mapped out, according to a Dow Jones Newswires/The Wall Street Journal brief. "While the federal overhaul of the health-care system could add millions of new members to companies' rolls, it also places new taxes and restrictions on the industry.

15 Jul 2010

First Lady, HHS Secretary to discuss new preventive health care coverage under Affordable Care Act

On Wednesday, at 2:15 PM EDT, First Lady Michelle Obama, Dr. Jill Biden, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will join doctors, nurses, families, and leaders from health community to make an announcement regarding new preventive health care coverage made available under the Affordable Care Act at George Washington University Hospital.

14 Jul 2010

Thomson Reuters' report on path to eliminate $3.6 trillion in wasteful healthcare spending

A report issued by Thomson Reuters and shared in part at the Aspen Ideas Festival on July 10th, indicates that a combination of better coordinated public and private sector care; stronger patient awareness of health risks and wellness; and application of improved information systems to eliminate fraud and abuse could lead to a 50% reduction in wasteful spending in healthcare, saving 3.6 trillion dollars over the next decade.

14 Jul 2010

Verizon Health Information Exchange to be available soon to share patient information

One of the biggest obstacles to sharing patient information electronically is that health care systems and providers use a wide range of incompatible IT platforms and software to create and store data in various formats. A new service – the Verizon Health Information Exchange – will soon be available via the "cloud" to address this challenge.

14 Jul 2010

First Edition: July 14, 2010

Today's headlines reflect coverage of new federal rules related to "meaningful use" of electronic health records as well as the latest on the federal deficit, the White House's new HIV/AIDS strategy and other developments.

14 Jul 2010

No valid, adequate criteria for certifying an illness as terminal: Study

Physicians that have to decide whether an illness is terminal think that "there are not valid and adequate criteria for certifying that an illness is terminal". This is the conclusion drawn from a pioneer study conducted at the University of Granada, and recently published in the International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology (IJCHP).

14 Jul 2010

Microtest white paper guides medical device manufacturers in applying new FDA regulations to combination products

A new free, white paper that guides medical device manufacturers in the complicated process of applying new U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations to combination products embedded with pharmaceutical or biologic components is now available from Microtest Laboratories (http://www.microtestlabs.com/combination-products-20/)

14 Jul 2010

Medsphere Systems voices support for meaningful use criteria to improve patient care

Medsphere Systems Corporation, the leading provider of open-source healthcare enterprise solutions, today voiced support for the official "meaningful use" requirements released by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT. These recently announced requirements will be used to determine hospitals' eligibility for millions in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus funds associated with deploying health IT solutions to improve patient care.

14 Jul 2010

Health care industry does not have routine ways to prevent patient harm, expert argues

In health care reform discussions, talk inevitably turns to making hospitals and physicians accountable for patient outcomes. But in a commentary being published in the July 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, Johns Hopkins patient safety expert Peter Pronovost, M.D., Ph.D., argues that the health care industry doesn't yet have measurable, achievable and routine ways to prevent patient harm — and that, in many cases, there are too many barriers in the way to attain them.

14 Jul 2010

Elsevier announces new Procedures Consult Mobile application

Elsevier, the world's leading publisher of scientific, technical, and medical information products and services, announced today that physicians, residents and students will be able to visualize and review over 300 top medical procedures on their mobile devices with the launch of Procedures Consult Mobile. As the use of smartphones increases in the clinical setting, access to mobile resources proves to be an essential tool for verifying physicians' knowledge and skills before conducting a procedure.

14 Jul 2010

White House introduces comprehensive action plan for the U.S. response to HIV/AIDS

Today, the White House introduced a comprehensive action plan for the U.S. response to HIV/AIDS. The landmark plan will serve as a roadmap for policymakers, community organizations, and the public on how to reduce new HIV infections, get people living with HIV into care, and decrease HIV-related health disparities in the United States.

14 Jul 2010

Study evaluates physicians' experiences related to colleagues who are impaired to practice medicine

A survey of physicians finds that while most support the professional commitment to report other physicians who they feel are incompetent or impaired, such as from alcohol or drug use, when faced with this situation, many did not follow through on making a report, according to a study in the July 14 issue of JAMA.

14 Jul 2010

PCMA issues statement on release of 'meaningful use' final rules in HITECH Act

Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) President and CEO Mark Merritt issued the following statement on the release of today's "meaningful use" final rules in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act:

14 Jul 2010

CSMLS pleased with Newfoundland and Labrador's regulation of Medical Laboratory Technologists

The Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science (CSMLS) is pleased to see new legislation passed in Newfoundland and Labrador regulating certain health professions, including Medical Laboratory Technologists. The recently passed legislation, brought forward by the Ministry of Health and Community Services, directly addresses the recommendations made by Justice Margaret Cameron in the Commission of Inquiry on Hormone Receptor Testing Report.

14 Jul 2010

Study finds substantial regional variation in treatment practices for older adults with ESRD

There is substantial regional variation in treatment practices for care of older adults with end-stage renal disease, including receipt of hospice care and discontinuation of dialysis before death, according to a study in the July 14 issue of JAMA.

14 Jul 2010

Pelosi applauds Obama Administration's release of National HIV/AIDS Strategy

The National HIV/AIDS Strategy represents the nation's first comprehensive plan to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS in this country. The strategy sets specific targets and provides detailed implementation information on the steps we must take to increase access to high quality HIV/AIDS care and treatment, decrease new HIV infections, and reduce HIV-related health disparities.

14 Jul 2010

Eban-based HIV/STD risk-reduction intervention improves safe-sex habits among high-risk African-American couples

A new study has found that heterosexual African American couples in which only one partner is HIV-positive practiced safer sexual behaviors after participating in a culturally specific intervention program designed to reduce the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

14 Jul 2010

Healthcare News

Doctors reluctant to report colleagues for being impaired, incompetent

A new practice: The doctor will see you

Final rules for e-health rewards unveiled

Health insurers confront dual uncertainties of recession, overhaul

First Lady, HHS Secretary to discuss new preventive health care coverage under Affordable Care Act

Thomson Reuters' report on path to eliminate $3.6 trillion in wasteful healthcare spending

Verizon Health Information Exchange to be available soon to share patient information

First Edition: July 14, 2010

No valid, adequate criteria for certifying an illness as terminal: Study

Microtest white paper guides medical device manufacturers in applying new FDA regulations to combination products

Medsphere Systems voices support for meaningful use criteria to improve patient care

Health care industry does not have routine ways to prevent patient harm, expert argues

Elsevier announces new Procedures Consult Mobile application

White House introduces comprehensive action plan for the U.S. response to HIV/AIDS

Study evaluates physicians' experiences related to colleagues who are impaired to practice medicine

PCMA issues statement on release of 'meaningful use' final rules in HITECH Act

CSMLS pleased with Newfoundland and Labrador's regulation of Medical Laboratory Technologists

Study finds substantial regional variation in treatment practices for older adults with ESRD

Pelosi applauds Obama Administration's release of National HIV/AIDS Strategy

Eban-based HIV/STD risk-reduction intervention improves safe-sex habits among high-risk African-American couples

Exploring the nanoscale: How AFM is transforming cosmetic science

Innovating Texture and Culture in Plant-Based Foods

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

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