I have been reading various journals and articles concerning patient safety issues and Vancomycin- Resistant Enterococci in a hospital setting. These two journals provide insightful data about both topics.

1) Infection Control – Patient Safety Issues by J.P. Burke, MD (New England Journal of Medicine)

2) Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE) Mortality Association by DiazGranados et al. (Chicago Journals)

In lieu of a possible change in the tax code (requiring the rich to pay more),  President Obama hopes to use the additional revenue to fund healthcare system reform. I have included a previous article addressing the President’s initial statement and a follow-up from today’s New York Times.

1) Obama’s 2007 Previous Plan to Tax the Rich to Pay for Healthcare (BNET.com)

"Obama’s plan retains the private insurance system but injects additional money to pay for expanding coverage. Those who can’t afford coverage would get a subsidy on a sliding scale depending on their income, and virtually all businesses would have to share in the cost of coverage for their workers."

2) Obama’s 2009 Follow-up on Healtcare Taxation (NY Times)

"President Obama will propose further tax increases on the affluent to help pay for his promise to make health care more accessible and affordable, calling for stricter limits on the benefits of itemized deductions taken by the wealthiest households, administration officials said Wednesday."

With the economic situation, the cost of health care continues to rise. I have three interesting articles that lay out the situation as well as statistical data.

1) Health-Care Costs to Top $8,000 Per Person (Time Magazine)

"Health care costs will top $8,000 per person this year, consuming an ever-bigger slice of a shrinking economic pie, says the report by the Department of Health and Human Services, due out Tuesday."

2) Health Care Statistics (Deseret News)

"In a report from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, U.S. spending on medical care in 2008 reached $2.4 trillion, which is almost double the current $1.3 trillion federal deficit. Things will continue to be the opposite of good throughout this year as costs clip along nationwide at a pace that will nearly double to $4.4 trillion by 2018 — the year Utah’s health-care system reform is to be pretty much in place."

3) Health Insurance Costs (National Coalition on Health Care)

"By several measures, health care spending continues to rise at a rapid rate and forcing businesses and families to cut back on operations and household expenses respectively. In 2008, total national health expenditures were expected to rise 6.9 percent — two times the rate of inflation.¹ Total spending was $2.4 TRILLION in 2007, or $7900 per person1. Total health care spending represented 17 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP)."

1) Fast Food Restaurants and Stroke — A Link? ( LA Times)

"Our neighborhoods can be good or bad for our health, according to a number of studies that have drawn parallels between the environment and topics such as obesity and alcohol use ."

2) The More Fast Food Restaurants in Your Area — Greater the Risk of Stroke ( eFluxmedia.com)

"You have always been told about the health risks you take once you choose fast food dishes over home-made food. And still you cannot help it when you see so many fast food restaurants around you. What you should know is that an increased number of restaurants in your neighborhood is directly proportional with the number of strokes people suffer, at least this is the conclusion of a new study presented Thursday at the International Stroke Conference in San Diego."

3) Fast Food Proximity Ups Stroke Risk (Press TV)

"A new study has revealed that residing in neighborhoods packed with fast food restaurants could increase your risk for stroke by 13 percent."

Recently, a 42-year old HIV-positive American man has shown no signs the HIV virus after a bone marrow transplant. Researchers believe this breakthrough in gene therapy may have paved a new path to the cure for HIV/AIDS and possibly eliminate the use of antivirals.

"Gene Therapy offers hope of Cure for HIV"

Article Excerpt (source: The Independent)

"The remarkable case gives new impetus to the development of gene therapy for HIV which could ultimately replace the need for expensive and toxic antiretroviral drugs. Instead of taking drugs for life, HIV sufferers might instead have a one-off treatment that would leave them virus-free."

"Dr Hutter said: "When I started in medicine, HIV was completely untreatable. Now the situation has changed completely. Perhaps our case is a glimpse of hope for the future."