Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

High intensity focused ultrasound to treat prostate cancer shows initial success

A new tumor treatment that involves heating it with highly focused ultrasound, may mean men with prostate tumors can be treated without an overnight stay in hospital and avoiding the distressing side effects associated with current therapies.

17 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 17, 2012

Today's health policy headlines include reports from the presidential campaign trail as well as news from the states regarding abortion laws.

17 Apr 2012

Entitlement programs at center of Capitol Hill's gathering budget storm

The likely and emerging partisan clash in Congress could force GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney to take difficult policy positions in the fall -- just as the campaign is coming to an end. Meanwhile, this week on Capitol Hill, lawmakers will wrestle with a number of health care issues.

17 Apr 2012

RUMC’s new hospital building earns LEED Gold certification

One of Chicago's most distinctive new buildings has now been certified as among the greenest. Rush University Medical Center's innovative new hospital building, the Tower, which opened in January, has earned LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute. It is the largest new construction healthcare project in the world to be LEED Gold certified.

17 Apr 2012

Medicaid news: Neb.'s prenatal care flap; Texas' 'ticking time bomb'

Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman vetoed a proposal to restore Medicaid-funded prenatal care for illegal immigrants on Friday, but the initiative could still survive if the state legislature rejects his move next week. Nebraska state senators voted 31-15 on Wednesday to restore the program, which was eliminated two years ago after providing prenatal care for decades.

17 Apr 2012

ACS, CDC partner to improve surgical patient safety

A joint, strategic partnership to improve surgical patient safety at the national level was announced today by leaders of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

17 Apr 2012

Health law implementation questions include impact of Medicaid expansion, subsidies for buying insurance

News outlets report on how a range of health law provisions are taking shape, including the proposed rule on federal subsidies to buy insurance, Medicaid expansion and accountable care organizations.

17 Apr 2012

International Microbicides Conference to discuss state of HIV prevention research

Researchers, activists and funders are meeting this week in Sydney to discuss the state of HIV prevention research. The biennial International Microbicides Conference, which was opened on Sunday evening by the Honorable Tanya Plibersek MP, Australian Minster of Health, is taking place amid renewed optimism about development and delivery of new HIV prevention options with the potential for ending the AIDS epidemic, including anti-retroviral based microbicides and pre-exposure prophylaxis.

17 Apr 2012

States roundup: Calif. mental health system grapples with controversy, shortage; Texas issues new stem cell rules

In 2006, the U.S. Department of Justice sued the state, alleging that it was violating patients' rights by heavily drugging and improperly restraining them and failing to provide appropriate treatment. The state settled, agreeing to an extensive court-supervised improvement plan at four hospitals with more than 4,000 patients. But a Times investigation found that the plan has failed to achieve the Justice Department's main objective: to raise the level of care so patients could control their violent tendencies and would not be institutionalized any longer than necessary.

17 Apr 2012

More than one third of patients with invasive cancer are undertreated for their pain

More than one third of patients with invasive cancer are undertreated for their pain, with minorities twice as likely to not receive analgesics, according to research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

17 Apr 2012

Study: 1 in 26 may develop epilepsy at some point in life

A landmark study from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) reports that your chance of developing epilepsy at some point in your life is one in 26. Onset is highest in children and older adults. But epilepsy knows no boundaries—it can strike at any age and across all socio-economic levels and ethnicities. There is no known cure and one-third of people with epilepsy have treatment-resistant or refractory epilepsy.

17 Apr 2012

Beds in pediatric intensive care unit could be used more efficiently with improved flow

The pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is a precious resource. With limited number of beds and resource-intensive services, it is a key component of patient flow. A new study published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine reveals that while a large PICU observed for the study delivered critical care services most of the time, periods of non-critical care services represented a barrier to access for new patients. At times when a bed was needed for a new patient, the PICU had beds being used for patients who could have been in other settings.

16 Apr 2012

Synthon receives tentative approval for tadalafil tablets

Synthon has announced that its subsidiary Synthon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has received tentative approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its abbreviated new drug application for tadalafil tablets, 20 mg on April 13, 2012. Synthon's product is a generic and bioequivalent version of Eli Lilly & Co and United Therapeutics’ Adcirca® tablets, which are indicated for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension to improve exercise ability.

16 Apr 2012

British doctors tackle the obesity epidemic

According to the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges the approach of using voluntary agreements with industry is “failing to have a significant impact” on obesity. Obesity, says the organization is a “huge crisis waiting to happen”.

16 Apr 2012

Consumers face difficulties in getting health care price lists

News outlets report on how the health care system sometimes adds to consumers' difficulties.

16 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 16, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about what the future might look like when Medicare doctors' pay will be tied to quality and cost of care, as well as how consumer advocates are anxious about a key aspect of the health law.

16 Apr 2012

Panel discussion on personalized medicine at USciences

Advances in fields such as genetics and genomics have created new opportunities for personalized medicine applications in clinical practice and the healthcare delivery. This integration raises important questions about how personalized medicine can best help patients without increasing costs and improving health outcomes.

16 Apr 2012

Sebelius appeals to civil rights groups for health law support

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius asked civil rights activists to help defend the health law. Meanwhile, other news outlets report on specific aspects of the law, including how contractors have been preparing for its implementation, and the latest on accountable care organizations.

16 Apr 2012

House GOP dusts off old budget ideas to replace some automatic cuts

When they return to Capitol Hill next week, Republicans on key House committees are expected to take up earlier proposals as they look for ways to replace some of the automatic budget cuts scheduled to take effect in January. Members of the House Judiciary Committee will make another go at revamping medical liability laws.

16 Apr 2012

N.Y. governor signs order establishing state health insurance exchange

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo bypassed the state legislature where Republicans had blocked a bill and issued an executive order establishing a new health insurance exchange, a major part of the health care law.

16 Apr 2012