Health Care


IBM to Invest $240 Million in MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab

In health care, the collaboration will explore the use of AI in areas such as the security and privacy of medical data, personalization of health care, image analysis, and the optimal treatment paths for specific patients.

Ambulance bills in general can often top $600 or $800 or more, and most ambulance services tack on an "emergency response charge" that tops $300 on average.

NIOSH Posts Fact Sheet on Preventing EMS Workers' Injuries

More than 22,500 EMS workers visited emergency departments each year for work-related injuries, it says, with sprains and strains accounting for the most frequently cited injuries. Most were injured while responding to a 911 call.

2017 Baldrige Award Site Visits Decided

Site visits will be conducted in late September 2017 and the awards presented in April 2018. Getting site visits will be seven health care organizations, three in education, two nonprofits, and two small businesses.

CDC Launches Sepsis Campaign

"Detecting sepsis early and starting immediate treatment is often the difference between life and death. It starts with preventing the infections that lead to sepsis," said CDC Director Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D. "We created Get Ahead of Sepsis to give people the resources they need to help stop this medical emergency in its tracks."

NRC Amends Radioactive Materials Medical Use Requirements

The changes will update training and experience requirements for authorized users, medical physicists, radiation safety officers, and nuclear pharmacists and also will allow associate radiation safety officers to be named on a medical license, among other things.

Seattle Center for Burn Treatment Announced

"Getting the right care at the right time is crucial for these catastrophically injured workers," said Joel Sacks, director of L&I. "We hope to make their recovery better and a little easier by improving access to specialists."

FDA Eyes Opioids in Kids' Medicines

Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb announced that FDA's Pediatric Advisory Committee will meet soon to focus on the use of prescription opioid products containing hydrocodone or codeine for the treatment of cough in pediatric patients.

Dallas Event Focused on Preventing HAIs

"What is most frustrating about the enormous costs of HAIs is that the majority are preventable," said Linda Lybert, founder and president of the Healthcare Surfaces Summit. "We are focusing our prevention campaign on surfaces as a foundational issue because they are implicated in many HAIs and their complexity can stymie prevention efforts.



Mylan Paying $465 Million to Settle Case About EpiPen Classification

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the settlement Aug. 17 in a case that generated widespread attention about the rising cost of the anti-allergy EpiPen auto-injection device.

HHS Appoints Members to Panel on Serious Mental Illnesses

"We look forward to working with the committee to get individuals with serious mental illness the care they need," HHS Secretary Dr. Tom Price said. "For too long, our nation has let down Americans with serious mental illness, and the committee will help inform HHS's efforts to turn that around."

HHS Awards Money to Aid 1,333 Health Centers

Health centers are receiving the funds to continue improving their services based on their high performance in one or more of these categories: Improving Quality of Care, Increasing Access to Care, Enhancing Delivery of High Value Health Care, Addressing Health Disparities, and Achieving Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition.

NIOSH Completes NORA's Second Decade, Readies for Third

"With this report, we have a clear picture of the value of bringing together groups that all have an interest in occupational safety and health and the impact we can have when we work together on shared goals," Director Dr. John Howard said.

CDC Estimates 3.4 Million Americans Living with Epilepsy

"Epilepsy is common, complex to live with, and costly. It can lead to early death if not appropriately treated," said Rosemarie Kobau, MPH, head of CDC's Epilepsy Program. "Everyone should know how to recognize a seizure and how to give appropriate first aid."

FDA Expands Public Education Campaign to Encompass Prevention of Youth e-Cigarette Use

FDA Campaign Aims to Prevent Youth e-Cigarette Use

The agency hopes it can discourage the use of e-cirgarettes by young people.

FDA Approves Hepatitis C Drug

FDA said the safety and efficacy of Mavyret were evaluated during clinical trials enrolling approximately 2,300 adults with HCV infection without cirrhosis or with mild cirrhosis, and the trials demonstrated that 92-100 percent of patients who received Mavyret for eight, 12, or 16 weeks' duration had no virus detected in the blood 12 weeks after finishing treatment.

HELP Committee Takes Up Several Nominations Today

Scheduled witnesses in the committee’s 2:30 p.m. hearing include nominees for surgeon general and some top HHS positions.

The Indiana Convention Center is conveniently located in the heart of downtown Indianapolis, across the street from Lucas Oil Stadium. (Photo Courtesy of Lavengood Photography)

NSC Congress & Expo Races to Indianapolis

The NSC Congress & Expo is sure to be a week full of education and innovation in the safety and health market, so be ready to start your engines come September.

New Report Highlights Health Workers' 2015 Exposures

A greater proportion of blood and body fluid splashes and splatters are occurring in patient and exam rooms than in years past, and almost two-thirds of them involved workers' eyes -- a significant concern because fewer than 7 percent of the workers involved with those exposures reported they were wearing eye protection, it reported.

Each year, 660,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with cancer related to tobacco use, and 343,000 people die from such cancers, according to CDC.

FDA to Seek Lower Nicotine Levels in Cigarettes

The agency said it will launch a public dialogue about lowering nicotine levels in combustible cigarettes to non-addictive levels through achievable product standards, including issuing an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to seek input on the potential public health benefits and any possible adverse effects of lowering nicotine in cigarettes.

HHS Upgrades Online Tool on Health Data Breaches

The revised HIPAA Breach Reporting Tool allows entities to report a breach, and the website informs members of the public of how breaches are investigated and resolved.

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