Jane Anderson

Baby Cost: $7,600

The cost of a birth–from prenatal care through delivery–averages roughly $7,600, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The total, calculated in 2004 dollars, includes payments for hospital childbirth, prenatal office visits, prescription medicines, and other services. AHRQ also found that average spending for prenatal care for women with private insurance and women with Medicaid was about the same–approximately $2,000. However, inpatient delivery costs differed: $6,520 for those with private insurance and $4,577 on average for Medicaid patients. On average, privately insured women paid about 8% of their total expenses out of pocket, while women on Medicaid paid only about 1% out of pocket. Only 23% of women had some prescription drug expenses associated with their pregnancy and the median amount of these expenses was $640. About three-quarters of all prescription drug expenses during pregnancy were for nutritional products such as prenatal vitamins.

Verdict $135M in HT Case

A jury in Reno, Nev., awarded about $135 million to three women who contended that their breast cancer diagnoses were caused by hormone replacement drugs manufactured by Wyeth; the company said it would appeal. This is the seventh case to reach a verdict since trials began in HT litigation earlier this year, and the first case Wyeth has lost outright, although the verdict against Wyeth in one trial was overturned and judgment entered in favor of the drug manufacturer, and two other plaintiffs' verdicts were thrown out, with new trials ordered. The company faces more than 5,000 lawsuits over its products Premarin and Prempro. Wyeth has argued in court that it told physicians and patients about the elevated breast cancer risks and included them on the drugs' labels.

California Enacts AIDS Bill

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has signed into law a measure that advocates say removes a major barrier to HIV testing by requiring a patient to give simple consent, rather than informed consent, prior to the test. The legislation, which had almost unanimous support in the California Legislature, also will streamline some of the procedures a physician must follow in testing a pregnant woman. The law “normalizes the process of testing by making HIV screening a routine part of medical care,” said Joseph Terrill of the Sacramento-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, adding that it also has provisions to maintain and safeguard patient confidentiality as well as an individual's right to choose whether to test.

Hispanic Women Confused on HPV

Hispanic women are less aware than other women that human papillomavirus (HPV) is sexually transmitted, according to a survey conducted by the American Social Health Association. However, more Hispanic women than white and African American women believe that regular Pap tests are important, although large majorities in all three groups said regular Pap tests are “extremely important.” Of the women surveyed, 85% said women should get Pap tests yearly, and 87% said they had had a Pap test in the past 3 years. However, the survey also found that one in four uninsured women have not had a Pap test in that time frame. The survey was conducted 1 year after the Food and Drug Administration approved a vaccine that protects against four strains of HPV. Women who said they had not heard of the HPV vaccine were excluded from the survey, but more than 90% said they had heard of it.

Vulvodynia Campaign Launched

The Office of Research on Women's Health at the National Institutes of Health has launched a campaign aimed at increasing awareness of vulvodynia, saying that a lack of sufficient consumer and health care provider information may contribute to delayed diagnosis and “the ultimate long-term suffering of vulvodynia patients.” According to NIH, many women suffer with unexplained vulvar pain for months–even years–before a correct diagnosis is made and an appropriate treatment plan is determined. NIH is distributing both consumer- and physician-oriented materials, including frequently asked questions, online and print resources, fact sheets, and scientific articles on vulvodynia, via the campaign Web site,

http://orwh.od.nih.gov/health/vulvodynia.html

E-Prescribing Reduces Errors

Electronic prescribing significantly reduced medication errors, according to data from the Southeast Michigan ePrescribing Initiative (SEMI), a coalition of automakers, health plans, providers, a drug manufacturer, and a pharmacy benefits manager. The SEMI results show that among a sample of 3.3 million e-prescriptions, a severe or moderate drug-to-drug alert was sent to physicians for about 33%, resulting in a change to or cancellation of 41% of those scripts by the prescriber. In addition, more than 100,000 medication allergy alerts were presented, of which 41% were acted upon. And, when a formulary alert was presented, 39% of the time the physician changed the prescription to comply with formulary requirements. The SEMI program has generated nearly 6.2 million prescriptions using e-prescribing technology since its launch in February 2005. “The benefits of e-prescribing are overwhelming in terms of reducing medication errors, lowering prescription drug costs for patients and plans, and decreasing physician practices' administrative costs,” said Marsha Manning, General Motors' manager of Southeast Michigan Community Health Care Initiatives, in a statement.

