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HRSA awards $17 million for patient-centered outcomes research   09/01/2010
The Health Resources and Services Administration today awarded about $17 million in grants and cooperative agreements for research that compares treatments and strategies to improve health outcomes for patients. Nearly $10 million will go to create the Community Health Applied Research Network at the Kaiser Foundation Hospitals' Center for Health Research in Portland, OR, and four research "nodes," which will evaluate patient-centered outcomes research among diverse populations and patient groups. Columbia University will receive a $3.5 million grant to support patient-centered outcomes research within the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network, and the American Academy of Pediatrics will receive $3.5 million to develop an electronic health record sub-network within a large pediatric primary care research network. "Patient-centered outcomes research can improve health outcomes by developing and disseminating evidence-based information to patients, providers and decision-makers about the effectiveness of different treatments," said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. The awards are funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
FDA/CDC issue safety reminder on fingerstick devices   09/01/2010
The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are reminding clinicians and patients that fingerstick devices should never be used for more than one person, citing an increase in infections linked to shared use of the devices. In particular, the agencies note a significant increase in hepatitis B outbreaks related to sharing multiuse devices in long-term care and assisted living settings, adding that unclear labeling and ineffective cleaning and disinfection instructions may have contributed. Among other recommendations, multiuse fingerstick devices should never be used for more than one person, and single-use auto-disabling devices should be used for assisted monitoring of blood glucose, the agencies said. While some legally marketed fingerstick devices have been cleared for use on more than one patient, the FDA said it is taking action to assure those devices are labeled for use on only one patient. Fingerstick devices are sometimes packaged with point-of-care blood testing devices such as blood glucose meters. Whenever possible, those point-of-care devices also should be used on only one patient, the agencies said. For more information, visit www.fda.gov.
FDA reminds providers of higher mortality associated with antibiotic    09/01/2010
The Food and Drug Administration today reminded health care professionals of an increased risk of death associated with Tygacil, an intravenous antibiotic, compared to other drugs used to treat serious infections. In a pooled analysis of clinical trials, the increased risk was clearest in patients treated for hospital-associated pneumonia, especially ventilator-associated pneumonia, but also was seen in patients with complicated skin and intra-abdominal infections and diabetic foot infections. FDA has updated the drug's label to include information on the increased risk. Tygacil (tigecycline) is approved for treating complicated skin infections, intra-abdominal infections and community-acquired pneumonia, but not for hospital- or ventilator-associated pneumonia or diabetic foot infection. For more information, visit www.fda.gov.
NY names health reform advisory panel   09/01/2010
New York Gov. David Paterson yesterday named the Healthcare Association of New York State, Greater New York Hospital Association and 35 other organizations to a committee that will advise his cabinet on implementing federal health care reform in the state. HANYS, which represents hospitals, nursing homes and home health providers across the state, "will work to ensure that patients and New York's health care providers have a prominent voice in this important process," said HANYS President Daniel Sisto.
AHA urges changes to OPPS/ASC proposed rule   08/31/2010
The AHA today expressed serious concerns with certain provisions in the proposed calendar year 2011 prospective payment system rule for hospital outpatient services and ambulatory surgical centers. Among other changes, the AHA urged CMS to improve how the rule approaches supervision of outpatient therapeutic services, revise how it calculates the payment adjustment for cancer hospitals, and retire its new measures for imaging efficiency. In addition, the association said CMS should pay hospitals at least the same rate as physicians for separately covered outpatient drugs, require ambulatory surgical centers to report quality and cost data, and fully disclose how it estimates the productivity adjustment that will apply to ASCs and other payment systems. Addressing the rule's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provisions, the AHA urged CMS not to eliminate residency slots unless a hospital trained below its residency cap in each of the past three cost reporting years, and to adhere closely to the law's language on whole hospital and rural provider exceptions to the physician self-referral prohibition. The comment letter can be found at www.aha.org.
HHS authorizes first EHR testing/certification bodies   08/31/2010
The Department of Health and Human Services yesterday authorized the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology and the Drummond Group Inc. to test and certify electronic health record systems, adding that applications for additional authorized testing and certification bodies are under review. To qualify for EHR incentive payments from Medicare and Medicaid beginning in May 2011, hospitals and physicians must adopt EHR systems certified to meet HHS criteria for "meaningful use" of EHRs. The HITECH Act of 2009 provides up to $27 billion in Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments to promote the adoption of electronic health records. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is working to create an online system for providers to register and attest for the EHR incentive programs.
HHS names participants in early retiree program   08/31/2010
Nearly 2,000 employers and unions have been accepted into the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program, the Department of Health and Human Services announced today. Created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the program provides $5 billion to help employers and unions maintain health coverage for retirees age 55 and older who are not yet eligible for Medicare. The program continues to accept applicants and ends on Jan. 1, 2014, when the health reform law's new state health insurance exchanges are set to begin. For a list of participants, who can begin submitting claims in September, visit www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/early_retiree_reinsurance_program.html.
Region C RAC begins medical necessity reviews   08/30/2010
The Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor for Region C - Connolly Healthcare - has begun medical necessity reviews for 18 types of inpatient hospital conditions, which are listed on its website. The Region C states are: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. On Aug. 6, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' New Issue Review Board gave the four regional RACs approval to begin medical necessity reviews for 18 inpatient hospital conditions. RACs are authorized to begin requesting medical charts for medical necessity review audits after announcing the audits on their websites. To date, RACs in all but Region A have announced medical necessity review audits. The AHA encourages hospitals to continue monitoring their RAC's website for newly emerging information on these and other RAC audits. Contact information for the four regional RACs can be found at www.aha.org/aha/issues/RAC/contractors.html.
Study: More young athletes visiting EDs with concussions   08/30/2010
Emergency department visits for concussions sustained during organized team sports doubled among 8- to 13-year-olds between 1997 and 2007, and nearly tripled among older youth, according to a report published online today by the journal Pediatrics. U.S. children aged 8-19 had an estimated 502,000 ED visits for concussion between 2001 and 2005, about half of which were sports-related. During the study period, about 1 in 1,000 children aged 8-13 and 3 in 1,000 aged 14-19 had an ED visit for concussion during one of the top five organized team sports: ice hockey, football, soccer, basketball and baseball.
HHS funds drug to treat biothreats, antibiotic resistance   08/30/2010
The Department of Health and Human Services today awarded at least $27 million to a San Francisco company to develop an antibiotic to treat plague and tularemia - two possible bioterrorism agents - as well as infections resistant to other antibiotics. The two-year contract to Achaogen Inc. is the first under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority's Broad Spectrum Antimicrobial Program. "This new antibiotic is part of our push against antibiotic resistance for certain bacterial infections, and at the same time could provide a new treatment for plague and tularemia biothreats," said BARDA Director Robin Robinson. "It's the first time BARDA research and development funds have been used in a multi-use approach like this." The contract can be extended by up to three years for a total cost of $64 million. 







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