Health care lawyer Clement as high court regular

This article is from Boston.com
Paul Clement used to argue for the federal government's power until he started arguing against it.

But he's no flip-flopping political candidate; he's a lawyer. Changes like this are part of his job.

Clement is playing a key role in three politically charged Supreme Court cases in which Republican-led states object to Obama administration policies or federal laws on health care, immigration and redrawing political boundaries.

In the biggest of those, the 45-year-old law school acquaintance of President Barack Obama will be trying to sink Obama's health care overhaul.

University General Health System Announces Agreement With NeWeigh for Expansion of Bariatric Services

This article is from Market Watch The Wall Street Journal 
University General Health System, Inc. (otcqb:UGHS) (pinksheets:UGHS) ("the Company"), a diversified, integrated multi-specialty health delivery system, today announced that its flagship Houston-based University General Hospital has finalized a three-year agreement with Vital Weight Control, Inc. (d/b/a NeWeigh), a pioneer in surgical weight loss. NeWeigh, a patient advocacy group, was founded in 1991. Its mission was to provide a multi-disciplinary program to assist people who desired treatment for morbid obesity. NeWeigh's services include motivational support; access to psychological and dietary counseling; non-medical, medical and surgical treatment options; and pre- and post-operative support groups. Additionally, NeWeigh offers assistance to those who are seeking insurance approval for treatment of this condition.

San Diego State University Offers Career-Enhancing Health Care Certificate Programs

This article is from the San Francisco Chronicle

No matter which direction the economy heads this year, health care will continue to be one of the nation's top success stories. In a U.S. News and World Report story titled "What's in Store for Jobs in 2012?" the article states "healthcare employment will continue to grow in 2012, possibly even more rapidly than it did in 2011, as the population continues to age and require more medical attention."

With health care being such an in-demand occupation, San Diego State University's College of Extended Studies offers both in-class and online professional health care certificate and certification programs for individuals to prepare for these lucrative careers.

University Health System in South Texas Selects Allscripts for Community Connectivity

This article is from Market Watch The Wall Street Journal

Anchored by a 498-bed University Hospital, University Health System is a nationally recognized academic medical center that partners with UT. University Health System, which since 2003 has used Allscripts Sunrise Enterprise(TM) acute care Electronic Health Record and Sunrise Ambulatory(TM) EHR in the hospital and for its nearly 700 employed physicians at 24 locations, desired a way to enhance the transitions of care between each of its facilities as well as between its facilities and UT.

"Extending our Allscripts solution will enable us to provide continuity of care for our patients, many whom use both facilities," said Bill Phillips, Vice President and Chief Information Officer at University Health System. "We believe one integrated patient record will save time for providers and patients, as well as reduce duplicate tests."

University General Health System Agrees to Acquire Second Ambulatory Surgical Center in Houston Metropolitan Area

This article is from Market Watch The Wall Street Journal

University General Health System, Inc. (otcqb:UGHS) (pinksheets:UGHS) ("University General" or "the Company"), a diversified, integrated multi-specialty health delivery system, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire an ambulatory surgical center (the "ASC") in Baytown, Texas, the fourth-largest city in the Houston metropolitan area.

The ASC will be acquired for a seller's note and the assumption of certain equipment financing commitments. The closing of the acquisition is subject to certain conditions, including consent of certain third parties and licensure of the ASC, which is expected later this month. The center is expected to perform over 3,100 procedures during its first year of operations. Primary procedures at the ASC will include gastroenterology and pain management. The ASC will be co-managed with Jacinto Medical Group, P.A., a prominent multi-specialty group of physicians operating in Baytown.

Pseudosciences are destroying the reputation of Australia's universities

This article is from physorg.com

The strongly-worded editorial by Alastair MacLennan, a professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Adelaide, and Robert Morrison of Flinders University, is the latest shot in the acrimonious exchange between proponents of traditional medicine and practitioners of complementary and alternative varieties.

Professor MacLennan and Dr. Morrison are both founding members of Friends of Science in Medicine, a collection of more than 460 people and organizations who say they are dedicated to fighting the growth of pseudoscience in medicine. In January the group wrote a letter to every vice-chancellor in Australia asking for a review of their health science courses to “ensure that primacy is given to scientific principles based on experimental evidence”.

Learn It Live Launches Free Online Health Symposium to Connect People to Top Experts in Health, Nutrition, Fitness, and More

This article is from The Sacramento Bee

Learn It Live, the online learning website that connects people to experts through live video-conferencing, announced today that its flagshipLearn It Live Eudaimonia Symposium is launching and available for free for people worldwide. The Symposium is a world-class online health event that features over 40 of the very top experts in health, nutrition, and fitness, and is being held from February 20 – 26.

