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Survey of doctors suggests widespread 'defensive medicine'

HealthDay/Bloomberg Businessweek reports that a new survey published in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that 91 percent of 2,416 doctors believe their colleagues practice defensive medicine by giving patients more tests and treatments as a means of protecting themselves from lawsuits. "In addition, 90.7 percent of the respondents believe better protection against unwarranted malpractice suits is necessary to reduce the number of unnecessary medical tests" (Preidt, 6/28).

30 Jun 2010

Seventh Annual HealthGrades Maternity Care in Hospitals Study ranks Good Samaritan in top 5%

Good Samaritan Hospital's maternity care is in the top 5 percent in the nation for the third year in a row according to a new study issued today by HealthGrades, Inc., the independent ratings organization. The Seventh Annual HealthGrades Maternity Care in Hospitals Study used state-government data to compare hospitals in terms of complication rates for vaginal and C-section deliveries as well as neonatal mortality.

30 Jun 2010

News round up: UniCare will drop health coverage for Virginians; Hawaii concerned about lack of physicians

The Washington Post: "About 3,000 Virginians who have health insurance through UniCare, a private insurer, will lose that coverage Jan. 1, a UniCare spokesman said Monday. Most live in Northern Virginia and get their coverage through the individual market, officials said.

30 Jun 2010

Doctors want pain drugs to be tracked

The Hill: Doctors who belong to the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians want lawmakers to give money to help states begin collecting and sharing data on patients who "doctor shop" for pain medications. The group wants $55 million for the program and are asking Congress "to reauthorize a 2005 bill providing grants to states that collect prescription drug information and share it with physicians and pharmacists — and law enforcement officials when there's an investigation — while protecting patients' privacy.

30 Jun 2010

Wishard-Regenstrief partnership earns NAPH President's Award for Health Reform Readiness and Leadership

Wishard Health Services, the nation's third-largest safety net health care system in outpatient visits, and the Regenstrief Institute Inc., an internationally-respected medical and public health informatics innovator, earned the NAPH 2010 President's Award for Health Reform Readiness and Leadership.

30 Jun 2010

ACRO calls for sufficient resources for FDA to monitor foreign clinical trials

The Association of Clinical Research Organizations, which represents the global CRO industry, today released the following statement regarding a report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) titled Challenges to FDA's Ability to Monitor and Inspect Foreign Clinical Trials.

30 Jun 2010

Consumer guides about part-time workers, Medigap coverage and navigating medical costs

News outlets offer consumer guides about health insurance.

30 Jun 2010

New strategies can improve continuity of primary care, shorten patient waiting time

A national shortage of primary care doctors plus a growing population of older adults, many with chronic diseases, is leading in some underserved areas to longer wait times to see a doctor and is reducing patients' chances of seeing their own physician, experts say.

30 Jun 2010

GOP objecting to management of health fund for 9/11 workers

As the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee holds a hearing Tuesday on a proposed fund to cover additional health care costs for first responders to the 9/11 attacks, Senate Republicans are planning to take issue with the management of the fund, CongressDaily reports.

30 Jun 2010

Supreme Court will not review San Francisco health plan

"The justices on Monday denied an appeal from the Golden Gate Restaurant Association of an appeals court ruling upholding the program's requirement that employers help pay the bill or give their workers health coverage," The Associated Press reports. The decision allows the program to maintain its emphasis on sharing the financial responsibility for health care — a cost borne by the public, employers and employees, said Tangerine Brigham, director of Healthy San Francisco.

30 Jun 2010

COBRA, jobs bill in further jeopardy after death of Sen. Byrd

Roll Call: The death of Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W. Va., has jeopardized further the passage of some bills in Congress, including a bill that would extend unemployment benefits. "Democratic leaders have been thwarted numerous times in recent weeks on jobs legislation, despite scaling down the measure dramatically after Republicans and some moderate Democrats balked at adding to the deficit.

30 Jun 2010

Ambulance services to improve in Victoria promises Health Minister

With increasing concern over ambulance services Health Minister Daniel Andrews has admitted that there are gaps in Victoria’s ambulance services and once new paramedics arrive the problem will be addressed under the government's regional ambulance policy.

29 Jun 2010

Rise in hospital admissions over last five years

According to a new ‘State of Our Public Hospitals’ report there is a 17 percent hike in the number of people seeking treatment at Australian hospitals in the last five years. This report was released by Health Minister Nicola Roxon on Tuesday.

29 Jun 2010

Omnicell's OmniCenter qualifies for VMware Ready logo

Omnicell, Inc., a leading provider of system solutions to acute healthcare facilities, today announced that its OmniCenter® server has achieved VMware Ready™ status. This designation indicates that OmniCenter has passed a detailed evaluation and testing process managed by VMware and is now listed on the VMware Partner Product Catalog.

From Omnicell, Inc. 29 Jun 2010

Arizona Integrated Physicians to implement eClinicalWorks unified EMR/PM system

eClinicalWorks®, a market leader in ambulatory clinical systems, today announced that Arizona Integrated Physicians (AIP), a physician-owned organization, has chosen eClinicalWorks unified electronic medical records (EMR) and practice management (PM) system for its approximately 600 physicians.

29 Jun 2010

Aging of workforce a threat to health care sector: Report

As the nation prepares to provide care for the increasing proportion of older adults and the widespread implications of healthcare reform, healthcare workers are aging out of the sector, revealing an increased need for skilled workers, according to a new report by the Sloan Center on Aging & Work at Boston College.

29 Jun 2010

New Canadian legislation bans sale of flavoured cigarillos, cigarettes, blunt wraps

Canada's tough new anti-tobacco law, Bill C-32, comes into effect at stores near you on July 5. Retailers will no longer be allowed to sell fruit- and candy-flavoured cigarillos (little cigars), cigarettes, and blunt wraps (rolling papers made of tobacco).

29 Jun 2010

Clinical assessment study identifies opportunities to improve end-of-life care

Even at a hospital recognized for managing seriously ill patients, a systematic assessment of clinical measures associated with end-of-life care identified opportunities to improve treatment for those dying in the hospital, according to a report in the June 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

29 Jun 2010

First Edition: June 29, 2010

In this Kaiser Health News consumer column, Michelle Andrews writes: "Sarah Rose Nordgren works 25 to 30 hours a week as a waitress at an upscale restaurant in Chapel Hill, N.C. She also tutors high- schoolers on their college entrance essays and has an editorial internship at a book publisher. But if something were to go seriously wrong with her health, she'd be in trouble because none of her three jobs offers health insurance" (Kaiser Health News).

29 Jun 2010

Majority of doctors resort to defensive medicine practices, says survey

A survey by Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers has found that 91 percent of physicians believe concerns over malpractice lawsuits result in "defensive medicine," ordering more tests and procedures than necessary as a protective measure. The study, which questioned 2,416 physicians, is published in the June 28 edition of Archives of Internal Medicine.

29 Jun 2010