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Roundup: Calpers rate hike approved; Painkiller databases slow abuse in Mass., Minn.; Health workers authorize strike in Philly

The California Public Employees' Retirement System, the third-largest purchaser of health benefits in the country, approved a 9.6 percent increase in health premiums next year for its nearly 1.3 million members.

15 Jun 2012

Study examines constitutionality of pharmaceutical gift laws

We've all seen them in the waiting room of the doctor's office-pens, notepads, magnets, and clipboards adorned with the logos of brand-name drugs. These freebies may seem inconsequential, but a large and compelling body of evidence shows that even these small gifts may influence which drug a doctor prescribes.

14 Jun 2012

UHCO alumnus donate $5 million to University of Houston

University of Houston College of Optometry (UHCO) alumnus Dr. Doug Barnes and his wife, Molly, have made a $5 million pledge to the University of Houston. The gift will be submitted for state matching funds through the Texas Research Incentive Program.

14 Jun 2012

Mayo Clinic urologists recommend personalized approach for prostate cancer screening

There is a lot of conflicting advice about prostate cancer screening. A recent U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommendation against prostate-specific antigen testing, regardless of age, has added to men's confusion about how to protect themselves from a cancer that hits roughly 240,000 new patients every year and claims 28,000 lives.

14 Jun 2012

JAMA: Wage gap persists for women physician-researchers

A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the average salary for women doctor-researchers was 16 percent lower than men, even after accounting for speciality, hours, etc.

14 Jun 2012

Interactive website improves parental compliance with asthma controller medication use

Asthma is the most common chronic illness in adolescents and children, affecting an estimated seven million children up to the age of 17 in the United States. The burden of asthma on children is substantial: kids with asthma have a three-fold greater risk of school absence than children without asthma, and asthma is the third leading cause of hospitalization among children under the age of 15.

14 Jun 2012

Ventral rectoplexy helps recover sexual function

Laparoscopic ventral rectoplexy may reduce sexual dysfunction in women with complex posterior floor prolapse, say researchers who found many patients appreciated having postoperative investigation of their symptoms.

13 Jun 2012

Sebelius touts health law for 'bolstering' Medicare

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius' comments were made during a White House-sponsored town hall meeting for senior citizens. Meanwhile, new figures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services indicate that some Medicare beneficiaries are not taking advantage of some of the new benefits.

13 Jun 2012

State roundup: N.Y.'s drug Rx bill passes unanimously, Mass. poll finds Dr. communication essential

New York lawmakers unanimously approved legislation Monday that will require doctors to issue drug prescriptions electronically within three years, meanwhile establishing tighter restrictions on painkillers and other addictive drugs on the state list of controlled substances.

13 Jun 2012

Unnecessary medical imaging can reduce risk of breast cancer in women

A report issued by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) last December reviewed all the available scientific data compiled to date about potential environmental risks of breast cancer-factors such as pesticides, beauty products, household chemicals, and the plastics used to make water bottles.

12 Jun 2012

First Edition: June 12, 2012

Today's headlines include news about the pressure health costs are placing on state budgets.

12 Jun 2012

School-based sex education is young people's preferred source of information

Sex education at school is young people's preferred source of information about sex, according to a new report from Queen's University and the University of Ulster.

12 Jun 2012

GlobalPost reports on Cuba's medical outreach to Africa

GlobalPost reports on Cuba's medical outreach to Africa, writing, "A generation ago, Fidel Castro sent Cuban soldiers to intervene in African civil conflicts and fight the Cold War against U.S. proxies. Now, Cuba's doctors are fanning out across the continent as the island expands its role in administering medical services to some of the world's most ailing countries."

12 Jun 2012

Updated AAN guideline outlines treatments for infantile spasms

The American Academy of Neurology has issued an updated guideline outlining the best treatments for infantile spasms, a rare type of seizure that can occur in infants and young children.

12 Jun 2012

Agence France-Presse reports on efforts to eradicate sleeping sickness in sub-Saharan Africa

Agence France-Presse reports on Human African trypanosomiasis, "commonly known as sleeping sickness, which is transmitted by tsetse flies found in 36 sub-Saharan African countries," writing, "Without treatment in four months to a year, 'the parasite penetrates into the brain, causing serious neurological symptoms, until death,' said Doctor Benedict Blaynay, head of neglected tropical diseases at French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi."

12 Jun 2012

Viewpoints: Hoping that 'Gang of Six' will cut fiscal deal; Sen. Alexander links health law and college tuition increases

The public has a famously low opinion of Congress, even though people tend to hold a less disparaging view of their own representatives. The last two years have been especially tough on the institution's reputation, a response to the body's relentless brinkmanship and paralyzing partisanship in the face of a slow economy. So it is with some trepidation that I throw out a little love for a handful of senators still seeking bipartisan agreement on a plan to bring the federal government back to fiscal responsibility.

11 Jun 2012

Seeking more primary care physicians

As policymakers and medical experts scramble to find ways to increase the number of primary care physicians, issues related to payment and health care value draw attention.

11 Jun 2012

State roundup: Md. hospital rate-setting system under scrutiny

News outlets report on a variety of health policy news in Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Oregon and Texas.

11 Jun 2012

First Edition: June 11, 2012

Today's headlines feature reports that UnitedHealthcare plans to honor some health law provisions regardless of what the Supreme Court decides.

11 Jun 2012

La. gov. signs bill increasing wait time between mandatory ultrasound, abortion

The bill signed by Bobby Jindal would also require abortion providers to offer women the opportunity to listen to the fetal heartbeat. In other abortion news, a Michigan legislative panel endorses a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

8 Jun 2012