Baby Cost: $7,600

The cost of a birth–from prenatal care through delivery–averages roughly $7,600, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The total, calculated in 2004 dollars, includes payments for hospital childbirth, prenatal office visits, prescription medicines, and other services. AHRQ also found that average spending for prenatal care for women with private insurance and women with Medicaid was about the same–approximately $2,000. However, inpatient delivery costs differed: $6,520 for those with private insurance and $4,577 on average for Medicaid patients. On average, privately insured women paid about 8% of their total expenses out of pocket, while women on Medicaid paid only about 1% out of pocket. Only 23% of women had some prescription drug expenses associated with their pregnancy and the median amount of these expenses was $640. About three-quarters of all prescription drug expenses during pregnancy were for nutritional products such as prenatal vitamins.

Verdict $135M in HT Case

A jury in Reno, Nev., awarded about $135 million to three women who contended that their breast cancer diagnoses were caused by hormone replacement drugs manufactured by Wyeth; the company said it would appeal. This is the seventh case to reach a verdict since trials began in HT litigation earlier this year, and the first case Wyeth has lost outright, although the verdict against Wyeth in one trial was overturned and judgment entered in favor of the drug manufacturer, and two other plaintiffs' verdicts were thrown out, with new trials ordered. The company faces more than 5,000 lawsuits over its products Premarin and Prempro. Wyeth has argued in court that it told physicians and patients about the elevated breast cancer risks and included them on the drugs' labels.

California Enacts AIDS Bill

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has signed into law a measure that advocates say removes a major barrier to HIV testing by requiring a patient to give simple consent, rather than informed consent, prior to the test. The legislation, which had almost unanimous support in the California Legislature, also will streamline some of the procedures a physician must follow in testing a pregnant woman. The law “normalizes the process of testing by making HIV screening a routine part of medical care,” said Joseph Terrill of the Sacramento-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, adding that it also has provisions to maintain and safeguard patient confidentiality as well as an individual's right to choose whether to test.

Hispanic Women Confused on HPV

Hispanic women are less aware than other women that human papillomavirus (HPV) is sexually transmitted, according to a survey conducted by the American Social Health Association. However, more Hispanic women than white and African American women believe that regular Pap tests are important, although large majorities in all three groups said regular Pap tests are “extremely important.” Of the women surveyed, 85% said women should get Pap tests yearly, and 87% said they had had a Pap test in the past 3 years. However, the survey also found that one in four uninsured women have not had a Pap test in that time frame. The survey was conducted 1 year after the Food and Drug Administration approved a vaccine that protects against four strains of HPV. Women who said they had not heard of the HPV vaccine were excluded from the survey, but more than 90% said they had heard of it.

Vulvodynia Campaign Launched

The Office of Research on Women's Health at the National Institutes of Health has launched a campaign aimed at increasing awareness of vulvodynia, saying that a lack of sufficient consumer and health care provider information may contribute to delayed diagnosis and “the ultimate long-term suffering of vulvodynia patients.” According to NIH, many women suffer with unexplained vulvar pain for months–even years–before a correct diagnosis is made and an appropriate treatment plan is determined. NIH is distributing both consumer- and physician-oriented materials, including frequently asked questions, online and print resources, fact sheets, and scientific articles on vulvodynia, via the campaign Web site,

http://orwh.od.nih.gov/health/vulvodynia.html

E-Prescribing Reduces Errors

Electronic prescribing significantly reduced medication errors, according to data from the Southeast Michigan ePrescribing Initiative (SEMI), a coalition of automakers, health plans, providers, a drug manufacturer, and a pharmacy benefits manager. The SEMI results show that among a sample of 3.3 million e-prescriptions, a severe or moderate drug-to-drug alert was sent to physicians for about 33%, resulting in a change to or cancellation of 41% of those scripts by the prescriber. In addition, more than 100,000 medication allergy alerts were presented, of which 41% were acted upon. And, when a formulary alert was presented, 39% of the time the physician changed the prescription to comply with formulary requirements. The SEMI program has generated nearly 6.2 million prescriptions using e-prescribing technology since its launch in February 2005. “The benefits of e-prescribing are overwhelming in terms of reducing medication errors, lowering prescription drug costs for patients and plans, and decreasing physician practices' administrative costs,” said Marsha Manning, General Motors' manager of Southeast Michigan Community Health Care Initiatives, in a statement.

