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First Edition: May 3, 2010

Today's headlines include analysis of how this year's health reform debate is shaping other national policy initiatives and the upcoming mid-term elections.

3 May 2010

Ensign Group solidifies presence in Texas with acquisition of two skilled nursing facilities

The Ensign Group, Inc., announced today that it has acquired Heritage Gardens Healthcare Center, a 140-bed skilled nursing facility in Carrollton, Texas, and Silver Springs Healthcare Center, a 144-bed skilled nursing facility in Houston, Texas. The acquisitions were effective May 1, 2010.

3 May 2010

Decrease in hospital-wide mortality rates associated with CPOE system: Researchers

Researchers at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and Stanford University School of Medicine have shown for the first time that a significant decrease in hospital-wide mortality rates can be associated with implementation of a computerized physician order entry system.

3 May 2010

Ensign subsidiary acquires Horizon Home Health and Hospice

The Ensign Group, Inc., announced today that an Ensign subsidiary acquired the operating assets of Horizon Home Health and Hospice, a well-regarded home health and hospice agency based in Meridian, Idaho. The Horizon purchase was effective May 1, 2010.

3 May 2010

While global adult mortality rates drop, gaps between countries grow, Lancet study finds

"The global mortality rate for adults [ages 15-59] has fallen by about 1 percent a year for the past 40 years, with women making greater gains than men and huge differences opening up between countries and regions over that period, according to a new study" published online Friday in the journal Lancet, the Washington Post reports, noting the study offers "the most detailed nation-by-nation trends in adult mortality" to date.

3 May 2010

Medical education becomes reality at new Mayo Clinic Multidisciplinary Simulation Center in Arizona

How medical education will be delivered in the 21st Century is now a reality at the new Mayo Clinic Multidisciplinary Simulation Center in Arizona. The 3,000 square-foot facility, embedded within Mayo Clinic Hospital in northeast Phoenix, simulates real-life patient care situations, allowing learners to practice on sophisticated mannequins in a no-risk environment.

3 May 2010

Report highlights lack of humanitarian access to Cyclone Nargis survivors in Myanmar

"Almost two years after Cyclone Nargis killed nearly 140,000 people in Myanmar, the repression of rights in areas hit by the cyclone continues and the humanitarian space in the country is shrinking instead of growing as originally hoped, a [Human Rights Watch] report released on Thursday said," Reuters AlertNet reports.

3 May 2010

Pay-for-performance policies may create financial disincentives for doctors to treat obese patients

Pay-for-performance reimbursement of surgeons, intended to reward doctors and hospitals for good patient outcomes, may instead be creating financial incentives for discriminating against obese patients, who are much more likely to suffer expensive complications after even the most routine surgeries, according to new Johns Hopkins research.

3 May 2010

Officials' plan to enforce rescission ban still unclear

WellPoint, UnitedHealth and other major insurers have said they will end the practice of terminating policies when policyholder become sick except in cases of fraud, earlier than the September deadline the health overhaul set, Reuters reports. But, it may be difficult for government officials to enforce the new prohibition on rescission, as the practice is called.

3 May 2010

Choice of transplant center can make noteworthy difference in patients' outcomes: Study

For patients in need of a liver transplant, their choice of a transplant center can make a noteworthy difference in their outcomes, according to a Mayo Clinic study presented at the American Transplant Congress under way May 1-5 in San Diego.

3 May 2010

Researchers develop asthma medical home to care children with asthma

A comprehensive, patient-centered approach to asthma care that includes education, referrals to specialists and home visits not only improves patients' health but also has tremendous potential to decrease health care costs, according to research to be presented Saturday, May 1 at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

3 May 2010

Green exercise decreases risk of mental illness, improves sense of well-being

How much "green exercise" produces the greatest improvement in mood and sense of personal well-being? A new study in the American Chemical Society's semi-monthly journal Environmental Science & Technology has a surprising answer.

3 May 2010

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

Healthcare News

First Edition: May 3, 2010

Ensign Group solidifies presence in Texas with acquisition of two skilled nursing facilities

Decrease in hospital-wide mortality rates associated with CPOE system: Researchers

Ensign subsidiary acquires Horizon Home Health and Hospice

While global adult mortality rates drop, gaps between countries grow, Lancet study finds

Medical education becomes reality at new Mayo Clinic Multidisciplinary Simulation Center in Arizona

Report highlights lack of humanitarian access to Cyclone Nargis survivors in Myanmar

Pay-for-performance policies may create financial disincentives for doctors to treat obese patients

Officials' plan to enforce rescission ban still unclear

Choice of transplant center can make noteworthy difference in patients' outcomes: Study

Researchers develop asthma medical home to care children with asthma

Green exercise decreases risk of mental illness, improves sense of well-being

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

Hospital treatment plans must address adolescents' risks for violence

Some Republican states opting out of high risk health insurance pools

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

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

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

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

Philadelphia insurer to implement pay-for-performance model

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

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