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Roundup: Calif. missing out on millions of dollars because of disagreements, software problems; Mass. finds more problems at compounding pharmacies; Hope for Kan. Medicaid managed care

California's court-run prison health care program is missing out on tens of millions of dollars a year in federal funds because of disagreement with counties and software problems, a new legislative report states. The legislative analyst's office found increasing numbers of prison inmates who, because of their low income status, are eligible for the state's Medicaid program.

6 Feb 2013

Feeding human breast milk to very-low-birth-weight infants reduces risk of sepsis and NICU costs

Feeding human breast milk to very-low-birth-weight infants greatly reduces risk for sepsis and significantly lowers associated neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) costs, according to a study by Rush University Medical Center researchers.

6 Feb 2013

Preventing deaths among women globally

In this audio report from United Nations Radio, Marleen Temmerman, head of the Department of Reproductive Health and Research at the WHO, talks to the U.N.'s Beng Poblete-Enriquez about preventable deaths among women globally.

6 Feb 2013

State roundup: Calif. 'Healthy Families' deficit at $100M

The Healthy Families program has run out of money, according to state health officials. The deficit currently stands at almost $100 million and will keep rising every month, according to Janette Casillas, executive director of the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board, which oversees Healthy Families. Gov. Jerry Brown's administration is pursuing two ideas for refilling the coffers: reinstitution of a recently expired tax on managed care organizations and an appropriation bill if the MCO tax isn't revived.

6 Feb 2013

Researchers examine Kaiser Permanente's obesity prevention interventions in adults and children

Community-based efforts to change the environment are proving to be an effective way of encouraging more physical activity and nutrition among school-age children, according to findings announced today from Kaiser Permanente.

6 Feb 2013

Hospital house calls: A way to cut costs and improve quality?

Meanwhile, a group of experts convened by the National Quality Forum has released its second annual round of recommendations on quality measures to be used in federal health programs.

6 Feb 2013

UCLA study to help reduce high medical costs for children with complex chronic diseases

The number of children with medically complex illness, such as cancer, congenital heart disease or cerebral palsy, is increasing due to advances in pediatric care that have led to increased survival in previously high-mortality conditions. This population, despite representing only 10 percent of children, accounts for a substantial proportion of overall pediatric hospital costs.

6 Feb 2013

NSU-COM to host 6th Annual Interprofessional Geriatrics Training Institute on Feb. 15 and 16

Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine's (NSU-COM) Florida Coastal Geriatric Resources, Education, and Training Center (GREAT GEC) will host the 6th Annual Interprofessional Geriatrics Training Institute on Feb. 15 and 16.

6 Feb 2013

Army Secretary urges soldier mental health resilience training

The step is part of an effort to improve the Army's coordination of mental health programs and to address increasing military suicide rates.

6 Feb 2013

Fifth GOP governor backs Medicaid expansion

Ohio Gov. John Kasich announced Monday that he will push to expand Medicaid to cover more low-income Ohioans, as Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius pledged to fund such expansions longterm.

6 Feb 2013

BMJ examines why India's dengue epidemic continues to grow

This BMJ feature examines why India's dengue epidemic continues to grow worse each year, stating, "In the past decade, according to the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), the number of cases has escalated steadily from 3,306 in 2001 to 47,209 in 2012," and "[d]eaths have risen from 53 in 2001 to 242 in 2012."

6 Feb 2013

Catholic hospital says its argument on fetuses was 'morally wrong'

A Catholic hospital is backtracking on its claim in court that two fetuses that died under its care were not human beings -- saying now that that argument was "morally wrong."

6 Feb 2013

ASM to host 2013 Biodefense and Emerging Diseases Research Meeting from Feb. 25-27

The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) will host its 2013 Biodefense and Emerging Diseases Research Meeting February 25-27, 2013 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC.

6 Feb 2013

Feds clear way for Fla. to enroll Medicaid recipients into private plans

The waiver approved by HHS means elderly people who need long-term care can be put in programs that will offer services in their homes and help them stay out of nursing homes, the Associated Press reports.

6 Feb 2013

Obama administration proposes eliminating 'obsolete' Medicare regs

Doing away with the regulations, which it has deemed are "excessively burdensome," would save an estimated $676 million a year, according to the administration. In other news, The Medicare NewsGroup examines the population of people with a permanent disability who also qualify for Medicare.

6 Feb 2013

Technology helps doctor unlock clues about illness's environmental causes

Epidemiologist David Van Sickle spent years studying asthma, but like many researchers of the chronic disease, he was frustrated by the obstacles to determining precise triggers of an individual attack. That frustration gave him an idea for a rescue inhaler topped with a GPS sensor.

6 Feb 2013

Demand for family planning services growing in Malawi despite challenges

IRIN examines access to family planning services in Malawi, where women have an average of 5.8 children and the population is expected to grow from 15 million in 2010 to 50 million in 2050, according to the news service.

6 Feb 2013

South African government should take responsibility for HIV/AIDS treatment

Noting the many successes of PEPFAR, Stuart Rennie, co-principal investigator of NIH/Fogarty bioethics grants for the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa, writes in his "Global Bioethics Blog," "HIV requires lifelong treatment, and it is not healthy to have your existence depend on the decisions of a foreign government, especially an economically sputtering and lurching superpower."

6 Feb 2013

High-Level Panel on Post-2015 Development Agenda wraps up second meeting

The U.N. Secretary-General's High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda wrapped up its second meeting on Friday in Monrovia, Liberia, with British Prime Minister David Cameron, a co-chair of the panel, "saying it is possible to eradicate extreme poverty worldwide within our generation," Liberia's The Inquirer reports.

6 Feb 2013

CIHR-funded researchers raise awareness of sexual health

Being comfortable in our sexuality and making choices that support our sexual health are essential to our overall well-being. Promoting sexual health includes both preventing disease and helping people find pleasure in their sexual lives.

6 Feb 2013