Baby Cost: $7,600

The cost of a birth–from prenatal care through delivery–averages roughly $7,600, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The total, calculated in 2004 dollars, includes payments for hospital childbirth, prenatal office visits, prescription medicines, and other services. AHRQ also found that average spending for prenatal care for women with private insurance and women with Medicaid was about the same–approximately $2,000. However, inpatient delivery costs differed: $6,520 for those with private insurance and $4,577 on average for Medicaid patients. On average, privately insured women paid about 8% of their total expenses out of pocket, while women on Medicaid paid only about 1% out of pocket. Only 23% of women had some prescription drug expenses associated with their pregnancy and the median amount of these expenses was $640. About three-quarters of all prescription drug expenses during pregnancy were for nutritional products such as prenatal vitamins.

Verdict $135M in HT Case

A jury in Reno, Nev., awarded about $135 million to three women who contended that their breast cancer diagnoses were caused by hormone replacement drugs manufactured by Wyeth; the company said it would appeal. This is the seventh case to reach a verdict since trials began in HT litigation earlier this year, and the first case Wyeth has lost outright, although the verdict against Wyeth in one trial was overturned and judgment entered in favor of the drug manufacturer, and two other plaintiffs' verdicts were thrown out, with new trials ordered. The company faces more than 5,000 lawsuits over its products Premarin and Prempro. Wyeth has argued in court that it told physicians and patients about the elevated breast cancer risks and included them on the drugs' labels.

California Enacts AIDS Bill

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has signed into law a measure that advocates say removes a major barrier to HIV testing by requiring a patient to give simple consent, rather than informed consent, prior to the test. The legislation, which had almost unanimous support in the California Legislature, also will streamline some of the procedures a physician must follow in testing a pregnant woman. The law “normalizes the process of testing by making HIV screening a routine part of medical care,” said Joseph Terrill of the Sacramento-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, adding that it also has provisions to maintain and safeguard patient confidentiality as well as an individual's right to choose whether to test.

Hispanic Women Confused on HPV

Hispanic women are less aware than other women that human papillomavirus (HPV) is sexually transmitted, according to a survey conducted by the American Social Health Association. However, more Hispanic women than white and African American women believe that regular Pap tests are important, although large majorities in all three groups said regular Pap tests are “extremely important.” Of the women surveyed, 85% said women should get Pap tests yearly, and 87% said they had had a Pap test in the past 3 years. However, the survey also found that one in four uninsured women have not had a Pap test in that time frame. The survey was conducted 1 year after the Food and Drug Administration approved a vaccine that protects against four strains of HPV. Women who said they had not heard of the HPV vaccine were excluded from the survey, but more than 90% said they had heard of it.

Vulvodynia Campaign Launched

The Office of Research on Women's Health at the National Institutes of Health has launched a campaign aimed at increasing awareness of vulvodynia, saying that a lack of sufficient consumer and health care provider information may contribute to delayed diagnosis and “the ultimate long-term suffering of vulvodynia patients.” According to NIH, many women suffer with unexplained vulvar pain for months–even years–before a correct diagnosis is made and an appropriate treatment plan is determined. NIH is distributing both consumer- and physician-oriented materials, including frequently asked questions, online and print resources, fact sheets, and scientific articles on vulvodynia, via the campaign Web site,

http://orwh.od.nih.gov/health/vulvodynia.html

E-Prescribing Reduces Errors

Electronic prescribing significantly reduced medication errors, according to data from the Southeast Michigan ePrescribing Initiative (SEMI), a coalition of automakers, health plans, providers, a drug manufacturer, and a pharmacy benefits manager. The SEMI results show that among a sample of 3.3 million e-prescriptions, a severe or moderate drug-to-drug alert was sent to physicians for about 33%, resulting in a change to or cancellation of 41% of those scripts by the prescriber. In addition, more than 100,000 medication allergy alerts were presented, of which 41% were acted upon. And, when a formulary alert was presented, 39% of the time the physician changed the prescription to comply with formulary requirements. The SEMI program has generated nearly 6.2 million prescriptions using e-prescribing technology since its launch in February 2005. “The benefits of e-prescribing are overwhelming in terms of reducing medication errors, lowering prescription drug costs for patients and plans, and decreasing physician practices' administrative costs,” said Marsha Manning, General Motors' manager of Southeast Michigan Community Health Care Initiatives, in a statement.

