3 Useful Changes to Meaningful Use
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed changes to the Meaningful Use program that are intended to relieve physician reporting burdens. Those changes include reducing the 2016 reporting period to 90 days. Based on feedback from the health care community, the proposed changes "better support…
Visitors to Dominican Republican make up over 20% of Zika cases in US
Kaiser Health News (7/22, Galewitz) reports that “visitors to the Dominican Republic account for more than a fifth of the confirmed Zika cases in the U.S. through mid-July, according to data from state health departments.” According to Kaiser Health News, “in part, it reflects travel patterns between people…
Obama signs legislation to curb opioid addiction
The AP (7/22) reported President Obama on Friday “signed into law a bill to curb abuse of heroin and opioid drugs, even as he expressed bitter disappointment with Republicans for not providing more money for addiction treatment.” In a statement, Obama said, “Given the scope of this crisis,…
House passes long-delayed mental health reform legislation
Article from the AMA Morning Rounds, 7/7/2016 The Wall Street Journal (7/6, Radnofsky, Subscription Publication) reports that on July 6, by a vote of 422 to 2, the House of Representatives passed HR 2646, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act. The Hill (7/6, Sullivan) reports that…
Second case of bacteria resistant to colistin found in US
Article from the AMA Morning Rounds, 7/12/2016 The Washington Post (7/11, Sun) reports researchers have detected bacteria with the mcr-1 gene, which makes them resistant to the “antibiotic of last resort” colistin, in a second patient in the US, according to a study published on Monday in Antimicrobial…
House approves bill that includes $1.1 billion for Zika
(AMA Mourning Rounds, 6-23-16) The AP (6/23, Taylor) reports the House has approved “a $1.1 billion House-Senate measure to combat the Zika virus, but the GOP-drafted measure is a nonstarter with Senate Democrats and the Obama White House.” USA Today (6/22, Kelly) reports that “Democrats vowed to derail…
Health Alert Network (HAN) Update
Distributed via the CDC Health Alert Network May 25, 2016 Diagnostic Testing of Urine Specimens for Suspected Zika Virus Infection Summary On May 13, 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued interim guidance that recommends Zika virus rRT-PCR testing of urine collected less than 14 days…
FDA approves first implantable drug to treat opioid addiction
The Washington Post (5/26, McGinley) reports in “To Your Health” that the Food and Drug Administration “on Thursday approved the first implantable drug to deliver long-lasting medication to people addicted to opioids.” The implant, known as Probuphine, “administers the anti-addiction drug buprenorphine in a continuous dose for six…
House passes multiple bills to address opioid epidemic
The U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month passed 18 bills to address the opioid epidemic, including the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act (H.R. 5046), which would authorize various grant programs through the Department of Justice. The House also passed H.R. 4641, which would establish an inter-agency task…
Confronting a Crisis: An open letter to America’s physicians on the opiod epidemic
By Steven J. Stack Emergency physician and the 170th president of the American Medical Association. The medical profession must play a lead role in reversing the opioid epidemic that, far too often, has started from a prescription pad. For the past 20 years, public policies - well-intended but…
CMS unveils new rules for Medicaid managed care
Article from the AMA Morning Rounds, 4/26/16. The AP (4/26, Alonso-Zaldivar) reports that on Monday, the Federal government “set new standards for Medicaid private insurance plans, which in recent years have become the main source of coverage for low-income people.” These rules impact “insurers operating as Medicaid middlemen…