Jane Anderson

Implementing the patient-centered medical home is not enough to improve health care quality – physician education also needs to change, emphasizing team-based approaches to medical care, participants said at a summit to discuss training gaps in primary care, behavioral health care, and health promotion.

The summit, held at The Carter Center in Atlanta Oct. 5-6, examined whether medical students are being trained appropriately to function efficiently and effectively in the newly reformed health care environment.

“Purchasers are actively choosing to buy different kinds of care” because they can’t find the types of health care they need in the current system, said Dr. John Bartlett, senior adviser for the Primary Care Initiative at The Carter Center.

“Private purchasers are getting tired of paying the price of poor-quality medical education,” Dr. Bartlett told reporters in a conference call convened Oct. 6 to discuss the meeting’s conclusions.

Meeting participants identified several key deficits in the U.S. medical education system, according to Dr. Michael Barr, senior vice president for medical practice, professionalism, and quality at the American College of Physicians.

“We train people separately and expect them to work together,” Dr. Barr said. “The current education system doesn’t seem to value that type of training environment.”

In many programs, physicians-in-training don’t meet actual patients until relatively late in their training, and many curricula don’t emphasize the types of mental health issues that primary care physicians will need to practice, he added.

Some medical schools have implemented educational programs worth emulating, although implementing those programs on a large-scale basis might require changes in medical school accreditation requirements and regulatory requirements, Dr. Barr said.

For example, the University of Wisconsin, which uses patients as educators, introduces medical students to patients on their first day in class, Dr. Barr said. This helps to sensitize medical students very early in their careers to issues that will arise in primary care.

Dr. Barr pointed out several changes in medical education that could be implemented relatively quickly:

• Providing more training for medical students with nonphysician mental health professionals.

• Emphasizing wellness and prevention.

• Developing faculty members who can teach within the patient-centered medical home model of care.

Dr. Bartlett added that medical schools also need to focus on ambulatory mental health issues, such as mild to moderate depression, that primary care physicians are most likely to encounter in practice, as opposed to providing only experience on the psychiatric ward.

Implementing the patient-centered medical home is not enough to improve health care quality – physician education also needs to change, emphasizing team-based approaches to medical care, participants said at a summit to discuss training gaps in primary care, behavioral health care, and health promotion.

The summit, held at The Carter Center in Atlanta Oct. 5-6, examined whether medical students are being trained appropriately to function efficiently and effectively in the newly reformed health care environment.

“Purchasers are actively choosing to buy different kinds of care” because they can’t find the types of health care they need in the current system, said Dr. John Bartlett, senior adviser for the Primary Care Initiative at The Carter Center.

“Private purchasers are getting tired of paying the price of poor-quality medical education,” Dr. Bartlett told reporters in a conference call convened Oct. 6 to discuss the meeting’s conclusions.

Meeting participants identified several key deficits in the U.S. medical education system, according to Dr. Michael Barr, senior vice president for medical practice, professionalism, and quality at the American College of Physicians.

“We train people separately and expect them to work together,” Dr. Barr said. “The current education system doesn’t seem to value that type of training environment.”

In many programs, physicians-in-training don’t meet actual patients until relatively late in their training, and many curricula don’t emphasize the types of mental health issues that primary care physicians will need to practice, he added.

Some medical schools have implemented educational programs worth emulating, although implementing those programs on a large-scale basis might require changes in medical school accreditation requirements and regulatory requirements, Dr. Barr said.

For example, the University of Wisconsin, which uses patients as educators, introduces medical students to patients on their first day in class, Dr. Barr said. This helps to sensitize medical students very early in their careers to issues that will arise in primary care.

Dr. Barr pointed out several changes in medical education that could be implemented relatively quickly:

• Providing more training for medical students with nonphysician mental health professionals.

• Emphasizing wellness and prevention.

• Developing faculty members who can teach within the patient-centered medical home model of care.

Dr. Bartlett added that medical schools also need to focus on ambulatory mental health issues, such as mild to moderate depression, that primary care physicians are most likely to encounter in practice, as opposed to providing only experience on the psychiatric ward.

Implementing the patient-centered medical home is not enough to improve health care quality – physician education also needs to change, emphasizing team-based approaches to medical care, participants said at a summit to discuss training gaps in primary care, behavioral health care, and health promotion.

The summit, held at The Carter Center in Atlanta Oct. 5-6, examined whether medical students are being trained appropriately to function efficiently and effectively in the newly reformed health care environment.

“Purchasers are actively choosing to buy different kinds of care” because they can’t find the types of health care they need in the current system, said Dr. John Bartlett, senior adviser for the Primary Care Initiative at The Carter Center.

“Private purchasers are getting tired of paying the price of poor-quality medical education,” Dr. Bartlett told reporters in a conference call convened Oct. 6 to discuss the meeting’s conclusions.

Meeting participants identified several key deficits in the U.S. medical education system, according to Dr. Michael Barr, senior vice president for medical practice, professionalism, and quality at the American College of Physicians.

“We train people separately and expect them to work together,” Dr. Barr said. “The current education system doesn’t seem to value that type of training environment.”

In many programs, physicians-in-training don’t meet actual patients until relatively late in their training, and many curricula don’t emphasize the types of mental health issues that primary care physicians will need to practice, he added.

Some medical schools have implemented educational programs worth emulating, although implementing those programs on a large-scale basis might require changes in medical school accreditation requirements and regulatory requirements, Dr. Barr said.

For example, the University of Wisconsin, which uses patients as educators, introduces medical students to patients on their first day in class, Dr. Barr said. This helps to sensitize medical students very early in their careers to issues that will arise in primary care.

Dr. Barr pointed out several changes in medical education that could be implemented relatively quickly:

• Providing more training for medical students with nonphysician mental health professionals.

• Emphasizing wellness and prevention.

• Developing faculty members who can teach within the patient-centered medical home model of care.

Dr. Bartlett added that medical schools also need to focus on ambulatory mental health issues, such as mild to moderate depression, that primary care physicians are most likely to encounter in practice, as opposed to providing only experience on the psychiatric ward.

Forest to Pay $313M Fine

Forest Pharmaceuticals Inc. will pay $313 million and will plead guilty to felony obstruction of justice for distributing three drugs, including levothyroxine (Levothroid) for hypothyroidism, without Food and Drug Administration approval, the Department of Justice stated. The department also said Forest made “illegal kickbacks,” such as gourmet meals and cash incentives, to entice physicians to prescribe the antidepressants citalopram (Celexa) and escitalopram (Lexapro). In its announcement, the Department of Justice detailed how Forest disobeyed FDA orders between 2001 and 2003 by ramping up production of Levothroid even after the agency told the company that it must stop. Forest discontinued its production of the unapproved version of Levothroid in 2003 and now distributes a different version of levothyroxine, also called Levothroid, under a supply agreement with Lloyd Pharmaceuticals, according to the announcement.

Society Warns of Disruptors

The Endocrine Society called on Congress to work with endocrinologists and other scientists to develop better regulations and screening programs for endocrine-disrupting chemicals. The substances “represent a significant health concern and their use has been so widespread that everyone has some level of exposure,” R. Thomas Zoeller, Ph.D., coauthor of the society's scientific statement on such chemicals, told policy makers at a Capitol Hill briefing. Dr. Zoeller and two other presenters explained how endocrine-disrupting chemicals have been linked to numerous health conditions, including pediatric obesity, asthma, autoimmune disease, and infertility. They called for comprehensive screening of chemicals for their endocrine-disrupting properties and for bans on those already known to have adverse effects.

Diabetes Drug Market Hits $25B

The worldwide market for diabetes drugs grew more than 16% to reach nearly $25 billion in 2009, making it one of the fastest growing areas of the pharmaceutical sector. The change is attributed to an aging and increasingly obese world population, according to a research report from Kalorama Information. The health-market researcher firm added that the high growth rate is likely to continue. “Diabetes is seen as kind of a 'safe bet' development area” for pharmaceutical companies, Bruce Carlson, Kalorama Information's publisher, said in a statement. More than 100 new diabetes products are in the pipeline, the report said. Top companies competing to secure market positions with those products include NovoNordisk, Sanofi-Aventis, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, and Tekada, the report said.

Diabetes Drug Use Up

The proportion of people with diabetes who took oral medications for the condition grew from 60% in 1997 to 77% a decade later, while the proportion taking insulin to control diabetes fell from 38% to 24%, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In addition, use of sulfonylureas to stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin decreased over the same 10-year period, while use of biguanides to reduce the liver's excess glucose production and thiazolidinediones to increase insulin sensitivity rose, the AHRQ said.

Insulin Noncompliance Tallied

More than one in every three diabetes patients said they failed to take their insulin as prescribed or skipped doses an average of three times in the previous month, according to a survey of physicians and patients by NovoNordisk. The survey also found that three-quarters of physicians think patients may be noncompliant with their insulin therapy as many as six times each month, not three times per month as the patients had claimed. Patients blame changes in their normal routines, being too busy, or simple forgetfulness for neglecting to take their insulin, according to the survey of nearly 3,000 physicians and patients in eight countries. Fear of hypoglycemia also may play a role: Two-thirds of patients said they were concerned about it, and three-fourths of physicians said they would treat patients more aggressively if they weren't afraid of hypoglycemic events.

Study: Mistake Policies Needed

When several patients are affected by a medical mistake – even one that probably will harm none of them – the event ought to be disclosed to the public, according to authors of a study funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2010;363:978–86). The authors said that “large-scale adverse events” from around the world have included everything from equipment malfunctions to poorly sterilized laboratory equipment. They advocated reporting policies that emphasize timely disclosure of such mistakes to government authorities, to the patients potentially affected, and to the media.

Forest to Pay $313M Fine

Forest Pharmaceuticals Inc. will pay $313 million and will plead guilty to felony obstruction of justice for distributing three drugs, including levothyroxine (Levothroid) for hypothyroidism, without Food and Drug Administration approval, the Department of Justice stated. The department also said Forest made “illegal kickbacks,” such as gourmet meals and cash incentives, to entice physicians to prescribe the antidepressants citalopram (Celexa) and escitalopram (Lexapro). In its announcement, the Department of Justice detailed how Forest disobeyed FDA orders between 2001 and 2003 by ramping up production of Levothroid even after the agency told the company that it must stop. Forest discontinued its production of the unapproved version of Levothroid in 2003 and now distributes a different version of levothyroxine, also called Levothroid, under a supply agreement with Lloyd Pharmaceuticals, according to the announcement.

Society Warns of Disruptors

The Endocrine Society called on Congress to work with endocrinologists and other scientists to develop better regulations and screening programs for endocrine-disrupting chemicals. The substances “represent a significant health concern and their use has been so widespread that everyone has some level of exposure,” R. Thomas Zoeller, Ph.D., coauthor of the society's scientific statement on such chemicals, told policy makers at a Capitol Hill briefing. Dr. Zoeller and two other presenters explained how endocrine-disrupting chemicals have been linked to numerous health conditions, including pediatric obesity, asthma, autoimmune disease, and infertility. They called for comprehensive screening of chemicals for their endocrine-disrupting properties and for bans on those already known to have adverse effects.

Diabetes Drug Market Hits $25B

The worldwide market for diabetes drugs grew more than 16% to reach nearly $25 billion in 2009, making it one of the fastest growing areas of the pharmaceutical sector. The change is attributed to an aging and increasingly obese world population, according to a research report from Kalorama Information. The health-market researcher firm added that the high growth rate is likely to continue. “Diabetes is seen as kind of a 'safe bet' development area” for pharmaceutical companies, Bruce Carlson, Kalorama Information's publisher, said in a statement. More than 100 new diabetes products are in the pipeline, the report said. Top companies competing to secure market positions with those products include NovoNordisk, Sanofi-Aventis, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, and Tekada, the report said.

