Wheelchairs News and Research

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Medicare announces contracts for competitive bidding on equipment while docs worry about payment cuts

News outlets offer a variety of stories about Medicare, including details of a new bidding process for medical equipment and the scheduled cut in physician reimbursement.

8 Nov 2010

New findings could help scientists devise optimal therapies for Friedreich's ataxia

Scripps Research Institute scientists have taken a step closer to understanding the cause of Friedreich's ataxia, a debilitating neurological condition that affects tens of thousands of people worldwide, and so far has no cure.

8 Nov 2010

Medicare growing fiscally unsustainable yet remains politically untouchable

Medicare, an indispensable safety net, is fiscally unsustainable in the long term, yet it may be politically untouchable, The Center for Public Integrity reports in the first of a multipart series.

27 Oct 2010

Eye-gaze technology opens world of communication for Rett Syndrome children

Special eye-gaze technology now being used in the Department of Neurology at The Children's Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) is revealing the hidden, inner world of children who have Rett Syndrome, a rare and severe autism spectrum disorder that primarily affects little girls. It is a neurological disease in which mobility and autonomic functions are severely impaired, seizures and orthopedic problems are common, and the children lose functional hand use and the ability to speak.

26 Oct 2010

6th Decade of the Mind Conference to be held in Singapore

A total of 15 world renowned cognitive scientists have been invited to share recent advances in their respective fields at the 6th Decade of the Mind Conference to be held at Fusionopolis from 18 - 20 October 2010. Jointly organised by A*STAR's Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC), MINDEF's Defence Research & Technology Office (DRTech) and NUS's Temasek Laboratories, it is the first such conference in Asia to promote awareness of Cognitive Science research done in Asia and from around the world.

19 Oct 2010

Childhood obesity impacts musculoskeletal system

An epidemic of childhood obesity can have a devastating impact on a child's musculoskeletal system, the U.S. Bone and Joint Decade says. Extra weight stresses growing bones, causing pain and interfering with normal growth and development.

15 Oct 2010

New program will cut payment for durable medical equipment in Medicare test program

In California, beginning Jan. 1, "a new Medicare program will slash by 30 percent the prices it will pay for certain wheelchairs, oxygen concentrators and other medical devices in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, lowering costs for both local Medicare recipients and the American taxpayer," Redland Daily Facts reports.

15 Oct 2010

'Brain-computer interface' development receives Arizona Biomedical Research Commission grant

Efforts to advance technology to aid people who have lost communication and movement abilities are getting support from an Arizona Biomedical Research Commission grant for a project combining resources and expertise at Arizona State University and the Children's Neuroscience Institute at Phoenix Children's Hospital.

14 Oct 2010

Hundreds of experts including Nobel laureates say Medicare's bidding system for durable medical equipment will fail

Medicare's bidding program for durable medical equipment will fail, say 166 leading experts on auctions and competitive bidding systems.

1 Oct 2010

Implantation of new bioprosthetic-tissue valve in patients with severe aortic stenosis saves lives

Implantation of a new bioprosthetic-tissue valve into the hearts of patients who have severe aortic stenosis and are too sick or too old for open-heart surgery has been found to both save lives and improve the quality of those lives, according to a new multicenter study, to be published online at 2 p.m. Pacific time today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

23 Sep 2010

Mother’s miracle surgery for cancer - body cut in half

Janis Ollson, 31 became the first patient to survive a rare bone cancer which required her body to be cut in half. When she was pregnant with her second child doctors assumed her intense back pain was just a typical symptom of pregnancy. But soon she was diagnosed with a bone cancer called sarcoma that was untreatable by chemotherapy or radiation.

23 Sep 2010

Health reform's six month implementation marked with new provisions

The Contra Costa Times: "Six months after passage of the federal health reform law, major provisions will kick in that supporters say will make it easier for Americans to get and keep health insurance. … Among the major changes: Insurance companies will no longer be able to cancel policies because someone becomes sick, set lifetime caps on coverage or deny insurance to children with pre-existing conditions. … In addition to enabling young people to remain on their parents' policies up to age 26, several other major provisions kick in on Thursday.

22 Sep 2010

Facts about air travel for individuals with special needs

September and October, the traditional "shoulder season" between summer's high season and winter's low season, are good months for slow walkers and individuals with special needs to travel. There are fewer tourists overall, meaning more space on walkways and fewer lines for museums and other attractions. Prices drop, too, especially for international destinations.

20 Sep 2010

Waxman says controversial Medicare bidding program for medical equipment should proceed

CQ HealthBeat: "House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry A. Waxman said Wednesday that a controversial Medicare bidding program that would cut the costs of medical equipment such as wheelchairs and oxygen supplies should go forward under tight scrutiny. Waxman said ... he takes seriously the concerns of suppliers and some patients' groups that service and access to supplies could be undermined by the money-saving program, but said there is no evidence so far of that happening based on limited early tests of the approach."

17 Sep 2010

Ways and Means leaders introduce fraud prevention efforts

The Hill: Leaders of the House Ways and Means Committee have offered a bipartisan bill to allow the Department of Health and Human Services to exclude corporate executives from Medicare if their companies were convicted of fraud. "The bill, introduced by Reps. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) and Wally Herger (R-Calif.), would also give the HHS Office of the Inspector General the ability to exclude parent companies that may be committing fraud through shell companies."

17 Sep 2010

Professor advocates steps to help health care industry increase patient understanding of health information

Studies show that nearly half of all Americans have difficulty understanding health information. Confusing medical directions, such as dosage and timing of prescription medicine, can lead to serious consequences including health setbacks, inappropriate hospital admissions and, sometimes, death. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri School of Health Professions are examining what health care facilities can do to increase patient understanding and positive outcomes.

16 Sep 2010

Medicare confronts issues with prescription drug program and medical equipment purchases

Carper wrote to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on July 29 and requested the agency establish a process to ensure valid identification numbers on reimbursed prescriptions under the Part D program.

16 Sep 2010

WHO forum to review developing country access to life-saving medical devices

More than 350 leading health experts from over 100 countries meet today at a World Health Organization (WHO) forum in Bangkok, Thailand to review new evidence and agree ways to improve developing country access to life-saving medical devices.

9 Sep 2010

International study to improve treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

A large international study aimed at improving the care of muscular dystrophy patients worldwide is being launched by physicians, physical therapists, and researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

3 Sep 2010

Illinois profs receive grant to work with kidney dialysis patients

University of Illinois scientists will learn whether protein supplements and cycling during treatments can help dialysis patients fight cardiovascular disease and retain physical function, thanks to a $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

2 Sep 2010