Health News E-Clips

An electronic healthcare news link service provided by UHA,

Utah Hospitals and Health Systems Association

 

Friday, October 17, 2008  

 

Utah Healthcare Headlines

Health care reform proposal hinges on personal responsibility (Daily Herald, October 15, 2008) Ideas for the system-wide health care overhaul prompted by the Utah Legislature earlier this year are taking shape, and they center around one actor: you. http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/284307/

 

Hyperbaric chamber a new frontier at IMC (Deseret News, October 15, 2008) The starship Enterprise explores strange new worlds in the "Star Trek" TV shows and movies. http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705255291,00.html

 

U. establishing Nano Institute (Deseret News, October 15, 2008) The smallest particle of scientific matter became a very big deal Tuesday, as University of Utah officials announced the establishment of the Nano Institute of Utah — promising to revolutionize everything from communications to health care. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705255394,00.html

  • U. advances in world of nanoscience (Salt Lake Tribune, October 17, 2008) Utah is plunging into the brave, new interdisciplinary world of nanoscience and related technologies that could lead to game-changing innovations. http://www.sltrib.com/business/ci_10742289

 

Utah looking at Missouri health insurance model (Deseret News, October 16, 2008) Like a lot of American institutions these days, health care has become most defined by whom it excludes. Part of Utah's health-care reform ambitions include allowing businesses who don't provide employees medical insurance benefits to help individuals buy their own coverage. http://deseretnews.com/article/0,5143,705255534,00.html

 

Hospitals honored for organ donations (Deseret News, October 17, 2008) Out of death comes life. That was the message two people gave Wednesday at the state Capitol rotunda. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705255660,00.html

 

Health officials launch drive to get more kids vaccinated (USA Today, October 17, 2008) Public health officials are urging Utahns to get vaccinated against the flu and say they should have plenty of shots to cover more children who are supposed to get the vaccine. http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_10743965

 

Abortion, health care top issues at House District 24 debate (Salt Lake Tribune, October 17, 2008) Republican Joe Jarvis brought a moderate stance on women's reproductive rights to a House District 24 debate hosted by the Planned Parenthood Action Council on Thursday night. http://www.sltrib.com/utahpolitics/ci_10740519

 

Mental health group closes due to lack of funds (Salt Lake Tribune, October 17, 2008) After more than 50 years, one of Utah's oldest mental health organization has shut its doors, citing financial difficulties. http://www.sltrib.com/health/ci_10738213

 

 

National Healthcare Headlines

How New Law Boosts Coverage of Mental Care (Wall Street Journal, October 16, 2008) The financial-bailout package signed into law earlier this month included legislation requiring employers and health insurers to put their mental-health and substance-use coverage on par with their physical-health coverage. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122411631825638659.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

 

Disappearing Credit Forces Hospitals to Delay Improvements (New York Times, October 15, 2008) In late August, even before the credit squeeze reached a full state of crisis, a hospital system in Hawaii filed for bankruptcy reorganization after a lender failed to extend a loan for another month. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/business/15hospital.html?th&emc=th

 

Flu Shots a Tough Sell to Health Care Workers (New York Times, October 17, 2008) Operating room nurse Pauline Taylor knows her refusal to get a flu shot is based on faulty logic. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/health/AP-MED-Flu-Health-Care.html Also found at Most health workers skip flu shot (USA Today, October 17, 2008) http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-10-16-flu-shot_N.htm?csp=34 and Flu shots a tough sell to healthcare workers (Washington Post, October 17, 2008) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/16/AR2008101600939.html

 

Hawaii Ending Universal Child Health Care (New York Times, October 17, 2008) Hawaii is dropping the only state universal child health care program in the country just seven months after it launched. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Child-Health-Hawaii.html

 

Higher Medical Costs Pinch UnitedHealth (Wall Street Journal, October 16, 2008) UnitedHealth Group Inc.'s third-quarter net income fell 28% as medical costs jumped, though the company's fourth-quarter profits could top analysts' expectations. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122415420715540243.html