Diabetes Drug Use Up

The proportion of people with diabetes who took oral medications for the condition grew from 60% in 1997 to 77% a decade later, while the proportion taking insulin to control diabetes fell from 38% to 24%, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In addition, use of sulfonylureas to stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin decreased over the same 10-year period, while use of biguanides to reduce the liver's excess glucose production and thiazolidinediones to increase insulin sensitivity rose, the AHRQ said.

Insulin Noncompliance Tallied

More than one in every three diabetes patients said they failed to take their insulin as prescribed or skipped doses an average of three times in the previous month, according to a survey of physicians and patients by NovoNordisk. The survey also found that three-quarters of physicians think patients may be noncompliant with their insulin therapy as many as six times each month, not three times per month as the patients had claimed. Patients blame changes in their normal routines, being too busy, or simple forgetfulness for neglecting to take their insulin, according to the survey of nearly 3,000 physicians and patients in eight countries. Fear of hypoglycemia also may play a role: Two-thirds of patients said they were concerned about it, and three-fourths of physicians said they would treat patients more aggressively if they weren't afraid of hypoglycemic events.

Study: Mistake Policies Needed

When several patients are affected by a medical mistake – even one that probably will harm none of them – the event ought to be disclosed to the public, according to authors of a study funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2010;363:978–86). The authors said that “large-scale adverse events” from around the world have included everything from equipment malfunctions to poorly sterilized laboratory equipment. They advocated reporting policies that emphasize timely disclosure of such mistakes to government authorities, to the patients potentially affected, and to the media.

Forest to Pay $313M Fine

Forest Pharmaceuticals Inc. will pay $313 million and will plead guilty to felony obstruction of justice for distributing three drugs, including levothyroxine (Levothroid) for hypothyroidism, without Food and Drug Administration approval, the Department of Justice stated. The department also said Forest made “illegal kickbacks,” such as gourmet meals and cash incentives, to entice physicians to prescribe the antidepressants citalopram (Celexa) and escitalopram (Lexapro). In its announcement, the Department of Justice detailed how Forest disobeyed FDA orders between 2001 and 2003 by ramping up production of Levothroid even after the agency told the company that it must stop. Forest discontinued its production of the unapproved version of Levothroid in 2003 and now distributes a different version of levothyroxine, also called Levothroid, under a supply agreement with Lloyd Pharmaceuticals, according to the announcement.

Society Warns of Disruptors

The Endocrine Society called on Congress to work with endocrinologists and other scientists to develop better regulations and screening programs for endocrine-disrupting chemicals. The substances “represent a significant health concern and their use has been so widespread that everyone has some level of exposure,” R. Thomas Zoeller, Ph.D., coauthor of the society's scientific statement on such chemicals, told policy makers at a Capitol Hill briefing. Dr. Zoeller and two other presenters explained how endocrine-disrupting chemicals have been linked to numerous health conditions, including pediatric obesity, asthma, autoimmune disease, and infertility. They called for comprehensive screening of chemicals for their endocrine-disrupting properties and for bans on those already known to have adverse effects.

Diabetes Drug Market Hits $25B

The worldwide market for diabetes drugs grew more than 16% to reach nearly $25 billion in 2009, making it one of the fastest growing areas of the pharmaceutical sector. The change is attributed to an aging and increasingly obese world population, according to a research report from Kalorama Information. The health-market researcher firm added that the high growth rate is likely to continue. “Diabetes is seen as kind of a 'safe bet' development area” for pharmaceutical companies, Bruce Carlson, Kalorama Information's publisher, said in a statement. More than 100 new diabetes products are in the pipeline, the report said. Top companies competing to secure market positions with those products include NovoNordisk, Sanofi-Aventis, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, and Tekada, the report said.

Diabetes Drug Use Up

The proportion of people with diabetes who took oral medications for the condition grew from 60% in 1997 to 77% a decade later, while the proportion taking insulin to control diabetes fell from 38% to 24%, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In addition, use of sulfonylureas to stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin decreased over the same 10-year period, while use of biguanides to reduce the liver's excess glucose production and thiazolidinediones to increase insulin sensitivity rose, the AHRQ said.

Insulin Noncompliance Tallied

More than one in every three diabetes patients said they failed to take their insulin as prescribed or skipped doses an average of three times in the previous month, according to a survey of physicians and patients by NovoNordisk. The survey also found that three-quarters of physicians think patients may be noncompliant with their insulin therapy as many as six times each month, not three times per month as the patients had claimed. Patients blame changes in their normal routines, being too busy, or simple forgetfulness for neglecting to take their insulin, according to the survey of nearly 3,000 physicians and patients in eight countries. Fear of hypoglycemia also may play a role: Two-thirds of patients said they were concerned about it, and three-fourths of physicians said they would treat patients more aggressively if they weren't afraid of hypoglycemic events.

Study: Mistake Policies Needed

When several patients are affected by a medical mistake – even one that probably will harm none of them – the event ought to be disclosed to the public, according to authors of a study funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2010;363:978–86). The authors said that “large-scale adverse events” from around the world have included everything from equipment malfunctions to poorly sterilized laboratory equipment. They advocated reporting policies that emphasize timely disclosure of such mistakes to government authorities, to the patients potentially affected, and to the media.

AAP Seeks Limits on Sin Ads

The American Academy of Pediatrics, in a policy statement blaming the media in part for adolescent substance abuse, has called for a ban on all tobacco advertising and stiff limits on alcohol advertising. “Although parents, schools, and the federal government are trying to get children and teenagers to 'just say no' to drugs, more than $25 billion worth of cigarette, alcohol, and prescription drug advertising is effectively working to get them to “just say yes' to smoking, drinking, and other drugs,” the group said in its policy statement. The statement, which was published in the October issue of Pediatrics, also called for pediatricians to counsel parents about limiting their children's unsupervised media use.

New Rules Target CHIP Fraud

The Department of Health and Human Services has proposed new rules to fight waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The rules are authorized by the Affordable Care Act and would tighten screening of providers wishing to bill the government programs for services, for example, by using broader criminal background checks and even fingerprinting. The rules also require states to terminate from their Medicaid and CHIP programs any provider who has been thrown out of Medicare or another state's health programs. The proposed rule asked for advice on how best to ensure provider compliance. Comments are due to HHS by Nov. 16.

Head Start Funding Parameters Shift

At least one-fourth of low-performing Head Start programs will need to compete, under proposed regulations from HHS, for funding that until now has been almost automatic. The department said it will gauge classroom instruction, health and safety standards, and financial accountability and integrity to determine which programs fall short of minimum standards and will need to compete against others for their funds. To help the underperforming programs improve, HHS said it will create four training and technical assistance centers, which will identify and disseminate evidence-based best practices to local Head Start programs.

Tobacco Firms Infiltrate YouTube

Banned from many other media, tobacco companies appear to be reaching teenagers via YouTube on the Internet, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Tobacco Control. Researchers at the University of Otago in New Zealand conducted a YouTube search using the names of five cigarette brands from around the world and then analyzed the 163 videos that were most viewed. Almost three-quarters of them had pro-tobacco content whereas less than 4% had anti-tobacco content. Most of the videos, which featured celebrity, sports, or music themes, included tobacco brand names in the title or elsewhere, and half included smoking imagery. One pro-smoking music video had been viewed more than 2 million times, according to the study's authors.

First EHR Certifying Bodies Named

A nonprofit organization that is dedicated to health information technology and a software-testing lab have been chosen as the first two bodies to officially test and certify electronic health record (EHR) systems for the federal government. The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology and the Drummond Group can immediately begin certifying EHR systems as HHS compliant, the Department of Health and Human Services announced. Now that HHS has named the certifying organizations, vendors can apply for certification of their EHR systems and physicians soon should be able to purchase certified products, the HHS said.

Insurance Status Varies by Region

Where a child lives in the United States strongly affects his or her risk of being uninsured, with children in the South and West running a much higher risk of not having health coverage than children who live in the Northeast, a report of 2008 data from the Urban Institute shows. Rates of uninsurance in children ranged from less than 2% in Massachusetts to more than 20% in Nevada, the institute reported. Forty percent of all uninsured children live in just three states: Texas, California, and Florida. In addition, in almost all states, being older, Hispanic, or in a low-income family correlated with the likelihood of being uninsured.

AAP Seeks Limits on Sin Ads

The American Academy of Pediatrics, in a policy statement blaming the media in part for adolescent substance abuse, has called for a ban on all tobacco advertising and stiff limits on alcohol advertising. “Although parents, schools, and the federal government are trying to get children and teenagers to 'just say no' to drugs, more than $25 billion worth of cigarette, alcohol, and prescription drug advertising is effectively working to get them to “just say yes' to smoking, drinking, and other drugs,” the group said in its policy statement. The statement, which was published in the October issue of Pediatrics, also called for pediatricians to counsel parents about limiting their children's unsupervised media use.

New Rules Target CHIP Fraud

The Department of Health and Human Services has proposed new rules to fight waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The rules are authorized by the Affordable Care Act and would tighten screening of providers wishing to bill the government programs for services, for example, by using broader criminal background checks and even fingerprinting. The rules also require states to terminate from their Medicaid and CHIP programs any provider who has been thrown out of Medicare or another state's health programs. The proposed rule asked for advice on how best to ensure provider compliance. Comments are due to HHS by Nov. 16.

Head Start Funding Parameters Shift

At least one-fourth of low-performing Head Start programs will need to compete, under proposed regulations from HHS, for funding that until now has been almost automatic. The department said it will gauge classroom instruction, health and safety standards, and financial accountability and integrity to determine which programs fall short of minimum standards and will need to compete against others for their funds. To help the underperforming programs improve, HHS said it will create four training and technical assistance centers, which will identify and disseminate evidence-based best practices to local Head Start programs.

Tobacco Firms Infiltrate YouTube

Banned from many other media, tobacco companies appear to be reaching teenagers via YouTube on the Internet, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Tobacco Control. Researchers at the University of Otago in New Zealand conducted a YouTube search using the names of five cigarette brands from around the world and then analyzed the 163 videos that were most viewed. Almost three-quarters of them had pro-tobacco content whereas less than 4% had anti-tobacco content. Most of the videos, which featured celebrity, sports, or music themes, included tobacco brand names in the title or elsewhere, and half included smoking imagery. One pro-smoking music video had been viewed more than 2 million times, according to the study's authors.

First EHR Certifying Bodies Named

A nonprofit organization that is dedicated to health information technology and a software-testing lab have been chosen as the first two bodies to officially test and certify electronic health record (EHR) systems for the federal government. The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology and the Drummond Group can immediately begin certifying EHR systems as HHS compliant, the Department of Health and Human Services announced. Now that HHS has named the certifying organizations, vendors can apply for certification of their EHR systems and physicians soon should be able to purchase certified products, the HHS said.

Insurance Status Varies by Region

Where a child lives in the United States strongly affects his or her risk of being uninsured, with children in the South and West running a much higher risk of not having health coverage than children who live in the Northeast, a report of 2008 data from the Urban Institute shows. Rates of uninsurance in children ranged from less than 2% in Massachusetts to more than 20% in Nevada, the institute reported. Forty percent of all uninsured children live in just three states: Texas, California, and Florida. In addition, in almost all states, being older, Hispanic, or in a low-income family correlated with the likelihood of being uninsured.

AAP Seeks Limits on Sin Ads

The American Academy of Pediatrics, in a policy statement blaming the media in part for adolescent substance abuse, has called for a ban on all tobacco advertising and stiff limits on alcohol advertising. “Although parents, schools, and the federal government are trying to get children and teenagers to 'just say no' to drugs, more than $25 billion worth of cigarette, alcohol, and prescription drug advertising is effectively working to get them to “just say yes' to smoking, drinking, and other drugs,” the group said in its policy statement. The statement, which was published in the October issue of Pediatrics, also called for pediatricians to counsel parents about limiting their children's unsupervised media use.

