News From Around the Web
> Computer engineers and hearing scientists at the Ohio State University have made a potential breakthrough in solving a 50-year-old problem in hearing technology: how to help the hearing-impaired understand speech in the midst of background noise. In the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, they describe how they used the latest developments in neural networks to boost test subjects' recognition of spoken words from as low as 10 percent to as high as 90 percent, according to an announcement. Announcement
> At the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), researchers have demonstrated a method for using a lab-on-a-chip device and a cell phone to determine a concentration of molecules, such as HIV RNA molecules, in a sample, according to an announcement. "This digital approach can consistently provide accurate quantitative information despite changes in timing, temperature, and lighting conditions, a capability not previously possible using traditional measurements," the announcement states. Announcement
Provider News
> Can a good working relationship between nurses and cleaning staff help improve patient care and safety? A new report by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and the Association of Healthcare Cleaning Professionals (AHCP) thinks so. The report, Creating a Safe Environment for Care, examines the role of the nursing and cleaning staff in England and implementation of infection prevention and control strategies. Article
> The Obama administration and insurers oppose a proposal that hospitals buy their sickest and poorest patients health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, in fear it would create even more difficulties in the new healthcare exchange, the Financial Times reported. Hospitals purchasing insurance plans for chronically ill or poor patients might skew the insurance risk pool, which needs to enroll 2.7 million healthy, young people out of the anticipated 7 million by March 2014 in order to keep premiums low, according to the article. Article
Mobile Healthcare News
> Scanadu, the Moffett Field, Calif.-based mobile and sensor technology company, has secured $10.5 million in Series A funding and will start the first clinical trials of its Scout vital sign monitor at the Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI), according to an announcement. Article
And Finally... Hey Mr. President, it's not me; it's you. Article