Total news: 1298
Last news: January 7, 2008 09:32:36

The Health Blog looked for stories you might have missed this weekend. Here’s our short list. As presidential wannabe John Edwards campaigned in New Hampshire, he picked up support from the family of Nataline Sarkisyan, a 17-year-old California girl whose liver transplant was turned down by her insurer, Cigna. The company reversed itself but she died before a transplant could be performed. Edwards has invoked her case on the hustings. “Are you telling me that we’re gonna sit at a table and negotiate with those people?” Edwards said last month after she died, CBS News reported. “We’re gonna take their power away and we’re not gonna have this kind of problem again.” Last week, Sarkisyan’s mother reached out to support him after hearing him speak the night of the Iowa caucuses, MSNBC reported. “Please vote for Senator Edwards,” Hilda Sarkisyan told an overflow crowd at the Franco-American Hall in downtown Manchester, N.H., yesterday. Common allergies are reshaping religious traditions, the Baltimore Sun reports. “Communion wafers are now available in rice and soy,” the paper writes. “Religious supply stores are offering hypo-allergenic incense. Churches are banning cologne and cutting way back on Easter lilies.” Rev. Sue Montgomery, a Pennsylvania pastor, explains: “The invitation to the Lord’s Table is for everyone, even those with food allergies.” As President Bush’s days in office tick away, he may be thinking more about his legacy. One of his more significant bipartisan accomplishments may be the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief — Pepfar, for short , the New York Times writes. About 1.4 million AIDS patients around the world have received medicines paid for with American dollars, up from 50,000 before the initiative. (Source: WSJ.com: Health Blog) - [Read more]

Concerns about OTC cough and cold medicines had simmered for decades in the medical community. Now some physicians have brought the issue forward. (Source: American Medical News) - [Read more]

Some physician organizations worry about more glitches like those already seen in the move to a universal, national identifier system. (Source: American Medical News) - [Read more]

Faced with waning commercial membership, UnitedHealth Group executives promise to improve its relationships with physicians and patients. (Source: American Medical News) - [Read more]

Educators look for ways to build on new scholars perceived strengths in technology, optimism and team-building. (Source: American Medical News) - [Read more]

The incumbent, an internist, is being challenged by a family physician from the opposite end of the political spectrum. (Source: American Medical News) - [Read more]

The intent is to allow users to compare various pay-for-performance programs, but few programs are listed as yet. (Source: American Medical News) - [Read more]

Doctors support increasing access to health insurance but dont want it funded from a state medical liability pool. (Source: American Medical News) - [Read more]

A studys findings offer further evidence that the Framingham risk assessment tool needs revision, but its still unclear how the test may fit in. (Source: American Medical News) - [Read more]

The state medical board plans to clarify the self-referral law in question. But doctors and regulators worry the ruling could threaten immediate access to care. (Source: American Medical News) - [Read more]

Physicians anticipate some civilian space travelers will have chronic medical issues. (Source: American Medical News) - [Read more]

Oil paintings reflecting historic and iconic moments in medicine are being displayed for a new generation of physicians. (Source: American Medical News) - [Read more]

Tired of playing the phone tag associated with traditional answering services, this doctor developed his own automated system that he is now offering to other practices. (Source: American Medical News) - [Read more]

The California Medical Assn. says the changes will stop retaliatory peer review and other actions to punish doctors who report problems. (Source: American Medical News) - [Read more]

Many physicians endorse the concept of continuing to offer immunizations into the new year, but making it a reality is challenging. (Source: American Medical News) - [Read more]

Ten percent of the schools slots will go to students dedicating their careers to the medically underserved. (Source: American Medical News) - [Read more]

A diverse group of researchers is exploring the biology of this process. (Source: American Medical News) - [Read more]

The insurer has been the target of complaints that its policies regarding nonparticipating doctors are in violation of a lawsuit settlement, which the plan denies. (Source: American Medical News) - [Read more]

Evidence to demonstrate how commissioners can best influence healthcare providers and improve patients health is lacking, according to a report by the University of Birmingham. (Source: Healthcare Republic News) - [Read more]

Research into chronic conditions by nurses, midwives and allied health professionals in Wales will benefit from a £1.2 million cash injection, health ministers have announced. (Source: Healthcare Republic News) - [Read more]