 

WellPoint, X Prize Launch $10M Health Care Contest (New York Times, October 16, 2008) It may not involve rocket science, but a new X Prize Foundation competition for health care reform could pose the institute's most daunting challenge yet. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-WellPoint-X-Prize.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

 

Courts Give Some Addicts Chance to Straighten Out (New York Times, October 15, 2008) It was not your usual courtroom scene. For one thing, the judge choked up as he described one woman’s struggle with opiate addiction after her arrest for forging prescriptions. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/us/15drugs.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

 

Heart Docs Often Fail to Order Tests Before Angioplasty (Washington Post, October 15, 2008) More than half of Americans who undergo non-emergency artery-opening procedures for heart disease don't get the recommended cardiac stress tests beforehand, Medicare records show. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/14/AR2008101402048.html

 

Death Rate 70% Lower at Top U.S. Hospitals (Washington Post, October 15, 2008) The death rate at top-ranked U.S. hospitals is 70 percent lower than at the lowest-ranked hospitals, according to a study that examined 41 million patient records at the nation's approximately 5,000 hospitals over three years. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/14/AR2008101400907.html

 

Infant Deaths Drop in U.S., but Rate Is Still High (New York Times, October 16, 2008)  Infant deaths in the United States declined 2 percent in 2006, government researchers reported Wednesday, but the rate still remains well above that of most other industrialized countries and is one of many indicators suggesting that Americans pay more but get less from their health care system. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/16/health/16infant.html?adxnnl=1&ref=health&adxnnlx=1224169270-QpjQEqd74+Ip6Cmfmc+eBQ

 

As Home IVs Grow, Medicare Patients Miss Out (Wall Street Journal, October 15, 2008) Growing numbers of patients needing intravenous medications are getting their treatments at home. But a gap in Medicare coverage is making it harder for older and sicker patients to swap hospital stays for home care. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122402901765934551.html

 

Dangerous Skin Infections Hit Home (Wall Street Journal, October 15, 2008) My 25-year-old patient tried to ignore his swollen right knee. But the redness and throbbing pain from a skin infection kept getting worse. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122402065217434005.html

 

Melorheostosis: A rare and painful bone disease (USA Today, October 15, 2008) Griffin O'Neal remembers the day his mother walked in on him while he was playing with his plastic motorcycle: He was jumping it off a large bump that had grown on his left shin. Just 6 years old, O'Neal thought the bump was a result of the swift kicks a girl he had a crush on was doling out. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-10-14-melorheostosis_N.htm

 

Abbott Gains on Stent Sales (Wall Street Journal, October 15, 2008) Abbott Laboratories posted a 51% rise in third-quarter net income helped by brisk sales of its new Xience heart stent and continuing strong sales of rheumatoid-arthritis treatment Humira. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122405365101835851.html

 

Health Firms to Study Clots in Stent Patients (Wall Street Journal, October 16, 2008) In an unusual display of collaboration, eight medical companies are joining forces to launch a $100 million study to determine how best to protect heart patients from rare but dangerous clots after they are treated with artery-opening devices called stents. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122411707038238773.html

 

New salmonella warning over microwaving raw frozen chicken entrees (USA Today, October 15, 2008) The U.S. Department of Agriculture once again is warning consumers to read the label when cooking frozen chicken entrees amid the fourth salmonella outbreak in four years linked to raw frozen entrees. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-10-14-salmonella_N.htm

 

As Budgets Tighten, More People Decide Medical Care Can Wait (Washington Post, October 16, 2008) To monitor the multiple sclerosis attacking Ann Pietrangelo's central nervous system, her doctor recommends an annual MRI. Last year, the 49-year-old Winchester, Va., woman had to pay a $3,000 co-payment to get the imaging done. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/15/AR2008101503762.html

 

Economy down, scientists doubt hunt for AIDS vaccine (USA Today, October 15, 2008) The global economic turmoil is likely to take its toll on AIDS research funding and add to the problems plaguing the search for a vaccine against the virus, scientists warned Tuesday. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-10-14-africa-AIDS_N.htm