Wal-Mart Adds $9 Contraceptives

Wal-Mart has added several family-planning drugs to its list of discounted generic prescription drug products. Although most drugs in the Wal-Mart generic discount program are available for $4, generic versions of the birth control drugs Ortho Cyclen and Ortho Tri-Cyclen and the fertility drug clomiphene will cost patients $9 in most states. Estradiol, estropipate, and medroxyprogesterone in several different dosages are available for $4. Because of state laws, the contraceptives are not available for $9 in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Montana, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, Wal-Mart said. The company has continued to expand its discount generic drug program and added 24 medications to its list in September, making a total of 361 products available. Wal-Mart claims that since its $4 generic program began in the fall of 2006, customers have saved $613 million.

High Court Declines Coverage Case

The U.S. Supreme Court has turned down a request by Catholic Charities of New York to review a state court decision requiring insurance companies to include contraceptive coverage in drug benefit packages. The court's refusal to hear the case leaves in place a law that requires insurance companies to cover women's preventive health care, including mandating that insurance plans covering prescription drugs cannot exclude contraceptives from that coverage. The law exempts religious employers such as churches, mosques and temples. However, it does not exempt religious service organizations or other organizations that may hire people who don't necessarily share the same religious beliefs. Ten religiously affiliated organizations had brought the challenge against the law, which was upheld by the Court of Appeals for the State of New York.

FDA Eyes 'Behind the Counter' Drugs

The Food and Drug Administration is considering creating a new category of drugs that would be available without a prescription, but only after a consultation with a pharmacist. This new potential “behind-the-counter” class of drugs would be limited to a few drugs that are largely safe with few side effects, and could include contraceptives, according to the FDA. Only a few behind-the-counter nonprescription drugs, such as Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s Plan B morning-after pill, are sold in the United States, but the drug class is more common in Britain, Europe, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The FDA will hold a public hearing on the issue Nov. 14 to get feedback on the idea. The agency said it “is interested in exploring the public health implications of BTC [behind the counter] dispensing of certain drug products, including (among other things) the implications for patient access and utilization, including drug prices, the continued safety and effectiveness of drugs, and patient compliance with drug therapy.”

HRSA Announces AIDS grants

The federal Health Resources and Services Administration has allocated $42 million in funding to support medications, care, and services for people living with HIV/AIDS. The grants include $1 million to improve primary medical care, research, and support services for HIV-infected women, infants, children, and youth and to provide support services for their affected family members, according to HRSA. Under this part of the package, 15 current grantees—including the Sonoma (Calif.) County Health Services Department, the New Jersey Department of Health, and Albany (N.Y.) Medical College—will receive up to $75,000 each in one-time expansion grants for their HIV/AIDS programs.

High Maternal Mortality Persists

Continuing high rates of maternal mortality in sub-Saharan African countries are offsetting progress made in other regions of the world, making it unlikely that rates of maternal mortality will fall far enough to meet the worldwide target of a 75% decline by 2015, researchers writing in the Lancet concluded. They estimated a maternal mortality of 402 deaths per 100,000 live births, most concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Risk varied tremendously, from a low of one maternal death per 100,000 live births in Ireland to a high of 2,100 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in Sierra Leone. Overall, the authors found evidence of a very slow decline in maternal mortality—less than 1% per year between 1990 and 2005. To achieve the 75% reduction target, set at the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000, maternal mortality must decline much faster in high-risk regions, which will require “a huge and urgent emphasis on improved pregnancy and delivery care throughout the developing world.”

Wal-Mart Adds $9 Contraceptives

Wal-Mart has added several family-planning drugs to its list of discounted generic prescription drug products. Although most drugs in the Wal-Mart generic discount program are available for $4, generic versions of the birth control drugs Ortho Cyclen and Ortho Tri-Cyclen and the fertility drug clomiphene will cost patients $9 in most states. Estradiol, estropipate, and medroxyprogesterone in several different dosages are available for $4. Because of state laws, the contraceptives are not available for $9 in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Montana, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, Wal-Mart said. The company has continued to expand its discount generic drug program and added 24 medications to its list in September, making a total of 361 products available. Wal-Mart claims that since its $4 generic program began in the fall of 2006, customers have saved $613 million.

