Starting October 26 the Georgetown Hospital System will not allow people under 19 years old to visit patients unless they are gravely ill.

According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, about 34.1 million Americans have been diagnosed with asthma. The condition leads to 10.5 million visits to physician offices, 217,000 visits to emergency rooms, 500,000 hospitalizations, and 3,384 deaths every year. Asthma is annually responsible for 10.1 missed days from work and 12.8 missed days from school.

Doctors are often rushed these days, so patients must come to appointments utterly prepared, one expert advises. Here are five ways to maximize your visit to the doctor’s office.

According to research from Imperial College London, the death rate among patients admitted to English hospitals on the first Wednesday in August — the day, traditionally, that newly graduated doctors take up their posts — was, on average, 6% higher than for those admitted the last Wednesday in July.

President Obama delivered the speech in hopes of rejuvenating his flagging push for an overhaul of the $2.5 trillion healthcare system, which has bogged down in Congress amid a flood of criticism.

15 operating room staff members were asked to stay out of surgery, after an increase in the rate of infections at St. Francis Hospital.

As things look now, H1N1 is causing only mild to moderate illness, not the widespread deaths people are worried about.  CNN’s Sanjay Gupta recently visited emergency rooms to gauge the level of concern about H1N1.  The following is his 5 point panic prevention plan for parents.

Some childhood milestones—like braces and broken bones—are a lot less fun than others. Here are some tips to help you get through some of the most common rites of passage.

Billing errors are common, experts say. Double-billing, typos, upselling, and outright fraud add up to big unexpected medical bills for consumers—even those who think they are fully covered by insurance. But you can get fair billing if your know the right questions to ask.

The company Nortel has developed a high-tech system that hospitals can use to easily track doctors, nurses, and medical equipment.

The family of Eunice Shriver, the founder and honorary chairwoman of the Special Olympics, has been called to her hospital bedside.  She is said to be in very critical condition in a Cape Cod hospital.

Every year thousands of volunteers join the “Africa Mercy” hospital ship in Africa. Mercy Ships have served in 150 ports in developing nations around the world and act as mobile hospitals that provide free surgery to world’s poorest people.

Medical mannequins are no dummies, they’re now complex robots that simulated patients and help make better doctors.

Nineteen former patients at a Denver, Colorado, hospital have tested positive for hepatitis C, federal prosecutors said Thursday as they announced new charges against a former hospital employee accused of exposing the patients to the virus.

Since people are often comfortable and relaxed around animals, they sometimes make ideal therapy tools. Studies show animals can promote relaxation, ease anxiety and lower blood pressure and heart rate.