 

Vigilance is key to weight loss (USA Today, October 16, 2008) People who have lost a significant amount of weight and keep it off for years are constantly vigilant about what they consume, rarely overeat for emotional reasons and do about an hour a day of exercise, a new study shows. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2008-10-15-diet-vigilance_N.htm

 

EPA tightens limit on airborne lead (USA Today, October 16, 2008) The Environmental Protection Agency is setting a new health standard for lead. It will slash the amount of the toxic metal allowed in the nation's air by 90%. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-10-16-epa-lead_N.htm Also found at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122417015631840747.html (Wall Street Journal, October 16, 2008)

 

Therapies allow more transplants (Deseret News, October 15, 2008) Nearly one in three patients who need a kidney transplant may never get one because their bodies are abnormally primed to attack a donated organ. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705255373,00.html

 

Don't limit coverage of cancer treatment (Opinion, Boston Globe, October 16, 2008) Imagine you have been diagnosed with cancer and need chemotherapy or radiation treatments, but regardless of what your doctor prescribes, your insurance plan limits the overall expense or number of times you can receive the treatment. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/10/16/dont_limit_coverage_of_cancer_treatment/

 

ACLU: Federal Death Row Inmates Denied Health Care (New York Times, October 16, 2008) Death row inmates at the federal prison in Terre Haute are routinely denied access to medical, dental and mental health care, the American Civil Liberties Union said Wednesday in a letter to a governmental official. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-ACLU-Prison-Conditions.html

Also found at http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-10-15-prison-care_N.htm (USA Today, October 16, 2008)

 

Who Cares for the Caregivers? (New York Times, October 17, 2008) The economic value of family caregiving in 2006 was $350 billion, according to recent research, a figure that exceeded the total spending for either Medicaid ($342 billion) or Medicare ($300 billion) in 2005. Without the unpaid labor of family caregivers — provided at great physical, emotional and financial cost — the long-term care system in this country (if you can call it a “system”) would collapse. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/14/who-cares-for-the-caregivers/

 

When Medicare Falls Short (New York Times, October 17, 2008) For Dr. Cheryl E. Woodson, geriatric medicine is a passion that doesn’t pay the bills. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/16/when-medicare-falls-short/

 

Pfizer to Settle Celebrex and Bextra Suits (Wall Street Journal, October 17, 2008) Pfizer Inc. has agreed in principle to pay $894 million to settle litigation related to its painkillers Celebrex and Bextra. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122424333713244271.html?mod=djemalert

 

Lilly, Daiichi-Sankyo Await Heart Drug's Approval (Wall Street Journal, October 17, 2008) Eli Lilly & Co. and Japan's Daiichi-Sankyo Co. said they haven't received any word from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration about the status of their experimental heart drug prasugral. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122423960351644229.html

 

Healthcare on the Campaign Trail

Growing Health-Reform Challenge for Next President (New York Times, October 15, 2008) Barack Obama and John McCain both have big-ticket proposals to change how people obtain and pay for health insurance. A long history of failed health-reform plans shows how difficult it is to achieve that goal. And the job only got tougher for any future president with the financial meltdown. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/washington/AP-Health-Care-Candidates.html

 

McCain Presses Obama on Health-Plan Penalties (Wall Street Journal, October 16, 2008) As the presidential candidates push their competing health-care plans, Sen. John McCain regularly presses Sen. Barack Obama to tell voters how big a fine he would impose on companies that don't offer their workers health insurance. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122411099379238283.html

 

Health insurance fabrications (Daily Herald, October 16, 2008) The Barack Obama campaign has been lying about the John McCain health plan, but that shouldn’t surprise anyone. The political discussion about health insurance is pretty much a fabrication from beginning to end. http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/284816/59/

 

Whose Health Plan? (Editorial, Washington Post, October 17, 2008) The month before a presidential election isn't the best time for reasoned debate about complicated policy. Here goes, anyway. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/06/AR2008100602633.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns