will lose 12 percent of its staff through a combination of layoffs, attrition and retirements. CHA will close six community health centers and will stop admitting patients overnight to
, although emergency services there will remain available. Officials there said the magnitude of current and future financing challenges, coupled with the soured economy have put their whole system in jeopardy, forcing the cuts.
“While extremely challenging Read the rest of this entry »

Geography makes a difference. The “medical tourism” idea – traveling to cheaper places for expensive procedures – is growing. You don’t need to go to Mexico, Singapore or India to save. Even in the U.S. there are now cheaper places. It may not always justify the trip, but sometimes it will. Suppose you live in northern California and have relatives in Cincinnati, Ohio. Aetna’s tool shows that an in-network cholesterol screening is $21 in Cincinnati Read the rest of this entry »

10:58 PM CDT on Sunday, October 5, 2008
North Texans have heard the high-pitched whine of mosquitoes less frequently this summer.
And with fewer of the pests out there biting, health officials say, there’s been a steep drop in reported human West Nile virus infections. This summer and fall are on track to be one of the mildest seasons since the disease took hold here in 2002.
Epidemiologists and other health officials Read the rest of this entry »