AMA Statement on the Future of Health Care Reform
Statement attributable to: Andrew W. Gurman, M.D. President, American Medical Association “The AMA House of Delegates, reflecting more than 170 state and specialty medical societies from across the country, today reaffirmed its commitment to health care reform that improves access to care for all patients. “Using a comprehensive…
HHS Office of Civil Rights Rule Finalization
HHS OCR finalized a new rule under Section 1557 to advance health equity and reduce health disparities by strengthening protections for some of the populations that have been most vulnerable to discrimination in the health care context. Section 1557 is the nondiscrimination provision of the Affordable Care Act…
Stories, More Than Statistics, Help Convince Scared Parents to Immunize Their Children
From Arkansas Medical News, AUTHOR Becky Gillette The failure of parents to vaccinate their children can be caused by concern that the vaccinations cause autism. Although that link has been thoroughly disproven by dozens of scientific studies, some parents remain scared to vaccinate their children. Bryan L. Burke, Jr., MD,…
ADH Health Update: Zika Exposure Testing
Expanded Availability of Testing for Exposure to Zika Virus Overview: Commercial labs are now able to perform Zika IgM MAC-Elisa testing. Doctors seeking testing for patients for pregnancy planning purposes should be aware of this option. It is still recommended that pregnant women (regardless of symptoms) or any…
AMS Position Statement on Medical Cannabis 2016
In voting to oppose both ballot initiatives, the AMS Board of Trustees adopted the following position statement at their July 27th meeting: While there is evidence that now suggests that cannabinoids may have beneficial clinical uses, the proposed initiated act is one of the most comprehensive, including over…
Update: Mumps Outbreak in NW Arkansas
As of September 9, 2016, there were 89 cases of mumps in the Springdale area. There have been clusters of cases in schools and the community, and we believe we will see additional cases. Please review the following information and notify the ADH Outbreak Response Section urgently at (501)…
CDC Health Update
Influx of Fentanyl-laced Counterfeit Pills and Toxic Fentanyl-related Compounds Further Increases Risk of Fentanyl-related Overdose and Fatalities Summary On October 26, 2015, CDC issued HAN 384 (http://emergency.cdc.gov/han/han00384.asp) that (1) alerted public health departments, health care professionals, first responders, and medical examiners and coroners of the increase in fentanyl-related…
Researchers find potential Zika treatments among available medications
From AMA Morning Rounds, 8/30/16. The Wall Street Journal (8/29, Hernandez, Subscription Publication) reports that a study published in Nature Medicine has found several potential treatments for Zika from 6,000 drugs either already commercially available or currently in clinical trials. Study author Wei Zheng, a researcher at the…
CDC expands Zika travel advisory
CDC Health Advisory Summary: CDC has previously issued travel, testing, and other guidance for local mosquito-borne Zika virus transmission (active Zika virus transmission) for a one-square-mile area in the Wynwood area of Miami that the Florida Department of Health (FL DOH) identified. The guidance for those who live…
Opioid addiction related insurance claims rose by 3,204% from 2007 to 2014
(AMA Morning Rounds, 8/2/16) - On its website, CNBC (8/1, Mangan) reports a new analysis conducted by FAIR Health found that healthcare claims for people addicted to prescription pain medications “and heroin skyrocketed as the number of Americans who fatally overdosed on those opioids hit record highs.” Data…
CDC HEALTH ADVISORY: ZIKA
Following last week's confirmation of the first continental US cases of Zika caused by local mosquitoes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised Monday that all pregnant women in the U.S. should be assessed for possible Zika exposure during every prenatal visit. The agency explained that pregnant…