On the HCPLive news page, resources on the topics of disease- and specialty-specific medical news and expert insight can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on health care research, treatment, and drug development.
Chile (and Haiti, and Katrina…): Preparedness lessons for you and me
March 1st 2010We've entered a new arena of horror where our Richter scale, for the first time, doesn't seem to reach high enough, and adjectives are crumbling under the impact. "Devastation" or "catastrophe"? None of the usual descriptors feel powerful enough.
The Short Shrift of Healthcare: Managed Care Organizations Practicing Medicine (Without a License)
To improve the insurance coverage of mental healthcare, employers and group health plans are ruled against discrimination (ie, providing less coverage for mental health conditions than physical ones).
Exercise Video Games May Significantly Improve Subsyndromal Depression in Older Adults
February 26th 2010The symptoms of subsyndromal depression in older adults may significantly improve with regular use of �exergames,� or video games that combine game play with exercise, according to the results of a recent University of California San Diego study,
Evaluation of EULAR-RAID Score in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients (Rainbow)
February 26th 2010The main goal of this trial is to "evaluate the practical modalities and performance of the EULAR-RAID score in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who have been prescribed etanercept as part of usual medical practice."
MS therapy: The End of the Needles?
February 24th 2010Until just a few years ago, neurologists could only observe as MS ravaged the nervous systems of our patients. The therapies available were basically symptomatic, and didn't really alter prognosis. The advent of disease modifying therapies (DMT) made a big difference: These immune system modifying agents slowed the progression of MS and improved quality of life for many patients.
I've spent years working in quality assurance and regulatory affairs, two of arguably the most thankless jobs in the world because you're constantly on your toes with regard to organizational behavior, and nobody, but nobody wants to discuss how they (or their department) can (or must) improve on the job. That's one of the reasons why I was looking forward to downloading the Heath brothers' new book, Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, to my Nook when it came out last week.
Medicaid Directors Say Program Teetering on a "Fiscal Cliff"
February 23rd 2010The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 designated $87 billion for state Medicaid programs, enacting major increases in federal matching rates. Despite the boost from ARRA, state budgets have been groaning under the weight of the economic downturn, with 29 of them planning to make Medicaid cuts in 2010.
Educational Series on Rheumatoid Arthritis
February 23rd 2010Rheumatologists and primary care physicians will find the "Rheumatoid Arthritis Virtual Grand Rounds" to be extremely beneficial. Hosted by experts in the field, 17 patient cases will help improve the quality of care provided through patient case studies and provide new information about the available treatments for rheumatoid arthritis.