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State highlights: Ore. mediation for medical errors; Mich. home-help aides

A mediation program spearheaded by Gov. John Kitzhaber went into effect Tuesday, giving patients and their families an option besides suing when medical errors happen. But questions remain over how the mediation program will develop, including whether hospitals, doctors and other providers will take advantage of the program, or candidly discuss errors if they do. The result of a compromise between trial lawyers and the Oregon Medical Association approved in SB 483 last year, the Early Discussion and Resolution program is intended to cut down on lawsuits and boost the reporting of medical errors to help improve health care practices (Budnick, 7/1).

3 Jul 2014

WHO presents new framework to eliminate TB in 33 countries

The World Health Organization today, together with the European Respiratory Society, presented a new framework to eliminate tuberculosis (TB) in countries with low levels of the disease. Today there are 33 countries and territories where there are fewer than 100 TB cases per million population.

3 Jul 2014

Viewpoints: Court complicates women's health care; decouple work and coverage; Cuomo's fight against AIDS

The 5-4 decision, which runs 89 pages (including a 35-page dissent), is a messy, sprawling affair. The majority insists that its reach is narrow, while the dissent holds otherwise. What's clear is that the ruling will needlessly complicate not only constitutional and corporate law but also -- at least as significant -- health care for women who work at such companies (6/30).

3 Jul 2014

Hobby Lobby ruling creates uncertainty about contraceptive mandate

The options the Supreme Court floated to extend coverage to women who work for closely held companies that object to covering contraception are opposed by some religious groups and women's rights groups. The compromise involves passing responsibility to an insurer.

3 Jul 2014

'Weekend effect' makes simple emergency surgery risky for children

Children who undergo simple emergency surgeries, such as hernia repairs or appendix removals, on weekends are more likely to suffer complications and even die than children getting the same kind of treatment during the week, according to results of a Johns Hopkins Children’s Center study.

3 Jul 2014

Nutrition screenings should be mandatory part of comprehensive geriatric analysis

As older adults typically have one or more chronic health conditions that can affect dietary intake, malnutrition has been identified as a serious problem in older adults. This has given rise to the recommendation that nutrition screenings be a mandatory part of the comprehensive geriatric analysis (CGA).

3 Jul 2014

Use of stomach feeding tubes in children can lead to persistent gastrocutaneous fistulae

Pediatric patients with intestinal failure often need gastrostomy tubes, or feeding tubes inserted into an opening created in the stomach, for long-term nutrition. The use of such tubes can lead to persistent gastrocutaneous fistulae, or the failure of the opening to close on its own, resulting in a need for surgical closure.

3 Jul 2014

Medicare proposes home health payment reductions, savings

Officials say the moves would save the agency $58 million next year by changing how much it pays for some services and requiring agencies to prove their effectiveness.

3 Jul 2014

Study finds dating violence among adolescents visiting emergency department

Of adolescents visiting the emergency department for any reason, one in five girls and one in eight boys reported dating violence in the past year. According to a study published online Monday in Annals of Emergency Medicine, dating violence among adolescents was also strongly associated with alcohol, illicit drug use and depression ("Dating Violence Among Male and Female Youth Seeking Emergency Department Care").

3 Jul 2014

Indiana seeks OK for Medicaid expansion alternative; Calif. wrestles with Medi-Cal backlog

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence on Tuesday requested a waiver from the federal government to expand Medicaid coverage using a state plan that he says would promote personal responsibility. Developments in California, Oregon, Georgia and Washington state are also tracked.

3 Jul 2014

University of Sydney announces major initiative in the field of fertility research and treatment

The University of Sydney today announced a major initiative in the field of fertility research and treatment, as it takes over ownership of Westmead IVF Pty Limited, the company which operates the private fertility clinic at Westmead Hospital, Westmead Fertility Centre.

3 Jul 2014

Study finds deployment-related respiratory symptoms in veterans returning from Iraq, Afghanistan

In a new study of the causes underlying respiratory symptoms in military personnel returning from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, a large percentage of veterans had non-specific symptoms that did not lead to a specific clinical diagnosis.

3 Jul 2014

Hacking of health records is 'matter of time,' say experts

Specialists in cybercrime say the health industry "is flirting with disaster" as so much patient data goes digital, Politico reports. Also, speakers at a health care conference explore the difficulties of cutting waste and medical errors.

3 Jul 2014

Study: 35% of adults with dyslexia report childhood physical abuse

Adults who have dyslexia are much more likely to report they were physically abused before they turned 18 than their peers without dyslexia, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Toronto and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill.

3 Jul 2014

New study finds link between lower socioeconomic status and higher rates of peripheral artery disease

Previous research has established a link between lower socioeconomic status and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. In a new study led by Brigham and Women's Hospital, researchers have found that there are also higher rates of peripheral artery disease (PAD) in individuals with low income and lower attained education levels in the United States.

3 Jul 2014

Group that once supported healthier school lunches has about-face

The School Nutrition Association now says the new rules are too costly. Meanwhile, NPR looks at the difficulties for employers to deal with workers' weight problems and the increasing number of obese seniors.

3 Jul 2014

Eligibility for subsidies not properly checked, audit finds

The HHS inspector general issues two reports concluding the federal health marketplace and some state exchanges had inadequate safeguards to stop people who were ineligible from getting tax credits to help pay for premiums.

3 Jul 2014

New meta-analysis highlights significant gaps in hepatitis C care

A new meta-analysis published online in PLOS ONE by infectious disease and epidemiology specialists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania highlights significant gaps in hepatitis C care that will prove useful as the U.S. health care system continues to see an influx of patients with the disease because of improved screening efforts and new, promising drugs.

3 Jul 2014

Study explores how surgical innovation can lead to adverse events for patients

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have found that the risk of patient harm increased two-fold in 2006 - the peak year that teaching hospitals nationwide embraced the pursuit of minimally invasive robotic surgery for prostate cancer. Results of the study are published in the July 2 online issue of JAMA Surgery.

3 Jul 2014

Despite management background, VA nominee faces even bigger challenge now

Robert McDonald, the VA secretary nominee, is facing a huge bureaucracy with more than 300,000 employees. Elsewhere, a new poll finds most veterans say getting care at VA hospitals is "very" or "somewhat" difficult.

3 Jul 2014