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Obama to talk health law's benefits for women, families

In an effort to rally public support for the overhaul, President Barack Obama will talk about provisions that benefit women as part of a Mother's Day-themed event.

13 May 2013

In states that opt against Medicaid expansion, rural areas could miss out most

Also in the news, updates from Kentucky, where Gov. Steve Beshear announced he will proceed with the expansion; Michigan, where lawmakers advance a plan to expand Medicaid -- with conditions; and California, where a compromise proposal continues to be a hot topic.

13 May 2013

UI professor highlights future challenges for improving tools for evaluating pain in older people

Although several types of pain assessment tools are available to help clinicians evaluate pain in older people, too often the sole initial emphasis is to gauge pain intensity instead of determining how the pain affects function and the need for treatment, according to research presented at the American Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting.

13 May 2013

Community health centers get $150M to help uninsured enroll in new coverage

The funding is to hire staff, train existing staff and perform outreach and educational activities. The idea is to help consumers sign up for coverage sold through new online insurance marketplaces that are scheduled to open on Oct. 1 under the Affordable Care Act.

13 May 2013

GOP leaders refuse to name candidates for Medicare cost control board

House Speaker John Boehner tells reporters that he and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will not nominate anyone to serve on the Independent Payment Advisory Board.

13 May 2013

Study shows patient satisfaction from a pharmacy program

As hospitals look for ways to improve patient satisfaction and boost their Medicare reimbursement, a Henry Ford Hospital study found that an inpatient pharmacist-directed anticoagulation service might be an unexpected opportunity.

13 May 2013

Study says insomnia may be an indicator of future hospitalization among middle-aged and older adults

Having trouble falling or staying asleep? According to a new study led by a team of researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, insomnia may be an important indicator of future hospitalization among middle-aged and older adults.

13 May 2013

Feds offer positive signals about progress on health exchanges

USA Today reports that federal officials say the government is meeting deadlines, testing systems and putting the infrastructure in place to get these online insurance marketplaces up and running. Also, Modern Healthcare reports that the National Association of Health Underwriters is urging extensive training for the exchange navigators.

13 May 2013

Research reports adolescents, young adults with cancer may be at higher risk for social isolation

Research conducted by Xiao-Cheng Wu, MD, PhD, Associate Professor and Director of the Louisiana Tumor Registry at the LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Public Health, and colleagues, reports adolescents and young adults with cancer may be at higher risk for social isolation and that a substantial proportion of them have unmet social needs that could adversely affect their health.

10 May 2013

OUP blog discusses CDC'S advice on H7N9 while traveling abroad

Health risks are real and ever-changing, especially while traveling abroad. The bird flu, for example, has been in the news recently for taking four more lives, bringing the total deaths to 31.

10 May 2013

First Edition: May 10, 2013

Todya's headlines include reports about efforts by the Obama administration to boost health exchange enrollment.

10 May 2013

SLU SNMA students receive Leadership in Institutional Diversity Award

A group of 40 students are part of Saint Louis University's Student National Medical Association chapter (SNMA), who are striving to reduce health disparities locally. This year, they received the Leadership in Institutional Diversity Award, a recognition given to a university for serving as an outstanding example of leadership and innovation in promoting and maintaining institutional diversity.

10 May 2013

RWJF announces recipients of four new grants from Future of Nursing National Research Agenda

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation today announced the recipients of four new grants from its Future of Nursing National Research Agenda. The new grants examine nurse residency programs and scope of practice regulations.

10 May 2013

Cantor schedules (yet another) health law repeal vote

The vote, which is likely to take place next week, will be the first one in 2013. There have been more than 30 votes to repeal all or parts of the health overhaul since its passage in 2010.

10 May 2013

NINDS Director affirms NIH's committed to support pain research at APS meeting

In her keynote address to the 32nd American Pain Society Annual Scientific Conference, Story Landis, PhD, director of the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke, told the APS audience that NIH is committed to research to improve understanding of the biological basis of pain and the development of effective treatments.

10 May 2013

Expiring patents drive drug spending's first time fall

Patient spending on prescription drugs fell in 2012 -- for the first time ever, a new study reports -- due in part to expiring patents on brand-name drugs.

10 May 2013

Longer looks: A wife's Alzheimer's, Obamacare and workers' hours, doctors and drug companies

When his wife got Alzheimer's disease, lawyer Ken Chiate invested all his hopes in an unorthodox treatment. Nothing, it seems, could make him give up on it. ... Jeannette's difficulties seemed to emerge out of nowhere. She couldn't grasp the rules of a dice game. She kept asking questions her husband had just answered. ... in 2001, at age 58, she was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. As months and years passed, she fell into an angry haze that was determined to be Alzheimer's disease.

10 May 2013