New Rules Target CHIP Fraud

The Department of Health and Human Services has proposed new rules to fight waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The rules are authorized by the Affordable Care Act and would tighten screening of providers wishing to bill the government programs for services, for example, by using broader criminal background checks and even fingerprinting. The rules also require states to terminate from their Medicaid and CHIP programs any provider who has been thrown out of Medicare or another state's health programs. The proposed rule asked for advice on how best to ensure provider compliance. Comments are due to HHS by Nov. 16.

Head Start Funding Parameters Shift

At least one-fourth of low-performing Head Start programs will need to compete, under proposed regulations from HHS, for funding that until now has been almost automatic. The department said it will gauge classroom instruction, health and safety standards, and financial accountability and integrity to determine which programs fall short of minimum standards and will need to compete against others for their funds. To help the underperforming programs improve, HHS said it will create four training and technical assistance centers, which will identify and disseminate evidence-based best practices to local Head Start programs.

Tobacco Firms Infiltrate YouTube

Banned from many other media, tobacco companies appear to be reaching teenagers via YouTube on the Internet, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Tobacco Control. Researchers at the University of Otago in New Zealand conducted a YouTube search using the names of five cigarette brands from around the world and then analyzed the 163 videos that were most viewed. Almost three-quarters of them had pro-tobacco content whereas less than 4% had anti-tobacco content. Most of the videos, which featured celebrity, sports, or music themes, included tobacco brand names in the title or elsewhere, and half included smoking imagery. One pro-smoking music video had been viewed more than 2 million times, according to the study's authors.

First EHR Certifying Bodies Named

A nonprofit organization that is dedicated to health information technology and a software-testing lab have been chosen as the first two bodies to officially test and certify electronic health record (EHR) systems for the federal government. The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology and the Drummond Group can immediately begin certifying EHR systems as HHS compliant, the Department of Health and Human Services announced. Now that HHS has named the certifying organizations, vendors can apply for certification of their EHR systems and physicians soon should be able to purchase certified products, the HHS said.

Insurance Status Varies by Region

Where a child lives in the United States strongly affects his or her risk of being uninsured, with children in the South and West running a much higher risk of not having health coverage than children who live in the Northeast, a report of 2008 data from the Urban Institute shows. Rates of uninsurance in children ranged from less than 2% in Massachusetts to more than 20% in Nevada, the institute reported. Forty percent of all uninsured children live in just three states: Texas, California, and Florida. In addition, in almost all states, being older, Hispanic, or in a low-income family correlated with the likelihood of being uninsured.

Super-Antibiotic Research Funded

The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has contracted with Achaogen Inc. for the company to develop an antibiotic that appears to work against two bioterrorism agents and some antibiotic-resistant infections. The agreement will run for 2–5 years and will pay the company up to $64 million to continue work on ACHN-490, which has shown promise in early clinical trials. The agent acts against plague and tularemia bacteria, which could be used as bioterrorism agents. It also could be effective against hospital-related infections, such as pneumonia resulting from prolonged use of a ventilator and urinary tract infections from catheter use, according to a BARDA announcement. The contract is the first under a BARDA program to develop broad-spectrum antimicrobials.

First EHR Certifying Bodies Named

A nonprofit organization dedicated to health information technology and a software-testing lab have been chosen as the first two bodies to officially test and certify electronic health record (EHR) systems for the federal government. The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology and the Drummond Group can immediately begin certifying EHR systems as HHS-compliant, the Department of Health and Human Services said in an announcement. Legislation approved in 2009 created incentives up to $64,000 for health providers to transition from paper to certified EHRs. Now that HHS has named the certifying organizations, vendors can start applying for certification of their EHR systems and physicians soon should be able to purchase certified products, the HHS said.

Outcomes Research Funded

HHS will provide grants totaling nearly $17 million for “patient-centered outcomes research” (PCOR), which focuses on treatments and strategies that might improve health outcomes from the patient's point of view. Most of the announced grants will support outcomes research in primary care, HHS said. As part of the grant program, five health organizations will attempt to show that providers and academic institutions can partner on PCOR. Each organization– in Illinois, California, New York, Massachusetts, and Oregon — will receive about $2 million over 3 years to create a national network for evaluating the patient-centered approach in patient populations that are not always adequately represented in other studies, according to HHS. “Patient-centered outcomes research can improve health outcomes by developing and disseminating evidence-based information to patients, providers and decision-makers about the effectiveness of different treatments,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in a statement.

AMA Opposes Tax Change

The American Medical Association and 90 medical organizations, including the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Physicians, have written to the Department of the Treasury urging it not to allow trial lawyers to deduct court costs and other expenses. Making such a change to tax law could encourage trial lawyers to file more claims, the organizations claimed. “Even though a substantial majority of claims are dropped or decided in favor of physicians, the cost of defending against meritless claims averages over $22,000,” their letter said. The organizations urged the treasury department to reconsider rumored plans to change current policy, which does not allow such tax deductions.

Workers' Premium Share Jumps

Workers who receive health insurance through their employers are paying nearly $4,000 in 2010 for family health coverage, an increase of 14% from 2009, according to a report by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust. However, the total cost of coverage, including employers' contributions, hasn't climbed as much: Average total premiums for family coverage rose 3% in 2010 to $13,770, the survey found. Since 2005, workers' contributions to premiums have risen 47%, while overall premiums rose 27%, the organizations reported. Many companies have raised deductibles for workers: A total of 27% of workers now face annual deductibles of at least $1,000, compared with 22% who faced these high deductibles in 2009, the survey found. “If premiums and costs continue to be shifted to consumers, households will face difficult choices, like forgoing needed care or reexamining how they can best care for their families,” Maulik Joshi, Dr.P.H., president of the Health Research and Educational Trust Association, said in a statement.

Prescription Drug Use Rises Again

The percentage of Americans who said they took at least one prescription drug in the past month increased from 44% to 48% from 1999 to 2008, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At the same time, the number of people who said they had taken two or more drugs in previous month increased from 25% to 31%, and the number of people who took five or more drugs increased from 6% to 11%, the report found. One out of every five children used one or more prescription drugs, as did 90% of adults aged 60 years and older. Women were more likely to have taken a prescription drug. Those who didn't have health insurance, prescription drug coverage, or a regular place to receive health care tended to take fewer prescriptions. The most commonly prescribed drugs included asthma medicines for children, central nervous system stimulants for adolescents, antidepressants for middle-aged adults, and cholesterol-lowering drugs for older Americans, the report found. The data came from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Super-Antibiotic Research Funded

The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has contracted with Achaogen Inc. for the company to develop an antibiotic that appears to work against two bioterrorism agents and some antibiotic-resistant infections. The agreement will run for 2–5 years and will pay the company up to $64 million to continue work on ACHN-490, which has shown promise in early clinical trials. The agent acts against plague and tularemia bacteria, which could be used as bioterrorism agents. It also could be effective against hospital-related infections, such as pneumonia resulting from prolonged use of a ventilator and urinary tract infections from catheter use, according to a BARDA announcement. The contract is the first under a BARDA program to develop broad-spectrum antimicrobials.

First EHR Certifying Bodies Named

A nonprofit organization dedicated to health information technology and a software-testing lab have been chosen as the first two bodies to officially test and certify electronic health record (EHR) systems for the federal government. The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology and the Drummond Group can immediately begin certifying EHR systems as HHS-compliant, the Department of Health and Human Services said in an announcement. Legislation approved in 2009 created incentives up to $64,000 for health providers to transition from paper to certified EHRs. Now that HHS has named the certifying organizations, vendors can start applying for certification of their EHR systems and physicians soon should be able to purchase certified products, the HHS said.

Outcomes Research Funded

HHS will provide grants totaling nearly $17 million for “patient-centered outcomes research” (PCOR), which focuses on treatments and strategies that might improve health outcomes from the patient's point of view. Most of the announced grants will support outcomes research in primary care, HHS said. As part of the grant program, five health organizations will attempt to show that providers and academic institutions can partner on PCOR. Each organization– in Illinois, California, New York, Massachusetts, and Oregon — will receive about $2 million over 3 years to create a national network for evaluating the patient-centered approach in patient populations that are not always adequately represented in other studies, according to HHS. “Patient-centered outcomes research can improve health outcomes by developing and disseminating evidence-based information to patients, providers and decision-makers about the effectiveness of different treatments,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in a statement.

AMA Opposes Tax Change

The American Medical Association and 90 medical organizations, including the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Physicians, have written to the Department of the Treasury urging it not to allow trial lawyers to deduct court costs and other expenses. Making such a change to tax law could encourage trial lawyers to file more claims, the organizations claimed. “Even though a substantial majority of claims are dropped or decided in favor of physicians, the cost of defending against meritless claims averages over $22,000,” their letter said. The organizations urged the treasury department to reconsider rumored plans to change current policy, which does not allow such tax deductions.

Workers' Premium Share Jumps

Workers who receive health insurance through their employers are paying nearly $4,000 in 2010 for family health coverage, an increase of 14% from 2009, according to a report by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust. However, the total cost of coverage, including employers' contributions, hasn't climbed as much: Average total premiums for family coverage rose 3% in 2010 to $13,770, the survey found. Since 2005, workers' contributions to premiums have risen 47%, while overall premiums rose 27%, the organizations reported. Many companies have raised deductibles for workers: A total of 27% of workers now face annual deductibles of at least $1,000, compared with 22% who faced these high deductibles in 2009, the survey found. “If premiums and costs continue to be shifted to consumers, households will face difficult choices, like forgoing needed care or reexamining how they can best care for their families,” Maulik Joshi, Dr.P.H., president of the Health Research and Educational Trust Association, said in a statement.

Prescription Drug Use Rises Again

The percentage of Americans who said they took at least one prescription drug in the past month increased from 44% to 48% from 1999 to 2008, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At the same time, the number of people who said they had taken two or more drugs in previous month increased from 25% to 31%, and the number of people who took five or more drugs increased from 6% to 11%, the report found. One out of every five children used one or more prescription drugs, as did 90% of adults aged 60 years and older. Women were more likely to have taken a prescription drug. Those who didn't have health insurance, prescription drug coverage, or a regular place to receive health care tended to take fewer prescriptions. The most commonly prescribed drugs included asthma medicines for children, central nervous system stimulants for adolescents, antidepressants for middle-aged adults, and cholesterol-lowering drugs for older Americans, the report found. The data came from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Super-Antibiotic Research Funded

The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has contracted with Achaogen Inc. for the company to develop an antibiotic that appears to work against two bioterrorism agents and some antibiotic-resistant infections. The agreement will run for 2–5 years and will pay the company up to $64 million to continue work on ACHN-490, which has shown promise in early clinical trials. The agent acts against plague and tularemia bacteria, which could be used as bioterrorism agents. It also could be effective against hospital-related infections, such as pneumonia resulting from prolonged use of a ventilator and urinary tract infections from catheter use, according to a BARDA announcement. The contract is the first under a BARDA program to develop broad-spectrum antimicrobials.

First EHR Certifying Bodies Named

A nonprofit organization dedicated to health information technology and a software-testing lab have been chosen as the first two bodies to officially test and certify electronic health record (EHR) systems for the federal government. The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology and the Drummond Group can immediately begin certifying EHR systems as HHS-compliant, the Department of Health and Human Services said in an announcement. Legislation approved in 2009 created incentives up to $64,000 for health providers to transition from paper to certified EHRs. Now that HHS has named the certifying organizations, vendors can start applying for certification of their EHR systems and physicians soon should be able to purchase certified products, the HHS said.

Outcomes Research Funded

HHS will provide grants totaling nearly $17 million for “patient-centered outcomes research” (PCOR), which focuses on treatments and strategies that might improve health outcomes from the patient's point of view. Most of the announced grants will support outcomes research in primary care, HHS said. As part of the grant program, five health organizations will attempt to show that providers and academic institutions can partner on PCOR. Each organization– in Illinois, California, New York, Massachusetts, and Oregon — will receive about $2 million over 3 years to create a national network for evaluating the patient-centered approach in patient populations that are not always adequately represented in other studies, according to HHS. “Patient-centered outcomes research can improve health outcomes by developing and disseminating evidence-based information to patients, providers and decision-makers about the effectiveness of different treatments,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in a statement.

