Residents of Utah will be the first ones to receive shots of a new H1N1(Swine) flu vaccine. Volunteers are being called to take part in clinical trials for the new vaccine. Focus is being given on volunteers from the 6 month to 9 years age groups as well as those that are 65 and older.

The blind study will involve administration of the real vaccine to the participants 75% of the time and the placebo to 25% of the time. None of the participants will know if they were given the placebo or the real vaccine. The company will conduct four different studies involving the vaccine.

A health screening will be administered on the volunteer to determine if the person has any medical condition that will prevent the applicant from participating in the trials. Those who qualify will be given the list of requirements as well as the consent documents that they need to sign. Applicants will also be given documents that detail the potential side effects of the vaccine. Blood will be drawn and a brief physical examination will be conducted. The patient will also be requested to provide a brief medical history. After all these are completed, applicants will be given an injection and observed for 30 minutes. A second appointment is then scheduled and then another one will be scheduled after that.

The volunteers will be asked to keep a diary of any illness, swelling or pains they experience for seven days after being injected.

A Center for robotic surgery will be established in the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, funded by the $3 million gift from the Richard S. and Karen LeFrak Charitable Foundation. The center will specialize in robotic surgery focusing on prostate cancer other urologic medical cases.  The center will also support research on robotic surgery and the training of surgeons in various techniques in robotic surgery.

According to a research paper by UCLA researchers, published recently in the Medical Care journal, close to 1 million Californians travel to Mexico to undergo medical procedures.  According to the study, the two main reasons Californians travel to Mexico for healthcare are they lack of insurance and the rising healthcare costs in the US.  The paper is based on data gathered in 2001 through the California Health Interview Survey. Out of the 952,000 Californians who traveled to Mexico for medical services, 488,000 are Mexican immigrants.

The largest private hospital in San Francisco - the California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC), has recently announced its plans to cut 200 jobs from the hospital as well as implement a pay cut among managers to cut costs.  These cost-cutting measures will be complemented with a freeze on capital spending as well as a freeze on hiring to trim down hospital expense by an additional $30 million.  The hospital has already slashed $30 million from its expenses from previous cost-cutting measures.

The American College of Surgeons has adopted the following position with respect to medical tourism.

1. The ACS encourages patients to seek care of the highest quality and supports their rights to select their surgeons and health care institutions without restriction.
2. The ACS encourages its Fellows to assist all patients in reaching informed decisions concerning medical care, whether at home or abroad.
3. The ACS advises patients to consider the medical, social, cultural, and legal implications of seeking medical treatment abroad prior to deciding on a venue of care. In the event of proven medical liability for injury, viable means for the recovery of damages should be in place. Patients should be aware that many of the means for legal recourse available to citizens in the U.S. are not universally accessible in other countries.