HealthLeadersMedia.com - Global News & Analysis

Opinion: Nurses have big role in healthcare reform

Mon, 06 May 2013 10:53:00 GMT

As the nation celebrates Nurses Week (today-Sunday), we recognize the contributions of all nurses as compassionate caregivers, clinicians and leaders whom Tennesseans historically have relied on for high-quality health management and prevention. We also celebrate the opportunities for nurses to contribute even more significantly to the transformation of health management by improving access to affordable care. We have an access to care problem in Tennessee, and nurses can help. The Update to the Health Care Safety Net Report, prepared by the Tennessee Department of Health, provides an assessment of health care resources including "the array of services, adequacy of services and access to care."

Big savings expected from emerging generic drugs

Thu, 05 May 2011 11:44:00 GMT

These are some of the most-prescribed medicines in the U.S., drugs that are so commonplace they are responsible for a huge chunk of the $300 billion spent on brand-name pharmaceuticals each year. That is about to change as patents on these pricey pills begin to expire, opening the door for generic competition. And that can translate to savings of up to 90%, analysts say, making these drugs affordable to more consumers. Americans will see cheaper copies of some of the biggest drug names starting this fall. Out-of-pocket costs of the generic form of Lipitor, a widely used and advertised cholesterol drug that loses its patent protection in November, will be reduced to as little as $4 for a month's supply. Even for a person with health insurance, Lipitor can cost $25 to $40 — or more — each month.

China mass measles vaccination plan sparks outcry

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 11:20:00 GMT

China's plans to vaccinate 100 million children and come a step closer to eradicating measles has set off a popular outcry that highlights widening public distrust of the authoritarian government after repeated health scandals.

Since the Health Ministry announced the World Health Organization-backed measles vaccination plan last week, authorities have been flooded with queries and Internet bulletin boards have been plastered with worried messages. Conspiracy theories saying the vaccines are dangerous have spread by cell phone text messages.

The public skepticism has even been covered by state-run media, which noted the lack of trust was about more than vaccines.

States warn of 'Obamacare' scams

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:19:00 GMT

Con artists in several states are seizing on the public's financial struggles and confusion about the recent healthcare overhaul, the authorities say. The trend has generated warnings from state insurance departments and Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services. The authorities say the elderly and the poor are especially vulnerable to the bogus plans, which have names like Obamacare and Obama Health Plan and promise affordable compliance with the new law. The fraudsters often impersonate insurance agents and government workers, the New York Times reports.

In Senate health showdown, round goes to GOP

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:11:00 GMT

A conflict in the Senate this week illustrated the frustration growing for both Democrats and Republicans after more than two weeks of debate on healthcare reform, the New York Times reports. Democrats said Republicans were stalling and obstructing the most important social legislation in decades, while Republicans said a proposed amendment avowed a Democratic goal of a government takeover of healthcare, the Times reports.

Clinical pharmacists can fill in healthcare gaps

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:38:00 GMT

A growing subset of pharmacists, called clinical pharmacists, provide direct care and use their expertise to ensure that patients receive the most appropriate medications and that they take them properly. These professionals often spend time with patients that physicians cannot, and evidence shows that when clinical pharmacists collaborate with physicians, they improve health outcomes. In addition, with their extensive knowledge of available drugs, pharmacists can help to save money by using the most cost-effective ones.

Swine flu toll on Australia is bad omen for U.S. intensive-care units

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:06:00 GMT

Pandemic H1N1 influenza caused a 15-fold increase in admissions to intensive-care units for lung problems in Australia and New Zealand during the winter flu season, researchers reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, offering a taste of what might be expected in the U.S. this winter. In a separate study, U.S. researchers reported that one-quarter of Americans who were hospitalized with influenza symptoms last spring ended up in the intensive-care ward and 7% died. Both groups of researchers concluded that H1N1 flu was slightly more dangerous than seasonal flu.

First Round of Swine Flu Vaccinations Distributed in the U.S.

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:12:00 GMT

The first doses of the H1N1 vaccination have arrived in the United States, with a nurse being one of the first Americans to receive the vaccine.

