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CT angiography provides accurate assessment of arterial plaque in diabetic patients

Imaging of the coronary arteries with computed tomography (CT) angiography provides an accurate assessment of arterial plaque and could have a dramatic impact on the management of diabetic patients who face a high risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular events, according to a new multicenter study published online in the journal Radiology.

22 Apr 2014

Sharing clinical information with other health systems helps avoid diagnostic tests and procedures

An Allina Health study published in the current issue of the journal Applied Clinical Informatics showed that a significant number of diagnostic tests and procedures can be avoided if clinicians exchange health information with other health systems.

22 Apr 2014

Health law a tough sell, although millions gain benefits

A New York Times analysis points out that many of those helped most by the health law are the least likely to cast votes to preserve it. CNN notes that Obamacare is a tough sell for embattled Democrats and a political analyst questions GOP strategy to run against the law.

22 Apr 2014

Ohio inmates getting Medicaid; Va. hospitals pushing legislature

As prison inmates in Ohio gain their freedom, state officials are trying to get many of them enrolled in health coverage for low-income people. In Virginia, where the General Assembly is at an impasse on the budget because of the dispute over expanding Medicaid, hospitals seek to convey their message about the economic costs.

22 Apr 2014

Prevalence of celiac disease on the rise among children with irritable bowel syndrome

There appears to be an increased prevalence of celiac disease among children with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

22 Apr 2014

Maryland details money spent on troubled health marketplace

The state spent nearly $130 million on the marketplace and more than $90 million of it on technology, according to the state's breakdown, The Washington Post reports.

22 Apr 2014

AARDA launches autoimmune curriculum for teachers of grades three through eight

Furthering its mission of educating all Americans about autoimmunity and autoimmune disease (AD), the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, Inc. (AARDA) has launched the first-of-its kind autoimmune curriculum for teachers of grades three through eight.

22 Apr 2014

GAO report details administration fund-raising efforts to boost health law

The investigation examined the campaign by federal officials to raise money to spur health insurance enrollment, according to The New York Times.

22 Apr 2014

Doctors still make good money

An annual survey shows that doctors, on average, still make at least three times the annual median household income. Media outlets also describe other trends, including the return of house calls, often as part of hospital palliative care programs, the use of scribes to help with digital records, rushed doctors' visits and a study finding that free drug samples influence doctors' prescribing practices.

21 Apr 2014

First Edition: April 21, 2014

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including a GAO report on how the Obama administration raised money from outside groups to promote the health law.

21 Apr 2014

Are exchanges more appealing to insurers now?

Elsewhere, in Colorado, new fees on consumers and insurance plans would raise $13 million to help run that state's exchange next year.

21 Apr 2014

$Viewpoints: The number keeps rising; new fears about census fracus; patients lose as insurers 'play games'$

Viewpoints: The number keeps rising; new fears about census fracus; patients lose as insurers 'play games'

Obamacare's critics have had a bad week. On Thursday, President Obama announced that 8 million people have enrolled in new health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act's marketplaces, and a significant portion of them are young Americans.

21 Apr 2014

Vanderbilt participates in national study to evaluate effectiveness of group prenatal care

Vanderbilt University hopes to enroll about 400 women in a national study to evaluate the effectiveness of a new model of group prenatal care designed to improve the health and well-being of mothers and babies during pregnancy, birth and infancy.

21 Apr 2014

Evidence-based interventions provide promising strategies for reducing racial, ethnic health disparities

Evidence-based interventions at the local and national levels provide promising strategies for reducing racial and ethnic health disparities related to HIV infection rates, immunization coverage, motor vehicle injuries and deaths, and smoking, according to a new report by the CDC's Office of Minority Health and Health Equity.

21 Apr 2014

Cedars-Sinai nurses screening hospitalized patients for signs of depression

In an effort to identify and treat patients with undiagnosed depression, Cedars-Sinai nurses are screening each hospitalized patient for signs of the illness and for risk factors that could make recoveries harder and longer.

21 Apr 2014

Scientists lay groundwork for understanding immune responses in Lyme disease patients

A team of scientists led by Johns Hopkins and Stanford University researchers has laid the groundwork for understanding how variations in immune responses to Lyme disease can contribute to the many different outcomes of this bacterial infection seen in individual patients. A report on the work appears online April 16 in PLOS One.

21 Apr 2014

Children get codeine in U.S. emergency rooms, despite risks: Study

Despite its potentially harmful effects in children, codeine continues to be prescribed in U.S. emergency rooms, according to new research from UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco.

21 Apr 2014

State highlights: Diabetes telemedicine in Miss.

The homemade bombs that ripped through the crowd at the finish line of last year's Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring 264, showcased the city's medical talent but also taught valuable lessons in responding to a mass disaster. By all accounts, Boston's hospitals performed well after the attacks on April 15, 2013. While many of the wounded lost limbs and a large amount of blood, all who made it to a hospital survived (Herbst-Bayliss, 4/17).

21 Apr 2014

Physician groups deciding how to spend health care dollars

Saying they can no longer ignore the rising prices of health care, some of the most influential medical groups in the nation are recommending that doctors weigh the costs, not just the effectiveness of treatments, as they make decisions about patient care.

21 Apr 2014

California officials announce enrollee tally, note last-minute surge

Covered California, the state's online health insurance marketplace, signed up 200,000 people for coverage during the two-week deadline extension -- bringing the state's total to 1.4 million. The state's initial goal was about 815,900 for the six-month enrollment period that began Oct. 1, 2013.

21 Apr 2014