AMA Opposes Tax Change

The American Medical Association and 90 medical organizations, including the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Physicians, have written to the Department of the Treasury urging it not to allow trial lawyers to deduct court costs and other expenses. Making such a change to tax law could encourage trial lawyers to file more claims, the organizations claimed. “Even though a substantial majority of claims are dropped or decided in favor of physicians, the cost of defending against meritless claims averages over $22,000,” their letter said. The organizations urged the treasury department to reconsider rumored plans to change current policy, which does not allow such tax deductions.

Workers' Premium Share Jumps

Workers who receive health insurance through their employers are paying nearly $4,000 in 2010 for family health coverage, an increase of 14% from 2009, according to a report by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust. However, the total cost of coverage, including employers' contributions, hasn't climbed as much: Average total premiums for family coverage rose 3% in 2010 to $13,770, the survey found. Since 2005, workers' contributions to premiums have risen 47%, while overall premiums rose 27%, the organizations reported. Many companies have raised deductibles for workers: A total of 27% of workers now face annual deductibles of at least $1,000, compared with 22% who faced these high deductibles in 2009, the survey found. “If premiums and costs continue to be shifted to consumers, households will face difficult choices, like forgoing needed care or reexamining how they can best care for their families,” Maulik Joshi, Dr.P.H., president of the Health Research and Educational Trust Association, said in a statement.

Prescription Drug Use Rises Again

The percentage of Americans who said they took at least one prescription drug in the past month increased from 44% to 48% from 1999 to 2008, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At the same time, the number of people who said they had taken two or more drugs in previous month increased from 25% to 31%, and the number of people who took five or more drugs increased from 6% to 11%, the report found. One out of every five children used one or more prescription drugs, as did 90% of adults aged 60 years and older. Women were more likely to have taken a prescription drug. Those who didn't have health insurance, prescription drug coverage, or a regular place to receive health care tended to take fewer prescriptions. The most commonly prescribed drugs included asthma medicines for children, central nervous system stimulants for adolescents, antidepressants for middle-aged adults, and cholesterol-lowering drugs for older Americans, the report found. The data came from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Stop-Smoking Coverage Expanded

Physicians will be reimbursed for counseling any Medicare patient about smoking cessation, not just those with tobacco-related illness, under new guidelines approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Previously, a patient needed to at least show signs of illness related to smoking before Medicare would pay. Now, any smoker covered by Medicare can have up to eight smoking cessation sessions per year from a physician or another Medicare-recognized health practitioner, CMS said. American Medical Association President Cecil Wilson applauded the coverage expansion. “More than 400,000 Americans die needlessly every year as a direct result of tobacco use,” Dr. Wilson said in a statement. “This expansion of coverage takes an important step toward helping Medicare patients lead healthier, tobacco-free lives.”

Drug Information Found Lacking

The printed consumer information that is provided with prescription drugs often fails to provide easy-to-understand information about the product's use and risks, a study by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy found. Secret shoppers visited pharmacies throughout the United States and filled prescriptions for lisinopril and metformin. Only about three-fourths of the consumer medical information, which pharmacies routinely staple to the outside of prescription bags, met the Food and Drug Administration's minimum criteria for usefulness, the study found. In addition, the information accompanied only 94% of all prescriptions, which fell short of the 95% goal set by Congress. The FDA does not regulate the consumer medical information that accompanies prescriptions. In most cases, pharmacies purchase it from contractors, which use the drug's professional labeling as the basis for the consumer version. The study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Smartphone Makers Target Doctors

Smartphone and wireless phone service companies are tailoring their product offerings to meet physicians' needs, and this trend probably will continue, according to a report from health-market research firm Kalorama Information. In 2009, health care practitioners spent $2.6 billion for personal digital assistants and smartphones for professional use, Kalorama said. Health care currently represents about 5% of the total smartphone and PDA market, and its market share should grow as more physicians and related professionals sign on, the report said. “Health care is a mobile profession and lends itself to these devices,” said Kalorama's Bruce Carlson. “They provide a wide range of conveniences and workflow efficiencies which can't be achieved with traditional notepads and pocket drug references.”

$32 Million More for Rural Health

The Department of Health and Human Services has issued more than $32 million in grants to increase access to health care for Americans in rural areas. Most of the funds—about $22 million—will go to hospitals in rural communities through the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, which encourages the development of rural health networks, HHS said. More than $3 million will fund a new pilot program to develop networks that recruit medical residents and other health care trainees to work in rural communities. In addition, HHS said that it will provide more than $3 million for telehealth programs in those areas. The remainder of the funds will support new rural-care initiatives for veterans and Medicare beneficiaries, as well as a program to promote family practice residencies in rural areas.

Medical Care Prices Fell in July

Medical prices, as measured by the Department of Labor's Medical Care Index, fell 0.2% in July—the first monthly decline in 35 years. The components of prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and hospital services all declined in July, according to the department's monthly Consumer Price Index. Overall, however, the nation's CPI increased 0.3%, the report said. In the past 40 years, the Medical Care Index component of the CPI has risen at a much steeper rate than has the overall CPI. The medical component has declined only two other times, both in the mid-1970s, according to the Labor Department.

Patients See Drug Makers' Influence

More than two-thirds of Americans who currently take at least one prescription drug say that pharmaceutical manufacturers have too much influence on physicians' prescribing decisions, according to a survey of 1,150 adults by Consumer Reports magazine. In addition, half said doctors are too eager to prescribe a drug when nonpharmaceutical options might manage a medical condition. A larger poll found that 45% of Americans take at least one prescription drug on a regular basis, and the average person takes four drugs routinely. Nearly half of the group surveyed said they think gifts from pharmaceutical companies influence doctors' prescription choices, and 41% said they think doctors tend to favor new and expensive drugs. Similarly, consumers seemed to be influenced by drug company marketing: One-fifth of those taking prescription drugs said they had asked their physician for one they had seen advertised, and more than half said their doctors gave them the prescriptions they wanted.

Stop-Smoking Coverage Expanded

Physicians will be reimbursed for counseling any Medicare patient about smoking cessation, not just those with tobacco-related illness, under new guidelines approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Previously, a patient needed to at least show signs of illness related to smoking before Medicare would pay. Now, any smoker covered by Medicare can have up to eight smoking cessation sessions per year from a physician or another Medicare-recognized health practitioner, CMS said. American Medical Association President Cecil Wilson applauded the coverage expansion. “More than 400,000 Americans die needlessly every year as a direct result of tobacco use,” Dr. Wilson said in a statement. “This expansion of coverage takes an important step toward helping Medicare patients lead healthier, tobacco-free lives.”

Drug Information Found Lacking

The printed consumer information that is provided with prescription drugs often fails to provide easy-to-understand information about the product's use and risks, a study by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy found. Secret shoppers visited pharmacies throughout the United States and filled prescriptions for lisinopril and metformin. Only about three-fourths of the consumer medical information, which pharmacies routinely staple to the outside of prescription bags, met the Food and Drug Administration's minimum criteria for usefulness, the study found. In addition, the information accompanied only 94% of all prescriptions, which fell short of the 95% goal set by Congress. The FDA does not regulate the consumer medical information that accompanies prescriptions. In most cases, pharmacies purchase it from contractors, which use the drug's professional labeling as the basis for the consumer version. The study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Smartphone Makers Target Doctors

Smartphone and wireless phone service companies are tailoring their product offerings to meet physicians' needs, and this trend probably will continue, according to a report from health-market research firm Kalorama Information. In 2009, health care practitioners spent $2.6 billion for personal digital assistants and smartphones for professional use, Kalorama said. Health care currently represents about 5% of the total smartphone and PDA market, and its market share should grow as more physicians and related professionals sign on, the report said. “Health care is a mobile profession and lends itself to these devices,” said Kalorama's Bruce Carlson. “They provide a wide range of conveniences and workflow efficiencies which can't be achieved with traditional notepads and pocket drug references.”

$32 Million More for Rural Health

The Department of Health and Human Services has issued more than $32 million in grants to increase access to health care for Americans in rural areas. Most of the funds—about $22 million—will go to hospitals in rural communities through the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, which encourages the development of rural health networks, HHS said. More than $3 million will fund a new pilot program to develop networks that recruit medical residents and other health care trainees to work in rural communities. In addition, HHS said that it will provide more than $3 million for telehealth programs in those areas. The remainder of the funds will support new rural-care initiatives for veterans and Medicare beneficiaries, as well as a program to promote family practice residencies in rural areas.

Medical Care Prices Fell in July

Medical prices, as measured by the Department of Labor's Medical Care Index, fell 0.2% in July—the first monthly decline in 35 years. The components of prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and hospital services all declined in July, according to the department's monthly Consumer Price Index. Overall, however, the nation's CPI increased 0.3%, the report said. In the past 40 years, the Medical Care Index component of the CPI has risen at a much steeper rate than has the overall CPI. The medical component has declined only two other times, both in the mid-1970s, according to the Labor Department.

Patients See Drug Makers' Influence

More than two-thirds of Americans who currently take at least one prescription drug say that pharmaceutical manufacturers have too much influence on physicians' prescribing decisions, according to a survey of 1,150 adults by Consumer Reports magazine. In addition, half said doctors are too eager to prescribe a drug when nonpharmaceutical options might manage a medical condition. A larger poll found that 45% of Americans take at least one prescription drug on a regular basis, and the average person takes four drugs routinely. Nearly half of the group surveyed said they think gifts from pharmaceutical companies influence doctors' prescription choices, and 41% said they think doctors tend to favor new and expensive drugs. Similarly, consumers seemed to be influenced by drug company marketing: One-fifth of those taking prescription drugs said they had asked their physician for one they had seen advertised, and more than half said their doctors gave them the prescriptions they wanted.

Stop-Smoking Coverage Expanded

Physicians will be reimbursed for counseling any Medicare patient about smoking cessation, not just those with tobacco-related illness, under new guidelines approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Previously, a patient needed to at least show signs of illness related to smoking before Medicare would pay. Now, any smoker covered by Medicare can have up to eight smoking cessation sessions per year from a physician or another Medicare-recognized health practitioner, CMS said. American Medical Association President Cecil Wilson applauded the coverage expansion. “More than 400,000 Americans die needlessly every year as a direct result of tobacco use,” Dr. Wilson said in a statement. “This expansion of coverage takes an important step toward helping Medicare patients lead healthier, tobacco-free lives.”

Drug Information Found Lacking

The printed consumer information that is provided with prescription drugs often fails to provide easy-to-understand information about the product's use and risks, a study by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy found. Secret shoppers visited pharmacies throughout the United States and filled prescriptions for lisinopril and metformin. Only about three-fourths of the consumer medical information, which pharmacies routinely staple to the outside of prescription bags, met the Food and Drug Administration's minimum criteria for usefulness, the study found. In addition, the information accompanied only 94% of all prescriptions, which fell short of the 95% goal set by Congress. The FDA does not regulate the consumer medical information that accompanies prescriptions. In most cases, pharmacies purchase it from contractors, which use the drug's professional labeling as the basis for the consumer version. The study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Smartphone Makers Target Doctors

Smartphone and wireless phone service companies are tailoring their product offerings to meet physicians' needs, and this trend probably will continue, according to a report from health-market research firm Kalorama Information. In 2009, health care practitioners spent $2.6 billion for personal digital assistants and smartphones for professional use, Kalorama said. Health care currently represents about 5% of the total smartphone and PDA market, and its market share should grow as more physicians and related professionals sign on, the report said. “Health care is a mobile profession and lends itself to these devices,” said Kalorama's Bruce Carlson. “They provide a wide range of conveniences and workflow efficiencies which can't be achieved with traditional notepads and pocket drug references.”

