Health and Human Services News and Research

RSS

Research by pharmacists can help improve health literacy

Limited health literacy can lead to difficulties in patients' self-care activities such as taking prescribed medications. Since a considerable amount of health information changes hands in the pharmacy setting, research by pharmacists into evaluating which tools are effective in practice can make a valuable contribution to goals set by the 2010 US National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy and lead to improvements in communications and health care, say experts in this special themed issue on "Pharmacy, Medication Use, and the National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy," published in the journal Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy.

26 Sep 2013

'Average' exchange premiums come in lower than projected

The Obama administration said Wednesday that average premiums in the health law's online insurance marketplaces will be lower than projected by the Congressional Budget Office - 16 percent lower nationwide.

26 Sep 2013

Research suggests omega-3 fatty acids may not benefit thinking skills

Contrary to earlier studies, new research suggests that omega-3 fatty acids may not benefit thinking skills. The study is published in the September 25, 2013, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Omega-3s are found in fatty fish such as salmon and in nuts.

26 Sep 2013

First Edition: September 25, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about projected health insurance premium costs on the health law's new online marketplaces, as well as news from Capitol Hill and a joint appearance by President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton to talk about the overhaul.

25 Sep 2013

State highlights: N.C. Medicaid director resigns, heads to private sector; Ohio readies funding for new Medicaid computer system

Carol Steckel, the state's Medicaid director, is leaving after eight months on the job. Her departure is the latest in a string of high-profile departures from the Department of Health and Human Services, which has been plagued of late by personnel issues (Hoban, 9/23).

25 Sep 2013

Battles have reduced health law's impact for consumers

Politico looks at the how the law squares with what it promised and talks to consumers in Kentucky about their expectations. Also, the Wall Street Journal examines one of the tactics health insurers are using to keep healthy customers.

24 Sep 2013

Boehringer Ingelheim, Lilly present post-hoc analysis data from linagliptin clinical trials at EASD 2013

Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company today announced results from two post-hoc, pooled analyses of data from placebo-controlled clinical trials, which examined the safety of the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor linagliptin in adults with type 2 diabetes.

24 Sep 2013

Researchers find reassuring evidence of H1N1 influenza vaccine's safety during pregnancy

Researchers from Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center and UC San Diego, in collaboration with the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, have found 'reassuring' evidence of the H1N1 influenza vaccine's safety during pregnancy.

24 Sep 2013

Kan. Medicaid debate may resume next year as feds emphasize flexibility

Kansas lawmakers may return to the question next year of whether to expand Medicaid. Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says the federal government welcomes state experimentation with how health coverage to the poor is provided.

24 Sep 2013

FDA approves revised labeling for Sapien Transcatheter Heart Valve

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved revised labeling for the Sapien Transcatheter Heart Valve, making the device available to an expanded group of patients who have inoperable aortic valve stenosis, a disease of the heart valves that causes narrowing of the aortic valve, restricting blood flow from the heart.

24 Sep 2013

New study finds the tally for medical mistakes much higher than previous estimates

It seems that every time researchers estimate how often a medical mistake contributes to a hospital patient's death, the numbers come out worse. In 1999, the Institute of Medicine published the famous "To Err Is Human" report, which dropped a bombshell on the medical community by reporting that up to 98,000 people a year die because of mistakes in hospitals.

24 Sep 2013

Study: Frequent bedsharing linked with longer duration of breastfeeding

Frequent bedsharing between a mother and infant was associated with longer duration of breastfeeding, but researchers warned of the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) associated with bedsharing, in a study by Yi Huang, Ph.D., of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and colleagues.

24 Sep 2013

Researchers find evidence of H1N1 influenza vaccine's safety during pregnancy

Researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Boston University, in collaboration with the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI), have found evidence of the H1N1 influenza vaccine's safety during pregnancy.

24 Sep 2013

FDA's final guidance outlines tailored approach to mobile medical apps

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued final guidance for developers of mobile medical applications, or apps, which are software programs that run on mobile communication devices and perform the same functions as traditional medical devices. The guidance outlines the FDA's tailored approach to mobile apps.

24 Sep 2013

First Edition: September 23, 2013

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey reports: "Nearly 50 million Americans are enrolled in Medicare, the federal health insurance program for the elderly and disabled. The 2010 health care law, known as the Affordable Care Act, will make some changes to the program.

23 Sep 2013

Avon Foundation for Women launches competition to bring emerging breast cancer technologies to market

A world-wide competition to bring emerging breast cancer technologies to market is being launched by the Avon Foundation for Women, in partnership with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the NIH, and the Center for Advancing Innovation.

21 Sep 2013

Viewpoints: Florida's 'sabotage' of health law; the irony of conservatives' 'nightmare' ads; Obamacare 'crushes' American families

Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services, has been visiting the state to encourage private groups to help residents understand what insurance policies and federal subsidies will be available to them when the enrollment period opens Oct. 1.

21 Sep 2013

FDA takes action to prevent food distribution from rodent and insect-infested facility

U.S. Marshals seized food products at Gourmet Provisions, LLC and Royal Cup, Inc., after U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigators found widespread and active rodent and insect infestation on the premises.

21 Sep 2013

UNC receives grants from FDA and NIH to establish Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill received two separate grants from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health today as part of an on-going interagency partnership. UNC will house two of 14 Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science, which are receiving a total of up to $53 million for tobacco-related research in fiscal year 2013.

21 Sep 2013

HHS warns Texas gov. against adding 'cumbersome requirements' for navigators

The federal letter comes in response to an effort by Gov. Perry to tighten rules to protect consumers' confidential information. Also in news about the efforts to get the online marketplaces running, federal and some state officials again pledge that exchanges will be ready for operation on Oct. 1, but the Wall Street Journal reports on some new glitches.

21 Sep 2013

Health and Human Services News and Research

Research by pharmacists can help improve health literacy

'Average' exchange premiums come in lower than projected

Research suggests omega-3 fatty acids may not benefit thinking skills

First Edition: September 25, 2013

State highlights: N.C. Medicaid director resigns, heads to private sector; Ohio readies funding for new Medicaid computer system

Battles have reduced health law's impact for consumers

Boehringer Ingelheim, Lilly present post-hoc analysis data from linagliptin clinical trials at EASD 2013

Researchers find reassuring evidence of H1N1 influenza vaccine's safety during pregnancy

Kan. Medicaid debate may resume next year as feds emphasize flexibility

FDA approves revised labeling for Sapien Transcatheter Heart Valve

New study finds the tally for medical mistakes much higher than previous estimates

Study: Frequent bedsharing linked with longer duration of breastfeeding

Researchers find evidence of H1N1 influenza vaccine's safety during pregnancy

FDA's final guidance outlines tailored approach to mobile medical apps

First Edition: September 23, 2013

Avon Foundation for Women launches competition to bring emerging breast cancer technologies to market

Viewpoints: Florida's 'sabotage' of health law; the irony of conservatives' 'nightmare' ads; Obamacare 'crushes' American families

FDA takes action to prevent food distribution from rodent and insect-infested facility

UNC receives grants from FDA and NIH to establish Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science

HHS warns Texas gov. against adding 'cumbersome requirements' for navigators

Event guide: 6th Operationalize Expanded Access Programs Summit East eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

Latest News