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Information about hazards of unsafe volume levels need to be included with packaging of headphones

Concerned about the potential risk of noise-induced hearing loss that can occur from listening to headphones at high volumes for extended periods of time, members of the American Osteopathic Association's (AOA) House of Delegates voted today that the AOA should advocate for manufacturers to include information about the hazards of unsafe volume levels on or within the product packaging.

18 Jul 2011

Roundup: Minn. officials reach deal to end shutdown; Calif. wrestling with adult day care benefits

Gov. Mark Dayton had to disappoint some of his strongest political supporters to come up with the deal Thursday that will end Minnesota's government shutdown. ... But Dayton did extract things from Republicans that they hadn't been willing to yield at shutdown time. The Republican "policy issues" that run throughout the Republican budget bills will disappear.

16 Jul 2011

CMS actuary offers bleak picture for Medicare solvency

During congressional testimony, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Chief Actuary Richard Foster also offered dark predictions for hospitals' future profitability.

15 Jul 2011

The focus on bringing down IPAB

On Capitol Hill this week, the health law's independent payment advisory panel drew criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was on hand to absorb some of the attacks and answer some of the questions.

15 Jul 2011

State roundup: Model insurance brings 'modest' savings

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts' alternative quality contract, which Governor Deval Patrick has held up as a potential model for controlling health care costs, produced "modest" savings in its first year while yielding improved quality of care in some areas, according to a new study in this week's New England Journal of Medicine.

15 Jul 2011

Being health wards off dementia and Alzheimer's: Study

According to a new study even relatively minor health problems seemingly unrelated to the mind may affect a person's risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. This is apart from the other known risk factors like heart disease, strokes and other serious health conditions that affect the circulatory system or brain. The study was published this week in the journal Neurology.

14 Jul 2011

Sebelius takes to the Hill to defend IPAB

During a Capitol Hill hearing, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius criticized the House-passed budget plan and its Medicare provisions and also defended the potential effectiveness and constitutionality of the health law's Independent Payment Advisory Board.

14 Jul 2011

Maintaining general health may help reduce risk for dementia

Improving and maintaining health factors not traditionally associated with dementia, such as denture fit, vision and hearing, may lower a person's risk for developing dementia, according to a new study published in the July 13, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

14 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: Partisanship, debt ceiling talks and Medicare; health cost frustration; praising Betty Ford

After initially endorsing the idea of an ambitious deficit deal, House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) retreated over the weekend, calling for only about $2 trillion in savings. ... That position rules out a deal that would make real progress on the deficit while also achieving some top GOP goals, including curbing the growth of Medicare and Medicaid and simplifying the tax code with lower rates and a broader base.

13 Jul 2011

German Court announces negative decision regarding validity of Aerocrine patent

Aerocrine AB today announced a negative decision by the Munich Court regarding the validity of one German Aerocrine patent. This decision does not influence Medisoft's obligation to respect the existing three courts decisions in Germany.

8 Jul 2011

California lawmakers advance effort to review premium increases

A bill that would allow California officials to review health insurance premium increases advances as consumer groups and doctors in Connecticut lament the governor's veto of a rate review bill. Politico also reports that the federal government is preparing to step in for rate reviews in 10 states.

8 Jul 2011

Children with hearing impairment can benefit from UNHS screening program

Hearing has a key role in the acquisition of speech, but 2 of every 1000 children are born with a hearing impairment. Early diagnosis and treatment can help these children learn to speak. In the latest issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, Martin Ptok of Hannover Medical School explores whether screening of newborns reliably detects hearing defects, the benefits of early diagnosis, and the potential risks of newborn hearing screening.

8 Jul 2011

Roundup: Municipal bonds rise as states make budget cuts; Calif. psych workers seek more security

Florida is firing 1,300 workers. New York is cutting education funding and freezing public employee wages for three years. Arizona is slashing Medicaid coverage. And municipal bondholders are having their best year since President George H.W. Bush was in the White House.

7 Jul 2011

Some states slow in implementing health insurance exchanges

The Hill reports that the delays taking place in many states could put their legislatures at risk of handing over this aspect of the health overhaul to the federal government. Meanwhile, in a pair of articles, Politico revisits key political messages of the reform debate — "repeal and replace" as well as "death panels."

7 Jul 2011

Current prevention strategies may not be very effective at reducing in-hospital falls

While falls are a common cause of injury, particularly in older, hospitalized patients, some may not be as preventable as once thought. According to a new literature review published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, many of the risks that frequently cause falls are not adequately addressed with the fall prevention initiatives used in healthcare facilities.

7 Jul 2011

First Edition: July 6, 2011

In today's headlines, reports about how budget pressures and the deficit reduction negotiations are having an impact on Medicare and Medicaid.

6 Jul 2011

States continue push to keep federal money from Planned Parenthood

Also in the news, a national abortion rights organization has filed suit in Texas to block the implementation of a new state law requiring women have pre-abortion sonograms.

6 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: 'Imaginary' mandates, premium hikes, Medicare leadership

Liberals are taking a victory lap since a federal appeals court upheld President Obama's health care plan last week, but not so fast. This is an idiosyncratic and flawed opinion, and we trust the Supreme Court, however it rules, will hold itself to a higher standard of jurisprudential reasoning.

6 Jul 2011

Judge halts enforcement of S.D. abortion law; hearing on Kansas law today

A federal judge on Thursday barred a tough new South Dakota abortion law from taking effect while it's being challenged in court. The law, which would have taken effect Friday, requires women seeking abortions to face a three-day waiting period and undergo counseling at pregnancy help centers that discourage abortion.

2 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: Medical docs begin residency, best practices, Kansas abortions

Today, after four arduous years of examinations, graduating medical doctors will report to their residency programs. Armed with stethoscopes and scalpels, they're preparing to lead the charge against disease in its ravaging, chimerical forms. They carry with them the classic tomes: Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine and Gray's Anatomy. But I have an unlikely addition for their mental rucksacks: "Grimm's Fairy Tales".

2 Jul 2011