High Court Declines Coverage Case

The U.S. Supreme Court has turned down a request by Catholic Charities of New York to review a state court decision requiring insurance companies to include contraceptive coverage in drug benefit packages. The court's refusal to hear the case leaves in place a law that requires insurance companies to cover women's preventive health care, including mandating that insurance plans covering prescription drugs cannot exclude contraceptives from that coverage. The law exempts religious employers such as churches, mosques and temples. However, it does not exempt religious service organizations or other organizations that may hire people who don't necessarily share the same religious beliefs. Ten religiously affiliated organizations had brought the challenge against the law, which was upheld by the Court of Appeals for the State of New York.

FDA Eyes 'Behind the Counter' Drugs

The Food and Drug Administration is considering creating a new category of drugs that would be available without a prescription, but only after a consultation with a pharmacist. This new potential “behind-the-counter” class of drugs would be limited to a few drugs that are largely safe with few side effects, and could include contraceptives, according to the FDA. Only a few behind-the-counter nonprescription drugs, such as Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s Plan B morning-after pill, are sold in the United States, but the drug class is more common in Britain, Europe, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The FDA will hold a public hearing on the issue Nov. 14 to get feedback on the idea. The agency said it “is interested in exploring the public health implications of BTC [behind the counter] dispensing of certain drug products, including (among other things) the implications for patient access and utilization, including drug prices, the continued safety and effectiveness of drugs, and patient compliance with drug therapy.”

HRSA Announces AIDS grants

The federal Health Resources and Services Administration has allocated $42 million in funding to support medications, care, and services for people living with HIV/AIDS. The grants include $1 million to improve primary medical care, research, and support services for HIV-infected women, infants, children, and youth and to provide support services for their affected family members, according to HRSA. Under this part of the package, 15 current grantees—including the Sonoma (Calif.) County Health Services Department, the New Jersey Department of Health, and Albany (N.Y.) Medical College—will receive up to $75,000 each in one-time expansion grants for their HIV/AIDS programs.

High Maternal Mortality Persists

Continuing high rates of maternal mortality in sub-Saharan African countries are offsetting progress made in other regions of the world, making it unlikely that rates of maternal mortality will fall far enough to meet the worldwide target of a 75% decline by 2015, researchers writing in the Lancet concluded. They estimated a maternal mortality of 402 deaths per 100,000 live births, most concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Risk varied tremendously, from a low of one maternal death per 100,000 live births in Ireland to a high of 2,100 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in Sierra Leone. Overall, the authors found evidence of a very slow decline in maternal mortality—less than 1% per year between 1990 and 2005. To achieve the 75% reduction target, set at the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000, maternal mortality must decline much faster in high-risk regions, which will require “a huge and urgent emphasis on improved pregnancy and delivery care throughout the developing world.”

Wal-Mart Adds $9 Contraceptives

Wal-Mart has added several family-planning drugs to its list of discounted generic prescription drug products. Although most drugs in the Wal-Mart generic discount program are available for $4, generic versions of the birth control drugs Ortho Cyclen and Ortho Tri-Cyclen and the fertility drug clomiphene will cost patients $9 in most states. Estradiol, estropipate, and medroxyprogesterone in several different dosages are available for $4. Because of state laws, the contraceptives are not available for $9 in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Montana, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, Wal-Mart said. The company has continued to expand its discount generic drug program and added 24 medications to its list in September, making a total of 361 products available. Wal-Mart claims that since its $4 generic program began in the fall of 2006, customers have saved $613 million.

High Court Declines Coverage Case

The U.S. Supreme Court has turned down a request by Catholic Charities of New York to review a state court decision requiring insurance companies to include contraceptive coverage in drug benefit packages. The court's refusal to hear the case leaves in place a law that requires insurance companies to cover women's preventive health care, including mandating that insurance plans covering prescription drugs cannot exclude contraceptives from that coverage. The law exempts religious employers such as churches, mosques and temples. However, it does not exempt religious service organizations or other organizations that may hire people who don't necessarily share the same religious beliefs. Ten religiously affiliated organizations had brought the challenge against the law, which was upheld by the Court of Appeals for the State of New York.

