Healthblognews.com : Health News

Today’s headlines reveal more reactions to President Obama’s bi-partisan health care summit. Chief among them are low expectations.

Rapid developments in the pharmaceutical industry have led to a steady increase in the use and cost of “specialty” medications to treat chronic conditions such as arthritis and psoriasis.

The Risk Management and Patient Safety Institute (RM&PSI), a national leader in clinical risk management practice and patient safety programs for health care institutions and providers, today announced the dates and focus for its 2010 national risk management seminar.

LiveData and KARL STORZ Endoscopy- America, Inc. today announced that East Cooper Medical Center will install the companies’ Patient-Aware OR solution in the eight operating rooms in East Cooper’s new hospital to be opened this quarter. KARL STORZ is a global leader in minimally invasive endoscopic technologies and operating room integration. LiveData is a leader in real-time data integration and display technology.

A new assessment tool, reported recently by the Journal of Hospital Medicine, may help hospitals avoid under- or over-treating patients who are admitted through hospital emergency departments (EDs).

In a new survey of 178 companies in Minnesota and western Wisconsin, employers identify affordable health care as the greatest obstacle to business expansion. Other barriers to growth were government regulations, weak investment markets and taxes.

PriceDoc.com, a free, transparent healthcare pricing service and Web site, announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued PriceDoc patent #7,657,479 for its online system of healthcare service acquisition and negotiation, making PriceDoc.com the only online site where patients can “make an offer” for healthcare services with verified providers.

MedeAnalytics, a leading provider of healthcare performance management solutions, announced that Orlando Health has added Quality and Compliance Analytics (QCA) to their suite of MedeAnalytics solutions.

Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., won an upset election last month that has reshaped the health debate and that new dynamic could be a boon for lobbying firms, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Law Review columnist writes. “The thousands of lobbyists on and off Capitol Hill who labor on behalf of health-industry clients can now count on at least a few more monthly retainers.

Long term care costs in Washington continue to rise at a rate outpacing inflation in much of the state, putting significant financial pressure on those in or near retirement. As a leader in the long term care insurance industry, Genworth offers a suite of insurance products to help people proactively plan for their future. Now, AARP® members that reside in Washington can take advantage of a new program designed to simplify the process of purchasing affordable long term care insurance.

The National Council on Disability (NCD) will release a report on workforce infrastructure for people with disabilities at the JW Marriott Houston, 5150 Westheimer, Houston, TX, from 9:15 a.m. until 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday, January 20, 2010.

The Canadian Physiotherapy Association (CPA) was surprised and dismayed to read articles in two of North America’s most prestigious newspapers which question the use of certain commonly used physiotherapy treatments for musculoskeletal injuries. The articles, titled “Some physical therapy may be a stretch” and “Treat me, but no tricks please” suggest that ice, heat, ultrasound and other modalities are “voodoo” treatments.

Achieving the secure nationwide exchange of health information and patient medical information using the Internet will be advanced by adopting existing standards, technology and currently used approaches to authenticate digital identities, according to testimony presented today to the National Health Information Network (NHIN) committee advising on the development of a nationwide health information infrastructure. The testimony was delivered by SAFE-BioPharma Association, the non-profit that developed and maintains the SAFE-BioPharma® digital identity and signature standard.

Frailty is a geriatric condition marked by weight loss, low energy and strength, and low physical activity. UCLA researchers followed 1,072 healthy adults aged 70 to 79 between 1988 and 1991 to determine if productive activities – specifically volunteering, paid work and child care – prevent the onset of frailty.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered a major speech today to mark the 15th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). Her strong message showed top-level U.S. Government support for the ICPD and other such UN goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, by 2015.

The National On-site Testing Associates, Inc. (NOTA) has been revived in response to an attempt by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate on-site, or point of collection, oral fluids drug and alcohol tests used by many small employers for non-medical purposes. NOTA is an association of manufacturers, users, and distributors of on-site drugs of abuse tests. These tests are sold throughout the world for use in workplace, sports, school, insurance, and criminal justice settings and numerous other non-medical applications. These tests are safe, accurate, cost effective, and easy to use.

Gilbert Hospital continued to exceed expectations in 2009. With more than 43,190 patient visits through the emergency department, patient levels remained constant compared to 2008.

Healthcare workers at 26 California hospitals and nursing homes are seeking elections to join more than 55,000 other union members who have already chosen to stay united in the Service Employees International Union – United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW), rather than switch to an organization formed by the union’s ousted leaders.

“I hope I will be able to touch the lives of people when they most need help and to offer them advice and guidance.”

Johns Hopkins Medicine has several experts who can discuss health care reform as evident in these two opinion pieces.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in conjunction with the Ad Council and the Jim Henson Company, has released a new series of 30-second public service announcements (PSAs) about the importance of getting the 2009 H1N1 vaccine. Targeted to parents and children, the PSA campaign features 15 governors, a state first lady, a state chief medical officer and the main character from the PBS’ series “Sid the Science Kid” and reminds the public that getting vaccinated is the best way to stay healthy during this flu season.

The American Diabetes Association issues the following statement about the passing of HR 3590 The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

“Providing all Americans with health care coverage is crucial for the country. Health plans support legislative changes that would provide guaranteed access to all Americans, with no pre-existing condition limitations and no health-status-based premiums. These reforms are essential to giving all Americans greater peace of mind and health security.

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), focusing on constitutional law, said today Senate passage of the health care bill “fails the American people” and urged pro-life members of the U.S. House to stand firm in protecting the sanctity of life as differences between the Senate and House health care bills are addressed.

The New York Times: “The Senate voted Thursday to reinvent the nation’s health care system, passing a bill to guarantee access to health insurance for tens of millions of Americans and to rein in health costs as proposed by President Obama” (Pear, 12/24).