Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Novartis resumes distribution of two seasonal influenza vaccines in Canada

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. has announced it is resuming distribution of two seasonal influenza vaccines in Canada, Fluad and Agriflu, following the announcement by Health Canada earlier today that it has completed its review of safety information for Agriflu and Fluad and is releasing the two vaccines for immediate use.

1 Nov 2012

Viewpoints: Dukakis on keeping 'Obamacare'; Are Medicare patients being pressured into concierge medicine?

The United States is the only industrialized nation that doesn't guarantee access to health care for all its citizens. ... That's what Obamacare is designed to fix. ... That's why the next president – whether it is Barack Obama or Mitt Romney - should defend Obamacare and make sure it's fully implemented. Despite what he's said on the campaign trail, Gov. Romney knows this is the responsible thing to do because of what has happened in Massachusetts since the passage of "Romneycare."

1 Nov 2012

Genetic counseling benefits relatives of schizophrenia patients

Genetic counseling is generally welcomed by the family members of patients with schizophrenia and can provide lasting benefits, say researchers.

31 Oct 2012

SSRIs should be prescribed with great caution to those attempting to get pregnant

Elevated risk of miscarriage, preterm birth, neonatal health complications and possible longer term neurobehavioral abnormalities, including autism, suggest that a class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) should only be prescribed with great caution and with full counseling for women experiencing depression and attempting to get pregnant, say researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Tufts Medical Center and MetroWest Medical Center.

31 Oct 2012

High turnout projected for tight presidential race

A new Pew Research Center poll finds the race between President Barack Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney "dead even," although a Battleground tracking poll gives a slight edge to Obama in swing states. Meanwhile, as Obama focused on Mega-Storm Sandy, former President Bill Clinton carried the campaign message to Florida, highlighting key parts of the health law.

31 Oct 2012

Health law's exchange rules, consumer protections under the microscope

USA Today reports that state officials worry about the amount of federal guidance provided regarding state-based health exchanges. Meanwhile, KHN talks with a consumer advocate, who is concerned that state rules will affect implementation of the health law.

31 Oct 2012

Cost of searching for fountain of youth exceeds cost for medications to treat chronic disease

The cost of searching for the fountain of youth has become increasingly expensive and now exceeds the cost for medications used to treat chronic disease, according to new research released today at the American Public Health Association's 140th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, Calif.

31 Oct 2012

Dartmouth Atlas: Big differences in how academic med centers train residents

A report from the Dartmouth Atlas Project found significant variations in quality, safety and end-of-life care.

31 Oct 2012

ACP urges use of performance measures targeting 'low-value services' to reduce overuse, misuse of these approaches

The American College of Physicians released a position paper Monday pressing for "valid, evidence-based measures" as a means of raising physician awareness and changing clinician behavior.

31 Oct 2012

Study explores incidence of UK women having Multiple Repeat Caesarean Sections

The risk of maternal complications and preterm deliveries is significantly higher for women undergoing their fifth or more caesarean section, finds a new study published today (31 October) in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

31 Oct 2012

Roundup: SCOTUS won't hear Okla. 'personhood' case; Vt. pushes state employees to use CHIP for kids coverage; N.J. hospitals want bundled payments

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a case involving the anti-abortion-rights movement's push to define "personhood" in the law. By rejecting the appeal, the justices left in place a lower court's decision that found a personhood measure in Oklahoma would violate the Constitution. Only four of the nine justices have to agree for the court to take a case, so Monday's rejection could be a sign that the court's four conservative justices aren't interested in wading into personhood, a concept that has divided opponents of abortion rights.

31 Oct 2012

SSRIs should be prescribed with great caution to those attempting to get pregnant

31 Oct 2012

High vitamin D levels associated with protection against bladder cancer

High levels of vitamin D are associated with protection against bladder cancer, according to a multidisciplinary study coordinated by molecular biologists and epidemiologists from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), the conclusions of which are being published today in the Journal of National Cancer Institute (JNCI) .

31 Oct 2012

Preeclampsia risk higher for women with Lupus

New research reports that women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have a two-fold increase in risk of preeclampsia—a dangerous condition in which pregnant women develop high blood pressure (hypertension) and protein in their urine (proteinuria) after 20 weeks of gestation

30 Oct 2012