Health Care


$2.3 Million Settlement in Unprotected Health Records Case

21st Century Oncology, Inc. determined that 2,213,597 individuals were affected by impermissible access to their names, social security numbers, physicians' names, diagnoses, treatment, and insurance information.

IAEA Conference Eyes Better Radiation Protections in Medicine

The participants agreed more training, more awareness, and better compliance with regulations are needed to improve protection for patients and health professionals during medical procedures.

Trauma Center Agrees to Ensure Effective Communication with Deaf Individuals

Two complainants alleged UVMMC failed to provide appropriate auxiliary aids and services necessary for effective communication while they were receiving medical treatment. Both of the complainants are deaf and use American Sign Language as their primary means of communication.

Flu Activity Widespread in a Dozen States

Four states experienced high flu activity (Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas), while five states (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, and Kentucky) experienced moderate activity in the week that ended Dec. 9.

CDC Links a Salmonella Infection to Rattlesnake Pills

CDC Links a Salmonella Infection to Rattlesnake Pills

The CDC and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment have linked one person's Salmonella Oranienburg infection to taking rattlesnake pills.

Minnesota Health Commissioner Resigns

Gov. Mark Dayton already had directed the Minnesota Department of Human Services' Office of the Inspector General to help the Health Department improve the management of its investigations of elder neglect and abuse.

Canadian Opioid Overdose Deaths May Top 4,000 This Year

Western provinces and territories continue to report higher rates of opioid-related deaths, and the data show fentanyl continues to be a growing problem in this crisis. From January to June 2017, 74 percent of apparent opioid-related deaths involved fentanyl or fentanyl analogs, compared to 53 percent during 2016.

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.

Fatal Work Injuries Rose to Eight-Year High in 2016

Workers age 55 and older had 1,848 fatal injuries, the highest number for this age group since CFOI began reporting national data in 1992, and fatal injuries in the leisure and hospitality sector were up 32 percent year over year (from 225 to 298) and reached an all-time series high in 2016.



Canada's Health Minister Approves Emergency Overdose Prevention Sites

Ginette Petitpas Taylor, the federal Minister of Health, had announced in November that Health Canada would authorize emergency overdose prevention sites for provinces and territories that request them, as an "immediate short-term response to save lives."

Worldwide Estimate of Flu Deaths Raised

"These findings remind us of the seriousness of flu and that flu prevention should really be a global priority," said Dr. Joe Bresee, M.D., associate director for global health in CDC's Influenza Division and a study co-author.

FDA Offers 3D Printing Guidance to Medical Device Makers

The agency claimed Dec. 4 to be the world's first to provide a comprehensive technical framework to advise manufacturers creating medical products on 3D printers.

ANSI Seeks Participants for Drone Panels

Subject-matter experts interested in participating in one or more of the four UASSC working groups are invited to review the working group architecture and return the sign-up sheet before Dec. 31, 2017.

CVS Health to Acquire Aetna

CVS Health to Acquire Aetna

The $69 billion deal, the largest corporate acquisition this year, would combine one of the nation's largest pharmacies with one of its oldest health insurers.

Fourteen Appointed to HHS Tick-Borne Disease Working Group

HHS reports that Lyme disease accounts for the majority of tick-borne disease in the United States, and CDC estimates more than 300,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme disease annually, but only about 30,000 of those cases are reported to local and state health departments and to CDC.

WHO Estimates 10 Percent of Developing Countries' Medical Products Falsified or Substandard

"Substandard and falsified medicines particularly affect the most vulnerable communities," said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO's director-general. "Imagine a mother who gives up food or other basic needs to pay for her child's treatment, unaware that the medicines are substandard or falsified, and then that treatment causes her child to die. This is unacceptable. Countries have agreed on measures at the global level – it is time to translate them into tangible action."

NIOSH Seeks Extension of Violence Research Project

Six states have enacted laws to reduce violence against health care workers by requiring workplace violence prevention programs, but little is understood about how effective their laws are at reducing violence against health workers, the NIOSH notice states.

FDA Approves Sensor-Equipped Schizophrenia Pill

"Being able to track ingestion of medications prescribed for mental illness may be useful for some patients," said Dr. Mitchell Mathis, M.D., director of the Division of Psychiatry Products in FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

NJ Governor Appoints Acting Health Commissioner

Christopher Rinn had been assistant commissioner. He replaces Cathleen D. Bennett, who became president and CEO of the New Jersey Hospital Association on Nov. 9.

AMA Expanding Diabetes Prevention Program to Eight More States

AMA reported Nov. 9 that it is currently working with more than 45 health systems throughout the United States to develop and implement system-wide diabetes prevention strategies.

Hypertension Control Champions Named

The 24 organizations provide care to more than 1.2 million adults that is focused on proven strategies to help their patients achieve blood pressure control at rates at or above the Million Hearts® target of 70 percent, according to CDC.

Featured

Artificial Intelligence

Webinars