With virtual sessions ranging from healthy cooking to heart health and even to online yoga, there's no shortage of programming available, whatever one's health interests may be. These sessions are all provided free of charge by Learn It Live.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/21/4279289/learn-it-live-launches-free-online.html#storylink=cpy

Outbreak sickens dozens at New Jersey university

This article is from CNN health

About 40 students at a university in New Jersey have been taken to hospitals for treatment after an outbreak of what authorities believe is the norovirus.

The Rider University students, at the school's campus in Lawrenceville, were brought to hospitals late Wednesday night, the school said Thursday.

The suspected outbreak comes a week after an outbreak began at nearby Princeton University, which is still under way, officials said.

"We are coordinating treatment information with that university. We have also informed neighboring institutions," Rider said on its website.

Norovirus is a highly contagious illness that is often called stomach flu or food poisoning, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis in the United States.

New Fellowship Pairs University of Michigan Researchers With State Policy Makers to Better Connect Research and Policy

This article from Market Watch The Wall Street Journal

The Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation (CHRT) announced today the inaugural class of the CHRT Policy Fellowship at the University of Michigan, a new fellowship program focused on building connections between health services research and policy for more effective, evidence-based health policy decisions.

The fellowship, thought to be the first of its kind in the nation, will bring together five researchers from the University of Michigan and five Lansing policy makers to work on joint projects and learn from each other. The fellowship will include interactive seminars as well as hands-on experience.

"Researchers across the University of Michigan are engaged in significant work that can and should inform policy," said CHRT director Marianne Udow-Phillips. "Similarly, policy makers can help faculty understand how the policy process works so that research can be better targeted to have a meaningful impact. In order to accomplish those goals, researchers and policy makers need open channels of communication and a shared language. This fellowship is designed to build a common knowledge-base for researchers and policy makers and help them generate ideas for working more closely together."

Fellows will meet in Ann Arbor twice per month for four months, beginning February 10, in day-long seminars on health policy topics relevant to researchers and policy makers alike. A broad range of health policy leaders and subject matter experts will lead interactive sessions, and the fellows will be paired to produce policy-relevant work on health issues of mutual interest.

"The CHRT Policy Fellowship at the University of Michigan presents a tremendous opportunity, not only for the distinguished inaugural class of fellows, but also the University of Michigan," says University of Michigan Provost Phil Hanlon. "This is an exciting opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to supporting learning through teaching, research, and community engagement, while also making our resources more accessible to state policy makers."

The fellowship is guided with support and leadership from the University of Michigan Health System and the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

The inaugural class of University of Michigan research fellows:

Barbara L. Brush, Ph.D., A.N.P., R.N., F.A.A.N., associate professor of nursing and co-coordinator of the Family Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of Michigan School of Nursing.

Vanessa Dalton, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology and director of the department's Program on Women's Health Care Effectiveness Research.

Christopher Kim, M.D., M.B.A., S.F.H.M., assistant professor in the departments of internal medicine and pediatrics; associate chief of staff, Office of Clinical Affairs; associate medical director, Faculty Group Practice at the University of Michigan.

Edward C. Norton, Ph.D., professor in the University of Michigan Department of Economics and the U-M School of Public Health Department of Health Management and Policy.

Joshua D. Stein, M.D., M.S., ophthalmologist and health services researcher in the University of Michigan Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences.

The inaugural class of five policy fellows, including staff from the offices of Michigan's senate and house majority and minority leaders and Department of Community Health:

Mark Burton, JD, chief of staff, office of Senator Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan Senate.

Katie Duggan, JD, health policy analyst, House Democratic Policy Office, Michigan House of Representatives.

Elizabeth Hertel, senior policy analyst, House Republican Policy Office, Michigan House of Representatives.

Beth Nagel, MA, health information technology manager, Michigan Department of Community Health.

Cheryl Pezon, JD, policy analyst, Senate Republican Policy Office, Michigan Senate.

See the CHRT fellowship page www.chrt.org/fellowship on the CHRT website for detailed information about the fellows' background and research/policy interests, and a list of fellowship faculty.

In April 2012, CHRT will sponsor a symposium, Healthcare Policy & Research: Can We Speak the Same Language?, that will also explore ways that researchers, policy makers, and practice leaders can work together more effectively to influence real world change.

The Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation (CHRT) illuminates best practices and opportunities for improving health policy and practice. Based at the University of Michigan, CHRT is a non-profit partnership between U-M and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan designed to promote evidence-based care delivery, improve population health, and expand access to care.