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Preventive Training Supported
The Department of Health and Human Services has awarded 15 grants totaling $9 million to train about 55 residents in preventive medicine. Some of the funds come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The support goes to accredited schools of public health and medicine and hospital-based residency programs, the agency said. Griffin Health Services Corp., the parent company of Griffin Hospital in Derby, Conn., was awarded the top grant of $1.4 million. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health received $1.1 million, and the University of California, Davis, received about $1 million, DHHS said.
State Backs Coordinated Care
Health care providers in five communities across New Hampshire have agreed with the state's major insurance companies to participate in a 5-year pilot program to encourage collaboration, prevention, and disease management instead of fee-for-service medicine, said Gov. John Lynch (D). Groups of providers in each community will become “accountable care organizations” and thus take responsibility for coordinating health care and preventive services to local residents. Each organization will determine how to spend its budget to achieve quality outcomes and efficiency. The current “system rewards providers for seeing as many patients as possible. We're going to change that. Under this pilot project, we are moving to a system where health care providers will profit from spending time with their patients and keeping them healthy,” Gov. Lynch said in the statement.
Generics Saved Nearly $1 Trillion
Use of generic drugs saved the U.S. health care system more than $824 billion in 2000–2009, according to a report commissioned by the Generic Pharmaceutical Association and conducted by research firm IMS Health. Cardiovascular drugs, nervous system drugs, and metabolism drugs accounted for three-quarters of the savings, according to the report. In 2009, generics saved $139.6 billion, an increase of 15% over 2008, and those savings are expected to accelerate as 6 of the 10 current largest-selling brand-name drugs will lose patent protection by 2014, the report said. In that groups are the cholesterol drug Lipitor (atorvastatin), the blood clot preventer Plavix (clopidogrel), and the asthma medication Singulair (montelukast).
Whites Least Hospitalized for HBP
Blacks were hospitalized for hypertension nearly five times as often as whites in 2006, and Hispanics were as likely as whites to be admitted for the condition, according to the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality. Whites had 33 admissions per 100,000 people each year, whereas the figure for blacks was 161 admissions and for Hispanics, 61 admissions. More than 250,000 people each year are hospitalized for hypertension with complications, the agency found. The poorest Americans were 2.5 times as likely to be admitted for hypertension as were the wealthiest.
Agencies Post Disability Guidance
The Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services have jointly issued new technical guidance for health providers to encourage care of people with mobility disabilities. “Access to Medical Care for Persons with Mobility Disabilities” details how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other government rules on disabled access apply to providers. The 19-page document includes an overview of general ADA requirements, frequently asked questions, and illustrated examples of accessible facilities, exam rooms, and equipment. Providers can download the booklet at
FDA: Intuniv Promotion Misleading
Promotional materials for the attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder drug Intuniv (guanfacine) misleadingly imply that the drug can correct “individual behavior problems” that “the whole family can see,” the FDA said in a letter ordering the manufacturer, Shire Development, to stop using those claims in parent guides and in-office brochures and displays. The materials mentioned temper outbursts, arguments with adults, deliberate annoyance of others, and irritability, the FDA said in its letter. However, the agency told Shire, “these behavioral problems are not symptoms specific to ADHD, and we are not aware of substantial evidence or substantial clinical experience demonstrating an effect of Intuniv on these behavioral problems.”
Parents Want Genetic Tests
Most parents are interested in having their children checked for disease risks using at-home genetic testing kits, according to a survey from C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor. The poll found 53% of parents either “very” or “somewhat” interested. Almost that entire group said the testing might give them the chance to prevent diseases and could help them recognize children's health problems early. Two-thirds of those who said they wouldn't be interested in testing their children cited the possibility of discrimination against children who showed genetic risk of disease.
Preventive Training Supported
The Department of Health and Human Services has awarded 15 grants totaling $9 million to train about 55 residents in preventive medicine. Some of the funds come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The support goes to accredited schools of public health and medicine and hospital-based residency programs, the agency said. Griffin Health Services Corp., the parent company of Griffin Hospital in Derby, Conn., was awarded the top grant of $1.4 million. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health received $1.1 million, and the University of California, Davis, received about $1 million, DHHS said.
State Backs Coordinated Care
Health care providers in five communities across New Hampshire have agreed with the state's major insurance companies to participate in a 5-year pilot program to encourage collaboration, prevention, and disease management instead of fee-for-service medicine, said Gov. John Lynch (D). Groups of providers in each community will become “accountable care organizations” and thus take responsibility for coordinating health care and preventive services to local residents. Each organization will determine how to spend its budget to achieve quality outcomes and efficiency. The current “system rewards providers for seeing as many patients as possible. We're going to change that. Under this pilot project, we are moving to a system where health care providers will profit from spending time with their patients and keeping them healthy,” Gov. Lynch said in the statement.
Generics Saved Nearly $1 Trillion
Use of generic drugs saved the U.S. health care system more than $824 billion in 2000–2009, according to a report commissioned by the Generic Pharmaceutical Association and conducted by research firm IMS Health. Cardiovascular drugs, nervous system drugs, and metabolism drugs accounted for three-quarters of the savings, according to the report. In 2009, generics saved $139.6 billion, an increase of 15% over 2008, and those savings are expected to accelerate as 6 of the 10 current largest-selling brand-name drugs will lose patent protection by 2014, the report said. In that groups are the cholesterol drug Lipitor (atorvastatin), the blood clot preventer Plavix (clopidogrel), and the asthma medication Singulair (montelukast).
