Monthly Archives: January 2014

Let’s settle the private/public hospital debate: Lessons from Australia and New Zealand – Video

Posted on by


Let #39;s settle the private/public hospital debate: Lessons from Australia and New Zealand
Breakfast With The Chiefs. February 12, 2009 Murray Martin, President and CEO, Hamilton Health Sciences with Cliff Nordal,President and CEO, St. Joseph #39;s Hea...

By: Longwoods

Here is the original post:

Let's settle the private/public hospital debate: Lessons from Australia and New Zealand - Video

Health Care Is Ticket for Some SOTU Guests

Posted on by

Health care isnt expected to take a starring role in the State of the Union speech Tuesday night but that doesnt mean it will be entirely absent.

The White House has invited Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear to sit with First Lady Michelle Obama during the speech because his states health insurance exchange worked surprisingly smoothly when others stumbled, and has now signed up 182,000 residents, chiefly in Medicaid.

Mr. Beshear, a Democrat in a red-leaning state, said in a December interview that the exchange was succeeding beyond our wildest dreams at this point, which he attributed to starting work early with a contractor that worked closely with state officials and took a no-frills approach to the site.

He also said he had a low-key marketing strategy: My message is You dont have to like the president. You dont have to like me, because its not about me. Its about you and your kids.

The GOP response from Washington state congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers is, as our colleague Rebecca Ballhaus reports, intended to be more of a vision speech rather than a policy rebuttal, but that doesnt mean you wont see a lot of very specific health-care points being made by Republicans, too.

Republican Reps. Greg Walden of Oregon, Bob Latta of Ohio, Steve Scalise and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana are bringing Americans negatively affected by Obamacare as their guests, the Republican National Committee says.

So is House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, who is bringing four employers from his district. Mr. Boehners office has said his guests include two small business owners, one of whom has seen higher premiums to insure her workers and the other of whom is unwilling to grow his business because he doesnt want to be exposed to the requirement for bigger companies to provide coverage or pay a penalty.

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann has asked a St Cloud family physician, Julie Anderson. In a written statement released by Mrs. Bachmanns office, Dr. Anderson said she believed government intrusion in health care is eroding patient care and that I used to spend 90 percent of my work day seeing patients, now it is more like 50 percent with patients and the other 50 percent spent in front of a computer complying with burdensome regulations.

Live updates in the State of the Union 2014 stream

Follow@wsjwashingtonon Twitter

Original post:

Health Care Is Ticket for Some SOTU Guests

Health Care Professionals Needed for Overseas Mercy Medical Teams

Posted on by

St. Louis, MO (PRWEB) January 29, 2014

The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod (LCMS) has an immediate need for health care professionals and others to join short-term volunteer medical teams to provide health care for underserved people abroad.

LCMS Mercy Medical Teams (MMTs) are now organizing and spots are still open for physicians, nurse practitioners, physicians assistants, registered nurses, emergency medical professionals and pharmacists for these upcoming trips:

Health care professionals who serve on MMTs contribute to lasting and sustainable health-care efforts in international locations and relief projects supported by the LCMS.

Christs mercy to those in physical need was an integral part of His work here on earth, says Maggie Karner, director of LCMS Life and Health Ministries. It is a blessing to continue that work as we share His compassionate love with others. It is also a joy to work alongside so many exemplary medical professionals. Without them and their extraordinary talents, we couldnt do this work and consequently, thousands of people worldwide would never receive the blessing of quality health care offered in the name of Christ.

While medical professionals are in need, adults who do not have health care experience also can apply for these volunteer positions. Such volunteers will be placed on teams with trained and experienced leaders.

Since its inception in 2006, the LCMS MMT program has served nearly 20,000 patients in some of the most poverty-stricken areas of the world including Indonesia, Haiti, Guatemala, Kenya and Madagascar.

LCMS health ministry staff assemble the Mercy Medical Teams, provide experienced team leaders; coordinate medical sites and medications; assist with visa and immunization matters; arrange for travel, meals and accommodations; and provide evacuation insurance for all volunteers. Volunteers are responsible for the cost of flights, meals and rooming.

For more information, visit http://www.lcms.org/mercyteams or contact Tracy Quaethem at mercyteams(at)lcms(dot)org or 314-996-1711.

About The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod is a biblical, confessional, witness-oriented Christian denomination with 2.3 million members 600,000 households in 6,200 congregations. Through acts of witness and mercy, the church carries out its mission worldwide to make known the love of Jesus Christ. Learn more at http://www.lcms.org.

