Medical News

RSS

Views from Mass.: Novel effort to curb health costs is being closely watched

Now Massachusetts, which has the highest per capita health spending of any state in the country, is moving on the cost front. A bill signed last week by Democratic Governor Deval Patrick seeks to cut expenses by shifting the entire health system away from traditional open-ended fee-for-service medicine and setting legal limits on what the state and its residents are willing to pay. According to a statement by Patrick, the new law "cracks the code on cost," by "ushering in the end of fee-for-service in Massachusetts in favor of better care and lower costs."

18 Aug 2012

Data from new survey shows wide variation in access to primary PCI

Data from a new survey on primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) rates in 33 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) countries will be presented at the ESC Congress 2012 in Munich, Germany.

18 Aug 2012

Computer simulations shed light on dynamic structure of major target for anti-cancer drugs

Using advanced computer simulations, University of Utah College of Pharmacy researchers have produced moving images of a protein complex that is an important target for anti-cancer drugs.

18 Aug 2012

Ryan pressed on $716 billion, 10-year Medicare cut

Romney criticizes those reductions in the future growth of Medicare, which were put in place by the 2010 health law. But his running mate, Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan, is put on the spot by reporters about why he included those same reductions in his budget proposals, which were passed twice by the House.

18 Aug 2012

Pennsylvania Department of Health reports four confirmed and six probable cases of H3N2v flu

The Pennsylvania Department of Health today reported four confirmed and six probable human cases of influenza due to a new strain of the flu known as H3N2v.

18 Aug 2012

Gates blog examines global implications of Australian ruling on cigarette logo ban

"In one of the most significant victories for public health policy, the Australian High Court upheld the Tobacco Plain Packaging Act, which effectively removes the last form of advertising available to the tobacco industry in the country -- logos on cigarette packs," Cynthia Lewis, a senior program officer for the tobacco initiative at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, writes in the foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog.

18 Aug 2012

Teva launches generic ACTOplus met to improve glucose control in adults with type 2 diabetes

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced today the launch of an authorized generic of ACTOplus met (pioglitazone/metformin tablets)15 mg/500 mg, 15 mg/850 mg.

18 Aug 2012

NYU Langone's Hospital for Joint Diseases achieves Magnet recognition by ANCC

NYU Langone Medical Center's Hospital for Joint Diseases (HJD) has achieved Magnet recognition by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the international accrediting body that recognizes healthcare organizations focused on nursing excellence.

18 Aug 2012

Climate change poses risks to food supply, may lead to price spike, experts warn

"Downpours and heat waves caused by climate change could disrupt food supplies from the fields to the supermarkets, raising the risk of more price spikes such as this year's leap triggered by drought in the United States," Reuters reports.

18 Aug 2012

Bariatric surgery improves overall quality of life for people with obesity

New research shows that people who have bariatric surgery to treat obesity report an overall improvement in quality of life issues after surgery, from their relationships to their medical conditions. Arizona State University researchers will present their findings at the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association.

18 Aug 2012

Blog examines potential health implications of global child marriage act for women, girls

In this post in Management Sciences for Health's (MSH) "Global Health Impact" blog, Belkis Giorgis, senior technical advisor for the Leadership Management and Governance Project at MSH, reports on the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act (House Resolution 6087), which "establishes a strategy to prevent child marriage and promote the empowerment of girls."

18 Aug 2012

Total cholesterol test can identify patients at increased risk of heart disease

Researchers in India have developed a total cholesterol test that uses a digital camera to take a snapshot of the back of the patient's hand rather than a blood sample. The image obtained is cropped and compared with images in a database for known cholesterol levels.

18 Aug 2012

Views on Medicare feud: Both sides working toward cuts; If vouchers aren't the answer, what is?

Americans who don't count themselves confused by the current debate over Medicare must be in the minority. Mitt Romney and Republican running mate Rep. Paul D. Ryan accused President Obama of hurting seniors by cutting $716 billion from the federal health program. The president retorts that the Republicans would "end Medicare as we know it." The truth is that both sides have plans that dramatically change the nearly half-century-old program.

