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State highlights: Time of turmoil for Georgia hospitals; Oregon Medicaid takes aim at expensive heptatitis C drug

A selection of health policy stories from Gerogia, Wisconsin, Texas, Oregon, Florida, Michigan, Massachusetts, Connecticut and North Carolina.

4 Aug 2014

FDA approves Targiniq ER to treat severe pain

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Targiniq ER (oxycodone hydrochloride and naloxone hydrochloride extended-release tablets), an extended-release/long-acting (ER/LA) opioid analgesic to treat pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment and for which alternative treatment options are inadequate.

24 Jul 2014

New study finds highest rates of decline in prescription drug misuse nationwide

Five states that have implemented multi-faceted prescription drug abuse prevention programs in recent years showed the highest rate of decline in prescription drug misuse rates nationwide, according to a new study issued today by Quest Diagnostics, the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services.

From Quest Diagnostics 17 Jul 2014

Once-a-day pill for patients experiencing opioid-induced constipation

Opioids - strong morphine-based painkillers - are widely prescribed to patients experiencing chronic severe pain. While these drugs are very effective for treating and managing pain, they have one particularly bothersome side effect: constipation.

17 Jul 2014

Paracetamol safety and osteoarthritis: an interview with Professor David Hunter, University of Sydney

Firstly, paracetamol has been the first-line recommended treatment for osteoarthritis pain for very many years and, secondly, it is readily available over the counter and can be bought in relatively large quantities.

15 Jul 2014

Failure to provide adequate HIV services threatens global progress on HIV response, warns WHO

Failure to provide adequate HIV services for key groups - men who have sex with men, people in prison, people who inject drugs, sex workers and transgender people - threatens global progress on the HIV response, warns WHO.

11 Jul 2014

Pennsylvania releases statewide guidelines on use of prescription opioids for chronic non-cancer pain

On behalf of Governor Tom Corbett, the Pennsylvania Departments of Drug and Alcohol Programs and Health, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Medical Society, today released statewide guidelines to address the use of prescription opioids to treat chronic non-cancer pain.

11 Jul 2014

Kaleo announces U.S. availability of EVZIO for emergency treatment of opioid overdose

Kaleo, a privately-held pharmaceutical company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, today announced the United States (U.S.) commercial availability of EVZIO for the emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose, as manifested by respiratory and/or central nervous system depression.

10 Jul 2014

Study explores effects of police arrests on HIV-positive people who use drugs

Practices used in policing injection drug users in Russia might contribute to HIV transmission and overdose mortality.

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

State highlights: N.Y. legalizes medical marijuana; La. Medicaid paid for ineligible inmate care; Md. checking Medicaid rolls for unqualified

New York on Monday became the 23rd state to legalize certain forms of marijuana for medical reasons as Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation into law at an event in Manhattan. The measure, which passed both houses of the legislature during the final moments of the legislative session, in June, is significantly more restrictive than other medical-marijuana laws in the nation (Orden, 7/7).

9 Jul 2014

Children who received home visits from nurses are less likely to die from preventable causes

Low-income mothers and their first-born children who received home visits from nurses were less likely to die from preventable causes during a two-decade period studied by a University of Colorado School of Medicine professor, according to a report published in JAMA Pediatrics - a leading, peer-reviewed journal of the American Medical Association.

8 Jul 2014

Research roundup: 20M gain insurance, coverage's effect on surgery choices; opioid use by service members

This report aims to help readers understand recently announced enrollment numbers, as well as other numbers that have received less attention, and assess their importance for the future of the ACA and our health care system. .

4 Jul 2014

State highlights: N.C. lawmakers reach Medicaid agreement; Idaho asks SCOTUS to take up Medicaid reimbursement

For the past few weeks, two big issues have kept the two chambers of the General Assembly from reaching an agreement on next year's state budget: teacher salaries and Medicaid. But on Wednesday, the Senate and the House of Representatives finally moved closer to agreement on their Medicaid forecasts, loosening a logjam that's kept legislators in Raleigh past July 1, the beginning of the fiscal year (Hoban, 7/3).

4 Jul 2014

Prescription drug deaths drop in Fla. after crackdown on doctors

Deaths involving narcotic painkillers dropped 26 percent over two years in Florida after stricter doctor scrutiny, according to a report from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

2 Jul 2014

State highlights: Caring for Texans injured on-the-job; heroin deaths in Md.; pertussis in Calif.

In formerly depressed South Texas, gas flares from the fracking boom can be seen from outer space. While Texas has a Division of Workers' Compensation, it is the only state that doesn't require any private employer to carry workers' compensation insurance or a private equivalent, so more than 500,000 people have no occupational benefits when they get injured at work. That means they often rely on charities or taxpayers to pay for their care (Root, 6/29)

1 Jul 2014

Overdose News and Research

State highlights: Time of turmoil for Georgia hospitals; Oregon Medicaid takes aim at expensive heptatitis C drug

FDA approves Targiniq ER to treat severe pain

New study finds highest rates of decline in prescription drug misuse nationwide

Once-a-day pill for patients experiencing opioid-induced constipation

Paracetamol safety and osteoarthritis: an interview with Professor David Hunter, University of Sydney

Failure to provide adequate HIV services threatens global progress on HIV response, warns WHO

Pennsylvania releases statewide guidelines on use of prescription opioids for chronic non-cancer pain

Kaleo announces U.S. availability of EVZIO for emergency treatment of opioid overdose

Study explores effects of police arrests on HIV-positive people who use drugs

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

State highlights: N.Y. legalizes medical marijuana; La. Medicaid paid for ineligible inmate care; Md. checking Medicaid rolls for unqualified

Children who received home visits from nurses are less likely to die from preventable causes

Research roundup: 20M gain insurance, coverage's effect on surgery choices; opioid use by service members

State highlights: N.C. lawmakers reach Medicaid agreement; Idaho asks SCOTUS to take up Medicaid reimbursement

Prescription drug deaths drop in Fla. after crackdown on doctors

State highlights: Caring for Texans injured on-the-job; heroin deaths in Md.; pertussis in Calif.

Good news for adults who suffer from insomnia

Researchers find sharp increase in deaths from commonly prescribed painkillers in US, Canada

State highlights: New La. abortion restrictions; new Mass. hospital deal; Medicare and ambulances in N.J.

First Edition: June 13, 2014

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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