Pain Clinics, Dialysis Centers May Spread Disease, Studies Find
Jan. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Patients who came down with pneumonia in hospitals stayed in them longer, had more complications and were more likely to die than those who caught the disease in their communities, a study found.

Hospitals and GPs expecting flu surge
HOSPITALS and GP surgeries across Wales are bracing themselves for a massive influx of patients struck down by winter flu, as freezing temperatures look set to grip the country until the weekend.

Merger breathes new life into ailing clinics
After years of staffing turnovers and financial troubles brought Comprehensive Health Center to the brink of collapse recently, a merger with the San Ysidro Health Center has revived the network of three community clinics serving the poor in San Diego.

Wisconsin Rapids hospitals feel financial pinch in tough economy
Although they work to cure illnesses, local hospitals lacked immunity from one of the worst ailments of 2008: the economy.

Another push to cut down hospital infection rates
HOSPITALS and clinics providing health care across Shropshire are pushing a new `Clean your Hands? campaign to cut infection levels among patients. A number of GP surgeries and general dental premises have also signed up to the campaign.

Hospitals using 'quick look' strategy to ease crowded ERs
New strategies are moving patients more quickly through ERs at Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center and its sister hospitals, a response to a national overcrowding problem that has forced some facilities to divert some patients elsewhere.

Hospital seismic deadlines loom; clinics set expansions
NORTH BAY - With faults crisscrossing much of the North Bay, almost every hospital will have to be seismically upgraded by 2013 without an extension, which means ground-breaking and major planning will have to begin this year for those that haven't started.

Sector Snap: Medical technology shares slide
(AP:NEW YORK) Shares of medical technology companies mostly traded lower Monday after an Oppenheimer analyst predicted hospitals will cut their spending by 15 percent to 25 percent in 2009, and reduced his estimates on a half dozen companies.

Health forum decries current care methods
McClellanville ? More than 30 consumers and health care professionals gathered last week to tackle a daunting question: What is the biggest problem with the nation's health care system? Their answer was succinct: There is no system. Fragmentation and inefficiency are endemic, the group said. One participant described a revolving door of medical clinics, hospitals and private physicians. And no ...

Economy, Medicare rules hit surgery centers
It's a perfect storm for ambulatory surgery centers nationwide. The economy is taking its toll, particularly on elective surgeries. But the centers also are being hit by changes in reimbursement and agreements between hospitals and insurers. The changes have been drastic enough so that some centers have closed.

Children?s National Medical Center Selects eClinicalWorks for Children?s IQ Network
eClinicalWorks ®, a market leader in ambulatory clinical systems, today announced that Children?s National Medical Center of Washington D.C., one of the nation?s top-ranked pediatric hospitals by U.S. News & World Report , has selected eClinicalWorks unified electronic medical record (EMR) and practice management (PM) software for its Children?s IQ Network SM . Children?s IQ Network is ...

Study: Clinics Don't Offer HPV Vaccine
A follow-up report from Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum's office released last Wednesday, Dec. 17 found that the city-run clinics that diagnose and treat sexually transmitted diseases still do not offer vaccinations against the human

Bacolod hospital chief reinstated
BACOLOD CITY, Philippines--Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has ordered the reinstatement of Dr. Benito Bionat as chief of the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) in Bacolod City.

Ex-Capitol exec tasked on city hospital
CEBU CITY, Philippines ? Security, order and cleanliness are among the priorities listed by Cebu City Hall for the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC), which hired a former Cebu provincial administrator to handle these concerns.

Liberia: Lone Star Cell Gives to Hospitals, Clinics
Liberia's oldest and largest GSM Company, the Lone Star Communication Company continues to demonstrate how humanitarian it is by donating five Desk Phones to about five healthcare institutions in the country.

Senator chides Palace of neglecting PGH specialty clinic
MANILA, Philippines - Senator Pilar Juliana Cayetano on Tuesday warned against possible closure of the Philippine General Hospital's Pediatric Neurosurgical Craniofacial Unit due to lack of funds.

Fighting In Gaza Overwhelms Medical System
The heaviest fighting in the Gaza Strip since the 1967 Six Day War is taking an enormous toll on the territory's civilians. The medical system is particularly strained. Medical personnel are struggling under dangerous conditions and with limited supplies.

Slippery Sidewalks Could Cost Homeowners $109
MADISON, Wis. -- The weekend ice storm made road travel dangerous, but it also made foot travel just as treacherous. Many sidewalks throughout the city are ice-coated and slippery.

Growing crisis
Gaza's fragile humanitarian situation worsens

Improper means end some pregnancies
NEW YORK, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Dominican women in the United States often use improper prescription drugs and questionable homemade potions to end unwanted pregnancies, two studies indicate.