FDA Eyes 'Behind the Counter' Drugs

The Food and Drug Administration is considering creating a new category of drugs that would be available without a prescription, but only after a consultation with a pharmacist. This new potential “behind-the-counter” class of drugs would be limited to a few drugs that are largely safe with few side effects, and could include contraceptives, according to the FDA. Only a few behind-the-counter nonprescription drugs, such as Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s Plan B morning-after pill, are sold in the United States, but the drug class is more common in Britain, Europe, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The FDA will hold a public hearing on the issue Nov. 14 to get feedback on the idea. The agency said it “is interested in exploring the public health implications of BTC [behind the counter] dispensing of certain drug products, including (among other things) the implications for patient access and utilization, including drug prices, the continued safety and effectiveness of drugs, and patient compliance with drug therapy.”

HRSA Announces AIDS grants

The federal Health Resources and Services Administration has allocated $42 million in funding to support medications, care, and services for people living with HIV/AIDS. The grants include $1 million to improve primary medical care, research, and support services for HIV-infected women, infants, children, and youth and to provide support services for their affected family members, according to HRSA. Under this part of the package, 15 current grantees—including the Sonoma (Calif.) County Health Services Department, the New Jersey Department of Health, and Albany (N.Y.) Medical College—will receive up to $75,000 each in one-time expansion grants for their HIV/AIDS programs.

High Maternal Mortality Persists

Continuing high rates of maternal mortality in sub-Saharan African countries are offsetting progress made in other regions of the world, making it unlikely that rates of maternal mortality will fall far enough to meet the worldwide target of a 75% decline by 2015, researchers writing in the Lancet concluded. They estimated a maternal mortality of 402 deaths per 100,000 live births, most concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Risk varied tremendously, from a low of one maternal death per 100,000 live births in Ireland to a high of 2,100 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in Sierra Leone. Overall, the authors found evidence of a very slow decline in maternal mortality—less than 1% per year between 1990 and 2005. To achieve the 75% reduction target, set at the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000, maternal mortality must decline much faster in high-risk regions, which will require “a huge and urgent emphasis on improved pregnancy and delivery care throughout the developing world.”

Teen Smoking, Substance Abuse LInked

The nicotine in tobacco products poses a significant danger of structural and chemical changes in developing brains that can make teens more vulnerable to alcohol and other drug addiction, as well as to mental illness, according to a new white paper from Columbia University. The paper, commissioned by former top federal health officials, found that teens who smoke are nine times likelier to meet the medical criteria for past year alcohol abuse or dependence and 13 times likelier to meet the medical criteria for abuse and dependence on an illegal drug than are teens who don't smoke. The analysis also found that among teens aged 12-17 years, twice as many smokers as nonsmokers suffered from symptoms of depression in the last year, and smoking at a young age is related to panic attacks, general anxiety disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Combined Vaccine Sheet Considered

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering a new vaccine information statement that would combine information for six childhood vaccines, including DTaP, Haemophilus influenzae type b, inactivated polio vaccine, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, hepatitis B, and rotavirus. Physicians would have the choice of providing the consolidated statement or the six separate statements on the vaccines to their patients at the time of the vaccines. The American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee for Infectious Diseases is evaluating the proposed statement, but has not yet taken a position on it, according to an AAP spokesperson.

CDC:Schools Improving Health, Safety

U.S. schools have made considerable improvements in their policies and programs to promote the health and safety of students, particularly in the areas of nutrition, physical activity, and tobacco use, according to a CDC study. But more work is needed on health and wellness policies and programs, the CDC said. States prohibiting schools from offering junk foods in vending machines increased from 8% in 2000 to 32% in 2006, and states that required elementary schools to provide students with regularly scheduled recess increased from 4% in 2000 to 12% in 2006. But 22% of schools did not require students to take any physical education, and 36% of schools do not have policies prohibiting tobacco use in all locations at all times, according to the 2006 School Health Policies and Programs Study, a national survey conducted every 6 years.

NIH Adds 22 Centers to Study

The National Children's Study, the largest study ever on the effects of environmental and genetic factors on child and human health in the United States, has awarded contracts to 22 new study centers to manage recruitment and data collection in 26 additional communities. The new centers move the project closer to its goal of recruiting more than 100,000 children representative of the overall population, according to the National Institutes of Health. Researchers will examine what children are eating and drinking, what's in their air and in the dust from their homes, and their possible exposures to chemicals from materials used to construct their homes and schools. The first seven centers in the study were established in 2005, and federal lawmakers appropriated $69 million for the project in 2007.

