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First hospital penalties for high readmissions detailed

KHN examines new penalties hospitals face under the health law. Meanwhile, Medpage Today reports on the American College of Physicians' new recommendations on government rules about doctors' interactions with patients.

14 Aug 2012

External stimulation impacts postnatal development of brain's white matter

A team at Children's National Medical Center has found that external stimulation has an impact on the postnatal development of a specific region of the brain. Published in Nature Neuroscience, the study used sensory deprivation to look at the growth and collection of NG2-expressing oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (NG2 cells) in the sensory cortex of the brain.

14 Aug 2012

On '60 Minutes,' Romney and Ryan defend Medicare plan

The GOP presumptive presidential nominee and his choice for a running mate also went on the offensive by criticizing the Obama administration for cutting Medicare spending.

14 Aug 2012

New type of medical imaging could help doctors spot tumors more quickly

Scientists from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and Washington University in St. Louis have developed a new type of medical imaging that gives doctors a new look at live internal organs.

14 Aug 2012

Choice of Ryan energizes campaign--for both GOP and Dems

By choosing U.S. Representative Paul Ryan as his running mate, Mitt Romney has added some verve to what had been a tedious presidential contest. ... Now we have the potential at least for a true contest of ideas: What is the optimum size and role of government? What is the best way to reduce trillion-dollar annual deficits and $15 trillion in total debt? With a rapidly graying population and entitlements that eat up most of the federal budget, can Medicare's growth be stopped without impoverishing senior citizens? Is it time to raise taxes, even on the middle class?

14 Aug 2012

Mayo Clinic's Individualizing Medicine Conference to be held from Oct. 1-3

Mayo Clinic's Individualizing Medicine Conference, scheduled for Oct. 1-3, will draw experts from around the world to discuss the use of genomics in patient care. Physicians and researchers in this rapidly growing field are building a new type of medicine based on the genomic and molecular interactions that make each patient unique.

14 Aug 2012

Medicaid expansion would have major effect on state economy

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution examines issues surrounding the expansion of Medicaid coverage under the health law and notes that the extra federal money coming into the state would have a $72 billion economic impact over 10 years.

14 Aug 2012

National HCGNE announces $1.38M in awards to Claire M. Fagin Fellows, Patricia G. Archbold Scholars

The National Hartford Centers of Gerontological Nursing Excellence (HCGNE) today announced $1.38 million in awards to the latest cohort of Claire M. Fagin Fellows and Patricia G. Archbold Scholars studying gerontological nursing in academic settings across the U.S.

14 Aug 2012

IRS rule could keep working-class families from affordable coverage

An IRS rule could mean some working-class families may not be able to afford employer-sponsored insurance nor qualify for federal subsidies under the health law, leaving a key part of America uninsured. Childless adults, however, are in line for significant health insurance coverage gains under the health law's Medicaid expansion.

14 Aug 2012

Antisense therapy shows promise in treating toxoplasmosis

A targeted approach to treating toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease, shows early promise in test-tube and animal studies, where it prevented the parasites from making selected proteins. When tested in newly infected mice, it reduced the number of viable parasites by more than 90 percent, researchers from the University of Chicago Medicine report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

14 Aug 2012

Tai Chi improves health and quality of life for COPD sufferers

A new University of Sydney study has found Tai Chi can be an effective form of exercise therapy for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), improving exercise capacity and quality of life.

14 Aug 2012

Editorial, opinion pieces, blogs address hunger summit held in London on Sunday

The following editorial, opinion pieces, and blog posts address a hunger summit hosted by U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron at the conclusion of the Olympic Games in London on Sunday.

14 Aug 2012

Researchers identify key element in the development of Burkitt lymphoma

Burkitt lymphoma is a malignant, fast-growing tumor that originates from a subtype of white blood cells called B lymphocytes of the immune system and often affects internal organs and the central nervous system. Now Dr. Sandrine Sander and Professor Klaus Rajewsky of the Max Delbr-ck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch have identified a key element that transforms the immune cells into malignant lymphoma cells.

14 Aug 2012

Some Mass. health premiums to rise; Blue Shield of Calif. CEO pay down slightly

The increase in Massachusetts' small business and individual health care insurance premiums is down from increases of 5.5 percent on average last year.

14 Aug 2012

Targeting elevated HLX gene expression may treat acute myeloid leukemia

Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have made a discovery involving mice and humans that could mean that people with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a rare and usually fatal cancer, are a step closer to new treatment options. Their study results were published online today in Cancer Cell.

14 Aug 2012

Boomers face dearth of home caregivers; Medicare expands home-care pilot project

As baby boomers age, the U.S. will face a challenge trying to fill more than 1 million new home care positions to meet their needs, The Associated Press reports. In the meantime, Medicare is adding more groups to a pilot program aimed at lowering costs for Medicare beneficiaries by providing them with home-based care.

14 Aug 2012

U.N. to allocate $55M in response to 'neglected humanitarian emergencies' in 8 countries

"The United Nations on Thursday announced that it will allocate $55 million to bolster operations in eight countries with neglected humanitarian emergencies," the U.N. News Centre reports, adding, "Afghanistan, Cameroon, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Madagascar, Sri Lanka and Sudan will all receive funds from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to help provide food, water, health and other basic services."

14 Aug 2012