18 Aug 2012

FibeBiotics aims to prove benefits of polysaccharides in clinical trials

Staying healthy requires constantly stimulating the immune system. Ingesting non-digestible fibres such as polysaccharides is thought to help. Yet companies including such ingredients in their food products cannot claim that they boost the immune system. At least, not until they have been scientifically tested and proven in clinical trials. Only then, would the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) allow such health claims.

18 Aug 2012

Blog interviews health reporter regarding Haiti's cholera outbreak

In this post in KPLU 88.5's "Humanosphere" blog, journalist Tom Murphy interviews reporter Jonathan Katz, "the first to break the story connecting U.N. peacekeepers from Nepal to the" cholera outbreak in Haiti.

18 Aug 2012

AHCA approves Cleveland Clinic Florida applications for heart, liver and kidney transplant services

Cleveland Clinic Florida is pleased to announce that the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) in Florida has approved its applications for heart, liver and kidney transplant services.

18 Aug 2012

Safety net hospitals prepare for changes from health law; Patients hesitant to challenge doctors

Safety-net hospitals – which often provide care to low-income and uninsured populations – are facing reduced federal and state support for uncompensated care under the Affordable Care Act. However, this study points out that 23 million people will remain uninsured and continue to need care from the hospitals.

18 Aug 2012

Mylan Pharmaceuticals receives FDA approval for pioglitazone tablets to treat type 2 diabetes

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first generic version of Actos (pioglitazone hydrochloride) tablets. Along with diet and exercise, pioglitazone is used to improve blood glucose control in adults with type 2 diabetes.

18 Aug 2012

Viewpoints: Calif. health exchange off to good start; Fay Vincent on access problems for disabled; How 'upcoding' increases health costs

The California Health Benefits Exchange, established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to offer subsidized private coverage to most of the uninsured, represents an excellent opportunity to improve the quality and cost of healthcare in this state.

18 Aug 2012

New patient survey shows improved quality of decisions about herniated disc surgery

A new patient survey can show improvements in the quality of patient decision-making about whether or not to undergo surgery for a herniated disc, reports a study in the August 15 issue of Spine. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

18 Aug 2012

Medical News

Views from Mass.: Novel effort to curb health costs is being closely watched

Data from new survey shows wide variation in access to primary PCI

Computer simulations shed light on dynamic structure of major target for anti-cancer drugs

Ryan pressed on $716 billion, 10-year Medicare cut

Pennsylvania Department of Health reports four confirmed and six probable cases of H3N2v flu

Gates blog examines global implications of Australian ruling on cigarette logo ban

Teva launches generic ACTOplus met to improve glucose control in adults with type 2 diabetes

NYU Langone's Hospital for Joint Diseases achieves Magnet recognition by ANCC

Climate change poses risks to food supply, may lead to price spike, experts warn

Bariatric surgery improves overall quality of life for people with obesity

Blog examines potential health implications of global child marriage act for women, girls

Total cholesterol test can identify patients at increased risk of heart disease

Views on Medicare feud: Both sides working toward cuts; If vouchers aren't the answer, what is?

FibeBiotics aims to prove benefits of polysaccharides in clinical trials

Blog interviews health reporter regarding Haiti's cholera outbreak

AHCA approves Cleveland Clinic Florida applications for heart, liver and kidney transplant services

Safety net hospitals prepare for changes from health law; Patients hesitant to challenge doctors

Mylan Pharmaceuticals receives FDA approval for pioglitazone tablets to treat type 2 diabetes

Viewpoints: Calif. health exchange off to good start; Fay Vincent on access problems for disabled; How 'upcoding' increases health costs

New patient survey shows improved quality of decisions about herniated disc surgery

The importance of ketones from a clinical and medical perspective

How Programmable Nanobiology Could Drive the Fifth Industrial Revolution

Dr. Anthony Grice

Latest News