More here:

Health Care Professionals Needed for Overseas Mercy Medical Teams

-Mental health care services are not good enough, says Høie

Posted on by

Minister of Health Bent Hie admits that health care services for the mentally ill have not been good enough. Meanwhile, those struggling with mentall illness must not be stigmatized - they must not be reluctant to ask for help, Hie says. "The current health care services are not good enough. Therefore I want to make mental health and drug abuse a priority in the time ahead," Hie tells NRK.

According to NRK, 102 persons were murdered by people who suffered from mental illness between 2003 and 2013.

"When 102 out of 228 murders have been committed by persons who suffer from serious mental illness, it is a sign that we are not good enough at preventing severe criminal acts committed by this group. I think and believe that several of these murders could have been prevented if the health care system had taken more responsibility for the mentally ill and offered them better services," says Erik Nadheim, Director of the Council for Crime Prevention (Det kriminalitetsforebyggende rd).

Hie promises that the government wil invest more in mental health.

"We have already started to expand the health care services that are offered in the municipalities." More money will be invested, and the money that has already been allocated to Norwegian hospitals will be re-prioritized, Hie explains.

However, the Minister of Health is worried that too much focus on mental health and its combination with murders and violence can also make matters worse. He warns of the effect it may have on the challenges associated with mental illness.

"Those who are ill must not hesitate to seek help," he says. "It is important to avoid that people who suffer from mental illness are stigmatized. We need openness so that everybody who needs it can seek help at an early stage," Hie tells NRK.

(NRK)

Tuesday, 28 January 2014 21:29

View post:

-Mental health care services are not good enough, says Høie

Health insurers struggle with whether to pay for genetic tests

Posted on by

FARGO Medical science has developed genetic tests for 2,000 diseases that are available for clinical use.

Some, such as prenatal screens to test for Down syndrome and other congenital disorders, have been in use for years.

But in many cases, experts said, limited scientific information is available to evaluate tests, and medical providers and payers are struggling with how to navigate an expanding field of medicine.

Health insurers often are the gatekeepers in deciding whether to pay for genetic tests. Early diagnosis and treatment can improve patients outcomes and be more cost-effective, but payers want scientific guidance.

Theyre struggling with this too, is my belief, said Dr. Claire Neely, medical director of the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement, a Minnesota group that advises member health systems and insurers.

They want to do the right thing for their patients, she said.

Sanford Healths recently announced initiative to bring genetic medicine and counseling into the primary care setting, in combination with research and education, should generate useful information, Neely said.

I would call it increasing genetic literacy in primary care, she said. I think that is an important piece.

Experts, including those with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, say valid and useful tests are available for certain hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, as well as a hereditary form of colon cancer, two well-established examples.

But those tests are not widely used, partly because of limited research on how to get useful tests in the clinic, and others have only limited scientific information to evaluate their effectiveness, a CDC report concluded.

Read the original:

Health insurers struggle with whether to pay for genetic tests

Impact of battlefield-related genitourinary injuries described in Journal of Men’s Health

Posted on by

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

28-Jan-2014

Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, January 28, 2014Modern combat and the global war on terror, with increased use of improvised explosive devices, have led to a nearly 350% increased rate of genitourinary injuries. The often debilitating long-term sexual, psychological, fertility, and hormonal effects of these traumatic wounds and the need for new coordinated approaches to care are the focus of a Review article and Guest Editorial in Journal of Men's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The articles are available free on the Journal of Men's Health website at http://www.liebertpub.com/jmh.

The Review "Genitourinary Trauma in the Modern Era of Warfare" discusses why battlefield genitourinary injuries have increased so dramatically in recent years and how they have changed. The article is coauthored by Justin Han, MD and Chris Gonzalez, MD, MBA, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Chicago, IL), and Mark Edney, MD, Peninsula Urology Associates (Salisbury, MD) and Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Reserve, 48th Combat Support Hospital (Ft. Meade, MD).

Janice Bray, MD, MBA, Chief, Central Texas Veterans Health Care System (Temple, TX), describes the potentially devastating physical, psychological, and social impact of these combat woundsand in particular their effects on future relationships, intimacy, parenting, self-worth, and suicide riskin the guest editorial "Genitourinary Trauma: A Battle Cry for Integrated Collaborative Veteran-Centric Care."

