News
iPhone App Aids Surgical Prep
November 9, 2009 6:07 am | CommentsDr. Frederic Jacquot, an orthopedic surgeon from France, has developed an innovative iPhone application that can measure spine curvature angles “on the fly”. Just like other spine clinicians, Dr. Jacquot was trained to measure the Cobb angle, kyphosis angle and the sacral slope on spine radiographs.
He Shoots, He Scores, He's Fired
November 9, 2009 5:55 am | CommentsReuters Senior health officials in Alberta, Canada said they had fired an unidentified worker for giving National Hockey League players preferential access to the flu vaccine. The controversy boiled over when it was revealed that players for the Calgary Flames and their families received shots on an exclusive basis one day before the province closed public flu clinics due to a shortage of the vaccine.
Shape Up America! Urges Medical Care For Obese
November 9, 2009 5:43 am | CommentsNational obesity and public health leaders are pressing Congress to address health needs of the morbidly obese November 9, 2009 As the House of Representatives and the Senate debate companion bills to make health care more affordable and accessible, a coalition of obesity and public health experts is urging Congress not to overlook the needs of the more than 15 million Americans who suffer from severe obesity and are at the greatest risk for chronic disease and death.
Healthcare Reform: Where Saturday Night's Vote Puts Us
November 9, 2009 5:33 am | CommentsErica Werner, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, AP Here’s a look at bills currently before Congress. The Democratic-controlled House passed its legislation on a 220-215 vote Saturday night, with nearly unanimous Republican opposition. In the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid is finalizing legislation merging the work of two committees and making other changes.
Possibility Of E. Coli In School Lunches
November 9, 2009 4:49 am | by Libby Quaid, AP | CommentsThe chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee wants an investigation into the risk of E. coli getting into school lunches. Rep. George Miller, (D-CA) is worried about a recent outbreak that killed at least two people and sickened about two dozen others in 11 states. The E. coli outbreak was linked to ground beef produced by Fairbank Farms of Ashville, NY.
"Old" Bypass Method May Be Better
November 6, 2009 5:48 am | CommentsStephanie Nano, AP It seemed like a great idea — doing bypass surgery while the heart is still beating, sparing patients the complications that can come from going on a heart-lung machine. Now the first big test of this method has produced a surprise: Bypass has fewer problems and is more successful done the old way.
Democratic Division Drives/Haults Health Bill Progress
November 6, 2009 5:33 am | CommentsErica Werner, AP House Democrats are scrambling to secure enough support to pass President Barack Obama's health overhaul initiative, working to soothe last-minute concerns from rank-and-file Democrats ahead of a make-or-break vote. Voting is set for Saturday on the 10-year, $1.2 trillion legislation that embraces Obama's goals of extending health coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans and putting tough new restrictions on insurance companies.
The Costs Of Defensive Medicine
November 6, 2009 5:26 am | CommentsDr. James Wang says he tries to tell his patients when extra medical procedures aren't necessary. If they insist, though, he will do it—not so much to protect their health as his own practice. After being sued for allegedly failing to diagnose a case of appendicitis, Wang says he turned to what's known as "defensive medicine," ordering extra tests, scans, consultations and even hospitalization to protect against malpractice suits, a recent Associated Press article reports.
Rating Hospitals By Risk-Adjusted Mortality
November 6, 2009 5:18 am | CommentsAn annual study of patient outcomes at each of the nation's 5,000 non-federal hospitals found a wide gap in quality between the nation's best hospitals and the rest. According to the study, issued by the independent healthcare ratings organization HealthGrades, patients at their highly-rated hospitals have a 52 percent lower chance of dying when compared to the U.
Hospital Prices Continue To Climb
November 6, 2009 4:58 am | CommentsOverall hospital prices increased 0.2 percent in September, and were 3.0 percent higher than a year previous, according to a recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This relates to actual or expected reimbursement for a sample of treatments or services. The increased prices are attributed to a number of factors: Natural price increases relevant to any marketplace.
First Human Robotic Endoscopic Aortic Valve Replacement Performed
November 4, 2009 5:47 am | CommentsPRNewswire The first human robot-assisted endoscopic aortic valve replacement using the daVinci® Surgical System from Intuitive Surgical to implant the ATS 3f® Aortic Bioprosthesis was recently performed by Allen Raczkowski, M.D., at Banner Baywood Health Hospital in Phoenix, AZ. “The ATS 3f Aortic Bioprosthesis is the only valve that has the flexibility necessary for small access robotic ports, and it provides hemodynamic characteristics which are important for the patient's quality of life,” said Dr.
Report Shows Shift In Salaries
November 4, 2009 5:30 am | CommentsIn the case of some specialties, starting salaries for doctors who join physician-owned medical group practices are catching up to those offered by hospital and integrated delivery system-owned (IDS) practices, according to a recent survey from the Medical Group Management Association. The “Physician Placement Starting Salary Survey: 2007 Report Based on 2006 Data,” conducted in collaboration with the National Association of Physician Recruiters, found that physician-owned practices offered comparable salaries to hospital/IDS salaries for family practice without obstetrics ($130,000 vs.
New Approach To Lung Cancer Favors Radiosurgery
November 4, 2009 5:19 am | CommentsRecent studies suggest that patients with early stage, non-small cell lung cancer who are not able to undergo surgery now have another option. Physicians say that option, radical stereotactic radiosurgery performed with CyberKnife, leads to a 100 percent overall survival after three years in patients with good lung function before the treatment.
Acquisition Makes Merck #2 Drugmaker
November 4, 2009 4:59 am | CommentsThe new Merck & Co. becomes the world's second-biggest drugmaker overnight, and it's boasting a fat wallet to fund future deals. That's after the maker of vaccines and cholesterol and diabetes drugs bought Schering-Plough Corp. for $41.1 billion yesterday, leapfrogging from number eight to number two in the industry by revenue.
RI Hospital Looks To OR Cameras To Address Wrong-Site Surgery Problems
November 3, 2009 6:21 am | CommentsMichelle R. Smith, AP Rhode Island's largest hospital was fined $150,000 and ordered to take the extraordinary step of installing video cameras in all its operating rooms after it had its fifth wrong-site surgery since 2007, state health officials said Monday. Rhode Island Hospital, the teaching hospital for Brown University's Alpert Medical School, was fined a second time for wrong-site surgeries.
