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Medicare: Docs not leaving program; Sen. Baldwin pushes to protect rural hospital funds

In Medicare news, doctors may not be leaving the Medicare program in droves as some think. Sen. Tammy Baldwin is pushing back against Medicare cuts to rural hospital reimbursement, and some hospitals are making follow-up care changes to lower readmission rates.

27 Aug 2013

BARDA Awards Novan $7.8M To Develop Thermal Burns Treatment

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26 Aug 2013

First Edition: August 26, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about the ongoing battles between those who support the implementation of the health law, and those who oppose it.

26 Aug 2013

Study reveals elegant circuit in visual system helps dictate how eyes connect to brain

A study in mice reveals an elegant circuit within the developing visual system that helps dictate how the eyes connect to the brain. The research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, has implications for treating amblyopia, a vision disorder that occurs when the brain ignores one eye in favor of the other.

26 Aug 2013

Report shows nonmedical use of pain relievers may increase risk of using heroin later

A new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows that people aged 12 to 49 who had used prescription pain relievers nonmedically were 19 times more likely to have initiated heroin use recently (within the past 12 months of being interviewed) than others in that age group (0.39 percent versus 0.02 percent).

23 Aug 2013

Report finds number of doctors accepting Medicare patients is up

The number of physicians accepting new Medicare patients rose by one-third between 2007 and 2011 and is now higher than the number of physicians accepting new private insurance patients, according to a Department of Health and Human Services report obtained by USA TODAY. In 2007, about 925,000 doctors billed Medicare for their services. In 2011, that number had risen to 1.25 million, according to the report by the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (Kennedy, 8/22).

23 Aug 2013

Noninvasive urine test can accurately monitor risk of kidney rejection

Levels of a protein in the urine of kidney transplant recipients can distinguish those at low risk of developing kidney injury from those at high risk, a study suggests. The results also suggest that low levels of this protein, called CXCL9, can rule out rejection as a cause of kidney injury.

23 Aug 2013

First Edition: August 22, 2013

Today's headlines include news reports about how summer politics are shaking out around the health law's implementation.

22 Aug 2013

State highlights: Judge nullifies 2011 Brooklyn hospital deal

A selection of health policy stories from New York, California, Alaska, Georgia and Texas.

22 Aug 2013

Influenza researchers use genetic sequencing to trace source and evolution of avian H7N9 virus

An international team of influenza researchers in China, the United Kingdom and the United States has used genetic sequencing to trace the source and evolution of the avian H7N9 influenza virus that emerged in humans in China earlier this year. The study, published today in Nature, was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a component of the National Institutes of Health, and other organizations.

22 Aug 2013

FDA approves first mass spectrometer system in U.S. for identification of bacteria, yeasts

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today allowed marketing in the U.S. of the first mass spectrometer system for automated identification of bacteria and yeasts that are known to cause serious illness in humans.

22 Aug 2013

Selling the idea of health insurance to 'young invincibles'

The Obama administration is launching a national video contest designed to convince young people to sign up for coverage, spending $30,000 on prizes to draw the YouTube generation.

21 Aug 2013

Sebelius urges Texas leaders to pitch plan to cover poor

Speaking in Texas, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said it was up to state leaders to propose alternative ways to expand health coverage to the poor.

21 Aug 2013

Kronick named to AHRQ top spot

Health reform researcher Richard Kronick, PhD, will become the new director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) after longtime director Carolyn Clancy, MD, leaves the post later this month. The announcement was made public in the agency's daily afternoon electronic newsletter.

21 Aug 2013

Even in advanced stages total tumor size can have major impact on survival in lung cancer patients

For the two-thirds of lung cancer patients with locally advanced or metastatic disease, tumor size is not used currently to predict overall survival times. A new study, however, led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers has shown that even in advanced stages total tumor size can have a major impact on survival.

20 Aug 2013

3-D structure of proteins show flame retardants can mimic estrogen hormones

By determining the three-dimensional structure of proteins at the atomic level, researchers at the National Institutes of Health have discovered how some commonly used flame retardants, called brominated flame retardants (BFRs), can mimic estrogen hormones and possibly disrupt the body's endocrine system. BFRs are chemicals added or applied to materials to slow or prevent the start or growth of fire.

20 Aug 2013

FDA reminds health care providers not to administer any NuVision Pharmacy sterile products to patients

Products may still pose serious risk to patients The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is reminding health care providers about safety concerns with all sterile drug products made and distributed by NuVision Pharmacy of Dallas, Texas.

20 Aug 2013

Health law critics raise privacy concerns about navigator program

Some state attorneys general say the plans for hiring and training navigators don't have enough consumer safeguards.

20 Aug 2013

Viewpoints: Medicare's lessons for the health law; Krauthammer says Obama shouldn't try to write his own laws

As a Sept. 30 budget deadline approaches, many in the Republican Party are pushing to repeal the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. The law's most radical opponents are even threatening to shut down the government by refusing to pass a continuing resolution, which would fund existing government programs at current or slightly adjusted levels.

17 Aug 2013

HHS awards $67 million in 'Navigator' grants to groups to help consumers with the health law

The grants are part of the health law's outreach and assistance efforts, viewed as linchpins to the law's success.

17 Aug 2013

Health and Human Services News and Research

Medicare: Docs not leaving program; Sen. Baldwin pushes to protect rural hospital funds

BARDA Awards Novan $7.8M To Develop Thermal Burns Treatment

First Edition: August 26, 2013

Study reveals elegant circuit in visual system helps dictate how eyes connect to brain

Report shows nonmedical use of pain relievers may increase risk of using heroin later

Report finds number of doctors accepting Medicare patients is up

Noninvasive urine test can accurately monitor risk of kidney rejection

First Edition: August 22, 2013

State highlights: Judge nullifies 2011 Brooklyn hospital deal

Influenza researchers use genetic sequencing to trace source and evolution of avian H7N9 virus

FDA approves first mass spectrometer system in U.S. for identification of bacteria, yeasts

Selling the idea of health insurance to 'young invincibles'

Sebelius urges Texas leaders to pitch plan to cover poor

Kronick named to AHRQ top spot

Even in advanced stages total tumor size can have major impact on survival in lung cancer patients

3-D structure of proteins show flame retardants can mimic estrogen hormones

FDA reminds health care providers not to administer any NuVision Pharmacy sterile products to patients

Health law critics raise privacy concerns about navigator program

Viewpoints: Medicare's lessons for the health law; Krauthammer says Obama shouldn't try to write his own laws

HHS awards $67 million in 'Navigator' grants to groups to help consumers with the health law

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