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Highlights: Va. mental health care task force; pharmacist duties in N.C.; nurse practitioners in Conn.

A selection of health policy stories from Virginia, North Carolina, New York, Connecticut, Minnesota, Florida, Iowa and Oregon.

11 Apr 2014

Study shows link between overuse injury rates in young athletes and their socioeconomic status

A Loyola University Medical Center study is reporting for the first time a link between overuse injury rates in young athletes and their socioeconomic status.

11 Apr 2014

Cognitive impairment common among seniors living in nursing homes and community

More than 70% of elderly Medicare beneficiaries experience cognitive impairment or severe dementia near the end-of-life and may need surrogate decision makers for healthcare decisions. Advance care planning for older adults with dementia may be particularly important for individuals who do not reside in a nursing home or a long-term care facility, according to an article published in the April issue of Health Affairs.

11 Apr 2014

Study examines effect of community on hospital readmission rates

Nearly 60 percent of the variation in hospital readmission rates appears to be associated with where the hospital is located rather than on the hospital's performance, finds a new study in Health Services Research.

11 Apr 2014

ACP calls for testing innovative liability reforms to break through political impasse

The American College of Physicians today released a policy paper on the medical liability crisis, which continues to have a profound effect on the medical system. "Medical Liability Reform-Innovative Solutions for a New Health Care System" provides an update of the medical liability landscape, state-based activity on medical liability reform, and summarizes traditional and newer reform proposals and their ability to affect system efficiency and encourage patient safety.

11 Apr 2014

Longer looks: Vermont's single payer system; Nevada's cancer cluster; the toll of dementia on a family

Skatchewan is a vast prairie province in the middle of Canada. It's home to hockey great Gordie Howe and the world's first curling museum. But Canadians know it for another reason: it's the birthplace of the country's single-payer health-care system.

11 Apr 2014

Viewpoints: Medicare's 'doctor payment problem'; a 'wasted advantage'; 'puzzling' Rand numbers

The news that a small percentage of the country's physicians collected billions of dollars from Medicare in a single year may or may not be a testament to individual greed; some of the top recipients are under investigation for allegedly bilking the system, while others work long hours delivering costly care.

11 Apr 2014

ABAM Foundation accredits four new addiction medicine fellowship programs

The American Board of Addiction Medicine Foundation today announced the accreditation of four new addiction medicine fellowship programs, bringing the total number of accredited programs to 23.

11 Apr 2014

Details -- and limits -- of Medicare billing data emerge

News outlets begin to analyze the wealth of information now available as a result of Wednesday's release by the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services of a trove of payment records. They also note the limits.

11 Apr 2014

Study explores benefits of medication therapy management in Medicare patients

Low-risk Medicare patients entering home health care who received medication therapy management by phone were three times less likely to be hospitalized within the next two months, while those at greater risk saw no benefit, according to a study led by Purdue University.

11 Apr 2014

Special Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation conference to focus on issues surrounding addiction

The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation's Professionals in Residence program in collaboration with the University of Minnesota Department of Family Medicine and Community Health and the Scaife Family Foundation will host a special conference June 20-21 in Minnesota for primary health care providers to learn more about the issues surrounding addiction.

11 Apr 2014

N.H. Senate hopeful makes anti-health law motto cornerstone of campaign

The former Massachusetts senator, running now for Senate in New Hampshire, says the health law forces people to "live free or log on," a variation of New Hampshire's "Live Free or Die" motto.

11 Apr 2014

Analysis of Medicare pay shows variations in drugs used and earnings by specialists

The Washington Post examines how drugs administered by doctors is different in various regions of the country. Other outlets look at other issues, including how eye doctors are among the highest paid specialty.

11 Apr 2014

Older adults in treatment programs experience same challenges as younger participants

Statistics show that the amount of older adults in the criminal justice system has quadrupled in the past 15 years. Many of the adults have histories of mental health problems and are being placed in court-based treatment programs, where government officials and social workers tend to think that they are more likely to experience success compared to their younger counterparts. However, new research by Kelli Canada, assistant professor in the University of Missouri School of Social Work, shows that although mental health court participants older than 50 adhere to treatment programs better than younger adults, they are just as likely to be reincarcerated or relapse into criminal behavior.

11 Apr 2014

Guidance on use of Tamiflu needs to be reviewed in light of most recent evidence

Tamiflu (the antiviral drug oseltamivir) shortens symptoms of influenza by half a day, but there is no good evidence to support claims that it reduces admissions to hospital or complications of influenza.

11 Apr 2014

RWJUH offers new alternative to open up blocked arteries

Treatment options for high-risk heart patients with severely calcified coronary artery disease (CAD) have been limited for more than 20 years. Now, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital offers a new alternative to open up blocked arteries.

11 Apr 2014

Sebelius resigning, OMB director Burwell tapped to head HHS

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is resigning from the Obama administration after the rocky rollout of President Barack Obama's signature health care law, a White House official said Thursday.

11 Apr 2014

New Dartmouth study offers roadmap for better risk adjustment in Medicare

The methodology Medicare uses to adjust the billions of dollars it pays health plans and hospitals to account for how sick their patients are is flawed and should be replaced, according to a new study by Dartmouth investigators published in the journal BMJ that weighed the performance of Medicare's methodology against alternatives.

11 Apr 2014

Florida State University professor receives $4.5M grant to conduct project on Philosophy and Science of Self-Control

Self-control is one of the most fundamental keys to success in life. But how does self-control work and how can it be improved?

11 Apr 2014

Taking a close-to-home look at the Medicare billing data

Other news outlets offer localized takes on the Medicare data, including the Miami Herald's coverage of a physician who emerged as the federal program's top-paid doctor, the Philadelphia Inquirer's look at an ambulance business' billing patterns and the Seattle Times' examination of ophthalmologists.

11 Apr 2014

Healthcare News

Highlights: Va. mental health care task force; pharmacist duties in N.C.; nurse practitioners in Conn.

Study shows link between overuse injury rates in young athletes and their socioeconomic status

Cognitive impairment common among seniors living in nursing homes and community

Study examines effect of community on hospital readmission rates

ACP calls for testing innovative liability reforms to break through political impasse

Longer looks: Vermont's single payer system; Nevada's cancer cluster; the toll of dementia on a family

Viewpoints: Medicare's 'doctor payment problem'; a 'wasted advantage'; 'puzzling' Rand numbers

ABAM Foundation accredits four new addiction medicine fellowship programs

Details -- and limits -- of Medicare billing data emerge

Study explores benefits of medication therapy management in Medicare patients

Special Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation conference to focus on issues surrounding addiction

N.H. Senate hopeful makes anti-health law motto cornerstone of campaign

Analysis of Medicare pay shows variations in drugs used and earnings by specialists

Older adults in treatment programs experience same challenges as younger participants

Guidance on use of Tamiflu needs to be reviewed in light of most recent evidence

RWJUH offers new alternative to open up blocked arteries

Sebelius resigning, OMB director Burwell tapped to head HHS

New Dartmouth study offers roadmap for better risk adjustment in Medicare

Florida State University professor receives $4.5M grant to conduct project on Philosophy and Science of Self-Control

Taking a close-to-home look at the Medicare billing data

Advancing Drug Safety Assessment With AI, Predictive Modeling, and Human-Relevant Data

AI-powered analytics and experimental validation

Membrane proteins in focus: Turning high-risk targets into routine workflows

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