Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Today's Globe: MRI scans for breast cancer, bolstering DSS, veterans' care, self-employed health plans

Women who face a high risk of breast cancer should undergo annual magnetic resonance imaging to detect the disease in addition to conventional mammograms, the American Cancer Society will announce today, marking the first time that leading radiologists have advocated the routine use of MRI scans as a screening test.

A report set to be released today will urge the state to do more to protect children, in part by providing medical expertise to social workers investigating cases of abuse and neglect, according to sources who have seen the report about the embattled Department of Social Services.

The Army's new acting surgeon general said yesterday that she is concerned about long-term morale because the military lacks money to hire enough nurses and mental health specialists to treat thousands of troops coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Health plans offered by professional associations, a major source of health insurance for people who work for themselves, have all but disappeared, casting thousands of contractors, freelancers, and solo practitioners into the ranks of the uninsured, with little hope of obtaining new coverage.

Posted by Elizabeth Cooney at 06:24 AM

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