$32 Million More for Rural Health

The Department of Health and Human Services has issued more than $32 million in grants to increase access to health care for Americans in rural areas. Most of the funds—about $22 million—will go to hospitals in rural communities through the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, which encourages the development of rural health networks, HHS said. More than $3 million will fund a new pilot program to develop networks that recruit medical residents and other health care trainees to work in rural communities. In addition, HHS said that it will provide more than $3 million for telehealth programs in those areas. The remainder of the funds will support new rural-care initiatives for veterans and Medicare beneficiaries, as well as a program to promote family practice residencies in rural areas.

Medical Care Prices Fell in July

Medical prices, as measured by the Department of Labor's Medical Care Index, fell 0.2% in July—the first monthly decline in 35 years. The components of prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and hospital services all declined in July, according to the department's monthly Consumer Price Index. Overall, however, the nation's CPI increased 0.3%, the report said. In the past 40 years, the Medical Care Index component of the CPI has risen at a much steeper rate than has the overall CPI. The medical component has declined only two other times, both in the mid-1970s, according to the Labor Department.

Patients See Drug Makers' Influence

More than two-thirds of Americans who currently take at least one prescription drug say that pharmaceutical manufacturers have too much influence on physicians' prescribing decisions, according to a survey of 1,150 adults by Consumer Reports magazine. In addition, half said doctors are too eager to prescribe a drug when nonpharmaceutical options might manage a medical condition. A larger poll found that 45% of Americans take at least one prescription drug on a regular basis, and the average person takes four drugs routinely. Nearly half of the group surveyed said they think gifts from pharmaceutical companies influence doctors' prescription choices, and 41% said they think doctors tend to favor new and expensive drugs. Similarly, consumers seemed to be influenced by drug company marketing: One-fifth of those taking prescription drugs said they had asked their physician for one they had seen advertised, and more than half said their doctors gave them the prescriptions they wanted.

Society Backs Stem Cell Research

The Endocrine Society responded to a judge's temporary ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research by reiterating its call for more and broader funding for stem cell studies. Last month U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth ruled that President Obama's 2009 expansion of federal funding violated a 1996 law making the destruction of human embryos illegal. Nevertheless, the Endocrine Society reissued its 2009 position statement backing increased National Institutes of Health funding for such research. The position paper also calls for more embryonic stem cell lines to be available for NIH-funded research and for funding of studies that use cells generated by somatic cell nuclear transfer and those harvested from embryos discarded after in vitro fertilization procedures.

Diabetes Hospitalization Costs High

U.S. hospitals spent $83 billion caring for people with diabetes in 2008, about 23% of the total for all conditions, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Nearly one in every five hospitalizations that year involved a patient with diabetes, the AHRQ said. The expenses included costs associated with more than 540,000 hospital stays specifically for diabetes and roughly 7.2 million stays for diabetic patients being treated for other conditions such as heart disease, kidney damage, infection, and foot or leg amputation. On average, the AHRQ found, hospital stays for people with diabetes cost 25% more than did stays for people without the disease. Medicare paid 60% of the total bill for patients with diabetes, while private insurance paid 23% and Medicaid picked up 10% of the tab.

Diabetes, Environment Linked

Clean home environments and maternal obesity may be conducive to type 1 diabetes, researchers reported in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Scientists based in Washington State and Israel compared nearly 1,900 children hospitalized with type 1 diabetes with more than 7,400 matched controls for factors involving maternal and child weights, family size, socioeconomic status, and prenatal care. They found that type 1 diabetes was less likely in children with older siblings and those with indicators of lower socioeconomic status. The researchers said that both associations lend credence to the hygiene hypothesis, which suggests that a cleaner living environment affects the developing immune system and causes increased susceptibility to autoimmune diseases.

Diabetes Education Helps

A study using data from private insurance and Medicare claims shows that people who receive diabetes education lasting more than a year have fewer inpatient hospital admissions and show higher compliance with medication regimens than do patients receiving less information about their disease. Commissioned by the American Association of Diabetes Educators and conducted by a consulting company, the study looked at 3 years of claims data. “Drug costs are higher and hospital admission costs are lower” for patients who receive the extended diabetes education, Karen Fitzner, Ph.D., chief science and practice officer for the association, said in an interview. Dr. Fitzner said that patients who have had more than a year of such training adhere to their treatment plans 2%-8% better than do those who haven't had any education.

Endocrinologist Satisfaction High

Endocrinologists remain highly satisfied with their career choice, with 76% saying they would choose the same career again and 73% saying they would recommend the field to a medical student, according to a survey by Epocrates, maker of mobile and Web-based information products. In the survey of 166 endocrinologists, nearly 70% said they spend more than 15 minutes with each patient. Responding to questions on a range of topics, they expressed some dislike for the new health care reform legislation, with 62% giving it a C or D and 20% giving it a failing grade. Almost 20% of the doctors said the new law would cause them to retire later, while 15% said it would result in their retiring earlier.

Society Backs Stem Cell Research

The Endocrine Society responded to a judge's temporary ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research by reiterating its call for more and broader funding for stem cell studies. Last month U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth ruled that President Obama's 2009 expansion of federal funding violated a 1996 law making the destruction of human embryos illegal. Nevertheless, the Endocrine Society reissued its 2009 position statement backing increased National Institutes of Health funding for such research. The position paper also calls for more embryonic stem cell lines to be available for NIH-funded research and for funding of studies that use cells generated by somatic cell nuclear transfer and those harvested from embryos discarded after in vitro fertilization procedures.

Diabetes Hospitalization Costs High

U.S. hospitals spent $83 billion caring for people with diabetes in 2008, about 23% of the total for all conditions, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Nearly one in every five hospitalizations that year involved a patient with diabetes, the AHRQ said. The expenses included costs associated with more than 540,000 hospital stays specifically for diabetes and roughly 7.2 million stays for diabetic patients being treated for other conditions such as heart disease, kidney damage, infection, and foot or leg amputation. On average, the AHRQ found, hospital stays for people with diabetes cost 25% more than did stays for people without the disease. Medicare paid 60% of the total bill for patients with diabetes, while private insurance paid 23% and Medicaid picked up 10% of the tab.

Diabetes, Environment Linked

Clean home environments and maternal obesity may be conducive to type 1 diabetes, researchers reported in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Scientists based in Washington State and Israel compared nearly 1,900 children hospitalized with type 1 diabetes with more than 7,400 matched controls for factors involving maternal and child weights, family size, socioeconomic status, and prenatal care. They found that type 1 diabetes was less likely in children with older siblings and those with indicators of lower socioeconomic status. The researchers said that both associations lend credence to the hygiene hypothesis, which suggests that a cleaner living environment affects the developing immune system and causes increased susceptibility to autoimmune diseases.

Diabetes Education Helps

A study using data from private insurance and Medicare claims shows that people who receive diabetes education lasting more than a year have fewer inpatient hospital admissions and show higher compliance with medication regimens than do patients receiving less information about their disease. Commissioned by the American Association of Diabetes Educators and conducted by a consulting company, the study looked at 3 years of claims data. “Drug costs are higher and hospital admission costs are lower” for patients who receive the extended diabetes education, Karen Fitzner, Ph.D., chief science and practice officer for the association, said in an interview. Dr. Fitzner said that patients who have had more than a year of such training adhere to their treatment plans 2%-8% better than do those who haven't had any education.

Endocrinologist Satisfaction High

Endocrinologists remain highly satisfied with their career choice, with 76% saying they would choose the same career again and 73% saying they would recommend the field to a medical student, according to a survey by Epocrates, maker of mobile and Web-based information products. In the survey of 166 endocrinologists, nearly 70% said they spend more than 15 minutes with each patient. Responding to questions on a range of topics, they expressed some dislike for the new health care reform legislation, with 62% giving it a C or D and 20% giving it a failing grade. Almost 20% of the doctors said the new law would cause them to retire later, while 15% said it would result in their retiring earlier.

Society Backs Stem Cell Research

The Endocrine Society responded to a judge's temporary ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research by reiterating its call for more and broader funding for stem cell studies. Last month U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth ruled that President Obama's 2009 expansion of federal funding violated a 1996 law making the destruction of human embryos illegal. Nevertheless, the Endocrine Society reissued its 2009 position statement backing increased National Institutes of Health funding for such research. The position paper also calls for more embryonic stem cell lines to be available for NIH-funded research and for funding of studies that use cells generated by somatic cell nuclear transfer and those harvested from embryos discarded after in vitro fertilization procedures.

Diabetes Hospitalization Costs High

U.S. hospitals spent $83 billion caring for people with diabetes in 2008, about 23% of the total for all conditions, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Nearly one in every five hospitalizations that year involved a patient with diabetes, the AHRQ said. The expenses included costs associated with more than 540,000 hospital stays specifically for diabetes and roughly 7.2 million stays for diabetic patients being treated for other conditions such as heart disease, kidney damage, infection, and foot or leg amputation. On average, the AHRQ found, hospital stays for people with diabetes cost 25% more than did stays for people without the disease. Medicare paid 60% of the total bill for patients with diabetes, while private insurance paid 23% and Medicaid picked up 10% of the tab.

Diabetes, Environment Linked

Clean home environments and maternal obesity may be conducive to type 1 diabetes, researchers reported in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Scientists based in Washington State and Israel compared nearly 1,900 children hospitalized with type 1 diabetes with more than 7,400 matched controls for factors involving maternal and child weights, family size, socioeconomic status, and prenatal care. They found that type 1 diabetes was less likely in children with older siblings and those with indicators of lower socioeconomic status. The researchers said that both associations lend credence to the hygiene hypothesis, which suggests that a cleaner living environment affects the developing immune system and causes increased susceptibility to autoimmune diseases.

Diabetes Education Helps

A study using data from private insurance and Medicare claims shows that people who receive diabetes education lasting more than a year have fewer inpatient hospital admissions and show higher compliance with medication regimens than do patients receiving less information about their disease. Commissioned by the American Association of Diabetes Educators and conducted by a consulting company, the study looked at 3 years of claims data. “Drug costs are higher and hospital admission costs are lower” for patients who receive the extended diabetes education, Karen Fitzner, Ph.D., chief science and practice officer for the association, said in an interview. Dr. Fitzner said that patients who have had more than a year of such training adhere to their treatment plans 2%-8% better than do those who haven't had any education.

Endocrinologist Satisfaction High

Endocrinologists remain highly satisfied with their career choice, with 76% saying they would choose the same career again and 73% saying they would recommend the field to a medical student, according to a survey by Epocrates, maker of mobile and Web-based information products. In the survey of 166 endocrinologists, nearly 70% said they spend more than 15 minutes with each patient. Responding to questions on a range of topics, they expressed some dislike for the new health care reform legislation, with 62% giving it a C or D and 20% giving it a failing grade. Almost 20% of the doctors said the new law would cause them to retire later, while 15% said it would result in their retiring earlier.

Newly elected American Academy of Pediatrics president-elect Robert W. Block said he hopes to provide a strong voice for early childhood health and mental health issues as the academy's top leader.

Dr. Block, a Tulsa, Okla., pediatrician who has focused heavily on adolescent behavioral medicine along with preventing child abuse and neglect, was the founding chair of the newest American Board of Pediatrics sub-board, Child Abuse Pediatrics.

He said his background fits well with the AAP's new emphasis on early brain and childhood development.

"Hopefully, I can use the 'bully pulpit' of the presidency to encourage not only pediatricians but also politicians and policy makers to recognize the importance of health and mental health and education beginning in early childhood," Dr. Block said in an interview.

"We now have good science showing the lifelong consequences of not paying proper attention to early childhood needs," the pediatrician said.

As part of his duties as AAP president, Dr. Block said he anticipates closely monitoring the implementation of the recently approved Affordable Care Act health care reform legislation to make certain that children's access to care and other health care needs — especially early childhood care needs — remain a focus.

"As we move into implementation of the Affordable Care Act, we need to be absolutely sure that a focus on children is there and remains there—that children's care doesn't fall prey to priorities in adult care," said Dr. Block, the Daniel C. Plunket Chair of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma, Tulsa.

One of his priorities will be prevention of child maltreatment and neglect, Dr. Block said in a statement.

Dr. Block, who will serve as the 2011–2012 AAP president, will take office as president-elect on Oct. 4 at the 2010 AAP National Conference and Exhibition in San Francisco.

Newly elected American Academy of Pediatrics president-elect Robert W. Block said he hopes to provide a strong voice for early childhood health and mental health issues as the academy's top leader.

Dr. Block, a Tulsa, Okla., pediatrician who has focused heavily on adolescent behavioral medicine along with preventing child abuse and neglect, was the founding chair of the newest American Board of Pediatrics sub-board, Child Abuse Pediatrics.

He said his background fits well with the AAP's new emphasis on early brain and childhood development.

"Hopefully, I can use the 'bully pulpit' of the presidency to encourage not only pediatricians but also politicians and policy makers to recognize the importance of health and mental health and education beginning in early childhood," Dr. Block said in an interview.

"We now have good science showing the lifelong consequences of not paying proper attention to early childhood needs," the pediatrician said.

As part of his duties as AAP president, Dr. Block said he anticipates closely monitoring the implementation of the recently approved Affordable Care Act health care reform legislation to make certain that children's access to care and other health care needs — especially early childhood care needs — remain a focus.

"As we move into implementation of the Affordable Care Act, we need to be absolutely sure that a focus on children is there and remains there—that children's care doesn't fall prey to priorities in adult care," said Dr. Block, the Daniel C. Plunket Chair of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma, Tulsa.

One of his priorities will be prevention of child maltreatment and neglect, Dr. Block said in a statement.

Dr. Block, who will serve as the 2011–2012 AAP president, will take office as president-elect on Oct. 4 at the 2010 AAP National Conference and Exhibition in San Francisco.

Newly elected American Academy of Pediatrics president-elect Robert W. Block said he hopes to provide a strong voice for early childhood health and mental health issues as the academy's top leader.

Dr. Block, a Tulsa, Okla., pediatrician who has focused heavily on adolescent behavioral medicine along with preventing child abuse and neglect, was the founding chair of the newest American Board of Pediatrics sub-board, Child Abuse Pediatrics.

He said his background fits well with the AAP's new emphasis on early brain and childhood development.

"Hopefully, I can use the 'bully pulpit' of the presidency to encourage not only pediatricians but also politicians and policy makers to recognize the importance of health and mental health and education beginning in early childhood," Dr. Block said in an interview.

"We now have good science showing the lifelong consequences of not paying proper attention to early childhood needs," the pediatrician said.

As part of his duties as AAP president, Dr. Block said he anticipates closely monitoring the implementation of the recently approved Affordable Care Act health care reform legislation to make certain that children's access to care and other health care needs — especially early childhood care needs — remain a focus.

"As we move into implementation of the Affordable Care Act, we need to be absolutely sure that a focus on children is there and remains there—that children's care doesn't fall prey to priorities in adult care," said Dr. Block, the Daniel C. Plunket Chair of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma, Tulsa.

One of his priorities will be prevention of child maltreatment and neglect, Dr. Block said in a statement.

Dr. Block, who will serve as the 2011–2012 AAP president, will take office as president-elect on Oct. 4 at the 2010 AAP National Conference and Exhibition in San Francisco.

Senate Okays Healthy Lunches Bill

The Senate approved by voice vote a $4.5 billion bill to create new, healthier standards for all foods sold in schools, including vending machine items. The legislation would authorize spending of $1.2 billion to increase the number of children receiving daily free meals and $3.3 billion to improve the nutrition of school meals, create school gardens, and purchase local produce. American Academy of Pediatrics spokesman O. Marion Burton praised the unanimous Senate action. “In addition to reauthorizing federal child nutrition programs, the bill will address childhood obesity by reducing the fat and calorie content of school meals,” Dr. Burton said in a statement. The bill sets strict limits for the nutritional content of food in school vending machines and that served outside school lunch and breakfast programs. Similar legislation is pending in the House.

Many New Enrollees Had Insurance

About 60% of children newly enrolled in the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) as part of the federal-state program's 2009 expansion probably had private coverage and switched to less expensive public insurance when it became available, according to a report in the journal Forum for Health Economics & Policy. The private-to-public shift means that CHIP has not expanded to as many uninsured children as intended, the report said. But switching from private to public coverage helps the families involved, allowing them to reduce out-of-pocket medical and insurance payments by more than $100 per month. According to the report, families typically put these savings toward transportation or retirement accounts. “These results suggest that the SCHIP expansions substantially improved the material well-being of the low-income families it is intended to assist—including those who had previously been paying for their own coverage,” the researchers concluded.

Coaches to Aid Enrollment

In an effort to reach the roughly 5 million uninsured children who are eligible for Medicaid and CHIP, the Department of Health and Human Services will educate youth sports coaches about the public insurance programs and encourage the coaches to help enroll eligible children. The HHS will pilot the “Get Covered, Get in the Game” initiative in Colorado, Florida, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Oregon, and Wisconsin. Uninsured children often miss out on sports activities because they cannot afford the required physicals or because their families worry about the potential cost of injuries, according to the HHS. “Kids should not have to miss out on their favorite sports and other activities that get them moving because they lack health insurance coverage,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement.

Many Children Still Live With Smokers

Nearly 18% of children in West Virginia and Kentucky live with smokers, making those children the most likely in the nation to suffer from secondhand tobacco smoke in their homes, according to a study published in Pediatrics. Nationwide, more than 7% of children—5.5 million overall—live with smokers, according to 2007 data analyzed by researchers at the Health Resources and Services Administration and the University of Nebraska. Children in Utah and California had the lowest odds of living with a smoker—in Utah, about 1% of children and in California, just under 2% of children breathed secondhand smoke at home. Children from higher socioeconomic backgrounds, Hispanic families, and non–English speaking households were less likely than were others to have secondhand smoke exposure, the study found.

Youth Drinking Yields Emergencies

Nearly 189,000 patients aged 12–20 were treated for alcohol-related problems at emergency departments in 2008, highlighting the extent of the underage drinking problem in the nation, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The episodes accounted for about one-third of the drug-related ED visits by adolescents and teenagers, the report said. About 30% of the alcohol-related ED visits also involved drugs such as marijuana, anti-anxiety medications, narcotic pain relievers, and cocaine.

Senators Push Rare-Diseases Bill

Three senators have introduced bipartisan legislation that would create financial incentives for drug manufacturers to develop new treatments for rare pediatric diseases. The Creating Hope Act of 2010, sponsored by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), and Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), would allow companies developing treatments for rare pediatric diseases to expedite Food and Drug Administration review of other, more commercially viable drugs. A drug maker that develops a treatment for a rare, neglected pediatric disease would receive a “priority review voucher” from the FDA that it could use to speed review of another product it wished to market, providing “a strong financial incentive for the development of treatments for otherwise neglected diseases,” Sen. Brown said in a statement.

Senate Okays Healthy Lunches Bill

The Senate approved by voice vote a $4.5 billion bill to create new, healthier standards for all foods sold in schools, including vending machine items. The legislation would authorize spending of $1.2 billion to increase the number of children receiving daily free meals and $3.3 billion to improve the nutrition of school meals, create school gardens, and purchase local produce. American Academy of Pediatrics spokesman O. Marion Burton praised the unanimous Senate action. “In addition to reauthorizing federal child nutrition programs, the bill will address childhood obesity by reducing the fat and calorie content of school meals,” Dr. Burton said in a statement. The bill sets strict limits for the nutritional content of food in school vending machines and that served outside school lunch and breakfast programs. Similar legislation is pending in the House.

Many New Enrollees Had Insurance

About 60% of children newly enrolled in the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) as part of the federal-state program's 2009 expansion probably had private coverage and switched to less expensive public insurance when it became available, according to a report in the journal Forum for Health Economics & Policy. The private-to-public shift means that CHIP has not expanded to as many uninsured children as intended, the report said. But switching from private to public coverage helps the families involved, allowing them to reduce out-of-pocket medical and insurance payments by more than $100 per month. According to the report, families typically put these savings toward transportation or retirement accounts. “These results suggest that the SCHIP expansions substantially improved the material well-being of the low-income families it is intended to assist—including those who had previously been paying for their own coverage,” the researchers concluded.

Coaches to Aid Enrollment

In an effort to reach the roughly 5 million uninsured children who are eligible for Medicaid and CHIP, the Department of Health and Human Services will educate youth sports coaches about the public insurance programs and encourage the coaches to help enroll eligible children. The HHS will pilot the “Get Covered, Get in the Game” initiative in Colorado, Florida, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Oregon, and Wisconsin. Uninsured children often miss out on sports activities because they cannot afford the required physicals or because their families worry about the potential cost of injuries, according to the HHS. “Kids should not have to miss out on their favorite sports and other activities that get them moving because they lack health insurance coverage,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement.

Many Children Still Live With Smokers

Nearly 18% of children in West Virginia and Kentucky live with smokers, making those children the most likely in the nation to suffer from secondhand tobacco smoke in their homes, according to a study published in Pediatrics. Nationwide, more than 7% of children—5.5 million overall—live with smokers, according to 2007 data analyzed by researchers at the Health Resources and Services Administration and the University of Nebraska. Children in Utah and California had the lowest odds of living with a smoker—in Utah, about 1% of children and in California, just under 2% of children breathed secondhand smoke at home. Children from higher socioeconomic backgrounds, Hispanic families, and non–English speaking households were less likely than were others to have secondhand smoke exposure, the study found.

Youth Drinking Yields Emergencies

Nearly 189,000 patients aged 12–20 were treated for alcohol-related problems at emergency departments in 2008, highlighting the extent of the underage drinking problem in the nation, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The episodes accounted for about one-third of the drug-related ED visits by adolescents and teenagers, the report said. About 30% of the alcohol-related ED visits also involved drugs such as marijuana, anti-anxiety medications, narcotic pain relievers, and cocaine.

Senators Push Rare-Diseases Bill

Three senators have introduced bipartisan legislation that would create financial incentives for drug manufacturers to develop new treatments for rare pediatric diseases. The Creating Hope Act of 2010, sponsored by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), and Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), would allow companies developing treatments for rare pediatric diseases to expedite Food and Drug Administration review of other, more commercially viable drugs. A drug maker that develops a treatment for a rare, neglected pediatric disease would receive a “priority review voucher” from the FDA that it could use to speed review of another product it wished to market, providing “a strong financial incentive for the development of treatments for otherwise neglected diseases,” Sen. Brown said in a statement.

Senate Okays Healthy Lunches Bill

The Senate approved by voice vote a $4.5 billion bill to create new, healthier standards for all foods sold in schools, including vending machine items. The legislation would authorize spending of $1.2 billion to increase the number of children receiving daily free meals and $3.3 billion to improve the nutrition of school meals, create school gardens, and purchase local produce. American Academy of Pediatrics spokesman O. Marion Burton praised the unanimous Senate action. “In addition to reauthorizing federal child nutrition programs, the bill will address childhood obesity by reducing the fat and calorie content of school meals,” Dr. Burton said in a statement. The bill sets strict limits for the nutritional content of food in school vending machines and that served outside school lunch and breakfast programs. Similar legislation is pending in the House.

Many New Enrollees Had Insurance

About 60% of children newly enrolled in the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) as part of the federal-state program's 2009 expansion probably had private coverage and switched to less expensive public insurance when it became available, according to a report in the journal Forum for Health Economics & Policy. The private-to-public shift means that CHIP has not expanded to as many uninsured children as intended, the report said. But switching from private to public coverage helps the families involved, allowing them to reduce out-of-pocket medical and insurance payments by more than $100 per month. According to the report, families typically put these savings toward transportation or retirement accounts. “These results suggest that the SCHIP expansions substantially improved the material well-being of the low-income families it is intended to assist—including those who had previously been paying for their own coverage,” the researchers concluded.

