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Brain monitors help avoid postop dementia from routine anesthesia over-medication

To date, hospitals have not found a billing code that insurers will reimburse them for the $20 cost of the disposable sensor for your brain monitor for 'going under' for surgery.

1 Dec 2009

White House video features Joe Biden as part of effort to push back on health reform 'misinformation'

CNN: "The White House is 'geared up to go on offense' on health care messaging this week, a White House official tells CNN. As the Senate debate over health care reform gets underway, the administration is planning to "push back on the distortions and misinformation ... being circulated by interest groups and opponents."

1 Dec 2009

Stryker to acquire Ascent Healthcare Solutions

Stryker Corporation today announced a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Ascent Healthcare Solutions, Inc. the market leader in the reprocessing and remanufacturing of medical devices in the U.S.

From Stryker 1 Dec 2009

Studies find that tackling climate change can prevent deaths worldwide; doctors launch climate change, health group

A series of studies, published in a recent special issue of the journal Lancet, finds that policies aimed at addressing climate change could also improve the health of people worldwide, the Associated Press reports.

1 Dec 2009

Verisk Health announces the release of DxCG Risk Solutions 3.0

Verisk Health, Inc., a global leader in healthcare data analytics, today announced the release of DxCG Risk Solutions 3.0, a suite of risk adjustment and predictive modeling products that enable organizations to analyze, predict, manage, and minimize healthcare risk and costs associated with commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid populations.

1 Dec 2009

MedBuild completes new PET/CT imaging facility for Nash General Hospital, N.C

MedBuild, the specialized healthcare division of Modular Space Corporation (ModSpace®), has completed construction of a new PET/CT imaging facility for Nash General Hospital in Rocky Mount, N.C.

1 Dec 2009

Low-income women experience significantly greater gaps in access to health care

Low-income women are four times more likely than higher-income women to report fair or poor health and nearly twice as likely to report a health condition that limits their basic physical activities, according to a new policy brief from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

1 Dec 2009

Senate health reform players prepare policy positions

With debate scheduled to begin as early as Monday, senators are preparing their arguments for or against health care reform, Bloomberg reports. "All 58 Senate Democrats and the two independents who caucus with them backed [Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid's bid to start debate this week.

1 Dec 2009

New Medicare advantage plans for affordable and quality health care

HealthPlus of Michigan today announced the launch of two new HealthPlus MedicarePlus plans designed for Medicare-eligible people looking for affordable benefit choices and convenient access to quality health care.

1 Dec 2009

Centura Health establishes comprehensive trauma system across its regional facilities

According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, trauma is the leading cause of death for Coloradans ages one to 44. Studies indicate that 30 to 40 percent of all trauma deaths occur within one hour of injury, and that 30 to 40 percent of these deaths are preventable if timely, appropriate care is received.

1 Dec 2009

CPR/AED education program for teens

Be the Beat, the American Heart Association's new online cardiac arrest awareness campaign, teaches 12- to 15-year-olds fun ways to learn the basics of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED).

30 Nov 2009

Commonwealth leaders' meeting concludes; includes discussion about health

Leaders issued a statement covering a variety of topics, including health, after a three-day Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting concluded Sunday in Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago, Xinhua reports (Manda, 11/30).

30 Nov 2009

Alzheimer's Association offers tips and round the clock assistance for caregivers during holiday season

In Massachusetts, approximately 70% of those with Alzheimer's disease are cared for at home, so the Alzheimer's Association is preparing for a surge in calls to its 24/7 Helpline during the holiday season. For most families, holidays are filled with opportunities for togetherness and sharing, but for a family dealing with Alzheimer's, holidays can also be stressful and filled with special challenges, according to the experts at the Alzheimer's Association.

30 Nov 2009

Senate health debate begins, Reid warns of weekend work

The Associated Press: The Senate opened debate Monday on landmark health care legislation that would extend coverage to millions of uninsured and ban onerous insurance practices, with Democrats vowing to work weekends to deliver on President Barack Obama's domestic initiative by year's end.

30 Nov 2009

CBO report: Senate health proposal would raise some premium costs

Reuters: "The U.S. Senate's healthcare bill would raise insurance premiums by at least 10 percent by 2016 for those independently buying coverage, but subsidies would reduce the actual costs for half of that group, the Congressional Budget Office said on Monday."

30 Nov 2009

British First Lady highlights maternal mortality worldwide

Sarah Brown, wife of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and head of the Maternal Mortality Campaign, highlighted global maternal mortality at the Royal College of Midwives annual conference on Friday, the U.K. Press Association reports.

30 Nov 2009

AP examines implementation of China's plan to rebuild health system

The Associated Press tracks the progress in rebuilding the health system in China, eight months after the government launched a three-year $124-billion health care program.

30 Nov 2009

Economists have mixed views on Senate health bill's cost controls

With the public fretting about rising health costs and deepening federal budget deficits, White House officials, including budget director Peter Orszag, were quick last week to trumpet the optimism of some economists who said the Senate's version of health reform would help control costs, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

30 Nov 2009

Also in Global Health news: 'Positive deviance' approach to health; child malnutrition in Madagascar; Somalia's health system; weak harvests in West Africa; improving health equity

The Boston Globe examines "'positive deviance,' an approach to behavioral and social change. Instead of imposing solutions from without, the method identifies outliers in a community who, despite having no special advantages, are doing exceptionally well. By respecting local ingenuity, proponents say, the approach galvanizes community members and is often more effective and sustainable than imported blueprints."

30 Nov 2009

South Florida Medicare fraud offers lesson for national health care reform

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that leaders in Washington are studying South Florida and its highest-in-the-nation rate of Medicare fraud for "lessons on how to stem Medicare fraud to help pay for a health care overhaul."

30 Nov 2009