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State roundup: State tobacco funds scrutinized; More allegations against Calif.'s Prime Healthcare; Ore. CCOs get green light

A U.S. Surgeon General's report due to be released March 8 will come down hard on states that have cut anti-smoking funds in tough fiscal times, said Terry Pechacek, who oversees the report as director for Science in the Office on Smoking and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report can't result in sanctions, but it has proven to move public opinion in the past to force changes by tobacco companies in how they sell cigarettes, how states fund efforts and how the federal government regulates the trade.

27 Feb 2012

Doctors balloted on industrial action against pension rule modifications

Over 100,000 doctors in the UK are to be balloted on industrial action as the stand-off between the Government and the medical profession complicates further.

27 Feb 2012

Romney's Medicare plan would gradually raise eligibility age

The plan was released just days before just days before the next round of primary elections. Also in the news, more on GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's tea party appeal and position on abortion, while rival Rick Santorum offers more charges that the former Massachusetts governor is not conservative enough.

27 Feb 2012

Greater patient and healthcare provider dialogue needed for morning sickness

Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP) is the most common medical condition in pregnancy, affecting an estimated 70 to 85% of all pregnant women. Yet in a recent national survey of more than 350 nurse practitioners (NPs), only 40% of their patients reported experiencing NVP in the last 12 months, pointing to the need for greater patient and healthcare provider dialogue about the condition.

27 Feb 2012

PointRight introduces new loss evaluation service, ClaimAnalytics

PointRight Inc. announces its new loss evaluation service, ClaimAnalytics, which applies predictive data analytics to measure, assess and proactively defend litigation risk for long-term care providers and their insurance carriers. ClaimAnalytics is a defined loss evaluation service that documents the history of care for any claim and provides insight to strike the right balance between defending a claim or settling it.

27 Feb 2012

Sebelius casts doubt on Calif. Medi-Cal changes; Other Medicaid changes around America scrutinized

Medicaid cuts in California, Washington and Texas prove controversial, while changes or proposed changes in Florida, Georgia and Minnesota get closer looks.

27 Feb 2012

GBMC adds eClinicalWorks Care Coordination Portal and Community Analytics build on EHR

eClinicalWorks, a market leader in ambulatory clinical systems, today announces that Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC), one of the largest community hospitals in the mid-Atlantic, has expanded its relationship with the company to include eClinicalWorks Care Coordination Portal and eClinicalWorks Community Analytics.

27 Feb 2012

New poll finds public opinion sharply divided on health law repeal

Politico reports on a new poll that shows the nation is almost evenly split on whether, if elected, a Republican president should repeal the health law. Meanwhile, in related news, The Hill reports that House GOP lawmakers will renew their attacks on the overhaul to correspond with the Supreme Court review of the measure.

27 Feb 2012

India taken off WHO list of polio endemic countries

"India was taken off a list of polio endemic countries by the World Health Organization on Saturday, marking a massive victory for health workers battling the crippling disease" and "leav[ing] just three countries with endemic polio -- Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria," Agence France-Presse reports (2/26).

27 Feb 2012

NCQA certifies Health Data Essentials for HEDIS Quality Measures

Health Data Essentials' (HDE) flagship product, EssentialStars, has received certification from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for the seventeen HEDIS Quality Measures in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Star Quality Program.

27 Feb 2012

First Edition: February 27, 2012

Among today's health policy headlines, a new Politico poll highlights the deep divide in public opinion that exists regarding the repeal of the health law.

27 Feb 2012

Gallup-Healthways WBI data shows decline in the U.S. obesity rates

Adult obesity in America has plateaued and may be slowly declining, according to data from The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index (WBI) presented today at the Population Health and Care Coordination Colloquium in Philadelphia. The obesity rate in America fell in 2011 to 26.1 percent, from 26.6 percent in 2010 and 26.5 percent in 2009.

27 Feb 2012

Diaverum expands core dialysis clinic network

Diaverum, one of the world's leading renal care service providers, added the 250th clinic to its growing clinic network throughout Europe, Latin America, Australia, and the Middle East.

27 Feb 2012

Montefiore director to host Twitter chat about neuroendocrine tumors on Feb. 29

On February 29, which is Rare Disease Day, Steven Libutti, MD, Vice Chairman of Surgery and Director of the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care will host a Twitter chat about the signs and symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of neuroendocrine tumors, or NETs, a rare form of cancer.

27 Feb 2012

Chronic pain patients at high-risk for comorbid substance abuse benefit from 3-week program

Research presented at the American Academy of Pain Medicine's 28th Annual Meeting shows that substance use education incorporated into a cognitive behavioral rehabilitation programming is effective to improve pain and function for the chronic pain patient at high-risk for comorbid substance abuse.

27 Feb 2012

KIT, FZI to present innovations for everyday life in the future at CeBIT fair

At the CeBIT in Hanover, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the FZI Research Center for Information Technology will present innovations for our everyday life in the future.

27 Feb 2012

KF scientist to speak at William Paterson University, March 1

John DeLuca, PhD, vice president for research at Kessler Foundation, is the featured speaker at the grand opening of the new Science Complex at William Paterson University's College of Science and Health. Dr. DeLuca, a well known expert in cognitive function, will discuss "Neuroimaging, Brain and Behavior: New Opportunities for the Future," on March 1, 2012 12:30 to 1:05 pm in the Science East Lecture Hall.

27 Feb 2012

Medication plus parent training effective in treating children with ASD

Children with autism spectrum disorders who also have serious behavioral problems responded better to medication combined with training for their parents than to treatment with medication alone, Yale researchers and their colleagues report in the February issue of Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

27 Feb 2012

News briefs from featured presentations at Cardiology 2012

Pediatric cardiology researchers and clinicians from almost 50 centers from across the U.S. and around the world are gathering at the Cardiology 2012 Conference sponsored by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia on Feb. 22-26 in Orlando, Fla.

27 Feb 2012

Translational research in addiction conference to take place in Texas

Young people starting out in addiction research will get a turbo-boost to their careers March 3-4 at an annual conference that puts them face to face with internationally recognized addiction researchers and clinicians.

27 Feb 2012