Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

More synergy in public health between Methodist-Houston and Weill Cornell

A noted authority in health services research, critical care and geriatric medicine, Dr. Marc D. Silverstein has been appointed chairman of a newly created Department of Public Health at The Methodist Hospital in Houston.

11 Mar 2007

Impact of maternal obesity on the NHS

A new study reveals the true costs of the increase in maternal obesity and how it is impinging on service delivery in the NHS

8 Mar 2007

Mailing error reveals names of 53 people enrolled in California ADAP

The California Department of Health Services last week inadvertently revealed the names and addresses of up to 53 residents enrolled in the state's AIDS Drug Assistance Program by mailing benefit notification letters to the incorrect ADAP members, department officials said Friday, the Los Angeles Times reports.

5 Mar 2007

The model for end-stage liver disease

A review of the studies on the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) found that it is an accurate predictor of survival of patients with a variety of liver diseases, is particularly useful in allocating organs for liver transplants, and can also be used to help determine the course of treatment in certain cases. However, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the model and efforts at refining will continue.

5 Mar 2007

Life-saving cancer genetic testing vastly underutilized

A study released today at the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists 38th Annual Meeting on Women's Cancer found few patients were aware of genetic cancer syndromes and the high risk of developing cancer if genetic mutations were found. Fewer still were motivated to follow up on this information with their own healthcare provider or genetic counseling/testing services.

5 Mar 2007

Inaugral conference of Society for Acute Medicine to be held in UK

The Society of Acute Medicine has announced that the 1st International Conference for Acute Medicine is to be held at the Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre, Glasgow, on the 1st and 2nd October 2007, and will be officially opened by Dr Harry Burns, Chief Medical Officer for Scotland.

5 Mar 2007

Study compares Lipitor with Simvastatin

A retrospective analysis of a large U.S. managed care database showed that patients who took Pfizer's cholesterol-lowering medicine Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) Tablets had a significant 14 percent reduction in the risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes, compared with patients who took simvastatin.

5 Mar 2007

HHS Secretary proposes creating local health care collaborative to provide cost, quality reports of health care providers

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt on Wednesday at a breakfast with reporters announced a new proposal to establish local collaboratives to provide public reports on the cost and quality of health care providers as part of an effort to increase health care transparency, CQ HealthBeat reports.

4 Mar 2007

New York Gov. Spitzer defends proposed health care cuts in TV ad

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) on Wednesday began airing a television advertisement defending a plan included in his fiscal year 2007-2008 budget proposal that would reduce state health care spending by about $1 billion, the New York Times reports (Hicks, New York Times, 3/1).

4 Mar 2007

FDA investigating norovirus linked to San Antonio Bay oysters

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating an outbreak of norovirus-associated illness linked to eating raw oysters harvested from San Antonio Bay, TX.

4 Mar 2007

UNISON condemns NHS pay rise

UNISON has condemned the government's decision to stage the pay rise for NHS staff covered by the pay review body as a "real let down".

4 Mar 2007

FDA follows up on Salmonella outbreak

As a follow-up to the recent Salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is conducting an extensive inspection of ConAgra's Sylvester, Georgia processing plant.

1 Mar 2007

AHF launches ad campaign against Bristol-Myers Squibb over antiretroviral pricing in Mexico

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation recently launched an advertisement campaign against Bristol-Myers Squibb over the price of the pharmaceutical company's antiretroviral drugs Reyataz and Videx in Mexico, the AP/Forbes reports.

28 Feb 2007

New method for rapid diagnosis of intestinal illnesses

Academics have found, for the first time, smells from healthy faeces and people with infectious diarrhoea differ significantly in their chemical composition and could be used to diagnose quickly diseases such as Clostridium difficile (C. Diff.).

27 Feb 2007

Roman Catholic leaders criticize New York City for distributing condoms

Roman Catholic leaders in New York City on Thursday released a joint statement criticizing the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's efforts to deliver about 26 million condoms to organizations and venues in the city to help curb the spread of HIV, the New York Post reports.

22 Feb 2007

New changes for UK pharmaceutical regulation

The Chief Pharmaceutical Officers from England, Scotland and Wales came together today to reveal plans for historic changes to the regulation of the pharmacy profession.

21 Feb 2007

Health professionals would prioritize spending on the young over the old

In prioritizing health care spending, health professionals rank childhood immunization highest and cancer treatment for smokers lowest, according to a new international survey published in PLoS Medicine.

20 Feb 2007

Battle looming between NHS and pharma giants

According to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) in Britain, the National Health Service (NHS) is paying far too much to drug companies for branded medicines.

20 Feb 2007

New York City to unveil official condom as part of HIV prevention efforts

New York City health officials on Wednesday are scheduled to unveil the city's official condom as part of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's efforts to curb the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports.

19 Feb 2007

Jesse Jackson urges HIV awareness, testing, more research for a cure

The Rev. Jesse Jackson on Monday in Philadelphia at the 2007 National Conference on African-Americans and AIDS called for increased research funding to find a cure for HIV/AIDS, as well as more awareness about HIV testing, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

19 Feb 2007