Health News
E-Clips
An electronic healthcare news link service
provided by UHA,
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Community clinics could play key role in Utah health care reform (Salt Lake Tribune, May 11, 2008) Since she didn't have health insurance, Valorie Johnston got creative when her 6-year-old son, Tanner, needed stitches: She used Super Glue. http://www.sltrib.com/ci_9219800
Economist calls for ancient principles in health-care reform (Deseret Morning News, May 11, 2008) In order for health-care reform to move ahead, a look back — way back — is in order, according to an economist and special consultant to a number of states trying to overhaul their health-care systems. http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700224904,00.html
U. limiting podiatrists in medical facilities (Deseret Morning News, May 10, 2008) The University of Utah is limiting the practice of podiatrists in its medical facilities, severely restricting their ability to perform surgeries and ending their existing adjunct faculty appointments. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700224647,00.html
UVRMC uses robot to dispense meds (Daily Herald, May 12, 2008) Around the office, MARTY is generally the quiet type, unless she's sorting prescriptions. http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/265906/
Surgeon has seen many changes (Deseret Morning News, May 13, 2008) Dr. Chris Peters was not yet an orthopedic surgeon when Dr. Robert Ballard retired from a long, successful career in the field 20 years ago. Ballard's vision was going at the time — a death knell for a surgery career that had spanned more than four decades. He kept working for a while, but could no longer operate, and that was his passion. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700225435,00.html
Ex-Utah Gov. Leavitt
in
Ahhhhh-chew! Welcome to spring allergy season,
In filing, Jensens accuse doctor of scare tactics (
National Healthcare Headlines
Healthy care:
Bennett/Wyden plan deserves hard look (Editorial, Salt Lake Tribune, May
13, 2008) The
HMO Pullouts Upend
Gay rights groups launch hospital ratings (Boston Globe, May 13, 2008) Just over half of 88 hospitals got top marks under a new rating system created by two national gay-rights organizations which hope the standards will result in more compassionate treatment of gay and lesbian patients. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/05/13/gay_rights_groups_launch_hospital_rating_system/
Study: Older brains don't benefit from painkillers (New York Times, May 12, 2008) Results from a large government experiment are dimming hopes that two common painkillers can prevent Alzheimer's disease or slow mental decline in older people. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/health/AP-Painkillers-OlderBrains.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Illegal Farm Workers
Get Health Care in Shadows (New York Times, May 10, 2008) The curandera is weary from work.
Three, four, five times a day, the immigrant farm workers knock on her
apartment door, begging her to cure their ailments. (You must register to view
this link—no fee) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/10/us/10migrant.html?th&emc=th
In Custody, In Pain (Washington
Post, May 12, 2008) Underneath her baggy jail-issue pants, Yong Sun Harvill
feels the soft lump just below her left knee. Sometimes it tingles. Sometimes
it is numb. Like her cancer felt when it arrived behind the knee a few years
ago.(Washington Post, May 12, 2008) Underneath her
baggy jail-issue pants, Yong Sun Harvill feels the
soft lump just below her left knee. Sometimes it tingles. Sometimes it is numb.
Like her cancer felt when it arrived behind the knee a few years ago. (You must
register to view this link—no fee) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/specials/immigration/cwc_d2p1.html
Battling to take
death out of birth in Africa (Washington Post, May 12, 2008) Lying on a
sagging mattress and wincing slightly, Anna Lado
laughs at the idea that she should have been afraid of giving birth to her
first child, now lying in a crib near her in a hospital in south
Loan effort lures
recruits to health centers (Boston Globe, May 12, 2008) Twice as many
doctors and nurse practitioners than expected took or remained in jobs in
What the passage of GINA means for the public (Boston Globe, May 12, 2008) fter stalling in Congress for more than a decade, a bill that bans discrimination on the basis of a person’s genes won approval on May 1. President Bush is expected to sign it this week. Known by the acronym GINA, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act bars employers and health insurers from penalizing people for flaws or disease risks revealed by genetic testing. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2008/05/12/what_the_passage_of_gina_means_for_the_public/
Thinking Prevention (Washington Post, May 13, 2008) Emilia Uriarte and Mariluz Garcia are just the types of patients that Elmer Huerta loves to see. The first hasn't been to a doctor in 10 years; the second has been a faithful patient of the cancer prevention specialist for the past seven. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/12/AR2008051202123.html?wpisrc=newsletter
Spreading The Word (Washington Post, May 13, 2008) Once, word of disciplinary action against a popular local dentist -- if it surfaced publicly at all -- might not have gone much beyond the back pages of a newsletter published by the state board of dental examiners. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/12/AR2008051202115.html?wpisrc=newsletter
Advice is varied regarding prostate-cancer treatment (Deseret Morning News, May 11, 2008) Several of the callers to Saturday's Deseret News/Intermountain Healthcare Hotline on prostate cancer wanted to be reassured they'd made the right choice between surgery and various forms of radiation. http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700224803,00.html
