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First Edition: April 27, 2011

In today's headlines, political push-back continues regarding the Paul Ryan budget plan and the Supreme Court seems skeptical that prescription drug data laws don't violate free speech.

27 Apr 2011

CMAJ: Canada needs national pharmacare program

Canada needs a national pharmacare program and federal leaders must commit adequate funding, states an editorial in CMAJ.

27 Apr 2011

CTS to present latest self-service innovations at CETW tradeshow

Connected Technology Solutions, an award-winning leader in branded user experiences, will present some of the industry's most forward thinking self-service kiosks and digital signage at the 2011 Customer Engagement Technology World, April 27-28, in Booth 518 at the Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco.

27 Apr 2011

U.S. Labor Department campaign to educate workers on heat-related illnesses

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today will announce, from Anaheim, Calif., a national outreach initiative by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration to educate workers and their employers about the hazards of working outdoors in the heat and steps needed to prevent heat-related illnesses.

27 Apr 2011

American Lung Association releases 2011 annual air quality report

Today, the American Lung Association released its annual report on air quality, State of the Air 2011, which includes lists of the nation's most polluted metropolitan areas.

27 Apr 2011

Study finds link between health literacy and outcomes among heart failure patients

An examination of health literacy among managed care patients with heart failure, a condition that requires self-management, found that nearly one in five have low health literacy, which was associated with a higher all-cause risk of death, according to a study in the April 27 issue of JAMA.

27 Apr 2011

Tips for parents to identify concussions in young athletes

A recent study found that many parents feel they lack the knowledge to adequately detect symptoms of head injuries in their children. Yet keeping young athletes off the field until they've fully healed from a concussion is key to preventing serious and potentially fatal complications.

27 Apr 2011

High Court hears arguments regarding access to docs' prescribing data

In this case, the state of Vermont is battling drug companies and data-mining firms. Vermont's law bans the sale of prescribing information unless physicians "opt in" and make their records available.

27 Apr 2011

RegenceRx supports DEA program to raise awareness on unused prescription drugs

In a nationwide effort to clear homes of potentially dangerous, expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs, RegenceRx is supporting the Drug Enforcement Administration's National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day taking place on Saturday, April 30.

27 Apr 2011

CDC: States can do more to improve Children's food environment

States can do more to improve food access, regulations and policies to promote healthy eating and fight childhood obesity, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 2011 Children's Food Environment State Indicator Report also notes that the communities, child care facilities and schools all have roles to play.

27 Apr 2011

AACN to host annual NTI conference for nurses

Emerging trends in patient care combine with advances in healthcare technology as thousands of nurses who care for acutely and critically ill patients gather in Chicago this month.

27 Apr 2011

Santorum says health law fuels interest in possible presidential bid

Des Moines Register: Santorum Says Health Law Has Fueled Possible Campaign.

27 Apr 2011

Interventionalist-transfer strategy can improve heart attack patients' outcomes

In a large, traffic-congested city in China, severe heart attack patients received treatment faster and had better long-term results when interventional physicians were taken to them, according to a study in the American Heart Association journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

27 Apr 2011

Court's rejection of fast-track request raises questions, issues

The court's online order did not offer any legal reasoning, nor were dissenting opinions noted. However, Justice Elena Kagan did participate in the decision. Meanwhile, Politico Pro explores some of the key questions that will be at stake surrounding the law's "individual mandate" as the challenges now wind through through the federal appeals courts this summer.

27 Apr 2011

Northwestern Asthma-COPD Program with palliative medicine can enhance patient care

When faced with a long-term illness, patients often retreat or are left feeling hopeless, a response that can negatively impact one's prognosis and impair their quality of life. When coping measures are offered however, the opposite can hold true.

27 Apr 2011

Report: 90% of American families can gain premium access under Affordable Care Act

Ninety percent of American families living above the federal poverty level will be able to afford health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report by Jonathan Gruber and Ian Perry of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

27 Apr 2011

Reform policy news: High-risk pools, exchanges, IPAB

News outlets are reporting on various aspects of the health law, including the low level of interest seen so far in high-risk pools, the varying reactions states are having as they make decisions about health insurance exchanges and the ongoing efforts to repeal the measure's Independent Payment Advisory Board.

27 Apr 2011

KHCC, Global Bridges to start tobacco treatment training for EMRO health care providers

Global Bridges, a healthcare alliance for tobacco dependence treatment based at Mayo Clinic, and its regional partner, King Hussein Cancer Center in Amman, Jordan, announced today that they will start training health care providers in the Eastern Mediterranean Region on how to successfully treat tobacco users.

27 Apr 2011

Dems eye Ryan Medicare plan as political opportunity

With Obama administration officials part of the campaign against the Ryan plan, other opponents also are stepping forward and launching a new wave of television ads in Wisconsin Republican Rep. Paul Ryan's very own congressional district. Meanwhile, The Washington Post analyzes some of the poll numbers behind where voters may stand on Medicare cuts.

27 Apr 2011

Grant Memorial selects HMS to provide full suite of products for Petersburg hospital

Grant Memorial Hospital has selected Healthcare Management Systems Inc. to provide a full suite of integrated clinical and financial applications for the 45-bed hospital in Petersburg, W.V. Having evaluated a number of systems, Grant was impressed with HMS' ability to address its patient-care needs as a small community hospital.

27 Apr 2011