State Roundup: N.Y. drug pricing, Vermont hospital ads, Massachusetts nursing homes and anti-psychotics

Poughkeepsie Journal: A new report on New York drug prices, "issued by the New York Public Interest Research Group, Consumers Union, the Center for Medical Consumers and AARP, looked at the price of the 10 most popular drugs found in the state's pharmacies provided through a Freedom of Information Law request. The analysis found a drastic price difference in the same drugs offered in different locations" (Campbell, 3/6).

The Boston Globe: "Nearly 2,500 nursing home residents in Massachusetts were given powerful antipsychotic drugs last year that were not intended or recommended for their medical condition, a practice that is more common here than in most other states, according to a Globe analysis of federal data ... Specialists say antipsychotics can improve the quality of life for some dementia patients who suffer from extreme agitation and sleeplessness, common symptoms of Alzheimer's. But too often nursing homes don't regularly reevaluate patients' medications ..." (Lazar, 3/8).

The Cleveland Plain Dealer: In Las Vegas, the "desert town known for gambling and good times, the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health is spurring intense hope for a different kind of economic future. ... Mayor Oscar Goodman, who had been trying to lure the [Cleveland] Clinic to Las Vegas for nearly a decade, envisions a medical mecca with the Clinic at the helm. Clinic executives are mulling the idea, reviewing how adding to operations there could enhance its ability to serve patients, grow revenues and elevate its brand." (Tribble, 3/7).

The Burlington Free Press: "After year upon year of struggling to rein in the ballooning cost of health care, House Health Care Committee Chairman Steve Maier, D-Middlebury ... has proposed legislation that would prohibit [hospitals] from using money for advertising and marketing" (Hallenbeck, 3/7).

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.