Whites Least Hospitalized for HBP
Blacks were hospitalized for hypertension nearly five times as often as whites in 2006, and Hispanics were as likely as whites to be admitted for the condition, according to the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality. Whites had 33 admissions per 100,000 people each year, whereas the figure for blacks was 161 admissions and for Hispanics, 61 admissions. More than 250,000 people each year are hospitalized for hypertension with complications, the agency found. The poorest Americans were 2.5 times as likely to be admitted for hypertension as were the wealthiest.
Agencies Post Disability Guidance
The Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services have jointly issued new technical guidance for health providers to encourage care of people with mobility disabilities. “Access to Medical Care for Persons with Mobility Disabilities” details how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other government rules on disabled access apply to providers. The 19-page document includes an overview of general ADA requirements, frequently asked questions, and illustrated examples of accessible facilities, exam rooms, and equipment. Providers can download the booklet at
FDA: Intuniv Promotion Misleading
Promotional materials for the attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder drug Intuniv (guanfacine) misleadingly imply that the drug can correct “individual behavior problems” that “the whole family can see,” the FDA said in a letter ordering the manufacturer, Shire Development, to stop using those claims in parent guides and in-office brochures and displays. The materials mentioned temper outbursts, arguments with adults, deliberate annoyance of others, and irritability, the FDA said in its letter. However, the agency told Shire, “these behavioral problems are not symptoms specific to ADHD, and we are not aware of substantial evidence or substantial clinical experience demonstrating an effect of Intuniv on these behavioral problems.”
Parents Want Genetic Tests
Most parents are interested in having their children checked for disease risks using at-home genetic testing kits, according to a survey from C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor. The poll found 53% of parents either “very” or “somewhat” interested. Almost that entire group said the testing might give them the chance to prevent diseases and could help them recognize children's health problems early. Two-thirds of those who said they wouldn't be interested in testing their children cited the possibility of discrimination against children who showed genetic risk of disease.
Preventive Training Supported
The Department of Health and Human Services has awarded 15 grants totaling $9 million to train about 55 residents in preventive medicine. Some of the funds come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The support goes to accredited schools of public health and medicine and hospital-based residency programs, the agency said. Griffin Health Services Corp., the parent company of Griffin Hospital in Derby, Conn., was awarded the top grant of $1.4 million. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health received $1.1 million, and the University of California, Davis, received about $1 million, DHHS said.
State Backs Coordinated Care
Health care providers in five communities across New Hampshire have agreed with the state's major insurance companies to participate in a 5-year pilot program to encourage collaboration, prevention, and disease management instead of fee-for-service medicine, said Gov. John Lynch (D). Groups of providers in each community will become “accountable care organizations” and thus take responsibility for coordinating health care and preventive services to local residents. Each organization will determine how to spend its budget to achieve quality outcomes and efficiency. The current “system rewards providers for seeing as many patients as possible. We're going to change that. Under this pilot project, we are moving to a system where health care providers will profit from spending time with their patients and keeping them healthy,” Gov. Lynch said in the statement.
Generics Saved Nearly $1 Trillion
Use of generic drugs saved the U.S. health care system more than $824 billion in 2000–2009, according to a report commissioned by the Generic Pharmaceutical Association and conducted by research firm IMS Health. Cardiovascular drugs, nervous system drugs, and metabolism drugs accounted for three-quarters of the savings, according to the report. In 2009, generics saved $139.6 billion, an increase of 15% over 2008, and those savings are expected to accelerate as 6 of the 10 current largest-selling brand-name drugs will lose patent protection by 2014, the report said. In that groups are the cholesterol drug Lipitor (atorvastatin), the blood clot preventer Plavix (clopidogrel), and the asthma medication Singulair (montelukast).
Whites Least Hospitalized for HBP
Blacks were hospitalized for hypertension nearly five times as often as whites in 2006, and Hispanics were as likely as whites to be admitted for the condition, according to the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality. Whites had 33 admissions per 100,000 people each year, whereas the figure for blacks was 161 admissions and for Hispanics, 61 admissions. More than 250,000 people each year are hospitalized for hypertension with complications, the agency found. The poorest Americans were 2.5 times as likely to be admitted for hypertension as were the wealthiest.
Agencies Post Disability Guidance
The Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services have jointly issued new technical guidance for health providers to encourage care of people with mobility disabilities. “Access to Medical Care for Persons with Mobility Disabilities” details how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other government rules on disabled access apply to providers. The 19-page document includes an overview of general ADA requirements, frequently asked questions, and illustrated examples of accessible facilities, exam rooms, and equipment. Providers can download the booklet at
FDA: Intuniv Promotion Misleading
Promotional materials for the attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder drug Intuniv (guanfacine) misleadingly imply that the drug can correct “individual behavior problems” that “the whole family can see,” the FDA said in a letter ordering the manufacturer, Shire Development, to stop using those claims in parent guides and in-office brochures and displays. The materials mentioned temper outbursts, arguments with adults, deliberate annoyance of others, and irritability, the FDA said in its letter. However, the agency told Shire, “these behavioral problems are not symptoms specific to ADHD, and we are not aware of substantial evidence or substantial clinical experience demonstrating an effect of Intuniv on these behavioral problems.”
Parents Want Genetic Tests
Most parents are interested in having their children checked for disease risks using at-home genetic testing kits, according to a survey from C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor. The poll found 53% of parents either “very” or “somewhat” interested. Almost that entire group said the testing might give them the chance to prevent diseases and could help them recognize children's health problems early. Two-thirds of those who said they wouldn't be interested in testing their children cited the possibility of discrimination against children who showed genetic risk of disease.