CQ Politics | Innovations - Health: June 2008 Archives

New Test Could Determine Toxicity of Nanoparticles

June 27, 2008 7:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Materials engineered to be smaller than the wavelength of visible light are finding increasing applications in medicine, engineering, even consumer products like face cream, but no one quite knows what impact they might have on human health. Now researchers at the University of Michigan have come up with a way to test the effects of nanoparticles on human cells, according to the Wired Science blog. They also found that if they coated certain particles with a gel, they could make them less toxic.

Web Pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

New Consortium Created to Combat Medical Fraud

June 25, 2008 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Danielle Parnass, CQ Staff

Public and private anti-fraud organizations announced a new initiative Tuesday focused on fighting medical insurance fraud nationwide.

Called the Consortium to Combat Medical Fraud, the new entity is a partnership between the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association (NHCAA), the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) and the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud. The Consortium will also work with the FBI and the Department of Justice.

Continue reading New Consortium Created to Combat Medical Fraud.

Web Pick: Grant Aims for Greater Ambulance Efficiency

June 24, 2008 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Can public safety officials get emergency help where it's needed in a more timely manner? That's the question researchers at Cornell are examining. Science Daily tells us the researchers have a National Science Foundation grant to perfect a computer program that will tell city managers where to place ambulances across a city for maximum availability at all times.

posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Web Pick: Heart Imaging Drugs Can Cause Death, FDA Warns

June 20, 2008 3:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The continued use of certain drugs, known as contrast agents, to improve echocardiogram (ultrasound) images of the heart is leading to deaths, the Food and Drug Administration says.

An AP story on Forbes.com reports that the FDA put out a warning in October, but since then has received four reports of patients dying after being injected with Definity, a drug formerly marketed by Bristol Myers Squibb.

Researchers are always trying to develop agents that are easier to see on ultrasound or MRI scans as a way to spot hard-to-find defects.

Web Pick: Doctors Don't Use Electronic Records

June 20, 2008 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Digitizing health records can improve the quality of medical care by speeding access to information and reducing errors. But the New York Times reports that a new study shows fewer than 20 percent of the nation's doctors have adopted electronic records. A big part of the problem is that small, private practices don't want to spend the $15,000 to $20,000 per doctor it would take to make the conversion.

posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com

Web Pick: Future Doctor Shortage Could Be Averted

June 19, 2008 1:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If the number of medical students doesn't increase soon, the US could find itself with 44,000 fewer general internists and family physicians than it needs by 2025, researchers at the University of Missouri warn.

Science Daily reports on a study published in the journal Health Affairs that while the US population has been growing and living longer, the number of generalists graduating from medical schools has been shrinking. The study's authors suggest increasing enrollment in medical schools by forgiving some loans if students become generalists.

To treat chronically ill patients, they advocate a team approach: physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and others provide comprehensive primary care services. And, they advise increasing the use of the telephone, e-mail and electronic medical records to boost quality and reduce costs.

Five Questions for Dr. Nora Volkow: Putting Scientific Advancements Into Practice

June 16, 2008 7:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dr. Nora Volkow is the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
NIDA recently sponsored a conference on an innovative concept called "Blending" - bringing laboratory researchers together with community-based counselors and physicians who work with drug addicts.

Q: What was the problem that "Blending" is designed to solve?

A: The problem that blending sought to address was actually a problem that is still prevalent in research on medicine. You can find these scientific advances and they are actually shown to have effectiveness or benefit to treating a condition, but they are not necessarily translated into practice.
We've (created) a forum to bring together scientists and those individuals who are out there in the trenches doing the day in and day out (treatment), to increase the likelihood that there is communication on both sides.

Continue reading Five Questions for Dr. Nora Volkow: Putting Scientific Advancements Into Practice .

Blood Substitute Shows Promise

June 15, 2008 2:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

posted by Neil Savage, xconomy.com

Shortfalls in the blood supply are a chronic public health problem, especially in the summer months. Science Daily reports that a UCLA clinical trial of a blood substitute, derived from cows, found the substance was relatively safe in patients under 80 who needed up to about three pints of blood. The substitute can be stored for three years at room temperature and doesn't need to be matched to a patient's blood type.