News From Around the Web
> Researchers from the Fraunhofer institute in Germany will present an armchair that doubles as health equipment this spring at the CeBIT Trade Fair in Hamburg, Germany. "[The chair] measures the key bodily functions and determines the correct sitting posture. If the acquired values deviate from specifications, the system shows the user how he or she can practice improving endurance or sitting in a healthier position," said Sven Feilner of the Image Processing and Medical Technology Department at Fraunhofer. Announcement
> A new study among current and former smokers in four countries--the U.S., Australia, the U.K. and Canada--reveals awareness, perceptions, and usage patterns of electronic nicotine delivery. 70 percent of respondents said electronic nicotine delivery is less dangerous than cigarettes, despite the risks it still carries. Article
Mobile Healthcare News
> Smartphones can be effective platforms in helping women with chronic widespread pain, according to an article published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research about a recent Norwegian study. "Web-based programs delivered via smartphones are increasingly used to support the self-management of various health disorders, but research on smartphone interventions for persons with chronic pain is limited," states the article, which aimed to research the effectiveness of smartphone interventions in its study. Article
Health Finance News
> Three hospitals in Illinois are seeking state tax refunds totaling nearly $10 million, reported Crain's Chicago Business. The hospitals include Edward Hospital & Health Services, Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital and Decatur Memorial Hospital. The taxes were levied during a period when the hospitals' management battled with regulators over their nonprofit status. Article
> Some hospitals are turning to a practice common among doctors in the first half of the 20th century: Making house calls on patients, reported the Wall Street Journal. Hospitals are using house calls to avoid new financial penalties from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for high readmission rates, as well as cut healthcare costs. For example, patient costs fell 19 percent thanks to a house-call program at New Mexico's Presbyterian Healthcare Services. Article
And Finally... The cookie monster is alive, real and staying active. Article