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Video to improve patient-doctor communication

Amid growing concerns about racial, ethnic and language disparities in health care, The Joint Commission and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights have released a video, entitled “Improving Patient-Provider Communication,” which supports language access in health care organizations.

12 Nov 2009

Obama nominates Senior USDA official to lead USAID

President Barack Obama Tuesday announced the nomination of Rajiv Shah - a medical doctor who is currently a senior official at the Department of Agriculture focusing on food security - to lead USAID, the Boston Globe reports (Smith, 11/11).

12 Nov 2009

Lawmakers call for emergency sick-leave requirement

Lawmakers are calling for new legislation that would require businesses to provide paid emergency sick-leave because of the swine flu pandemic.

12 Nov 2009

NASDAQ grants InfoLogix's request for exception to stockholder approval requirements

InfoLogix, Inc., a leading technology provider of enterprise mobility solutions for the healthcare and commercial industries, today announced that NASDAQ has granted the Company's request for an exception to NASDAQ's stockholder approval requirements, in accordance with NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(f).

11 Nov 2009

Researchers identify cause that leads to age-related hearing loss

Age-related hearing loss is the most common sensory disorder among the elderly. But scientists are still trying to figure out what cellular processes govern or contribute to the loss.

11 Nov 2009

Medicare Advantage plans are largely unpopular in rural states

Kansas Health Institute examines Medicare Advantage plans, which are less popular in rural areas, in a series of reports.

11 Nov 2009

Sonova Group achieves year-on-year sales growth of 18.2%

The Sonova Group achieved sales of CHF 709.2 million in the first half of 2009/10, representing year-on-year sales growth of 18.2% in Swiss francs. Organic sales growth of 17.5% in local currencies was well above the estimated market growth of around 3% in units. Numerous smaller acquisitions in Europe, Asia/Pacific and North America contributed a total of 4.3% to sales growth.

10 Nov 2009

Mouse with "golden ears"

What do you get when you cross a mouse with poor hearing and a mouse with even worse hearing? Ironically, a new strain of mice with "golden ears" - mice that have outstanding hearing as they age.

10 Nov 2009

Sonova Holding to acquire Advanced Bionics

Advanced Bionics (AB), the only U.S.-based manufacturer of cochlear implants (or “bionic ears”), announced today that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Sonova Holding AG, the world’s leading provider of hearing systems.

9 Nov 2009

Nasdaq grants Anesiva's request for continued listing on The NASDAQ Global Market

Anesiva, Inc. today announced that on November 5, 2009, it received a letter from The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC stating that the Nasdaq Hearing Panel has granted Anesiva's request for continued listing on The NASDAQ Global Market subject to the condition that Anesiva shall have completed on or before December 31, 2009, the proposed merger (the "Merger") contemplated by the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated August 4, 2009, among Anesiva, Arca Acquisition Corporation ("Arca"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anesiva, Arcion Therapeutics, Inc. ("Arcion") and, with respect to Articles V and IX only of the agreement, each of the Arcion stockholders listed on Schedule I thereto.

9 Nov 2009

Speaker Pelosi remarks after passage of the health care bill

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic leaders held a press conference following the House passage of H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act. The bill passed by a vote of 220 to 215.

9 Nov 2009

Sonova Holding enters into a share purchase agreement with shareholders of Advanced Bionics

Sonova Holding AG, the world's leading provider of hearing systems, announced today that it has entered into a share purchase agreement with the shareholders of Advanced Bionics Corporation, Los Angeles, USA.

9 Nov 2009

Human fetuses become active listeners in the last trimester of the pregnancy: Study

In the first days of their lives, French infants already cry in a different way to German babies. This was the result of a study by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, the Centre for Pre-language Development and Developmental Disorders (ZVES) at the University Clinic W-rzburg, and the Laboratory of Cognitive Sciences and Linguistics at the Ecole Normale Sup-rieure in Paris.

7 Nov 2009

Californians who lose jobs find health care safety net badly frayed

In this article for Kaiser Health News, Janet Wilson focuses on California and reports on how the safety net is fraying as economic woes take their toll on state budgets. "With a nip here and a slash there, California's budget crisis is now affecting health care for millions of residents, from wealthy Orange County to the struggling city of Oakland.

6 Nov 2009

Soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages linked to obesity; soda industry fails to acquit itself in landmark hearings

In today’s landmark hearings called by State Senators Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) and Elaine Kontominas Alquist (D-San Jose), representatives from the soda industry failed to acquit themselves of a growing body of research implicating sugar-sweetened beverages as the leading culprit in the obesity epidemic.

6 Nov 2009

Sonomax U.K. to supply SonoCustom earplugs to DFRMO

Sonomax UK Limited reports that working for extended periods on military airfields and in close proximity to fast jet aircraft with a typical noise exposure of between 110 and 140 decibels, the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence Fire Risk Management Organization (DFRMO) recognized the need to review the hearing protection being supplied to their fire fighters.

5 Nov 2009

Aging population need to be included in information technology, suggest psychologists

Technology is no longer what it used to be: Computers have replaced typewriters and landlines are in rapid decline. Technological advances are being made every day, making many of our lives easier and allowing information to be more accessible and available. However for some people, such as the aging population, technological progress can in fact be more limiting.

5 Nov 2009

Surgical groups oppose Senate’s health care reform bill

Twenty surgical organizations, led by the American College of Surgeons, sent a letter to the U.S. Senate today stating they are prepared to oppose the Senate's health care reform bill because it will threaten patient access and harm quality.

5 Nov 2009

House legislation seeks 5 days of sick leave for workers

In an effort to rein in the spread of the H1N1 Flu, Representative George Miller, the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, introduced legislation on Tuesday that would guarantee five paid sick days for workers sent home by their employers with a contagious illness. Mr. Miller, Democrat of California, voiced concern that more than 40 million workers did not have paid sick days and that many workers coming into contact with public — like restaurant or school cafeteria employees — would go to work with H1N1 and spread the virus if they could not afford to stay home.

5 Nov 2009

Majority of women smokers unaware of immediate and long term health risks

Many women are aware that smoking can lead to lung cancer, heart disease and premature death. But a recent survey conducted by Angus Reid on behalf of nicotine replacement therapy brands, NICODERM(R) and NICORETTE(R) reveals that the majority of Canadian women who smoke are not necessarily aware of the host of other impacts that smoking can have on their immediate and longer term health.

4 Nov 2009