Recent Stories
Construction gets greener, but fewer projects abroad

American healthcare construction companies are going green. But they're now less likely to go abroad.
Bipartisan Senate bill aims to waive telemedicine restrictions for VA docs

A bipartisan bill aims to ease telemedicine licensing requirements and facilitate mental health e-visits for healthcare professionals working in Veterans Affairs facilities. Current rules call for physicians using telemedicine to be licensed in the state where the patient resides.
Health improving for urban residents, but racial disparities persist

Residents in 27 of the nation's big cities are experiencing lower rates of cancer, diabetes and motor vehicle-accident deaths in 2012 compared with 2007, though African-Americans have not shared in many of these gains, according to a Big Cities Health Coalition report.
AMA delegates want ban on direct-to-consumer drug ads

The American Medical Association's House of Delegates voted Tuesday to support a ban on direct-to-consumer drug and medical-device advertising, saying the ads drive up the demand for more expensive treatments.
Blog: New prostate cancer cases drop with lower use of PSA test

After a yearslong epidemic where men were treated for a cancer that might never have caused them a problem, providers are decreasing their use of the prostate-specific antigen screening test. The number of diagnosed cases has gone down during the same period, according to two studies published Tuesday in JAMA.
AMA holds off on setting telemedicine ethics policy

The American Medical Association House of Delegates decided Monday that proposed recommendations for ethical practices in telemedicine did not clearly address medical liability concerns and sent them back to the authors for more work. A previous iteration of the proposed policies received the same treatment from delegates back in June.
Blog: Providing anti-obesity education reflects hospitals' changing role

Along with exercise and diet, another necessary element in the fight against obesity is education. This element also illustrates how the role of hospitals is changing from treating patients' illness to keeping people well. Some institutions' wellness strategies include building teaching kitchens under the same roof as operating and exam rooms.
Battle to curb obesity is failing, CDC reports

An editorial published in JAMA this September saw a “glimmer of hope” that U.S. obesity (and diabetes) rates had leveled off. But results of a new survey show obesity continuing to creep upward with women having higher rates than men and both having increasing rates as they get older.
Congress and VA evaluate facilities and resources

Lawmakers suggest that in order for the VA to adequately address its health system's problems, a panel should be formed to “optimize facilities resourcing and lines of service.” The VA is also seeking authority to review its facilities and make changes based on excess capacity.
RWJF targets factors driving health gaps in county rankings

Life expectancy in the U.S. is solidly linked to a person's ZIP code, but communities can take meaningful steps to improve the health of their residents, according to a new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Presence Health building Chicago cancer center

Construction is starting on a $12.3 million cancer center at Presence Sts. Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center in Chicago.
Trans Pacific trade pact may carry healthcare costs

Concerns over how the 12-nation Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement could affect tobacco packaging, drug pricing and licensing of medical professionals led the American Public Health Association to adopt a policy statement arguing that free trade can be a public health issue. The nation's largest nurses union has weighed in as well.
Blog: Public health officials take up inequality as their cause

Presidential cabinet members and past and present surgeons general appeared at the American Public Health Association's annual meeting in Chicago. But the names that seemed to be on everyone's mind were Freddie Gray and Michael Brown.
New cancer center signals start of Chicago hospital's redevelopment

Construction is getting started on a $12.3 million cancer center at Presence Sts. Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center in Chicago. The facility represents a redevelopment that is being driven by a community “visioning” process and a population health focus.
Public health issues push past flu and cigarettes into socio-economic areas

One researcher is looking at why poor U.S. counties also tend to have higher prevalence of risky sexual behavior and alcohol consumption. Another is studying abuse of children with birth defects. Those are just some of the findings being discussed at a public health conference taking place in Chicago this week.