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UNDP releases 8-pronged strategy to help developing countries meet MDGs

The U.N. Development Program (UNDP) on Thursday released a report (.pdf) outlining "an eight-pronged strategy it hopes can help poor nations advance sustainable development, considerably reduce poverty and essentially drive the attainment of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the next five years," BusinessDay reports (Nwachukwu, 6/18).

19 Jun 2010

Obama administration names eight 'GHI Plus' countries

"The Obama administration has selected eight countries to serve as learning labs for a new global health strategy aimed in part at reducing maternal and child deaths and combatting preventable diseases," the Wall Street Journal reports. "The move is among the first steps in the administration's" roll-out of the Global Health Initiative and "comes amid mounting concerns about how much support President Barack Obama will win from Congress for a proposed 9% increase in global health spending for fiscal 2011," the newspaper reports.

19 Jun 2010

HBSS reaches $103M settlement with Astra Zeneca

Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro (HBSS) today announced it has reached a proposed $103 million settlement with Astra Zeneca (AZ) on behalf of consumers and third party purchasers. The class-action lawsuit claimed Astra Zeneca inflated the Average Wholesale Price (AWP), which is used as a benchmark for almost all prescription drug sales in the United States.

19 Jun 2010

TMLTExposed.org files suit against Texas Medical Liability Trust

On June 18, 2010, the Registrant of the website www.TMLTExposed.org filed suit against Texas Medical Liability Trust in the 68th Judicial District Court of Dallas County, Texas requesting a declaratory judgment that the contents of the website are protected speech under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 8 of the Texas Constitution.

19 Jun 2010

N.Y. tries to get more patients in clinical drug trials; Atlanta hospitals create partnerships

In New York, state medical centers and drug makers have begun an effort to address a problem associated with clinical drug trials: "getting patients to sign up. More than 3,000 clinical trials are actively recruiting in New York state, and an additional 8,000 trials involving New York are already running or were recently completed, according to the government clinical trials registry. Patient recruitment is one of the top reasons that clinical trials are delayed or fail, according to the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development.

19 Jun 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

The U.N.'s plan to improve maternal health is lacking "the one element that will make it work. Human rights," according to blog post on Huffington Post. "Medical causes of maternal death - hemorrhage, sepsis, hypertension, unsafe abortion, HIV and AIDS - are inextricably linked to human rights. Each one of these instances can be prevented or treated by simply respecting women's human rights in health policies and delivery of services, and addressing systemic gender inequality."

19 Jun 2010

LUHS opens clinic to treat debilitating effects of CPP in women

Loyola University Health System has opened a clinic to treat the debilitating effects of chronic pelvic pain in women. The clinic is located at the Loyola Outpatient Center at 2160 S. First Ave., in Maywood.

19 Jun 2010

Medicaid funds may not come through, leaving states in a lurch

If increased federal support for Medicaid isn't extended, states will have to fill budget holes next year that many legislatures have not anticipated.

19 Jun 2010

Hospitals work to reduce wait times, readmission rates

The Baltimore Sun writes about hospitals working to reduce emergency room wait times and then advertising the results. "St. Joseph Medical Center [in Towson, Md.] posts the anticipated wait time on its website. Harbor Hospital in South Baltimore has put up billboards and handed out brochures door-to-door to tell residents about its 'quick' emergency room experience.

19 Jun 2010

Equatorial Guinea strengthens health facilities to boost access to reproductive health services

The Republic of Equatorial Guinea (Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial, along with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), is working to strengthen and equip health facilities throughout the country to boost access to reproductive health services. The rebuilding process includes the construction and renovation of health centers and maternity units as well as proper training for medical students.

19 Jun 2010

Federal agencies will establish a 'do not pay list' to prevent fraud

President Obama will order federal agencies Friday to establish a national 'do not pay list' to prevent the government from paying benefits, contracts, grants and loans to ineligible people or organizations, according to senior administration officials. The moves are part of a series to cut government waste and fraud and come amid calls for more fiscal restraint from Republicans and moderate Democrats.

19 Jun 2010

Survery: Most respondents don't really get health IT

Only one in ten respondents to a Harris Interactive survey use electronic medical records or interact with their doctors by e-mail, HealthDay/Bloomberg Businessweek reports. Half were unsure whether their doctors even use these technologies. "Still, most of those polled said they would like their doctors to access their medical records with the click of a mouse. On the other hand, only about a third (30 percent) believe their insurer should have that same access."

19 Jun 2010

Health care issues major factors in Utah, Florida races

Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, is facing an angry progressive base as he pushes for re-election after his "no" vote on health reform legislation, Politico reports. "The pushback against Matheson took its fullest expression in early May, when a restless Democratic base delivered the lawmaker a surprisingly narrow 55 percent to 45 percent victory at this spring's party convention — an unimpressive result for an incumbent that fell short of the 60 percent necessary to avoid a primary for the nomination."

19 Jun 2010

Friday Opinions: Uwe Reinhardt, Reps. Ron Paul and John Sarbanes, Minnesota nurses' strike

Alas, the penalties baked into the bill for disregarding the mandate, though not trivial, are low enough that many younger and healthier individuals are likely to find paying the penalty cheaper than owning up to the mandate. If that happens in significant numbers, as well it might, the premiums that private insurers will have to charge for the mandated coverage in the small-group market will be driven correspondingly higher (Uwe Reinhardt, 6/18).

19 Jun 2010

Lawmakers want crackdown on drug agreements that keep generics out

Democrats are looking at proposals to crack down on licensing agreements between drug companies that keep generic drugs out of the market, Politico reports. In the agreements, pharmaceutical companies pay generic manufacturers to "delay introduction of generic drugs, which are often cheaper than brand-name drugs.

18 Jun 2010

ActiveCare, Vista Therapeutics announce strategic relationship to develop Nano Biosensors for seniors

ActiveCare, Inc. and Vista Therapeutics, Inc. announced today a strategic relationship to develop Nano Biosensors for ActiveCare's products and services to be utilized by the elderly. These Biosensors will allow ActiveCare to continuously monitor specific chronic diseases commonly occurring in the elderly and thus preventively predict and avoid acute medical events. "This technology is designed to prolong and improve the quality of life of our senior population," stated James Dalton, President of ActiveCare.

18 Jun 2010

National Cheng Kung University Hospital's Outpatient Building inaugurated

The Outpatient Building of National Cheng Kung University Hospital was officially inaugurated on June 12th to provide excellent medical service and to further ensure the health of people in Southern Taiwan.

18 Jun 2010

General practitioners exchange knowledge, experience via e-mail list started in 1999

Urban Carlén, Department of Applied Information Technology, has studied how a large group of general practitioners interact via an e-mail list. The list started in 1999 and serves as an online community for exchange of knowledge and experience. The submitted e-mails are distributed to all members of the community.

18 Jun 2010

AHRQ: Only 57% of U.S. men see doctor for routine care compared to 74% of women

Just over half of U.S. men (57 percent) see a doctor, nurse practitioner or physician assistant for routine care, compared to nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of women, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Routine care is typically defined as a visit for assessing overall health rather than one prompted by a specific illness or complaint.

18 Jun 2010

9th INT'L BIO FORUM & BIO EXPO JAPAN from June 30 - July 2, 2010

9th INT'L BIO FORUM & BIO EXPO JAPAN, organized by Reed Exhibitions Japan, will come back again as Asia's largest bio-event from June 30 - July 2, 2010. "Gene diagnosis" is one of the featured topics for this year.

18 Jun 2010