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New study casts doubt on the effectiveness of brief counseling for illicit drug use

In an effort to stem substance use, the U.S. has invested heavily in the past decade in a brief screening-and-intervention protocol for alcohol and other drugs.

7 Aug 2014

Viewpoints: Higher costs don't mean better health quality; states and the uninsured

The good news about health care spending continues. In the first nine months of this fiscal year, Medicare spending increased only 1.2 percent in nominal terms, and for 2014, it's now projected to be $1,000 lower per beneficiary than the Congressional Budget Office said it would be as recently as 2010. Even the Medicare trustees are starting to recognize that something big may be happening. In evaluating the recent deceleration, however, a crucial question remains: Can slower cost growth continue without harming the quality of outcomes? (Peter R. Orszag, 8/5).

7 Aug 2014

Treating Americans with untested Ebola drug raises concerns

Using the experimental drug before it is tested in clinical trials will make it difficult to determine whether it is actually safe and effective, say scientists. Meanwhile, African officials say they have been inundated with requests from dying patients and their relatives for the same treatment.

7 Aug 2014

American Journal of Public Health special issue to highlight health disparities among Veterans Affairs

In an online-only, open access special issue of the American Journal of Public Health, researchers investigate issues of health equity, quality and disparities within the Veterans Affairs health care system.

7 Aug 2014

PSAL students to receive free comprehensive health screening at HSS

It's a parent's worst nightmare, and it happens out of the blue. While playing a sport, often football, a teen athlete collapses on the field and doesn't make it.

7 Aug 2014

State highlights: Insurer uses Tenn. position for bargaining power; N.Y.'s Medicaid cash drain

The dominion of Tennessee's largest health insurer is reflected in its headquarters' lofty perch above the city, atop a hill that during the Civil War was lined with Union cannons to repel Confederate troops. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee has used its position to establish a similarly firm foothold in the first year of the marketplaces created by the health law. The company sold 88 percent of the plans for Tennessee individuals and families. Only one other insurer, Cigna, bothered to offer policies in Chattanooga, and the premiums were substantially higher than those offered by BlueCross (Rau, 8/6).

7 Aug 2014

Wis. senator seeks to appeal recent decision regarding his health law challenge

The focus of the lawsuit by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., is an Office of Personnel Management regulation that allows congressional staffers to get their health care subsidized under the law's exchanges. In other news, health issues are emerging as flashpoints in this year's Arkansas senate race.

7 Aug 2014

CAP re-accredited as CME provider for physicians

The College of American Pathologists was resurveyed by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education and awarded Accreditation with Commendation for six years as a provider of continuing medical education (CME) for physicians.

7 Aug 2014

Some states boost transparency of insurance rate review amid criticism

Connecticut regulators deny an insurer's proposed rate increase but criticize the state's public hearing process. Meanwhile, Illinois officials give the public online access to rate filings and Florida advocates blame state lawmaker's suspension of rate review for the big premium increases in that state.

7 Aug 2014

Rural residents pay more for exchange plans

Rural residents paid slightly higher premiums for exchange health plans than their city counterparts, reports Modern Healthcare. Meanwhile, Vermont's GOP leaders say they want the state's health insurance exchange to succeed, but residents are fed up with problems.

7 Aug 2014

House Veterans Affairs chair accuses VA of misleading panel on deaths

Rep. Jeff Miller says the Department of Veterans Affairs may have manipulated on a fact sheet given to Congress the number of veterans who died as a result of waiting for care.

7 Aug 2014

Calif. insurers team on huge digital medical records plan

Blue Shield of California and Anthem Blue Cross are working together to keep and share digital records for about 9 million patients, which could cost $80 million over the first three years.

7 Aug 2014

Almost Family records net service revenues of $125 million for Q2 2014

Almost Family, Inc., a leading regional provider of home health nursing and personal care services, announced today its financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014.

6 Aug 2014

First Edition: August 6, 2014

Today's headlines include reports about the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index that details how politics play a role in the nation's health care gap between red and blue states.

6 Aug 2014

New probe can be used in 3 unique ways to detect cancer

As thousands of vacationers hit the beach this summer, many of them will expose their unprotected bare limbs to direct UV sunlight, potentially putting them at risk of skin cancer later in life.

6 Aug 2014

Sinai Hospital’s groundbreaking program helps ER patients to manage own care

Sinai Hospital of Baltimore and HealthCare Access Maryland are piloting a groundbreaking program developed to proactively help patients, who frequently use the hospital's Emergency Department for non-urgent and chronic health conditions, better manage their own care, lead healthier lives, and in turn, save precious health-related resources.

6 Aug 2014

Home based medical care for frail elders reduces Medicare costs by 17%

MedStar Washington Hospital Center geriatricians found that when medical care for frail elders with advanced illness shifts to the home, total Medicare costs were reduced by 17 percent during a two-year period.

6 Aug 2014

State highlights: New York hospital mergers surging; Calif. court says home health workers can't sue for damages, injuries associated with caring for Alzheimer's patients

A selection of health policy stories from New York, California, Ohio, Wisconsin and Massachusetts. Hospital takeovers are surging in the New York region, raising concerns that health costs could climb and care could change.

6 Aug 2014

Kootenai Health joins Mayo Clinic Care Network as new member

Kootenai Health and Mayo Clinic leaders today announced Kootenai Health as a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, a national network of like-minded organizations that share a commitment to better serving patients and their families.

6 Aug 2014