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Highlights of AAPM 52nd meeting

The 52nd meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) convenes from July 18 - 22, 2010 in Philadelphia, PA.

14 Jul 2010

Russians show less distress compared to Americans: Research

Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy portrayed Russians as a brooding, complicated people, and ethnographers have confirmed that Russians tend to focus on dark feelings and memories more than Westerners do. But a new University of Michigan study finds that even though Russians tend to brood, they are less likely than Americans to feel as depressed as a result.

14 Jul 2010

RAF and MWHC to open new Imaging Center for Women

The new Imaging Center for Women will open for patients on July 19 at 10 a.m., just after a ceremonial ribbon cutting. The three-story angular glass and brick building on Mary Washington Healthcare's campus is located between the community hospital and Cowan Boulevard. Staff will move from the current facility in the Tompkins Martin Building July 15 and 16 in preparation for the opening.

14 Jul 2010

Doctors warn using domestic spoons can result in drug overdose

Parents are being urged not to use domestic spoons to give children medicine after a study found significant differences in capacity.

14 Jul 2010

Menthol does not increase smoking-related disease risk, says tobacco company

Lorillard Tobacco Company today released a submission to the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC) of the Food and Drug Administration, urging TPSAC to use objectivity and a single scientific standard in considering all worthy studies on the health effects of menthol in cigarettes rather than cherry picking studies and misrepresenting findings.

14 Jul 2010

Release of National HIV/AIDS Strategy demonstrates Obama’s commitment, dedication

Today's release of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) by the Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) demonstrates the dedication and commitment of the Obama administration to fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States. The three pillars of the NHAS -- Reducing Incidence, Increasing Access to Care and Reducing Health Disparities – offer a blueprint for an effective response to the disease domestically, and an opportunity for all of us in the corporate, philanthropic and HIV communities to come together to establish clear goals and measurable outcomes to affect real change.

14 Jul 2010

Call for clarification, education on enactment of new FSA restriction

A provision of health care reform could blindside consumers and create an administrative nightmare for providers and retailers as its January 1, 2011 implementation date draws closer. Without intervention, the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act, passed earlier this year, will require consumers to obtain a physician's "prescription" in order to use their pre-tax flexible spending accounts (FSAs) to pay for over-the-counter (OTC) medicines other than insulin.

14 Jul 2010

HHS Secretary, U.S. Attorney General to kick-off Miami fraud prevention summit

On Friday, July 16, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will kick off the first in a series of day-long summits bringing together a wide array of federal, state, and local partners, beneficiaries, providers, and other interested parties to discuss innovative ways to eliminate fraud within the U.S. health care system. The summit will include educational panels featuring law enforcement officials, consumer experts, providers, and key government agencies.

14 Jul 2010

Medtronic launches educational campaign to promote awareness on spasticity

Medtronic, Inc. today announced the launch of an educational campaign, called Release Your Potential, that is designed to raise awareness of spasticity, a condition that makes it difficult to voluntarily relax muscles.

14 Jul 2010

NCPDP pleased with HHS' adoption of SCRIPT Standard to achieve Meaningful Use

The National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) today acknowledges and applauds the U.S. Health and Human Services Department (HHS) on its Final Rules announcement on "meaningful use" of an Electronic Health Record (EHR), including the adoption of NCPDP SCRIPT Standard for the secure, electronic transmission of prescriptions and prescription-related information.

14 Jul 2010

Loyola primary care physicians honored with Blue Ribbon rating from Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Loyola University Health System primary care physicians recently received a Blue Ribbon rating from Blue Cross and Blue Shield. This honor is given to physicians who have received a satisfaction rate of 85 percent or higher based on a member survey.

14 Jul 2010

Therapeutic workbook to facilitate healing process in Haitian children

"When children can tell their stories about a traumatic event in their own words or pictures and at their own speed, healing can begin," says Dr. Jodie Kliman, psychologist and professor at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP) in Boston. That is why Kliman led MSPP's collaboration with the Children's Psychological Health Center (CPHC) in San Francisco and Ekol Akasya (Acacia School) in Haiti to create a workbook to facilitate that healing process in Haitian children and to identify those at greatest risk for long-term emotional problems.

14 Jul 2010

MTBC welcomes final rule on meaningful use of EHR

MTBC, a unique healthcare IT company, welcomed today's release by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services of the final rule on what constitutes "meaningful use" of an Electronic Health Record.

14 Jul 2010

CRT, MRCT to swap medical discoveries to advance translation of scientific research

Cancer Research Technology and Medical Research Council Technology will 'swap' medical discoveries to accelerate the translation of early scientific research into patient benefit.

14 Jul 2010

NCCS supports two final rules issued by CMS, ONC for EHR incentive programs

The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship announced its support of the two final rules issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology for the electronic health record incentive programs at a briefing hosted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today.

14 Jul 2010

No World Borders sponsors Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange conference

No World Borders, Inc., a leading health care IT and management consulting firm, today announced that it is a sponsor of the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) conference in Fairfax, today through July 15, 2010.

14 Jul 2010

Researchers detail innovations that may facilitate earlier detection, improved public health preparedness

With current public health threats ranging from swine flu to bioterrorism to environmental contamination, innovations that better predict disease outbreaks have vast potential to protect the public. In a paper published online in advance of print on July 6 in Emerging Health Threats Journal, public health researchers describe their vision for the future of disease surveillance, detailing innovations on the horizon that may facilitate earlier detection and improved public health preparedness.

14 Jul 2010

Palmetto Health Board of Directors approve establishment of Palmetto Health Quality Collaborative

The Palmetto Health Board of Directors has unanimously approved the establishment of Palmetto Health Quality Collaborative, LLC, often referred to as an accountable care organization. The Quality Collaborative will be a physician-led, patient-centered, interdependent medical entity that focuses on best practices in clinical outcomes and evidence-based care. Palmetto Health will soon begin offering the more than 1,000 physicians on its medical staff an opportunity to join.

14 Jul 2010

Experts discuss long-term viability of cost containment measures in health care reform bill

Leading experts in health policy and the economics of health care gathered in Washington, D.C. today to discuss the long-term viability of cost containment measures in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, such as prevention and disease management, in an environment with increasing downward fiscal pressures.

14 Jul 2010

HHS grants seek to encourage health care workforce diversity

The Washington Post: "It is a sign of the economic times: Nursing students at Howard University work part-time jobs and still cannot keep up with tuition. … At the start of the month, the game changed. Howard received $1.5 million from the Obama administration to train student nurses and others in sciences such as radiology and occupational therapy.

14 Jul 2010