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MedAire launches new course to prepare pilots, flight attendants for medical emergencies

MedAire, the aviation medical and travel assistance company, has launched the 2010 version of its Management of In-flight Illness & Injury course, which offers medical and educational best practices through the use of audio-visual tools, e-Learning, hands-on skills assessments and real-life scenarios to prepare pilots and flight attendants for medical emergencies.

3 May 2010

Hospital treatment plans must address adolescents' risks for violence

When adolescents are treated in an emergency department (ED) after being assaulted, they have a significant chance of being involved in another violent encounter soon afterward, according to a study being presented Monday, May 3 at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

3 May 2010

Some Republican states opting out of high risk health insurance pools

News outlets covered state responses to the federal government's deadline on high risk insurance pools.

3 May 2010

Searchable database on chemical hazard, exposure and toxicity data now available

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is making it easier to find chemical information online. EPA is releasing a database, called ToxRefDB, which allows scientists and the interested public to search and download thousands of toxicity testing results on hundreds of chemicals.

3 May 2010

Nearly 85% of adolescents at risk of overdosing on acetaminophen: Study

The majority of teens say they have never heard of acetaminophen - or what the appropriate dosing of it is even with access to the label instructions - despite having taken the medication recently, according to a new University of Rochester Medical Center Study assessing teens' health literacy. More than 60 percent of the teens in the study had never before heard of acetaminophen despite 21 percent of them having taken it within the previous month.

3 May 2010

Research roundup: Managing nursing home patients, streamlining medical billing, financial disclosures

Saving Billions Of Dollars--And Physicians' Time--By Streamlining Billing Practices - "The U.S. system of billing third parties for health care services is complex, expensive, and inefficient," write the authors, who analyzed Massachusetts General Physicians Organization staffing and cost data in fiscal year 2006.

3 May 2010

Patients, research participants favor disclosure of financial relationships between medicine and industry

A review and analysis of previously published studies finds that patients, research participants and journal readers believe financial relationships between medicine and industry should be disclosed, in part because those financial ties may influence research and clinical care, according to a report in the April 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

3 May 2010

Philadelphia insurer to implement pay-for-performance model

The Philadelphia region's largest health insurer, Independence Blue Cross, will begin a pay-for-performance model that pays physicians more if their patient's health gets better. The program rewards primary care doctors who provide higher quality care at less cost. "A key element of the program rewards doctors who meet standards as so-called patient-centered medical homes.

3 May 2010

Federal deadline on state health insurance 'pools' sparks confrontations

States must tell the federal government whether they will help run new insurance pools for high-risk patients by Friday, which could set up political confrontations, The New York Times reports.

3 May 2010

Modern Healthcare reports on health IT implementation meeting

Modern Healthcare: "Since passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act early last year, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has had its hands full doing what its name implies—stage managing a massive national health IT promotional production.

3 May 2010

Boston hospital program prepares doctors for emergency medical situations

WBUR/NPR reports on a hospital program that replicates the scenario in Haiti to better prepare doctors for emergency medical situations.

3 May 2010

Mass. report on insurers' financial health provides mixed portrait

"A long-awaited state report to be released today will probably add fuel to the debate about surging health costs by portraying a mixed financial picture of Massachusetts health insurers. The state's eight health insurers finished 2008 with a total surplus of $2.5 billion, a more than four-fold increase from 1999 when the study period began, according to a 17-page executive summary of the report from the Division of Health Care Finance and Policy that was obtained by the Globe."

3 May 2010

Dietary protein for overall health

The importance of high-quality protein foods in overall health was among the topics discussed this week at Experimental Biology 2010 in Anaheim, Calif. Researchers from a variety of institutions discussed studies that looked at varying levels of dietary protein intake to promote health throughout life including the role of protein in weight loss and muscle maintenance.

3 May 2010

Schwarzenegger expresses support for health law while Reid uses reform as campaign issue

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Thursday announced his support of the health reform law, even as other Republicans around the United States look for ways to roll back the measure's reach.

3 May 2010

CPMC establishes new Bryan Hemming Cancer Care Center

Being diagnosed with cancer can be devastating for anyone, bringing with it a series of life-changing challenges, both physical and emotional. That's why California Pacific Medical Center is delighted to announce the opening of the Bryan Hemming Cancer Care Center, a one-of-a-kind space offering a wide range of essential support services for patients and their loved ones, all under one roof.

3 May 2010

Wellpoint cancels 39-percent rate hikes in California

Anthem Blue Cross, a California-based unit of WellPoint withdrew its request to hike rates by up to 39 percent for some policyholders after state regulators concluded its plan included "all kinds of methodological mistakes," the Los Angeles Times reports.

3 May 2010

Studies prompt attention to streamlining medical billing

The Wall Street Journal reports on two different studies published recently that focus on the billing practices of doctors. One, in the New England Journal of Medicine quantifies the work done in billing at a small primary care practice.

3 May 2010

Adequate primary care is associated with fewer ear and throat surgeries among children

The availability of surgeons may increase the likelihood that children will receive optional ear and throat surgeries, while the availability of primary care providers, such as pediatricians and family physicians, may decrease the likelihood of children undergoing these procedures, according to research to be presented Saturday, May 1 at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

3 May 2010

Today's opinions: Ending rescissions, exploring issues of doctor payments and the Oklahoma abortion law

In all the recent discussions about health care reform, what had heretofore played out only beyond earshot of the exam room suddenly was very public: the tangled, uneasy and often antagonistic relationship between practicing doctors and the insurance companies who pay for the services they deliver (Dr. Pauline Chen, 4/29).

30 Apr 2010

MCA to welcome wounded veterans for free vision treatment, Hero's Night Out

Motorcycle Charity Associates announced today that they will welcome a lucky group of wounded veterans to Los Angeles for free vision treatment and a "Hero's Night Out" at the 2nd Annual Stars & Stripes event taking place on the grounds of the Playboy Mansion on Saturday, May 15th.

30 Apr 2010