Health Care


$80 Million in Stimulus Grants to Train Health IT Workforce

Dr. David Blumenthal, Health and Human Services' national coordinator for Health Information Technology, announced the grants on Tuesday. Details of the training they will fund will be released in the next few weeks.

DIA Conference to Discuss Pharmacovigilance, Risk Management

The Drug Information Association will host its 9th Annual Conference on Contemporary Pharmacovigilance and Risk Management Strategies from Jan. 10-13, 2010 in Washington, D.C.

Concerns Raised about Outdoor Secondhand Smoke

Indoor smoking bans have forced smokers at bars and restaurants onto outdoor patios, but a new University of Georgia study in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that these outdoor smoking areas might be creating a new health hazard.

CDPH Delivering Millions of N95 Respirators

Besides filling more than 5 million orders for H1N1 vaccine doses, the Department of Public Health has distributed 7.3 million N95s to 27 counties in California.

Hospital Report Cards Do Not Appear to Result in Significant Improvements

An analysis of quality of cardiac care following the public release of data on measures of care at hospitals in Ontario, Canada, did not result in significant systemwide improvement in hospitals' performance on most quality of care indicators, according to a study to be published in the December 2 issue of JAMA. The study is being released early online because of its presentation at an American Heart Association scientific conference.

FDA Warning: Avoid Plavix Use with Prilosec

Patients should avoid using the stomach acid reducer Prilosec/Prilosec OTC (omeprazole) with the anti-clotting drug Plavix (clopidogrel), the Food and Drug Administration warned on Nov. 17.

New Jersey Hospital to Pay $3 Million to Resolve Allegations of Medicare Fraud

The United States has entered into a settlement with a New Jersey hospital and filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit against a New York hospital involving allegations that the hospitals defrauded Medicare, the Justice Department recently announced.

The research team is headed by University College London Professor of Human–Computer Interaction Ann Blandford.

$9.7 Million Grant Funds Interactive Medical Devices Research

Patient safety and a better understanding of causes of errors are being studied by a group headed by University College London Professor of Human–Computer Interaction Ann Blandford.



Rapid Influenza Tests Pose a Dangerous Public Health Risk

Rapid influenza diagnostic tests used in doctors' offices, hospitals, and medical laboratories to detect H1N1 are virtually useless and could pose a significant danger to public health, according to a Loyola University Medical Center researcher.

Managers Are Key to Healthier, More Satisfied Employees

Managers take note: a flexible workplace can make employees, their families, and their workplaces healthier and happier, according to recent studies conducted by industrial organizational psychologists.

Dr. Pamela Hymel, MD, MPH, FACOEM, is president of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

ACOEM Sounds Alarm on GINA Title II Regs

Dr. Pamela Hymel, the association's president, warned her members that EEOC may conclude wellness programs provided through group health plans are not voluntary if incentives to participate are involved, which could severely restrict their use by employees.

Refilled and reused syringes are at the heart of unfolding HCV tragedies in Las Vegas and Denver.

WHO Estimates 65 Million Have Received H1N1 Shots

Around 80 million doses of vaccine for this virus have been distributed worldwide. The agency says there have been few reports of adverse reactions, including fewer than 10 suspected cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome in people who have received vaccine.

OSHA Issues H1N1 Enforcement Procedures Directive

States are required to notify OSHA whether they intend to adopt policies and procedures identical to today’s Instruction or adopt or maintain different policies and instructions for conducting inspections to minimize high to very high risk occupational exposures to the virus identified as 2009 H1N1 influenza.

Tips to Ease Needle Anxiety

Needle. For some people, the word--almost as much as the sight of one sliding into skin--is enough for people to cringe, cry, even swoon if they're standing in line waiting for one.

Quit smoking

34th Great American Smokeout Is Today

Even while noting that "great progress" is being made in reducing tobacco use in the United States, the American Cancer Society says smoking continues to account for $193 billion in health care expenditures and productivity losses.

EPA Proposes Stronger Air Quality Standards for Sulfur Dioxide

For the first time in nearly 40 years, the Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to strengthen the nation's sulfur dioxide (SO2) air quality standard to protect public health.

H1N1 Update: UK Offers Vaccine to All Young Children

Vaccinations will be offered for those up to five years old, even if they have no underlying medical condition.

Study Finds Sleep Apnea May Cause Heart Disease in Kidney Transplant Patients

Sleep apnea is common in individuals who receive a kidney transplant and is associated with increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, or stroke, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN).

Previous Flu Infections May Provide Some H1N1 Immunity

Researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have found that previous influenza infections may provide at least some level of immunity to the H1N1 "swine" flu. "The question we asked was, 'Is the swine flu more like the seasonal flu or like a totally new strain of influenza where there would be no immunity?,'" said Alessandro Sette, Ph.D., an internationally recognized vaccine expert and director of the La Jolla Institute's Center for Infectious Disease. "What we have found is that the swine flu has similarities to the seasonal flu, which appear to provide some level of pre-existing immunity. This suggests that it could make the disease less severe in the general population than originally feared."

Health Care Professional Sentenced to Prison for Medicine Tampering

Drea Lynne Gibson, 43, of Fall City, Washington, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to a year and a day in prison and three years of supervised release for product tampering in violation of federal law.

Product Showcase

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