heart disease
Taking chronic care management to the road
A new program from a Rochester, MI-based health management company has taken chronic disease management to the road. The company, Medical Network One, has developed a "Chronic Care Travel Team," an 18-member group of clinicians touching on all the bases needed to manage common chronic conditions. Assembling the group cost $1.5 million, but the cost is covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Even at that price, Medical Network One expects the team to eventually save money on chronic …
... Read more...ALSO NOTED: Osteopath loses license after 'Dateline' sting; Two NC health systems merge; and much more...
> A California osteopath has lost his license to practice in California after 'Dateline' caught him propositioning an underage boy. Release
> Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital isn't happy at all that Dr. V. John Bagnato has sued. Now the hospital is fighting back. Release
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... Read more...Why are men dying earlier than women?
Scientists and health advocates are beginning to study why men typically die five years earlier than women. On average, American men live 75.2 years, compared with 80.4 years for women. Men who face leading causes of death, such as heart disease, lung cancer, diabetes and AIDS, die at younger ages than women. This marked "health disparity" between men and women has attracted attention from scientists and men's advocacy groups, some of whom are calling for the establishment of a federal …
... Read more...Hospital team slashes cardiac re-admissions
A hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia has had dramatic success in managing heart disease by instituting a focused program emphasizing education, doctor interaction and individually tailored rehab programs. To manage heart patients, Hospital Kuala Lumpur has pulled together a multidisciplinary team including pharmacists, physiotherapists, dietitians, occupational therapists and a consultant physician. The idea is to provide continuity of care and build a strong relationship with the patient …
... Read more...SPOTLIGHT: Surgeon General warns on secondhand smoke risks
The Surgeon General delivered a long-awaited report which concludes that secondhand smoke continues to kill thousands of Americans every year, despite smoking bans and public education efforts designed to warn tobacco users of the risks associated with secondhand smoke. The report concludes that exposure to tobacco smoke increases nonsmokers' risk of heart disease and cancer by up to 30 percent. It also stresses that creating nonsmoking sections is not "an effective technique" of …
... Read more...Siemens beats expectations
Siemens reported first quarter numbers that beat expectations as the company benefited from a respectable performance from the Siemens Medical Solutions business unit. The company said net profit rose to €887 million ($1.1 billion) from €781 million a year ago. On Thursday, Siemens announced that it has reached terms to acquire Diagnostic Products, a California-based company specializing in immunodiagnostic kits for the diagnosis of conditions including cancer, heart disease …
... Read more...Questions over NIH womens' health study
The Womens Health Initiative was a massive study started in 1991 that enrolled over 161,000 women to study low-fat diets, hormone replacement therapy and other health issues. Several of the findings, such as those suggesting that hormone therapy had adverse side effects and that low-fat diets don't do much to reduce heart disease and cancer, are now being challenged. The Wall Street Journal has an in-depth article looking at the initiative. It suggests that some of the …
... Read more...SPOTLIGHT: NIH Study challenges value of low-fat diet
The results of a massive federally-funded study that examined the impact of a low-fat diet on the health of tens of thousands of American women are generating controversy. The research, which appears in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, seems to contradict the widely-held view that a low-fat diet can help guard against killers like cancer and heart disease. Researchers found no evidence of any protective effect following the dietary changes. …
ALSO NOTED: Rowe out at Aetna; Abbott suit granted class action status; and much more...
> Chutes & Ladders: Aetna's Jack Rowe, who led a remarkable turnaround at the company, will step down as CEO later this year. He will be replaced by current president Ronald A. Williams. Article
> Two new studies out this week find no evidence to support a theory that statins offer protection from cancer or heart disease. …
... Read more...ALSO NOTED: Humana profits up; Celebrex gets heart warning; and much more...
> Humana said its second-quarter net profit was up 4.2 percent, largely thanks to its booming Medicare business. Story
> Pfizer's Cox-2 inhibitor Celebrex will get a label warning of risks of heart disease. Story
> After Sen. Bill Frist's (R-Tenn.) change of heart on stem cells, Wall …
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