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Few doctors have implemented, effectively use electronic health records

About one in four physicians use some type of electronic health records, while fewer than one in 10 use a comprehensive EHR system, according to a study that suggests "a technology frequently billed as a way to improve the quality and efficiency of care has yet to win widespread acceptance," the Washington Post reports.

16 Oct 2006

Virginia Supreme Court launches State mental health law review

Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leroy Hassell last Thursday launched the Commission on Mental Health Reform, "the broadest review of the state's mental health laws in three decades" intended to produce an "omnibus mental health reform package" to present to the 2008 General Assembly, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.

16 Oct 2006

U.S. consumers' health care concerns

USA Today on Monday published three articles addressing U.S. consumers' health care concerns as part of a week-long series titled "Prescription for Change," which examines possible improvements to the U.S. health care system.

16 Oct 2006

Few candidates discuss health care in detail as part of campaigns

Health care "almost always gets mentioned in campaigns, but often not in detail," and it "is always somewhere on the list of serious voter concerns" but "almost never at the top," in part because of the complexity of the issue, the Baltimore Sun reports.

16 Oct 2006

New York State law prevents new CDC testing recommendations from being implemented

A New York state law passed in the 1980s prevents the state from implementing CDC's revised recommendations on HIV testing in the U.S. that say HIV tests should become a routine part of medical care for residents ages 13 to 64 and that requirements for written consent and pretest counseling should be dropped, the New York Times reports.

5 Oct 2006

More 'eco-friendly' hospitals being built

Hospitals are beginning to build "more efficient, eco-friendly facilities with 'sustainable' design features" as the industry "embarks on a $200 billion construction program over the next decade to replace or rebuild decaying facilities and meet growing demand from aging baby boomers," the Wall Street Journal reports.

5 Oct 2006

USA Today examines debate surrounding New Jersey bill (S 494)

USA Today on Tuesday examined the debate surrounding a New Jersey bill (S 494) that would establish a needle-exchange program in six cities and provide $10 million to drug treatment programs in the state.

5 Oct 2006

New Mexico considers expanding Medicaid enrollment after containing costs in recent years

New Mexico Medicaid spending has been contained enough to ease eligibility rules, New Mexico Human Services Department Secretary Pam Hyde told state legislators last week, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports.

5 Oct 2006

U.S. still leader in medical innovation

The "American health care system may be performing better than it seems at first glance" because the U.S. "is the world leader" in medical innovations, which "improve health and life expectancy in all wealthy countries," Tyler Cowen, a professor of economics at George Mason University, writes in a New York Times opinion piece.

5 Oct 2006

Rent increase for New York City HIV/AIDS welfare housing

New York City officials on Wednesday said that people living in government-subsidized housing for HIV-positive people will be charged more for rent after the state required that changes be made to the payment formula effective Nov. 1, the New York Times reports.

5 Oct 2006

Proposed changes to Ryan White CARE Act would harm treatment efforts among HIV-positive Latinos

Proposed changes to the Ryan White CARE Act, which provides funding for HIV/AIDS programs in the U.S., would result in inadequate funding for treatment efforts among HIV-positive Latinos, members of a panel held by the Latino Commission on AIDS and the Hispanic Federation said on Wednesday.

5 Oct 2006

Nursing schools reject increased number of applicants over lack of faculty members

Nursing schools nationwide rejected more than 41,000 qualified applicants in 2005, compared with 33,000 in 2004 and 18,000 in 2003, and three out of four schools attributed the increased rejections in large part to an insufficient number of faculty members, according to an annual survey conducted by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, USA Today reports.

5 Oct 2006

Elderly patients in the UK demeaned by hospital staff

Hospital staff in the UK have been accused of demeaning patients by their use of language and choice of words.

5 Oct 2006

CQ's Carey addresses health IT legislation, House approval of HSA expansion, Medicare payment cuts, Ryan White CARE Act reauthorization

Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat, discusses House and Senate negotiations on legislation that would expand health care information technology, House approval of a measure to expand health savings accounts, Congress' inaction on scheduled Medicare physician payment cuts and Senate Democrats' attempt to block reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act in this week's "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ."

3 Oct 2006

Massachusetts announces universal health care coverage premium rates that are expected to cost the state 10% less than previous estimates

Massachusetts health insurance premium rates for low-income residents are in line with officials' predictions, and the state should have adequate funding to implement its new health insurance law next year, the Boston Globe reports.

3 Oct 2006

Adequate resources, trained staff lacking for pediatric emergency care

Recommendations to improve emergency care for children from a three-part report by Institute of Medicine "should be considered and implemented immediately," Joseph Wright, a member of the IOM's Committee on the Future of Emergency Care in the U.S. Health System, writes in a Washington Post, opinion piece.

3 Oct 2006

Democrats focus on income gap, health care costs in election campaigns

Many Democratic candidates "see this as the year when the widening gap between the rich and the rest of America will help win them votes" and some have focused on the issue of health care costs for middle-income voters, the Wall Street Journal reports.

3 Oct 2006

New York State to receive $1.5B to improve Medicaid

HHS has agreed to pay New York $1.5 billion over five years to help stabilize the state's hospital industry in exchange for renewed efforts to shrink the industry, curb Medicaid costs and reduce Medicaid fraud, the New York Times reports.

3 Oct 2006

More medical students enter dermatology, leave other specialties

The Detroit News on Tuesday examined how "droves" of medical students nationwide are opting to pursue careers in dermatology "as doctors flee some of the most critical medical fields -- family practice, internal medicine and obstetrics."

3 Oct 2006

HHS says New Orleans-area health care reform proposal needs revising

A draft proposal from the Louisiana Health Care Design Collaborative on reforms for the New Orleans-area health care system requires some revisions to receive federal approval, a representative for HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said on Thursday, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports (Moller, New Orleans Times-Picayune, 9/29).

3 Oct 2006