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State roundup: Doctor supply at issue in several states

Laramie, Wyoming, is a long way from Waycross, Georgia. Dr. Joel Higgins has mixed feelings about departing the Peach State. Born in Augusta, he practiced in Waycross as an ob/gyn from 2001 until last December. ... But a deteriorating financial situation drove him to move to Wyoming, he says. ... Roughly 70 percent of Higgins' Waycross patients were on Medicaid, the government insurance program for the poor and disabled.

26 Jul 2011

Healthcare IT Technician certificate now available from CompTIA

A new professional credential aimed at information technology (IT) professionals who install, manage and troubleshoot electronic health records systems for the nation's healthcare providers is now available from CompTIA, the non-profit trade association for the IT industry.

26 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: Van Hollen on Medicaid cuts; debate on rising Medicare age; women's health issues

Walking away from the federal commitment to Medicaid doesn't solve the problem; it just passes health care costs down to states. Because almost every state, including Maryland, is required by law to balance its budget every year, it means cuts in services and more financial strains for already suffering families, cuts in provider payments, lost jobs in the health care sector, and dampened business activity as the consequences of lost jobs and unmet health care needs ripple through the economy.

26 Jul 2011

More Americans now support woman's right to choose abortion

Despite recent moves by some states to restrict access to abortion, more Americans now support a woman's right to choose than they did two years ago, a new Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll finds.

25 Jul 2011

Health law changes present enrollment challenges

Meanwhile, news outlets report on a range of other implementation issues, including the decision of Ohio Gov. John Kasich to follow through on forming a state-based exchange despite his opposition to the overhaul, changes to FSAs and the measure's impact on farmers.

25 Jul 2011

Fluoride supplements neither safe or effective

Sodium fluoride supplements "have not been found by FDA to be safe or effective," according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine's website, reports the New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc..

25 Jul 2011

Media outlets examine mobile phones' effect on health, development in Africa

PBS NewsHour examines how the Canadian organization MEDA is using text messages to track malaria supplies in local clinics and retailers in Tanzania. The piece includes a related video featuring a MEDA employee giving a tour of the program (Cheers, 7/22).

25 Jul 2011

Haitian cholera epidemic worsening with start of rainy season

According to the Haitian government, more than 5,800 people have died of cholera since the epidemic began in October, and health care workers have seen an increase in cases "[w]ith the rainy season now in progress," the Los Angeles Times reports (Gaestel, 7/24).

25 Jul 2011

Safety tips to avoid backpack injuries

Backpacks are a common ingredient on back-to-school lists. Unfortunately, they are a leading cause of back and shoulder pain for millions of school children across the nation. As students gear up for back-to-school this fall, Minnesota chiropractors would like to offer parents ways to help children avoid backpack injuries.

25 Jul 2011

Male contraceptive research gaining attention from scientists

The New York Times on Saturday examined research into several different methods of male contraception. "Male contraceptives are attracting growing interest from scientists, who believe they hold promise for being safe, effective and, also important, reversible," the newspaper writes.

25 Jul 2011

Guidance needed on recent HIV prevention findings

"In the absence of the anticipated guidance from WHO, the euphoria felt by participants at Rome that the latest science can allow us for the first time to consider eliminating HIV was tempered by utter confusion among program managers as to what to do next," Nathan Ford, medical coordinator for Medecins Sans Frontiere's International Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines, writes in the PLoS "Speaking of Medicine" blog.

25 Jul 2011

African leaders must invest in malaria prevention

In a Daily Caller opinion piece, Richard Tren, director of Africa Fighting Malaria, highlights a finding in a recent malaria report that the U.S. government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation "were responsible for 85% of the steep increase in malaria funding between 2007 and 2009." But "[i]f 30 African heads of state were to give up their private jets, a fund of well over $500 million could be generated," Tren writes.

25 Jul 2011

Talks between automakers, UAW focus on health care costs

One big target for the three U.S. automakers in talks beginning this week with the United Auto Workers for new labor agreements will be the $1.54 billion collectively spent by the companies last year on health care for union members and their families.

25 Jul 2011

Health providers embrace the potential of ACOs

News outlets report on some health care providers' views of the potential of accountable care organizations to improve quality and reduce costs.

25 Jul 2011

Iowa, Kentucky get extra time to comply with MLR rule

But North Dakota became the first state to have the Department of Health and Human Services deny a waiver request regarding the health law's medical loss ratio provision, which requires health plans in the individual and small-group markets to spend no more than 20 percent of premiums on administrative costs.

25 Jul 2011

Some hospitals face hard times

Walter Reed Army Medical Center will close its doors after nearly a century. By month's end, the Shriners Hospitals will stop its tradition of providing free care to children. And, lastly, hospital bonds maybe vulnerable to downgrades because of potential reduction in Medicare reimbursements and Medicaid cuts.

25 Jul 2011