Coaches to Aid Enrollment

In an effort to reach the roughly 5 million uninsured children who are eligible for Medicaid and CHIP, the Department of Health and Human Services will educate youth sports coaches about the public insurance programs and encourage the coaches to help enroll eligible children. The HHS will pilot the “Get Covered, Get in the Game” initiative in Colorado, Florida, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Oregon, and Wisconsin. Uninsured children often miss out on sports activities because they cannot afford the required physicals or because their families worry about the potential cost of injuries, according to the HHS. “Kids should not have to miss out on their favorite sports and other activities that get them moving because they lack health insurance coverage,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement.

Many Children Still Live With Smokers

Nearly 18% of children in West Virginia and Kentucky live with smokers, making those children the most likely in the nation to suffer from secondhand tobacco smoke in their homes, according to a study published in Pediatrics. Nationwide, more than 7% of children—5.5 million overall—live with smokers, according to 2007 data analyzed by researchers at the Health Resources and Services Administration and the University of Nebraska. Children in Utah and California had the lowest odds of living with a smoker—in Utah, about 1% of children and in California, just under 2% of children breathed secondhand smoke at home. Children from higher socioeconomic backgrounds, Hispanic families, and non–English speaking households were less likely than were others to have secondhand smoke exposure, the study found.

Youth Drinking Yields Emergencies

Nearly 189,000 patients aged 12–20 were treated for alcohol-related problems at emergency departments in 2008, highlighting the extent of the underage drinking problem in the nation, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The episodes accounted for about one-third of the drug-related ED visits by adolescents and teenagers, the report said. About 30% of the alcohol-related ED visits also involved drugs such as marijuana, anti-anxiety medications, narcotic pain relievers, and cocaine.

Senators Push Rare-Diseases Bill

Three senators have introduced bipartisan legislation that would create financial incentives for drug manufacturers to develop new treatments for rare pediatric diseases. The Creating Hope Act of 2010, sponsored by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), and Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), would allow companies developing treatments for rare pediatric diseases to expedite Food and Drug Administration review of other, more commercially viable drugs. A drug maker that develops a treatment for a rare, neglected pediatric disease would receive a “priority review voucher” from the FDA that it could use to speed review of another product it wished to market, providing “a strong financial incentive for the development of treatments for otherwise neglected diseases,” Sen. Brown said in a statement.

Medicare Is Solvent to 2029

The new health care reform law will extend the solvency of the trust fund that pays for Medicare hospital services 12 additional years, the Department of Health and Human Services announced. The law requires Medicare to develop new models of care, reward quality, and ferret out fraud and abuse, and these provisions mean the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund will continue to take in more money than it spends until 2029, according to the annual report from Medicare's trustees. Last year, the trustees predicted the fund would begin to run in the red by 2017. The report also projected a balanced budget “for the foreseeable future” for the trust fund that helps Medicare beneficiaries pay for physician services and prescription drugs.

$42 Million for HIV Prevention

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded $42 million to 133 community-based organizations to fight HIV among at-risk populations, which include blacks, Hispanics, gay and bisexual men, and illicit-drug injectors. The organizations will receive an average $323,000 per year for 5 years to implement HIV-prevention programs, increase HIV testing, and promote knowledge of HIV status among individuals. The organizations will use small amounts of each grant to measure their effectiveness. According to the CDC, a local organization has community knowledge and perspective that enable it to reach people who might not otherwise get tested for HIV or access preventive services.

Foreign Training Upholds Quality

Foreign-trained physicians provide the same quality of care as do physicians trained at U.S. medical schools, according to a study published in the journal Health Affairs. Using data from Pennsylvania, the researchers found no significant difference in the death rates of patients treated by international medical school graduates vs. those treated by graduates of U.S. medical schools. However, the study also found that the patients of U.S.-born doctors who graduate from non-U.S. medical schools had higher rates of in-hospital deaths than do the patients of foreign-born international medical school graduates. “It is reassuring to know that patients of [international graduates] receive the same quality of care that they would receive from a physician trained in the United States,” John Norcini, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research and lead author of the study, said in a statement. Nevertheless, the study's authors said that as U.S. medical schools expand, they must carefully guard the quality of their accepted applicants.

Primary Care Gets Sued Less

More than 5% of physicians surveyed by the American Medical Association reported being sued at least once in the past 12 months, but internists and family practice physicians reported fewer lawsuits than did other specialists. Only 3.1% of physicians in family and general practices had lawsuits filed against them, while 4.4% of general internists and 3.6% of internal medicine subspecialists reported being sued, according to the AMA. However, more than one-third of internists and family physicians told the AMA they had been sued at least once in their careers, and 13% of general internists, 22% of family physicians, and 21% of internal medicine subspecialists had been sued twice or more. Nearly 70% of general surgeons and obstetricians/gynecologists had been sued in their careers, 52% twice or more. The AMA compiled the report from data in its 2007-2008 Physician Practice Information survey. “The findings in this report validate the need for national and state medical liability reform to rein in our out-of-control system where lawsuits are a matter of when, not if, for physicians,” Dr. J. James Rohack, AMA immediate past president, said in a statement.

Med Students Want More Sex Ed

More than half of medical students completing an Internet survey said they had not received enough training on sexual issues to address their patients' sexual concerns clinically, a study in the journal Academic Medicine found. Despite this, four of five of the students said they felt comfortable dealing with their patients' sexuality issues. Students reporting limited sexual experience, being at risk for sexual problems, and feeling that they had not been trained adequately admitted more unease talking about sexual issues than other medical students did. The survey of U.S. and Canadian medical students included 1,343 women, 910 men, and 8 who answered “other” to gender.

Deals Keep Generics Off Market

Branded- and generic-drug manufacturers have made at least 21 deals so far this year that potentially delay the production of cheaper, generic versions of existing brand-name drugs, the Federal Trade Commission said. In three-quarters of the settlements, reported to the FTC, the branded and generic drug makers came to terms without money changing hands. The agency, which is attempting to crack down on “pay-for-delay” deals, told congressional lawmakers that generic and branded drug manufacturers inked 19 such deals in 2009 and 16 in 2008. The 2010 deals protect $9 billion in brand-name drug sales from generic competition, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz told a House subcommittee. The FTC estimated that “pay-for-delay” deals cost consumers $3.5 billion each year.

Medicare Is Solvent to 2029

The new health care reform law will extend the solvency of the trust fund that pays for Medicare hospital services 12 additional years, the Department of Health and Human Services announced. The law requires Medicare to develop new models of care, reward quality, and ferret out fraud and abuse, and these provisions mean the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund will continue to take in more money than it spends until 2029, according to the annual report from Medicare's trustees. Last year, the trustees predicted the fund would begin to run in the red by 2017. The report also projected a balanced budget “for the foreseeable future” for the trust fund that helps Medicare beneficiaries pay for physician services and prescription drugs.

$42 Million for HIV Prevention

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded $42 million to 133 community-based organizations to fight HIV among at-risk populations, which include blacks, Hispanics, gay and bisexual men, and illicit-drug injectors. The organizations will receive an average $323,000 per year for 5 years to implement HIV-prevention programs, increase HIV testing, and promote knowledge of HIV status among individuals. The organizations will use small amounts of each grant to measure their effectiveness. According to the CDC, a local organization has community knowledge and perspective that enable it to reach people who might not otherwise get tested for HIV or access preventive services.

Foreign Training Upholds Quality

Foreign-trained physicians provide the same quality of care as do physicians trained at U.S. medical schools, according to a study published in the journal Health Affairs. Using data from Pennsylvania, the researchers found no significant difference in the death rates of patients treated by international medical school graduates vs. those treated by graduates of U.S. medical schools. However, the study also found that the patients of U.S.-born doctors who graduate from non-U.S. medical schools had higher rates of in-hospital deaths than do the patients of foreign-born international medical school graduates. “It is reassuring to know that patients of [international graduates] receive the same quality of care that they would receive from a physician trained in the United States,” John Norcini, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research and lead author of the study, said in a statement. Nevertheless, the study's authors said that as U.S. medical schools expand, they must carefully guard the quality of their accepted applicants.

Primary Care Gets Sued Less

More than 5% of physicians surveyed by the American Medical Association reported being sued at least once in the past 12 months, but internists and family practice physicians reported fewer lawsuits than did other specialists. Only 3.1% of physicians in family and general practices had lawsuits filed against them, while 4.4% of general internists and 3.6% of internal medicine subspecialists reported being sued, according to the AMA. However, more than one-third of internists and family physicians told the AMA they had been sued at least once in their careers, and 13% of general internists, 22% of family physicians, and 21% of internal medicine subspecialists had been sued twice or more. Nearly 70% of general surgeons and obstetricians/gynecologists had been sued in their careers, 52% twice or more. The AMA compiled the report from data in its 2007-2008 Physician Practice Information survey. “The findings in this report validate the need for national and state medical liability reform to rein in our out-of-control system where lawsuits are a matter of when, not if, for physicians,” Dr. J. James Rohack, AMA immediate past president, said in a statement.

Med Students Want More Sex Ed

More than half of medical students completing an Internet survey said they had not received enough training on sexual issues to address their patients' sexual concerns clinically, a study in the journal Academic Medicine found. Despite this, four of five of the students said they felt comfortable dealing with their patients' sexuality issues. Students reporting limited sexual experience, being at risk for sexual problems, and feeling that they had not been trained adequately admitted more unease talking about sexual issues than other medical students did. The survey of U.S. and Canadian medical students included 1,343 women, 910 men, and 8 who answered “other” to gender.

Deals Keep Generics Off Market

Branded- and generic-drug manufacturers have made at least 21 deals so far this year that potentially delay the production of cheaper, generic versions of existing brand-name drugs, the Federal Trade Commission said. In three-quarters of the settlements, reported to the FTC, the branded and generic drug makers came to terms without money changing hands. The agency, which is attempting to crack down on “pay-for-delay” deals, told congressional lawmakers that generic and branded drug manufacturers inked 19 such deals in 2009 and 16 in 2008. The 2010 deals protect $9 billion in brand-name drug sales from generic competition, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz told a House subcommittee. The FTC estimated that “pay-for-delay” deals cost consumers $3.5 billion each year.

Medicare Is Solvent to 2029

The new health care reform law will extend the solvency of the trust fund that pays for Medicare hospital services 12 additional years, the Department of Health and Human Services announced. The law requires Medicare to develop new models of care, reward quality, and ferret out fraud and abuse, and these provisions mean the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund will continue to take in more money than it spends until 2029, according to the annual report from Medicare's trustees. Last year, the trustees predicted the fund would begin to run in the red by 2017. The report also projected a balanced budget “for the foreseeable future” for the trust fund that helps Medicare beneficiaries pay for physician services and prescription drugs.

$42 Million for HIV Prevention

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded $42 million to 133 community-based organizations to fight HIV among at-risk populations, which include blacks, Hispanics, gay and bisexual men, and illicit-drug injectors. The organizations will receive an average $323,000 per year for 5 years to implement HIV-prevention programs, increase HIV testing, and promote knowledge of HIV status among individuals. The organizations will use small amounts of each grant to measure their effectiveness. According to the CDC, a local organization has community knowledge and perspective that enable it to reach people who might not otherwise get tested for HIV or access preventive services.

Foreign Training Upholds Quality

Foreign-trained physicians provide the same quality of care as do physicians trained at U.S. medical schools, according to a study published in the journal Health Affairs. Using data from Pennsylvania, the researchers found no significant difference in the death rates of patients treated by international medical school graduates vs. those treated by graduates of U.S. medical schools. However, the study also found that the patients of U.S.-born doctors who graduate from non-U.S. medical schools had higher rates of in-hospital deaths than do the patients of foreign-born international medical school graduates. “It is reassuring to know that patients of [international graduates] receive the same quality of care that they would receive from a physician trained in the United States,” John Norcini, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research and lead author of the study, said in a statement. Nevertheless, the study's authors said that as U.S. medical schools expand, they must carefully guard the quality of their accepted applicants.

