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State highlights: Heroin deaths rise in N.Y.; TennCare computer system delay; Colo. races to win $87M to integrate care;

A heroin crisis gripping communities across the country deepened in New York last year, with more people in the city dying in overdoses from the drug than in any year since 2003. In all, 420 people fatally overdosed on heroin in 2013 out of a total of 782 drug overdoses, rising to a level not seen in a decade in both absolute numbers and as a population-adjusted rate, according to preliminary year-end data from the city's health department (Goodman, 8/28).

29 Aug 2014

H. D. Smith announces winners of annual Trading Partners of the Year award

H. D. Smith, among the nation's largest pharmaceutical wholesalers, today announced the winners of its annual Trading Partners of the Year award, honoring select pharmaceutical and health products manufacturers who collaborate actively to grow the industry and advance patient care.

28 Aug 2014

Greatest percentage of catastrophic payouts occur from errors in diagnosis

A study published in the Journal for Healthcare Quality reports that many huge malpractice awards can be prevented by targeted interventions by health care provider organizations to reduce patient safety risks, such as reducing diagnosis errors.

27 Aug 2014

Meridian Health joins "The Baton Pass" to spread message of hope

Meridian Health, a leading health care system in New Jersey, joined a national movement called "The Baton Pass™" to help raise funds for innovative cancer research and spread a message of hope.

27 Aug 2014

Viewpoints: Spreading Ebola treatments; Dems can win running on health law

A radical but promising proposal to help treat victims of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa appears to be gaining support among knowledgeable experts.

26 Aug 2014

How Chinese hackers stole patient data

The hackers exploited 'Heartbleed' -- a hole in widely used data-protection technology -- to steal data on 4.5 million patients of Community Health Systems, according to Bloomberg News. Another report looks at why your medical information might be vulnerable.

22 Aug 2014

FDA approves AliveCor algorithm for detecting AFib through ECG recordings on mobile phone

AliveCor, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the company clearance for its algorithm to detect atrial fibrillation (AFib), the most common form of cardiac arrhythmia.

From AliveCor, Inc. 21 Aug 2014

Internet security is growing concern at health care sites

The recent hacker attack against Community Health Systems highlights concerns about patient privacy as hospitals, doctors and other providers move to use more electronic records.

21 Aug 2014

First Edition: August 20, 2014

Today's headlines include a report from California that Anthem Blue Cross is being sued again regarding its narrow-network health plans as well as a prediction from Maryland officials regarding the state's online insurance marketplace.

20 Aug 2014

Chinese cyberattack steals 4.5 million patients' data from hospital records

Tennessee-based Community Health Systems, which runs 206 hospitals in 29 states, says no medical information was exposed, however.

20 Aug 2014

First Edition: August 19, 2014

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including stories about a how a hospital system's data was hacked, involving as many as 4.5 million patients' records.

19 Aug 2014

AMGF participates in collaborative effort to find best practices in managing RA patients

The American Medical Group Foundation today announced participants in a collaborative dedicated to finding best practices in managing patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

19 Aug 2014

Loyola, ABHS partner to expand pediatric services in Chicago area

Alexian Brothers Health System of Arlington Heights, Ill., and Loyola University Health System of Maywood, Ill., are partnering to expand the breadth and reach of their pediatric service lines in the Chicago area.

16 Aug 2014

Prime Healthcare completes acquisition of St. Mary's Hospital in Passaic, New Jersey

Prime Healthcare announced today that it has completed its acquisition of St. Mary's Hospital in Passaic, New Jersey.

16 Aug 2014

Cases of Ebola virus in West Africa continue to rise

Since the Ebola virus outbreak was first reported in March there have been nearly 2,000 cases and over 1,000 deaths in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. This makes it the most serious Ebola epidemic to date.

15 Aug 2014

Research and planning to meet health needs of people living with HIV

As effective treatments for HIV become more widely available in low- and middle-income countries, there's an urgent need to assess and manage health risks in the growing number of people living with HIV.

14 Aug 2014

Heart failure is major public health burden in many LMICs

Heart failure is a major public health burden in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with substantial variation in the presentation, causes, management, and outcomes of heart failure across different LMICs, according to a study published in this week's PLOS Medicine.

From CSL Ltd 13 Aug 2014

Measure Up/Pressure Down campaign improves high blood pressure control in 205,000 patients

Medical groups participating in Measure Up/Pressure Down®, a national hypertension campaign, improved detection or control of high blood pressure for 205,000 Americans living with the disease in the first 12 months of the campaign, the American Medical Group Foundation (AMGF) announced today.

13 Aug 2014