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Highlights: Calif. insurance commissioner battle; food stamps and Medicaid in Calif.; Mo. and experimental drug therapies

Incumbent Democrat Dave Jones held a strong lead in Tuesday's primary election voting for state insurance commissioner, but he still faces a rematch in November against Republican challenger Ted Gaines (Lifsher, 6/3).

5 Jun 2014

ASTRO issues new Model Policy for proton beam therapy

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has issued a new Model Policy for proton beam therapy (PBT) that details which cancer diagnoses meet ASTRO's evidence-based standards and should be covered by private insurers and Medicare.

5 Jun 2014

Palliative support services help caregivers of patients with advanced cancer

Dartmouth researchers have found that those caring for patients with advanced cancer experienced reduced depression and felt less burdened by caregiving tasks when palliative support services were offered soon after the patient's diagnosis.

5 Jun 2014

University of Manchester sets up UK's first national investigation into child suicide

The UK's first national investigation into suicide in children and young people is being set up by The University of Manchester to examine causes and recommend prevention strategies.

From The University of Manchester 5 Jun 2014

Viewpoints: VA's lessons for private health care; court should protect abortion clinic buffers

This is the full quote from ... former neurosurgeon Ben Carson: "What's happening with the veterans is a gift from God to show us what happens when you take layers and layers of bureaucracy and place them between the patients and the healthcare provider."

5 Jun 2014

Report recommends new strategies to address major deficits in midwifery workforce

A report released today by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund together with the International Confederation of Midwives, WHO and partners reveals that major deficits in the midwifery workforce occur in 73 countries where these services are most desperately needed. The report recommends new strategies to address these deficits and save millions of lives of women and newborns.

5 Jun 2014

OSBMLS streamlines licensure process for Oklahoma physicians

The Oklahoma Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision (OSBMLS) recently launched the Uniform Application for Physician State Licensure (UA) to streamline the licensure process for Oklahoma physicians.

5 Jun 2014

Variety of lifestyle and health factors increase memory complaints among young adults

If you're depressed, don't get enough exercise or have high blood pressure, you may find yourself complaining more about memory problems, even if you're a young adult, according to a new UCLA study.

5 Jun 2014

Research investigates effect of mindfulness training on college football players

The University of Miami Hurricanes football program will partner with UM neuroscientist Dr. Amishi Jha for an innovative research study to investigate how mindfulness training can help football players better cope with the high stakes and high demands of collegiate athletics.

5 Jun 2014

Disinfection caps reduce CLABSI events by 68%

Thanks to the simple use of an alcohol-impregnated cap, Loyola University Medical Center achieved a 68 percent decrease in the overall number of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) over a 12-month period.

5 Jun 2014

Klinikverbund Kempten-Oberallgäu selects iMDsoft's MetaVision to manage patient information

iMDsoft, a leader in clinical information systems, announced that Klinikverbund Kempten-Oberallgäu in Germany, a hospital with four sites in Kempten, Immenstadt, Oberstdorf and Sonthofen, chose MetaVision for all of its ICUs, intermediate care units and operating rooms.

5 Jun 2014

Congress supports full Medicare coverage of lung cancer screening for seniors

A large number of United States Senators and Representatives are taking the lead to support full Medicare coverage of low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening for seniors at high risk for lung cancer.

5 Jun 2014

States scramble to pay hefty tab for health exchange fixes

According to The Wall Street Journal, five states -- Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada and Oregon -- will look to their own funds, remaining federal grants and new federal funding requests to pay these costs.

5 Jun 2014

N.C. cuts could mean 15,000 lose Medicaid coverage

Advocates railed against the $60 million shortfall -- created after federal regulators rejected a plan to tax Medicaid managed care providers -- and urged lawmakers to reject a budget that includes the cuts.

5 Jun 2014

Study calls for more randomized trials on e-cigarettes

E-cigarettes are a potential smoking cessation aid and they may also be able to lower the risk of nicotine dependency in high-risk groups. The available scientific evidence, however, remains insufficient.

5 Jun 2014

Storing dantrolene can save 33 lives per year, say MH experts

MH experts say Storing dantrolene would save 33 lives per year at an incremental cost effectiveness ratio of nearly $200,000 (in 2010 dollars) per life saved, indicating that storing dantrolene at ambulatory surgical centers is very cost effective say, Malignant Hyperthermia Experts: Taiwo Aderibigbe, BS; Barbara H. Lang, BS; Henry Rosenberg, MD; Guohua Li, MD, PhD, Columbia University, New York who authored the article "Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Stocking Dantrolene in Ambulatory Surgery Centers" that was recently published in the latest official journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Anesthesiology.

5 Jun 2014

Medicare overpays advantage plans billions because of billing errors: report

An investigation by the Center for Public Integrity examines how use of a "risk score" that is supposed to help protect the private plans if they have an excess of sicker beneficiaries may have been mishandled.

5 Jun 2014

Federal appeals court blocks Ariz. abortion pill restrictions

The court said the state didn't present evidence that the regulations furthered women's health. Elsewhere, a bill to stop employers from denying birth control coverage in their plans is considered in New York.

5 Jun 2014

Loyola achieves 68% decrease in central line-associated bloodstream infections

Loyola University Medical Center achieved a 68 percent decrease in the overall number of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) over a 12-month period. A two-year study compared the use of disinfection caps to an intense scrub-the-hub intervention to standard care. Scrub-the-hub refers to cleaning catheter connector hubs and injection ports with alcohol for the recommended 15 seconds before accessing the central line, a catheter placed in a large vein to deliver medicine and liquids during hospitalization.

5 Jun 2014

Kelley Thompson selected to receive 2014 PCFSN Community Leadership Award

The President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition (PCFSN) has selected Kelley Thompson to receive a 2014 PCFSN Community Leadership Award. The award is given to individuals and organizations who significantly improve the lives of others through sports, fitness or nutrition-related programs within local neighborhoods.

5 Jun 2014