Primary Care Gets Sued Less

More than 5% of physicians surveyed by the American Medical Association reported being sued at least once in the past 12 months, but internists and family practice physicians reported fewer lawsuits than did other specialists. Only 3.1% of physicians in family and general practices had lawsuits filed against them, while 4.4% of general internists and 3.6% of internal medicine subspecialists reported being sued, according to the AMA. However, more than one-third of internists and family physicians told the AMA they had been sued at least once in their careers, and 13% of general internists, 22% of family physicians, and 21% of internal medicine subspecialists had been sued twice or more. Nearly 70% of general surgeons and obstetricians/gynecologists had been sued in their careers, 52% twice or more. The AMA compiled the report from data in its 2007-2008 Physician Practice Information survey. “The findings in this report validate the need for national and state medical liability reform to rein in our out-of-control system where lawsuits are a matter of when, not if, for physicians,” Dr. J. James Rohack, AMA immediate past president, said in a statement.

Med Students Want More Sex Ed

More than half of medical students completing an Internet survey said they had not received enough training on sexual issues to address their patients' sexual concerns clinically, a study in the journal Academic Medicine found. Despite this, four of five of the students said they felt comfortable dealing with their patients' sexuality issues. Students reporting limited sexual experience, being at risk for sexual problems, and feeling that they had not been trained adequately admitted more unease talking about sexual issues than other medical students did. The survey of U.S. and Canadian medical students included 1,343 women, 910 men, and 8 who answered “other” to gender.

Deals Keep Generics Off Market

Branded- and generic-drug manufacturers have made at least 21 deals so far this year that potentially delay the production of cheaper, generic versions of existing brand-name drugs, the Federal Trade Commission said. In three-quarters of the settlements, reported to the FTC, the branded and generic drug makers came to terms without money changing hands. The agency, which is attempting to crack down on “pay-for-delay” deals, told congressional lawmakers that generic and branded drug manufacturers inked 19 such deals in 2009 and 16 in 2008. The 2010 deals protect $9 billion in brand-name drug sales from generic competition, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz told a House subcommittee. The FTC estimated that “pay-for-delay” deals cost consumers $3.5 billion each year.

Major Finding: About half of uninsured young adults will get health insurance coverage by 2014, and most others in that group will be eligible for premium subsidies under the new health insurance reform law, which may enable them to seek needed care and alleviate debt.

Data Source: Commonwealth Fund Survey of Young Adults, 2009.

Disclosures: None was reported.

Health reform could benefit young adults more than any other uninsured group, expanding coverage to almost all 13.7 million of them through a combination of insurance reforms, subsidies, and Medicaid expansion, according to a report from the Commonwealth Fund.

Provisions of the Affordable Care Act that extend coverage of young adults as dependents to age 26 years probably will cover about 1.2 million of that population by the end of 2011. Extending Medicaid eligibility could provide coverage to another 7.1 million young people, beginning in 2014, according to the report.

Further, combining premium subsidies with opportunities to purchase coverage via a health insurance exchange will provide the remaining uninsured young adults–defined by the report as aged 19-29 years–a chance to obtain affordable coverage starting in 2014.

“The benefit of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 for young adults cannot be overstated,” Sara Collins, Ph.D., lead author of the report, said at a press briefing. “The provisions have the potential to cover 13.7 million young adults,” or the same number that were uninsured in 2008.

However, that figure probably underestimates the current number of uninsured young adults, since unemployment has risen dramatically in that population since 2008.

Health care costs represent a significant problem for this group, whether or not they are insured, according to the report. A total of 76% of uninsured young adults and 37% of those with insurance went without needed care in 2009 because of its cost, the report said. One-third of all uninsured young people and 46% of those both uninsured and with chronic health problems reported that their health declined because they delayed getting medical care.

In addition in 2009, 60% of young adults without insurance had trouble paying medical bills, compared with 27% of their insured peers, according to the report. Medical debt also is a problem, the report found, with 11.3 million young people paying off medical debt. Half of those had asked family for financial help, while 39% said they were unable to meet other financial obligations such as student loans because of their medical debt.

More than half of the 13.7 million uninsured young adults are in families with incomes that will make them newly eligible for Medicaid under the health care reform law. Another 30% are in families whose incomes will qualify them for health insurance premium subsidies so they will not have to spend more than 3%-8% of their income on health insurance premiums. And 12% live in families whose incomes will qualify them for health insurance–premium subsidies so they won't have to spend more than 9.5% of their income on premiums, the Commonwealth Fund study found.

Fewer than 1 million uninsured young adults are expected to have incomes too high to qualify for premium assistance, the study authors said.

Many of those who will become newly insured through the law's provisions probably will seek care from primary care physicians rather than getting free care from emergency departments, noted Dr. Collins, the Commonwealth Fund's vice president for affordable health insurance. This has the potential to help primary care physicians because “these people will be coming in with insurance cards” that will cover much of their care.

“A lot of people have been getting free care,” she said. “Now, providers will be reimbursed for care.”

It's not clear whether the new law will lead to a significant shortage of primary care physicians to care for the influx of patients, but Dr. Collins said that the law authorizes a significant increase in funding for community health centers, which could take up some of the slack.

The report, “Rite of Passage: Young Adults and the Affordable Care Act of 2010,” was based on federal health insurance data and a national telephone survey of 2,002 young adults. It was funded by the Commonwealth Fund.

Major Finding: About half of uninsured young adults will get health insurance coverage by 2014, and most others in that group will be eligible for premium subsidies under the new health insurance reform law, which may enable them to seek needed care and alleviate debt.

Data Source: Commonwealth Fund Survey of Young Adults, 2009.

Disclosures: None was reported.

Health reform could benefit young adults more than any other uninsured group, expanding coverage to almost all 13.7 million of them through a combination of insurance reforms, subsidies, and Medicaid expansion, according to a report from the Commonwealth Fund.

Provisions of the Affordable Care Act that extend coverage of young adults as dependents to age 26 years probably will cover about 1.2 million of that population by the end of 2011. Extending Medicaid eligibility could provide coverage to another 7.1 million young people, beginning in 2014, according to the report.

Further, combining premium subsidies with opportunities to purchase coverage via a health insurance exchange will provide the remaining uninsured young adults–defined by the report as aged 19-29 years–a chance to obtain affordable coverage starting in 2014.

“The benefit of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 for young adults cannot be overstated,” Sara Collins, Ph.D., lead author of the report, said at a press briefing. “The provisions have the potential to cover 13.7 million young adults,” or the same number that were uninsured in 2008.

However, that figure probably underestimates the current number of uninsured young adults, since unemployment has risen dramatically in that population since 2008.

Health care costs represent a significant problem for this group, whether or not they are insured, according to the report. A total of 76% of uninsured young adults and 37% of those with insurance went without needed care in 2009 because of its cost, the report said. One-third of all uninsured young people and 46% of those both uninsured and with chronic health problems reported that their health declined because they delayed getting medical care.

In addition in 2009, 60% of young adults without insurance had trouble paying medical bills, compared with 27% of their insured peers, according to the report. Medical debt also is a problem, the report found, with 11.3 million young people paying off medical debt. Half of those had asked family for financial help, while 39% said they were unable to meet other financial obligations such as student loans because of their medical debt.

More than half of the 13.7 million uninsured young adults are in families with incomes that will make them newly eligible for Medicaid under the health care reform law. Another 30% are in families whose incomes will qualify them for health insurance premium subsidies so they will not have to spend more than 3%-8% of their income on health insurance premiums. And 12% live in families whose incomes will qualify them for health insurance–premium subsidies so they won't have to spend more than 9.5% of their income on premiums, the Commonwealth Fund study found.

Fewer than 1 million uninsured young adults are expected to have incomes too high to qualify for premium assistance, the study authors said.

Many of those who will become newly insured through the law's provisions probably will seek care from primary care physicians rather than getting free care from emergency departments, noted Dr. Collins, the Commonwealth Fund's vice president for affordable health insurance. This has the potential to help primary care physicians because “these people will be coming in with insurance cards” that will cover much of their care.

“A lot of people have been getting free care,” she said. “Now, providers will be reimbursed for care.”

It's not clear whether the new law will lead to a significant shortage of primary care physicians to care for the influx of patients, but Dr. Collins said that the law authorizes a significant increase in funding for community health centers, which could take up some of the slack.

The report, “Rite of Passage: Young Adults and the Affordable Care Act of 2010,” was based on federal health insurance data and a national telephone survey of 2,002 young adults. It was funded by the Commonwealth Fund.

Major Finding: About half of uninsured young adults will get health insurance coverage by 2014, and most others in that group will be eligible for premium subsidies under the new health insurance reform law, which may enable them to seek needed care and alleviate debt.

Data Source: Commonwealth Fund Survey of Young Adults, 2009.

Disclosures: None was reported.

Health reform could benefit young adults more than any other uninsured group, expanding coverage to almost all 13.7 million of them through a combination of insurance reforms, subsidies, and Medicaid expansion, according to a report from the Commonwealth Fund.

Provisions of the Affordable Care Act that extend coverage of young adults as dependents to age 26 years probably will cover about 1.2 million of that population by the end of 2011. Extending Medicaid eligibility could provide coverage to another 7.1 million young people, beginning in 2014, according to the report.

Further, combining premium subsidies with opportunities to purchase coverage via a health insurance exchange will provide the remaining uninsured young adults–defined by the report as aged 19-29 years–a chance to obtain affordable coverage starting in 2014.

“The benefit of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 for young adults cannot be overstated,” Sara Collins, Ph.D., lead author of the report, said at a press briefing. “The provisions have the potential to cover 13.7 million young adults,” or the same number that were uninsured in 2008.

However, that figure probably underestimates the current number of uninsured young adults, since unemployment has risen dramatically in that population since 2008.

Health care costs represent a significant problem for this group, whether or not they are insured, according to the report. A total of 76% of uninsured young adults and 37% of those with insurance went without needed care in 2009 because of its cost, the report said. One-third of all uninsured young people and 46% of those both uninsured and with chronic health problems reported that their health declined because they delayed getting medical care.

In addition in 2009, 60% of young adults without insurance had trouble paying medical bills, compared with 27% of their insured peers, according to the report. Medical debt also is a problem, the report found, with 11.3 million young people paying off medical debt. Half of those had asked family for financial help, while 39% said they were unable to meet other financial obligations such as student loans because of their medical debt.

More than half of the 13.7 million uninsured young adults are in families with incomes that will make them newly eligible for Medicaid under the health care reform law. Another 30% are in families whose incomes will qualify them for health insurance premium subsidies so they will not have to spend more than 3%-8% of their income on health insurance premiums. And 12% live in families whose incomes will qualify them for health insurance–premium subsidies so they won't have to spend more than 9.5% of their income on premiums, the Commonwealth Fund study found.

Fewer than 1 million uninsured young adults are expected to have incomes too high to qualify for premium assistance, the study authors said.

Many of those who will become newly insured through the law's provisions probably will seek care from primary care physicians rather than getting free care from emergency departments, noted Dr. Collins, the Commonwealth Fund's vice president for affordable health insurance. This has the potential to help primary care physicians because “these people will be coming in with insurance cards” that will cover much of their care.

“A lot of people have been getting free care,” she said. “Now, providers will be reimbursed for care.”

It's not clear whether the new law will lead to a significant shortage of primary care physicians to care for the influx of patients, but Dr. Collins said that the law authorizes a significant increase in funding for community health centers, which could take up some of the slack.

The report, “Rite of Passage: Young Adults and the Affordable Care Act of 2010,” was based on federal health insurance data and a national telephone survey of 2,002 young adults. It was funded by the Commonwealth Fund.