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Two LSU researchers tackle incidence of malnutrition-related deaths among older adults in the U.S.

In a paper published in the May 2010 issue of the scholarly journal Annals of Epidemiology, two LSU researchers tackle a problem seldom acknowledged in the United States - the incidence of malnutrition-related deaths among older adults

13 May 2010

Study: When incentive payments are removed, quality of health care suffers

Los Angeles Times: Researchers in Britain teamed with Kaiser Permanente in Northern California "to see what happened in Northern California when the health giant stopped rewarding doctors who screened patients for diabetic retinopathy and cervical cancer."

13 May 2010

Florida weighs next steps for small business insurance exchange; N.J. considers COBRA eligibility expansion; Other highlights

When Republican lawmakers created the Florida Health Choices program in 2008, they billed it as a way to deregulate the health-care market for small businesses. Two years later, Florida Health Choices has still not started offering coverage, and its leaders and lawmakers face a philosophical choice that could determine whether the program survives.

13 May 2010

Prescription costs more likely to keep Hispanics away from pharmacy counter: Study

Drug costs could prevent some people from filling their prescriptions, which can interfere with optimal health care. A new study of Medicare beneficiaries finds that cost concerns are more likely keep Hispanics away from the pharmacy counter than non-Hispanics.

13 May 2010

Seriously mentally ill are three times more likely to be imprisoned than hospitalized, report finds

USA Today: "On average, a seriously mentally ill person in the USA is three times more likely to be incarcerated than hospitalized, a report concludes today. In no state was a seriously mentally ill person — someone with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, for example — less likely to be incarcerated than hospitalized, the report by the National Sheriffs' Association and the Treatment Advocacy Center found.

13 May 2010

World Bank announces five-year plan to reduce maternal deaths, fertility rates in 58 low-income countries

During the release of its five-year plan to help drive down high maternal death and fertility rates in low-income countries, the World Bank on Tuesday said "that family planning and other reproductive health services have fallen off the radar of many governments, donors and aid agencies," Reuters reports.

13 May 2010

Two-thirds of child deaths in 2008 due to infectious diseases, report finds

Pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria and other infectious diseases accounted for two-thirds of the 8.8 million deaths in 2008 among children under age 5 around the world, according to a Lancet study published on Wednesday, HealthDay News/Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports. The highest numbers of childhood deaths were in Africa (4.2 million) and Southeast Asia (2.39 million), according to the news service (5/11).

13 May 2010

Proposed cuts in Medicare payments impact access to healthcare: Poll

An independent poll recently conducted on behalf of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) shows that an alarming number of physicians will stop seeing Medicare beneficiaries if current payment policies are not reformed.

13 May 2010

Missouri to hold August vote on insurance mandate

KWMU/St. Louis Public Radio: "Missouri will be the first state to let citizens vote on whether to defy the federal health care law signed by President Obama. The Missouri House today passed legislation authorizing a referendum stating that citizens and employers cannot be forced to participate in any public or private health care system. It's designed to challenge the new health care law that requires most Americans to have health insurance or face fines" (Griffin, 5/11).

13 May 2010

FDA warns of side effects from swallowing Benadryl Extra Strength Itch Stopping Gel

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers about potentially serious side effects from mistakenly swallowing Benadryl Extra Strength Itch Stopping Gel, an over-the-counter (OTC) product that should only be used on the skin.

13 May 2010

Justice Department responds to health law's first legal challenge

The Obama administration late Tuesday filed a response to one of the first lawsuits against the new health overhaul, "saying it was constitutional and any challenge was premature," Reuters reports.

13 May 2010

PositiveID files provisional patent covering glucose level RF sensing technology

PositiveID Corporation announced today that it has filed a provisional patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office covering the interface between a radio frequency ("RF") powered resonant electromechanical drive and the fluids in the interstitial space of a patient for continuous detection of glucose levels in a patient. The interface employs a resonant electromechanical drive for mass sensing and RF communication of glucose levels.

