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Research roundup: Electronic health records don't seem to improve diabetes care; Beefing up adult vaccination rates

Federal officials and health policy experts believe that electronic health records (EHRs) will improve patient care. Researchers measured adherence to diabetes care guidelines as well as patient outcomes over three years at 16 practices using EHRs and 26 practices using paper records. Practices with EHRs did not show signs of better care and providers using them "have not made the necessary changes to both work processes and ways of thinking about care that would lead to improvements in chronic illness management."

19 May 2012

Viewpoints: VA failing to provide timely care; Roll up your sleeves to help fight AIDS; Primary care doctors' uncertain future

Those who have served know the military rules: Be on time, do it now. Once they file disability claims with the Department of Veteran Affairs, however, veterans wait, and wait longer…. Delay is not without consequences for the individual or the community…. We sent these young men and women off to battle. We owe them timely care.

19 May 2012

Some patients mistakenly undergo bypass surgery after diagnostic angiography

Research led by Christiana Care Health System's Andrew Doorey, M.D. has found that a small number of patients mistakenly undergo bypass surgery after diagnostic angiography.

19 May 2012

APS honors recipients of Clinical Centers of Excellence in Pain Management Awards

The American Pain Society (APS), honored the recipients of its sixth annual Clinical Centers of Excellence in Pain Management Awards recognizing the nation's outstanding pain care centers.

19 May 2012

Health professional training essential to reduce tobacco reliance

Health care professionals do a better job helping people quit smoking when they are trained in smoking cessation techniques, a new Cochrane Library review finds.

19 May 2012

Large survey of genetic variation offers insights into human diseases

A large survey of human genetic variation, published today in the online version of the journal Science, shows that rare genetic variants are not so rare after all and offers insights into human diseases.

19 May 2012

Personal genetic test results does not drive overuse of expensive medical care

People have increasing opportunities to participate in genetic testing that can indicate their range of risk for developing a disease. Receiving these results does not appreciably drive up or diminish test recipients' demand for potentially costly follow-up health services, according to a study performed by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and colleagues at other institutions.

19 May 2012

New method can detect and monitor pH changes in living brains

University of Iowa neuroscientist John Wemmie, M.D., Ph.D., is interested in the effect of acid in the brain. His studies suggest that increased acidity or low pH, in the brain is linked to panic disorders, anxiety, and depression. But his work also suggests that changes in acidity are important for normal brain activity too.

19 May 2012

PLoS blog responds to U.N.'s newly released maternal mortality estimates

Newly released "estimates of maternal mortality from the United Nations' Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG) are good news – but not good enough," Peter Byass, professor of global health at Umea University in Sweden and director of the Umea Centre for Global Health Research, writes in this post in the PLoS "Speaking of Medicine" blog.

18 May 2012

Despite bishop's disapproval, Sebelius will speak at Georgetown University

The Health and Human Services secretary was invited in January to address graduates of the Public Policy Institute at the Jesuit institution.

18 May 2012

Budget politics and posturing continues at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue

Even as congressional leaders met with President Barack Obama on budget matters, the Senate voted on -- and rejected -- a series of budget proposals. Meanwhile, House Speaker John Boehner draws a line in the sand regarding the next vote to raise the federal debt limit.

18 May 2012

ACO model may improve populations-based outcomes for pain management

How will pain care be influenced by the anticipated reforms in the U.S. healthcare system? Current models of healthcare delivery offer both obstacles and opportunities for achieving quality and effectiveness in pain-related care, according to Daniel Carr, MD, Tufts University in his keynote address at the American Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting.

18 May 2012

One Blog interviews USAID deputy administrator about upcoming G8 Summit

ONE Blog interviews Ambassador Don Steinberg, current deputy administrator at USAID, about the upcoming G8 Summit.

18 May 2012

Personal genetic test results don't drive overuse of expensive medical care

People have more and more chances to participate in genetic testing that can indicate their range of risk for developing a disease. Receiving these results does not appreciably drive up- or diminish-test recipients' demand for potentially costly follow-up health services, according to a new study in the May 17, 2012 early online issue of Genetics in Medicine.

18 May 2012

Huffington Post series of opinion pieces examines NGO priorities for G8

The Huffington Post is running "a series of blogs by leading NGOs to call attention to a range of issues that should be raised at the G8 summit at Camp David in rural Maryland from May 18-19," according to the news service. The following summarizes some of the posts published this week.

18 May 2012

First Edition: May 18, 2012

Today's headlines include a report that congressional conservatives are fighting amongst themselves over health law strategies.

18 May 2012

State budgets aim at health programs, Medicaid to bridge shortfalls

Medicaid and other health program cuts are on the minds of state lawmakers around the nation. In Maine, the governor signed Medicaid cuts into law Wednesday, and California and Kansas are weighing similar cuts as they struggle to balance their budgets.

18 May 2012

WHO faces challenges in setting priorities

In this BMJ Groups Blog post, Amanda Glassman, director of Global Health Policy at the Center for Global Development, writes about the challenges the WHO faces in "setting priorities and fully funding those priorities."

18 May 2012

Longer looks: Music as a means of treatment for PTSD

On one of the many days Leo Dunson wanted to die, the Iraq veteran put a gun to his temple and pulled the trigger. The loaded weapon misfired. For the troubled former soldier, it was another inexplicable failure, like his divorce or inability to make friends after returning from the war. In a Las Vegas recording studio, Dunson rapped about his life: "What's wrong with me? Got PTSD. These pills ain't working, man, I still can't think."

18 May 2012

Ugandan AIDS activists concerned over proposed cuts in nation's health budget

AIDS activists in Uganda are worried about a proposed reduction in the country's health budget, as Parliament begins "a months-long budgeting process for the ... next fiscal year," VOA News reports.

18 May 2012