General Electric chief sees India helping cut costs of U.S. healthcare

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:26:00 GMT

India will play a significant role in reducing healthcare costs in the United States as India's healthcare market expands, General Electric Chief Executive Jeffrey R. Immelt predicts. The Indian healthcare industry is "on the verge of substantial growth," Immelt said, adding that healthcare products and services developed cheaply in the United States will be exported to Western markets, cutting prices there.

H1N1 spreading widely; worry over pregnant women

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:18:00 GMT

Swine flu is now widespread across the entire country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced as federal health officials released Tamiflu for children from the national stockpile and began taking orders from the states for the new swine flu vaccine. Anne Schuchat, MD, the CDC's director of immunization and respiratory disease, said there was "significant flu activity in virtually all states," which, she added, was "quite unusual for this time of year."

H1N1 Outbreak Could Cause Hospital Bed Shortages

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:55:00 GMT

Fifteen states could run out of hospital beds and another 12 states could reach or exceed 75% of their hospital bed capacity if 35% of Americans were to get sick from the H1N1 flu virus, according to a report released today by the Trust for America's Health.

Swiss healthcare thrives without public option

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:24:00 GMT

In Switzerland, private insurers are required to offer coverage to all citizens, regardless of age or medical history. And those people, in turn, are obligated to buy health insurance. That is why many academics who have studied the Swiss healthcare system have pointed to this nation of about 7.5 million as a model that delivers much of what U.S. legislators are aiming to accomplish, without the contentious option of a government-run health insurance plan, reports the New York Times.

In Canada, a move toward a private healthcare option

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:49:00 GMT

Hoping to capitalize on patients who might otherwise go to the U.S. for speedier care, a network of technically illegal private clinics and surgical centers has sprung up Canada. The more than 70 private health providers in British Columbia now schedule simple surgeries and tests such as MRIs with waits as short as a week or two, compared with the months it takes for a public surgical suite to become available for nonessential operations in the country.

H1N1 Remains a Worldwide Concern

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:18:00 GMT

The fight to prevent the spread of H1N1 is in full swing, as hospitals all over the world are reporting a surge in patients as the predicted second wave of the pandemic continues its spread.

Growth in Cross-Cultural Competency Improves Patient Care

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:33:00 GMT

Overcoming the cultural boundaries that can divide or prevent a patient-doctor relationship from forming can be a difficult task.

France's national health insurance wrestling with rising costs

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:53:00 GMT

France has long been proud of its national health insurance, but the fast-rising cost of drugs and medical care, particularly for the elderly, has raised the question of how long the country can afford healthcare. Seeking to beat back rising deficits, the government has reduced the reimbursement rate for many medicines and routine medical services, opening a growing market for private insurance policies to cover the steadily increasing co-payments.

Northern Ireland spends millions on health IT

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:43:00 GMT

Northern Ireland's Department of Health is set to embark on a multi-million pound investment in new IT systems. Hewlett-Packard has been awarded the contract to modernize technology controlling hospital patient administration in the country. Health Minister Michael McGimpsey told BBC News health and social care relied on information technology "to provide an efficient and effective business."

To explain longevity gap, look past health system

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:15:00 GMT

With its many uninsured citizens and its relatively low life expectancy, the United States has been relegated to the bottom of international health scorecards, notes this article in the New York Times. But a prominent researcher has found no evidence that America's healthcare system is to blame for the longevity gap between it and other industrialized countries. Instead, the American system in many ways provides superior treatment even when uninsured Americans are included in the analysis, according to the findings.

Vaccine for swine flu is ahead of expectations

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:18:00 GMT

More than three million doses of swine flu vaccine will be available by the first week of October, a little earlier than had been anticipated, federal health officials announced. But nearly all those 3.4 million doses will be of the FluMist nasal spray type, which is not recommended for pregnant women, people over 50 or those with asthma, heart disease or several other problems, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned. Nonetheless, it will still be possible to vaccinate people in other high-risk groups: healthcare workers, people caring for infants, and healthy young people.

Most Americans Don't Believe Health Reform Will Pass This Year

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:21:00 GMT

Fifty-four percent of U.S. adults don't believe healthcare reform will pass this year, compared to 41% who do, according to a national telephone survey commissioned by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions.