Air mercy flight for premature triplets
Scotsman, United Kingdom -
2006-03-23
I WAS STILL AWAKE WHEN DOCTORS CUT ME OPEN ..I WAS SURE MY BABY
Mirror.co.uk, UK -
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2006-03-20
GLHS rejects Arnett heart plan
The Courier-Journal, IN -
"That is not allowed," Skehan said. "Back in the old days, heart surgery went to St. Elizabeth because they started it, and Home Hospital had cardiac catherizations and cardiac care, but the program was not as robust. You are not allowed, in the world of collusion and antitrust, to say, 'You take the hearts and we'll take the mothers and babies.' "
2006-03-18
For crying out loud, it�s natural and normal
Georgia Straight, Canada -
The Midgleys’ experience is not unusual. There’s no shortage of parents with similar horror stories, unscathed but for the memories. Others, however, are permanently scarred. Research by Vancouver pediatrician Ronald Barr, a leading authority on infant development, shows that extreme crying is the trigger for 95 percent of cases of shaken-baby syndrome, in which a baby or child is shaken hard enough that the brain rotates inside the skull, damaging or destroying nerves and detaching/shearing blood vessels feeding the brain. Close to one out of four of these cases is fatal, according to Barr’s findings, and 80 percent of survivors suffer permanent neurological damage or other handicaps such as cerebral palsy, blindness, learning disabilities, and developmental delays. Barr is on the international advisory board of the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, where you can find more information at dontshake.com/.
2006-03-17
Hospital holds babies as hostages for cash
Ynetnews, Israel -
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2006-03-16
Former KSL Anchor, Surgeon General Team Up to Raise Premature
KSL-TV, UT -
Clayson says doctors say sometimes there's nothing you can do to prevent or cause a premature birth. She and the US Surgeon General will be on the Discovery Health Channel tonight talking about prenatal care, and what to do after a preterm baby is born. They say a half-million babies are born too soon every year.
2006-03-11
CIGNA HealthCare Expands Maternity Program
PR Newswire (press release), NY -
New Program Offers Members Incentives to Enroll Earlier for More Targeted Interventions BLOOMFIELD, Conn., March 10, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- To help prevent complications during pregnancy and birth, CIGNA HealthCare today announced the launch of CIGNA Healthy Pregnancies, Healthy Babies, a comprehensive maternity management program that expands services offered to expectant members to help improve their chances of having healthy pregnancies and deliveries. Approximately 4 million babies are born in the United States each year.(1) Of these, an estimated one in eight babies will be born prematurely and an estimated 31 percent of women will suffer some form of complication during pregnancy.(2) Many birth complications, which can potentially result in significant harm to mother or child and additional health care costs, can be prevented with proper prenatal care. "The greatest opportunity to impact pregnancy outcomes is in the first trimester and the early part of the second trimester," said Jeff Kang, MD, chief medical officer, CIGNA HealthCare. "Our goal is to identify expectant mothers at a greater risk for complications and lower their risk of complications with patient education, wellness programs and targeted support from nurse case managers." Employers are excited about the program. "About 50% of Cisco's annual medical claims costs are related to pregnancy. If we can help our members ensure they are receiving appropriate medical care and follow up, we are hopeful we can help our mothers have healthy pregnancies and fewer premature infants. With appropriate outreach by CIGNA, and a financial incentive added to the program, we will encourage our employees to participate in this program. We will track results over time to better understand what works and what does not so we can work with CIGNA to improve the program in the years ahead," said Pamela Hymel, MD, Cisco's Medical Director, Integrated Health. The CIGNA Healthy Pregnancies, Healthy Babies program aims to identify members with risk factors so they can begin a plan of care early on that could help minimize potential complications or premature births. CIGNA's expanded program will provide incentives for members to participate in the program early in their pregnancy. The new program will be available for plans that take effect beginning January 1, 2007. To encourage greater participation in the program, CIGNA is offering eligible members incentives to join the program. These incentives may come in the form of reimbursement of medical expenses, additional contributions to a member's Health Reimbursement Arrangement or other incentive arrangement. To encourage members to join the program early in their pregnancy, the value of the incentives would be greater for members the earlier they join the program. Members must complete the program through the postpartum assessment to receive the incentive payment. In addition to helping members have a healthy pregnancy and birth, this program helps employers avoid potentially significant costs associated with prematurity. According to the March of Dimes(R), employers pay nearly 15 times more for babies born prematurely in their first year of life than for full-term babies. Beyond the direct cost to business, premature birth also causes lost productivity. The March of Dimes estimates that premature babies spend nearly 17 days in the hospital in their first year of life, compared to two to three for full-term babies, and they visit the doctor's office 50 percent more often, resulting in more time away from work for parents. The CIGNA Healthy Pregnancies, Healthy Babies program helps reduce the financial and emotional toll of pregnancy complications for families and helps employers track and reduce potentially high health and productivity costs. Eligible members can enroll in the program by contacting CIGNA HealthCare Member Services to be connected to the CIGNA Healthy Pregnancies, Healthy Babies team. Once enrolled, members undergo a comprehensive health screening and receive a health management plan tailored to their needs: * Those identified as being at low risk for pregnancy complications will receive preventive education and screenings at enrollment, five months gestation, seven months gestation and postpartum. * Participants identified as having moderate risk for pregnancy complications will receive additional interventions and monthly outreach specifically targeted to their needs. * Those identified as being at high risk for complications will be referred to CIGNA HealthCare's High Risk Maternity Program, part of CIGNA HealthCare's specialty case management program, to work with nurse case managers and their treating providers on a more intensive support plan based on identified risk factors. Members with specific medical conditions that impact pregnancy outcomes, such as diabetes or pregnancy-induced hypertension, will receive support and care coordination to ensure they understand their conditions and are able to adhere to treatment recommended by their providers. The program will draw upon data and resources available through CIGNA HealthCare and CIGNA business units specializing in disability, behavioral health, pharmacy management and dental care. With the integration of information from all of these health-related areas, CIGNA Healthy Pregnancies, Healthy Babies clinicians will be able to better understand the full scope of an expectant member's condition and care to help coordinate the appropriate resources from many health disciplines for the member. CIGNA HealthCare also offers the following programs that promote the health and wellness of members. These programs continue to be available to expectant members: * CIGNA HealthCare Healthy Babies(R) -- This program provides members with education on healthy behaviors during pregnancy. The Healthy Babies education kit includes information on depression, stress and dental care during pregnancy, and materials from the March of Dimes. * CIGNA HealthCare 24-Hour Health Information Line(SM) -- Members can reach a nurse to ask health care questions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from anywhere in the U.S. The service also offers a recorded audiotape library of over 1,000 different topics. * myCIGNA.com -- CIGNA's personalized web portal, myCIGNA.com, gives members access to a suite of online decision support and health maintenance tools from WebMD Health. Members can use these tools to assess their health, determine their risk for health problems, and receive customized information to help them take action to improve their overall health. In addition, CIGNA works to raise awareness of the risks of prematurity by supporting the March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign and as a leading fundraising team at WalkAmerica, the March of Dimes' annual fundraising walk- a-thon. Since 1995, CIGNA and its employees have contributed $17.5 million to the March of Dimes. CIGNA HealthCare, headquartered in Bloomfield, CT, provides medical benefits plans, dental coverage, behavioral health coverage, pharmacy benefits and products and services that integrate and analyze information to support consumerism and health advocacy. "CIGNA HealthCare" refers to various operating subsidiaries of CIGNA Corporation (NYSE:
1. Data vary widely: disability rates pegged for very premature babies
NEW YORK -- About one in four extremely premature infants who survive will have at least one major developmental disability. Dr. John M. Lorenz said ...
2. Premature babies have high death and disability rate - News
One of the largest studies to examine disability rates among extremely premature babies has found that just under half grow up with some form of neurological ...
3. Cerebral Palsy Shows Link to Intrauterine Infection, but Only In Premature White Babies
MIAMI BEACH - Cerebral palsy appears to be associated with intrauterine infection in premature white babies but not in nonwhite infants, Dr. Judith Grether reported at the annual meeting of the Soc
4. Anoint them with oil: cheap-and-easy treatment cuts infection rates in premature infants
In developing countries, babies that arrive prematurely with low birthweights have mortality rates that exceed 50 percent. Infections are to blame for ...
5. Studies Give new Meaning to Hands-on Healing - Tiffany Field talks about her ''touch'' method of therapy, which started when working with premature babies
Developmental psychologist Tiffany Field, Ph.D., is founder of the Touch Research Institutes, five centers worldwide devoted to the scientific study ...