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Blitz on hospital waiting lists pays off

Since a boost of $600 million to both federal and state governments earlier this year, almost 14,000 additional patients have received elective surgery in the first six months of the Rudd government's blitz on lengthy public hospital waiting lists.

23 Jul 2008

Nursing teams in care homes could reduce hospital admissions

Bringing a community nursing and physiotherapy team into residential care homes for older people improves quality of life and reduces hospital admissions, according to a new evaluation study's reports published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

22 Jul 2008

Healthcare assistants feel undervalued

UNISON is calling for 'just a little respect' for the vital role that healthcare assistants play in treating and caring for patients.

22 Jul 2008

Rising fuel prices affecting some health care workers

Rising fuel prices are causing financial strain for some home health care workers and the industry is considering replacing some services in rural areas with remote monitoring systems, the AP/Chicago Tribune reports.

22 Jul 2008

Association of Academic Health Centers calls for national plan to recruit, retain health care workers

The Association of Academic Health Centers on Thursday during a briefing said that the federal government needs to help develop a national plan to recruit and retain health care workers to meet increased demand as the U.S. population ages, Cox/Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (Tseng, Cox/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7/18).

22 Jul 2008

House Democrats plan second, $50 billion economic stimulus package with possible funds for state Medicaid programs

House Democrats are planning a second, $50 billion economic stimulus package that could include funds for state Medicaid programs, CongressDaily reports.

22 Jul 2008

NYT examines record of cooperation on health care, other issues by McCain

The New York Times on Monday examined how presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) since his failed 2000 presidential campaign has "mastered the art of political triangulation -- variously teaming up with ... the new Republican leaders, with Democrats against Republicans and with the president against the Democrats" on health care and other issues -- to "become perhaps the chamber's most influential member."

22 Jul 2008

Means testing in Medicare, other entitlement programs could help address financial problems

The U.S. faces a "financial crisis," in part because of spending on entitlement programs, and the "situation will become much worse as Americans age and health care costs rise," Tyler Cowen, a professor of economics at George Mason University, writes in a New York Times opinion piece.

22 Jul 2008

Rural doctors say people in the bush can expect to die younger

The Australian Rural Doctors' Association (RDAA) says because of the shortage of doctors in rural and remote Australia people in the bush die sooner.

21 Jul 2008

New Orleans area hospitals hope Iowa health system doesn't suffer same fate

The residents of southern Louisiana have all faced difficult times in the almost three years since Hurricane Katrina devastated the region. No individual, business, or community in the metropolitan New Orleans region was unscathed. Natural disasters can, and do, strike anywhere, anytime. We only have to follow the Mississippi River north to Iowa to see the devastation of floodwaters to other communities.

18 Jul 2008

Health partnership expands cancer screening services

The Health Partnership of Monroe County, which evolved from the Women's Health Partnership, has expanded its free cancer screenings for women and men and now offers coverage for the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine.

15 Jul 2008

AHA recognizes quality of URMC cardiac, heart failure, stroke programs

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association has honored Strong Memorial Hospital of the University of Rochester Medical Center with a Triple Performance Achievement Award for meeting its high standards for coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke care.

15 Jul 2008

AARP finds U.S. seniors have limited access to home and community-based aervices under Medicaid

A new report by AARP's Public Policy Institute finds mixed results and promising signs among state government efforts to balance long-term care (LTC) options under Medicaid. Unfortunately, according to the report, only four states spent more than 50 percent of their Medicaid LTC dollars for older people providing home and community based services (HCBS). In Pennsylvania, 90% of Medicaid LTC dollars for older people and adults with physical disabilities who have limited financial resources are steered to nursing homes.

14 Jul 2008

Integrating palliative care for dementia into primary care

Greg A. Sachs, M.D., has received an award from the National Palliative Care Research Center to conduct a study aimed at improving quality of life and decreasing suffering for older adults and their family caregivers. The award is one of only two pilot project support grants funded by NPCRC in 2008.

14 Jul 2008

New framework for social marketing and public health in UK

A new framework for action on social marketing and public health was published today by the UK's Department of Health. Ambitions for Health sets out how we will use evidence of what motivates people to help them lead healthier lives through targeted action. This builds on the success of programmes like Health Trainers, which provides one-to-one support to help individuals tackle health issues.

10 Jul 2008

Medical students say bullying in the profession must stop

The Australian Medical Students Association's (AMSA) says that suicide rates for medical students are significantly higher than the average rate for students and has called for an end to bullying in the profession.

10 Jul 2008

Get rid of the market in health care, says Dr Hamish Meldrum

A call to get rid of the damaging market in healthcare once and for all came today from BMA Chairman Dr Hamish Meldrum in his keynote speech opening the British Medical Association's annual conference held this year in Edinburgh.

7 Jul 2008

UNISON raises concerns over individual budgets

UNISON has raised concerns over government proposals to test individual budgets in primary and community care.

6 Jul 2008

UnitedHealth Group announces lower profit outlook

UnitedHealth Group on Wednesday lowered its earnings guidance because of reduced commercial businesses and higher-than-expected Medicare-related costs and said it would restructure the company with a greater focus on regional coverage, the Chicago Tribune reports (Chicago Tribune, 7/3).

4 Jul 2008

Pennsylvania health care cost containment council employees let go after program authorization lapses

Nearly the entire staff of the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council has been let go due to a political disagreement between Gov. Ed Rendell (D) and state Senate Republicans over whether a bill to reauthorize the council should also include an extension of a malpractice insurance subsidy for physicians, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Goldstein, Philadelphia Inquirer, 7/2).

4 Jul 2008