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Investigators identify gene that underlies devastating autoinflammatory condition in children

Investigators have identified a gene that underlies a very rare but devastating autoinflammatory condition in children. Several existing drugs have shown therapeutic potential in laboratory studies, and one is currently being studied in children with the disease, which the researchers named STING-associated vasculopathy with onset in infancy (SAVI).

17 Jul 2014

HHS offers $100 million in funds for states Medicaid programs to improve payment systems

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is offering the assistance in hopes that states will be able to streamline processes in ways that will ultimately lead to better patient care.

16 Jul 2014

Help wanted: CEO for hard-to-manage federal insurance website

Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell is expected to name someone to oversee the operations of healthcare.gov to keep it from becoming a joke again on late night TV. Also in the news is an examination of the small business marketplaces.

15 Jul 2014

Feds scrutinize Medicaid backlogs in 7 states

Health and Human Services officials have demanded remediation plans from at least seven states -- California, Michigan, Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas, Georgia and Alaska -- to resolve application backlogs.

15 Jul 2014

NIH-funded study identifies genetic markers associated with eosinophilic esophagitis

Scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health have identified genetic markers associated with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), an inflammatory disease characterized by high levels of immune cells called eosinophils in the esophagus.

15 Jul 2014

BAI and Novartis determine whether investigational drugs can prevent symptoms of Alzheimer's

Researchers from the Banner Alzheimer's Institute (BAI) today announced a partnership with Novartis in a pioneering medical trial to determine whether two investigational anti-amyloid drugs-an active immunotherapy and an oral medication-can prevent or delay the emergence of symptoms of Alzheimer's in people at particularly high risk for developing the disease at older ages.

15 Jul 2014

Research: Soluble corn fibre may enhance calcium absorption

Around the globe, fibre and calcium intakes are below the levels recommended by experts contributing to potential long-term public health implications. New research, published this month in the British Journal of Nutrition, shows soluble corn fibre (SCF) may not simply boost fibre intake when added to foods, but can also increase the amount of beneficial bacteria present in the gut, while enhancing calcium absorption in adolescents.

15 Jul 2014

National Medicaid enrollment nears 7 million

The Obama administration released new enrollment figures showing 56 percent of those on the program are children. Meanwhile, Tennessee faces a deadline today for a plan to fix enrollment problems.

14 Jul 2014

NLC awards grants to eight cities to help enroll children, families in Medicaid and CHIP

To help implement local outreach efforts to enroll children and families in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, the National League of Cities today awarded grants and technical assistance to eight cities.

14 Jul 2014

Mississippi baby: Infant seemingly cured of HIV has detectable levels of HIV

The child known as the "Mississippi baby"-an infant seemingly cured of HIV that was reported as a case study of a prolonged remission of HIV infection in The New England Journal of Medicine last fall-now has detectable levels of HIV after more than two years of not taking antiretroviral therapy without evidence of virus, according to the pediatric HIV specialist and researchers involved in the case.

11 Jul 2014

Viewpoints: Turning to new legal challenges to ACA; is the law working?; Medicaid problems in N.C.

The Supreme Court's term ended in June with another Affordable Care Act ruling, and the ACA survived largely unscathed. Burwell v. Hobby Lobby has important ramifications for women's health and religious freedom but does not invalidate a single section of the law.

11 Jul 2014

Baxter International acquires drug candidate developed to treat sickle cell disease

A drug candidate developed by researchers at the NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences and its collaborators to treat sickle cell disease has been acquired by Baxter International's BioScience business.

11 Jul 2014

HHS grant to support new model of care for patients with complex cancer

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced a three-year grant to University Hospitals Case Medical Center Seidman Cancer Center totaling $4.7 million to support a new national model aimed at improving care for patients with complex cancer.

11 Jul 2014

First Edition: July 10, 2014

Today's headlines cover health policy headlines from the marketplace, the campaign trail and regarding the health law's implementation.

10 Jul 2014

ECRI develops online version of ICRA for Healthcare Construction Activities training course

Renovation and construction projects in healthcare environments pose unique infection control challenges for contractors and workers.

10 Jul 2014

National Gay Blood Drive to take place on July 11, 2014

On Friday, July 11, the second annual nationwide National Gay Blood Drive (NGBD) will take place to raise public awareness and increase pressure on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to change its policy on the long-standing ban on blood donation by men who have had sex with other men (MSM) – a restriction that has been in place since 1983.

10 Jul 2014

Study examines use of electronic patient portals by patients with cancer

There has been a sharp increase in the number of cancer patients at UT Southwestern Medical Center using MyChart, the online, interactive service that allows patients to view laboratory and radiology results, communicate with their healthcare providers, schedule appointments, and renew prescriptions.

10 Jul 2014

TCGA finds novel mutations in key cancer-causing pathway in lung adenocarcinoma

Researchers from The Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network have identified novel mutations in a well-known cancer-causing pathway in lung adenocarcinoma, the most common subtype of lung cancer.

10 Jul 2014

NIAID launches CRS3123 Phase I trial to treat C. difficile infection

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, has launched an early-stage clinical trial of CRS3123, an investigational oral antibiotic intended to treat Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection.

10 Jul 2014

State highlights: S. Fla. doctor group gets $4M Medicare bonus; states' prisoner health care costs down slightly

A group of physicians in Palm Beach and Broward counties working under a new Medicare pay-for-performance program qualified for a $4.2 million bonus from the government this year for reducing costs while meeting health care quality benchmarks during their first year in the program. Accountable Care Options, the physician's group, is participating in the Medicare Share Savings Program, which encourages hospitals and doctors to hit certain health care standards designed to lower costs in the long run by reducing medical complications and trips to the emergency room.

10 Jul 2014

Health and Human Services News and Research

Investigators identify gene that underlies devastating autoinflammatory condition in children

HHS offers $100 million in funds for states Medicaid programs to improve payment systems

Help wanted: CEO for hard-to-manage federal insurance website

Feds scrutinize Medicaid backlogs in 7 states

NIH-funded study identifies genetic markers associated with eosinophilic esophagitis

BAI and Novartis determine whether investigational drugs can prevent symptoms of Alzheimer's

Research: Soluble corn fibre may enhance calcium absorption

National Medicaid enrollment nears 7 million

NLC awards grants to eight cities to help enroll children, families in Medicaid and CHIP

Mississippi baby: Infant seemingly cured of HIV has detectable levels of HIV

Viewpoints: Turning to new legal challenges to ACA; is the law working?; Medicaid problems in N.C.

Baxter International acquires drug candidate developed to treat sickle cell disease

HHS grant to support new model of care for patients with complex cancer

First Edition: July 10, 2014

ECRI develops online version of ICRA for Healthcare Construction Activities training course

National Gay Blood Drive to take place on July 11, 2014

Study examines use of electronic patient portals by patients with cancer

TCGA finds novel mutations in key cancer-causing pathway in lung adenocarcinoma

NIAID launches CRS3123 Phase I trial to treat C. difficile infection

State highlights: S. Fla. doctor group gets $4M Medicare bonus; states' prisoner health care costs down slightly

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