Families will make case for vaccine link to autism (Washington Post, May 12, 2008) Families claiming that a mercury-based preservative in vaccines triggers autism will challenge mainstream medicine Monday as they take their case to a federal court. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/11/AR2008051100969.html?wpisrc=newsletter
Nagging
texts help teens remember to take meds (USA Today, May 12, 2008) 4gt
yr meds? Getting kids to remember their medicine may be a text message away. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2008-05-12-text-message-nagging_N.htm
That Must Be Bob. I Hear His New Hip Squeaking. (New York Times, May 11, 2008) The first time John L. Johnson’s artificial hip squeaked, he was bending down to pick up a pine cone in his yard in Thomasville, Ga. Mr. Johnson looked up, expecting to find an animal nearby. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/business/11hip.html?th&emc=th
Government asks court to block wider testing for mad cow (USA Today, May 12, 2008) The Bush administration on Friday urged a federal appeals court to stop meatpackers from testing all their animals for mad cow disease, but a skeptical judge questioned whether the government has that authority. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-05-09-mad-cow_N.htm
FTC to Fight Virginia Hospital Merger (Wall Street Journal, May 12, 2008) The Federal Trade Commission will try to block a merger of nonprofit hospitals in northern Virginia, revisiting an industry that in recent years has frustrated agency attempts to preserve competition. (You must have an online subscription to view this story) www.wsj.com
FDA Withholds List of Chinese Heparin Suppliers From Probe (Wall Street Journal, May 10, 2008) The Food and Drug Administration is withholding a list of Chinese heparin suppliers requested by congressional investigators looking into problems with tainted supplies of the blood thinner, saying confidentiality agreements prevent release of the companies' names. (You must have an online subscription to view this story) www.wsj.com
Merck, Ranbaxy Team Up To Develop Anti-Infectives (Wall Street Journal, May 12, 2008) Two of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. and India have teamed up to develop new anti-infective medications. (You must have an online subscription to view this story) www.wsj.com
Officials Cull All
Poultry in
Cigarette Bill Treats Menthol With Leniency (New York Times, May 13, 2008) Some public health experts are questioning why menthol, the most widely used cigarette flavoring and the most popular cigarette choice of African-American smokers, is receiving special protection as Congress tries to regulate tobacco for the first time. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/business/13menthol.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
A Child, a Bizarre Tumor and a Perilous Operation (New York Times, May 13, 2008) Three-year-old Grace Webster perches on the operating table, tiny and cold, covered only by a diaper and her sandy-blond Raggedy Ann hair. Her blue eyes gaze warily at the monster-size machines sprouting tube tentacles that encircle her — machines that will guide surgeons four inches into her brain. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/health/13tumo.html?th&emc=th
Rough Transition to a New Asthma Inhaler (New York Times, May 13, 2008) Millions of people with asthma and other lung diseases will have to switch inhalers by the end of the year. And for many, the transition will not be smooth. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/health/13asth.html?th&emc=th
A Guided Tour of Your Body (New York Times, May 13, 2008) Whether it’s an aching back, too many nightly trips to the bathroom or a middle that seems to get thicker each year, changes in our health are inevitable as we get older. But while doctors tell us to focus on the basics — eat right, exercise and keep cholesterol and blood pressure in check — is there more that we need to know about staying well as we age? (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/health/13intro.html?th&emc=th
1 dies, 1 ill after receiving kidneys (Boston Globe, May 13, 2008) A 70-year-old woman has died, and a 57-year-old man is critically ill in a Boston hospital after each received a kidney from a donor infected with a hard-to-detect virus, health authorities said yesterday. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/05/13/1_dies_1_ill_after_receiving_kidneys/
New Findings Show Xience Stents Are as Safe and Effective as Others (Wall Street Journal, May 13, 2008) A drug-coated stent made by Abbott Laboratories that is awaiting U.S. regulatory approval is as safe as, and potentially more effective than, the market-leading version of the heart device made by Boston Scientific, according to findings presented Tuesday at the EuroPCR conference in Barcelona. www.wsj.com
A Pot, Short and
Squat, To Clear Your Nose Out (Wall Street Journal, May 13, 2008) Spring is
here, and with it comes misery for allergy sufferers. The neti
pot, a small teapot-like device used to irrigate your nose, can help you
breathe easier, according to companies that sell them. Physicians say nasal
irrigation is a helpful, inexpensive treatment for allergy symptoms, the common
cold and many other nasal conditions, but it isn't a cure. (You must have an
online subscription to view this story) www.wsj.com
Healthcare on the Campaign Trail
HillaryCare: Why Hillary Clinton's health-care plan makes sense (Editorial, Salt Lake Tribune, May 10, 2008) You've heard a lot - probably too much - about which presidential candidate is best qualified to answer that 3 a.m. phone call in the White House. But if the caller were asking about health-care reform, there's no doubt which candidate could give the best answers, even in her sleep. That would be Hillary Clinton. http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_9211570