###

About the Journal

Journal of Men's Health is the premier peer-reviewed journal published quarterly in print and online that covers all aspects of men's health across the lifespan. The Journal publishes cutting-edge advances in a wide range of diseases and conditions, including diagnostic procedures, therapeutic management strategies, and innovative clinical research in gender-based biology to ensure optimal patient care. The Journal addresses disparities in health and life expectancy between men and women; increased risk factors such as smoking, alcohol abuse, and obesity; higher prevalence of diseases such as heart disease and cancer; and health care in underserved and minority populations. Journal of Men's Health meets the critical imperative for improving the health of men around the globe and ensuring better patient outcomes. Tables of content and a sample issue can be viewed on the Journal of Men's Health website at http://www.liebertpub.com/jmh.

About the Societies

Here is the original post:

Impact of battlefield-related genitourinary injuries described in Journal of Men's Health

Jack Uldrich, Global Futurist and Best-Selling Author, to Present Keynote Address at United Ag

Posted on by

Palm Springs, CA. (PRWEB) January 29, 2014

Following seven other national presentations this month, global futurist Jack Uldrich will address this years United Ag Conference, as their keynote speaker on January 30th. He will be discussing the future trends in technology and their impact on agriculture. Uldrich has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, and National Public Radio and has delivered presentations to such notable clients as PepsiCo, Bausch and Lomb, United Healthcare and most recently MosaicAg College and the Ohio Educational Technology Conference. His writings include The Next Big Thing is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business and Into the Unknown: Leadership Lessons from Lewis & Clarks Daring Westward Expedition, among others.

United Ags conference theme of Change, Challenge, and Opportunity signals the unprecedented number of changes faced by the agricultural community in the last few years, and will encourage attendees to look at these challenges as opportunities for new growth. Uldrichs keynote, in particular, will address these monumental changes that the Ag community is facing. (A preview of his thoughts on the future of agriculture can be viewed here. He will specifically target how business owners in the industry can address the challenges by embracing cutting edge technology, implementing the latest global trends and exploring innovative ways to run their businesses. (Another sample of some of Uldrichs ideas on the future of agriculture can be found in this chapter from his latest book, Foresight 2020, or in this recent Forbes article, 10 Game-Changing Technological Trends Transforming Tomorrow.)

Uldrichs engaging presentation is intended to stimulate conversations and help business owners, as well as HR personnel, walk away with new tools and solutions to the issues they face. He will share insights from his books Higher Unlearning: 39 Post-Requisite Lessons for Achieving a Successful Future and the Bellwether Award winning Foresight 2020: A Futurist Explores the Trends Transforming Tomorrow. Uldrich will also expound on opportunities arising from the globalization of agricultural markets and innovations in science and technology. The ultimate goal of the presentation is to help attendees identify opportunities that will escalate their businesses onwards and upwards.

Parties interested in learning more about Jack Uldrich, his books, his daily blog or his speaking availability are encouraged to visit his website jumpthecurve.net. Media wishing to know more about his upcoming events or interviewing Jack may contact Catherine Glynn.

Uldrich is a renowned global futurist, best-selling author; editor of the monthly newsletter, The Exponential Executive, and host of the award-winning website, http://www.jumpthecurve.net.

See original here:

Jack Uldrich, Global Futurist and Best-Selling Author, to Present Keynote Address at United Ag

Shadowrun Returns: Dragonfall expansion arrives February 27

Posted on by

Fans eager to return to the cyberpunk noir futurism of Shadowrun Returns will be happy to hear that developer Harebrained Schemes has finally nailed down a release date for the game's first official expansion: February 27.

Titled "Dragonfall," the expansion ditches the rain-slicked streets of Seattle in favor of a wholly new tale set in a futuristic Berlin. Instead of continuing the story of the characters seen in Shadowrun Returns, Dragonfall introduces a new team of street samurai, deckers and magic users. Not much is known of the expansion's plot, but it has been revealed that the titular "Dragonfall" is an ominous event foretold in prophecy that threatens to destroy Berlin in apocalyptic fashion.

When it debuts on February 27, Dragonfall will feature a $15 price tag. That may seem steep for an addition to a $20 game, but beyond the Dragonfall campaign the expansion also includes a swath of new weapons and items, additions to the game's content editing suite and, most crucially, the ability to save your game whenever you please. For more information, visit Harebrained Schemes' website.

Read more:

Shadowrun Returns: Dragonfall expansion arrives February 27