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Patients' bills of rights laws don't actually protect health care providers

Despite critics who say patients' bills of rights laws are actually designed to protect health care providers, new research published in the current issue of the American Journal of Medicine found just the opposite.

23 Dec 2004

Rural imaging center takes aim at medical mistakes in healthcare

Thumb MRI Center is taking the initiative to decrease costly medical errors and increase the quality of healthcare by integrating a patented artificial intelligence technology developed by AIdentity Matrix.

22 Dec 2004

Race appears to be a factor in how doctors communicate with their patients

Race appears to be a factor in how doctors communicate with their patients, according to a new study of primary care visits conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and School of Medicine.

22 Dec 2004

Liberal Social Security reform plan would reduce the economy by $87 billion per year by 2025

A new report released today by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office finds that the leading liberal Social Security reform plan would lead to large, permanent tax increases and benefit cuts for future seniors, and would also shrink the U.S. economy.

22 Dec 2004

BMA survey shows too many consultant vacancies remain unfilled

A significant number of hospital consultant posts remain vacant after three months or more and in many cases trusts are not actively trying to fill these vacancies, according to figures released today (21/12/04) by the British Medical Association (BMA).

21 Dec 2004

Australia leads the way in new screening technology for babies

Australia is one of the first countries in the world to implement new screening technology across all States that will help detect an increased number of diseases in newborns.

21 Dec 2004

20 new policies adopted by American Public Health Association

The American Public Health Association recently adopted 20 policies addressing a broad range of issues in public health from underage alcohol consumption and nutrition labeling in restaurants to the supply of flu vaccinations and threats to immigrants’ health care.

21 Dec 2004

Quarter of all deaths in England and Wales in 2003 were caused by cancer

The main causes of death in 2003 were circulatory diseases (38 per cent), which include coronary heart disease and strokes, followed by cancers (26 per cent) and respiratory diseases (14 per cent), which includes pneumonia.

21 Dec 2004

The costs of caring for elderly patients hospitalized for colon surgery are not reduced by Medicare HMOs

The costs of caring for elderly Florida patients hospitalized for colon surgery are not reduced by Medicare HMOs, report University of South Florida researchers in the December issue of the Archives of Surgery.

21 Dec 2004

Health impact of resolving racial disparities

Lives saved by reducing the mortality rate of African-Americans to the rate of whites are five times those that could be saved by improvements in medical technology. So said the authors of "The Health Impact of Resolving Racial Disparities: An Analysis of US Mortality Data," published in the December edition of the American Journal of Public Health.

20 Dec 2004

How radiation therapy is used to safely and effectively treat various cancers

To help cancer patients and their families better understand their treatment options before making a decision, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology has published seven patient information brochures that explain how radiation therapy is used to safely and effectively treat various cancers.

16 Dec 2004

New steps to measure error rates in Medicare payments

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced new steps to measure error rates in Medicare payments more accurately and comprehensively at the contractor level, and to further reduce improper payments through targeted error improvement initiatives.

14 Dec 2004

BMA clarifies position on Mental Capacity Bill

The Mental Capacity Bill is going to report stage tomorrow in the House of Commons. There have been articles in the press incorrectly linking this Bill to euthanasia. The primary focus of the Mental Capacity Bill is to protect patients who have lost their ability to make their own decisions.

13 Dec 2004

PCT waste fears as patients shun new treatment centre

Patients prefer to wait nine months for orthopaedic operations rather than be treated within ten weeks by a new independent treatment centre, a referral centre has found.

13 Dec 2004

Need to correct racial disparities in health

The number of lives saved by medical advances over the last 10 years is far outdistanced by the number of lives lost to racial disparities in health status, according to a Virginia Commonwealth University family medicine and public health physician.

8 Dec 2004

No complicated formulas: more cleaners = cleaner hospitals

UNISON, the UK’s largest health union, has welcomed new figures showing improvements to standards of hospital cleanliness, but said that for most patients - “seeing is believing”.

8 Dec 2004

Dane County patient dumping case unloads costs on consumers

The Wisconsin Hospital Association expressed disappointment with the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s decision yesterday that allows Dane County and other counties to impose yet another hidden tax on health care consumers.

8 Dec 2004

African health care systems: what went wrong?

The last century witnessed unparalleled improvements in the health indicators of many countries in the African Region, particularly reductions in child mortality.

8 Dec 2004

Patients and GPs agree on out of hours care

New research published today (Wednesday 8 December 2004) by DPP: Developing Patient Partnerships shows that high quality care and good access to health professionals are key concerns for both patients and GPs.

8 Dec 2004

Canadian experts gather to address emerging issues in immunization

More than 800 physicians, nurses, public health experts and researchers are gathering in Montreal this week for the sixth Canadian Immunization Conference, running Dec. 5-8, 2004. The conference is being hosted by the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Paediatric Society.

6 Dec 2004