13 May 2010

U.S. expands HIV/AIDS programs in Caribbean

Representatives from the U.S. and Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on Tuesday signed an agreement to expand PEPFAR programs to 12 other Caribbean nations during a gathering in Georgetown, Guyana, Agence France-Presse reports (5/11).

13 May 2010

Family medical costs surge to new high

Families' health care costs continued to rise last year, Modern Healthcare reports. "Total healthcare costs for a typical family of four increased $1,303 or 7.8% over the past year, according to the Milliman Medical Index, the highest total dollar increase in the history of the actuarial firm's annual study.

13 May 2010

CBO raises cost estimate for health law, sparking political reaction

The Associated Press: "President Barack Obama's new health care law could potentially add at least $115 billion more to government health care spending over the next 10 years, congressional budget referees said Tuesday," to beyond $1 trillion. "The Congressional Budget Office said the added spending includes $10 billion to $20 billion in administrative costs to federal agencies carrying out the law, as well as $34 billion for community health centers and $39 billion for Indian health care" (Alonso-Zaldivar, 5/11).

13 May 2010

With campaign season taking off, White House offers Democrats help on selling health law

White House officials prepared a plan Tuesday to help Democrats sell the health reform law during the midterm election season that will focus on early deliverables to win over a skeptical public.

13 May 2010

Small businesses look for wellness grants in health reform law

Provisions in the new health reform law offer aid and cash to small businesses that encourage employees to be fitter and healthier, but the plans aren't without their own controversy, CNN Money reports.

13 May 2010

Prescription drug instructions often lost in translation

Chicago Tribune: "Pharmacies that print prescription labels translated into Spanish often issue inaccurate or confusing instructions that could be potentially hazardous to a patient's health, according to a report in the May issue of Pediatrics journal."

13 May 2010

Michelle Obama releases plan to 'reverse childhood obesity'

USA Today: "First lady Michelle Obama unveiled a plan today to 'reverse the epidemic of childhood obesity' and called for help from governments, schools and businesses as well as the families themselves. ... Obama and her aides released a task force report titled Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation. The goal, she said, is to 'ensure that our children can have the healthy lives and the bright futures that they deserve'" (Jackson, 5/11)

13 May 2010

Today's OpEds: Mass. health reform and small business; Mccain's ideas not in Obama plan; Wellpoint's impact on law

The Commonwealth's 2006 health care reform was supposed to help address rising health insurance costs for small businesses. It hasn't — and small businesses are paying the price (Jim Stergios and Amy Lischko, 5/12).

13 May 2010

Healthcare News

Two LSU researchers tackle incidence of malnutrition-related deaths among older adults in the U.S.

Study: When incentive payments are removed, quality of health care suffers

Florida weighs next steps for small business insurance exchange; N.J. considers COBRA eligibility expansion; Other highlights

Prescription costs more likely to keep Hispanics away from pharmacy counter: Study

Seriously mentally ill are three times more likely to be imprisoned than hospitalized, report finds

World Bank announces five-year plan to reduce maternal deaths, fertility rates in 58 low-income countries

Two-thirds of child deaths in 2008 due to infectious diseases, report finds

Proposed cuts in Medicare payments impact access to healthcare: Poll

Missouri to hold August vote on insurance mandate

FDA warns of side effects from swallowing Benadryl Extra Strength Itch Stopping Gel

Justice Department responds to health law's first legal challenge

PositiveID files provisional patent covering glucose level RF sensing technology

U.S. expands HIV/AIDS programs in Caribbean

Family medical costs surge to new high

CBO raises cost estimate for health law, sparking political reaction

With campaign season taking off, White House offers Democrats help on selling health law

Small businesses look for wellness grants in health reform law

Prescription drug instructions often lost in translation

Michelle Obama releases plan to 'reverse childhood obesity'

Today's OpEds: Mass. health reform and small business; Mccain's ideas not in Obama plan; Wellpoint's impact on law

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

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