News
Study: Medicare Rewards MDs For Overuse
February 10, 2010 6:50 am | CommentsJulie Steenhuysen, Reuters Medicare's move in 2005 to pay doctors to do bladder cancer surgery in their offices rather than in hospitals dramatically raised the number of procedures and overall health costs, U.S. researchers say. The findings reflect the complexity of cutting health costs in the United States, showing how in some cases Medicare—the insurance program for the elderly and disabled—gives doctors incentives to provide too much care, the researchers say.
New Safeguards Planned For Medical Imaging Tests
February 10, 2010 6:49 am | CommentsReuters U.S. health officials want manufacturers of CT machines and certain other medical imaging devices to incorporate new safeguards to help reduce patient exposure to radiation. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday it planned to issue requirements for manufacturers to use when designing their equipment and would hold a public meeting on the matter March 30-31.
Acupuncture Insufficient Treatment For Fibromyalgia
February 10, 2010 6:48 am | CommentsLaura Buchholz, Reuters Health Acupuncture may provide some temporary pain relief for people with fibromyalgia, but does not help with fatigue, sleep problems, or physical function, reveals a new research review. However, the results are too inconsistent to recommend acupuncture as a treatment fibromyalgia, the reviewers conclude.
Questions Remain On Bariatric Surgery For Adolescents
February 10, 2010 6:47 am | CommentsLaparoscopic adjustable gastric banding surgery can effectively treat obesity in adolescents and seems to offer a better alternative than gastric bypass surgery, but further study is needed to determine whether it's better than nonsurgical options, a UT Southwestern Medical Center surgeon writes in an editorial in the Feb.
Source: Surgical Error May Be To Blame For Murtha’s Death
February 9, 2010 6:35 am | CommentsA Pennsylvania congressman and longtime friend of the late Rep. John Murtha says the congressman's large intestine was damaged during gallbladder surgery and an infection developed. February 9, 2010 The sudden death Monday of Rep. John Murtha could be attributed to a surgical error, according to a source close to a congressman.
Beer A Source For Bone Health
February 9, 2010 6:32 am | CommentsA new study finds that beer is a rich source of silicon which may help prevent osteoporosis February 9, 2010 A new study suggests that beer is a significant source of dietary silicon, a key ingredient for increasing bone mineral density. Researchers from the Department of Food Science & Technology at the University of California, Davis studied commercial beer production to determine the relationship between beer production methods and the resulting silicon content, concluding that beer is a rich source of dietary silicon.
Investors Losing Patience With Hospitals
February 9, 2010 6:31 am | CommentsAs Congress looks less likely to pass a health-care bill, hospital stocks have dropped as much as 20 percent from their January peaks. February 9, 2010 As Congress looks less likely to pass a health-care bill, investors are steering clear of hospitals, a recent article in the Wall Street Journal reports.
Lighter Sedation For Elderly In Surgery May Reduce Disorientation
February 9, 2010 6:29 am | CommentsA common complication following surgery in elderly patients is postoperative delirium, a state of confusion that can lead to long-term health problems and cause some elderly patients to complain that they “never felt the same” again after an operation. But a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests that simply limiting the depth of sedation during procedures could safely cut the risk of postoperative delirium by 50 percent.
Illinois Court Overturns Malpractice Statute
February 7, 2010 8:31 am | CommentsThe Illinois Supreme Court recently overturned the state’s five-year-old medical malpractice law because it limited compensation to injured patients for pain, suffering and other non-economic harms. The ruling came down as federal proposals to cap malpractice awards are receiving fresh attention in Washington.
Nearly Half Of All Cancers Are Preventable
February 7, 2010 8:20 am | CommentsAbout 40 percent of cancers could be prevented if people stopped smoking and overeating, limited their alcohol, exercised regularly and got vaccines targeting cancer-causing infections, experts say. The International Union Against Cancer released a report focused on steps that governments and the public can take to avoid the disease.
Government Picks Up Huge Health Care Tab
February 7, 2010 8:14 am | CommentsRicardo Alonso-Zaldivar, AP Government is poised to become king of the hill in America's vast health care system, with or without President Barack Obama's planned redo. According to a recent report, federal and state programs will pay slightly more than half the tab for health care purchased in the United States by 2012, says the analysis by Medicare number crunchers published in the journal Health Affairs .
Nurse Could Face Prison Time For Reporting Surgeon
February 7, 2010 8:01 am | CommentsIt occurred to Anne Mitchell that she might lose her job, but it was beyond her conception that she would be indicted and threatened with 10 years in prison for doing what she knew a nurse must: inform state regulators that a doctor at her rural hospital was practicing bad medicine. When she was fingerprinted and photographed at jail last June, it felt as if she had entered a parallel universe.
Landmark For Pressure Ulcer Prevention
February 7, 2010 7:41 am | CommentsAction Products, Inc. has commenced its 40th year of providing pressure ulcer prevention products to the world. Troy McKnight, Chief Executive Officer, stated, “It’s gratifying to see the tremendous progress that’s been made by the medical community in the treatment and prevention of decubitus ulcers and to know that Action Products has contributed to this progress for more than 40 years through its products, technology and dedication.
Intuitive Surgical Avoids ED Lawsuit
February 5, 2010 4:29 am | CommentsA federal appeals court cleared Intuitive Surgical in a case involving the malfunction of a da Vinci surgical robot during a prostatectomy that may have lead to a Pennsylvania man's erectile dysfunction. Roland Mracek sued Intuitive after undergoing a prostatectomy at Bryn Mawr hospital. During the surgery, the da Vinci robot began displaying error messages.
Doctors Sue To Stop Unsupervised Nurse Anesthetists
February 5, 2010 4:16 am | CommentsSurgical patients are being put at risk because a new California regulation allows nurse anesthetists to administer anesthesia without the supervision of a physician, claims a lawsuit filed against California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger by two large physician groups. The groups are concerned about the lack of supervision in these instances.