Disordered Eating in Overweight Teens

Factors such as teasing by family, personal weight concerns, and dieting/unhealthy weight-control behaviors are strong and consistent predictors of overweight status, binge eating, and extreme weight-control behaviors later in adolescence, a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found. About 40% of overweight girls and 20% of overweight boys in the study engaged in either binge eating, extreme weight control, or both. The findings “suggest a need for decreasing weight-related pressures within an adolescent's social environment, decreasing weight concerns, and decreasing unhealthy weight control practices while promoting healthier alternatives,” the study's authors concluded.

Medicaid Enrollment Declines

Enrollment in Medicaid declined in 2007 for the first time in nearly a decade, primarily because new documentation requirements have caused significant delays in processing applications and because of the strong economy and lower unemployment, according to a new 50-state survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation. But states expect enrollment and spending to increase in 2008 as they move forward with program enhancements, according to the survey. “States are turning to Medicaid to address the rising number of uninsured to help fill in the gaps for low-income families,” Diane Rowland, executive vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, said in a statement.

Teen Smoking, Substance Abuse LInked

The nicotine in tobacco products poses a significant danger of structural and chemical changes in developing brains that can make teens more vulnerable to alcohol and other drug addiction, as well as to mental illness, according to a new white paper from Columbia University. The paper, commissioned by former top federal health officials, found that teens who smoke are nine times likelier to meet the medical criteria for past year alcohol abuse or dependence and 13 times likelier to meet the medical criteria for abuse and dependence on an illegal drug than are teens who don't smoke. The analysis also found that among teens aged 12-17 years, twice as many smokers as nonsmokers suffered from symptoms of depression in the last year, and smoking at a young age is related to panic attacks, general anxiety disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Combined Vaccine Sheet Considered

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering a new vaccine information statement that would combine information for six childhood vaccines, including DTaP, Haemophilus influenzae type b, inactivated polio vaccine, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, hepatitis B, and rotavirus. Physicians would have the choice of providing the consolidated statement or the six separate statements on the vaccines to their patients at the time of the vaccines. The American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee for Infectious Diseases is evaluating the proposed statement, but has not yet taken a position on it, according to an AAP spokesperson.

CDC:Schools Improving Health, Safety

U.S. schools have made considerable improvements in their policies and programs to promote the health and safety of students, particularly in the areas of nutrition, physical activity, and tobacco use, according to a CDC study. But more work is needed on health and wellness policies and programs, the CDC said. States prohibiting schools from offering junk foods in vending machines increased from 8% in 2000 to 32% in 2006, and states that required elementary schools to provide students with regularly scheduled recess increased from 4% in 2000 to 12% in 2006. But 22% of schools did not require students to take any physical education, and 36% of schools do not have policies prohibiting tobacco use in all locations at all times, according to the 2006 School Health Policies and Programs Study, a national survey conducted every 6 years.

NIH Adds 22 Centers to Study

The National Children's Study, the largest study ever on the effects of environmental and genetic factors on child and human health in the United States, has awarded contracts to 22 new study centers to manage recruitment and data collection in 26 additional communities. The new centers move the project closer to its goal of recruiting more than 100,000 children representative of the overall population, according to the National Institutes of Health. Researchers will examine what children are eating and drinking, what's in their air and in the dust from their homes, and their possible exposures to chemicals from materials used to construct their homes and schools. The first seven centers in the study were established in 2005, and federal lawmakers appropriated $69 million for the project in 2007.

Disordered Eating in Overweight Teens

Factors such as teasing by family, personal weight concerns, and dieting/unhealthy weight-control behaviors are strong and consistent predictors of overweight status, binge eating, and extreme weight-control behaviors later in adolescence, a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found. About 40% of overweight girls and 20% of overweight boys in the study engaged in either binge eating, extreme weight control, or both. The findings “suggest a need for decreasing weight-related pressures within an adolescent's social environment, decreasing weight concerns, and decreasing unhealthy weight control practices while promoting healthier alternatives,” the study's authors concluded.

Medicaid Enrollment Declines

Enrollment in Medicaid declined in 2007 for the first time in nearly a decade, primarily because new documentation requirements have caused significant delays in processing applications and because of the strong economy and lower unemployment, according to a new 50-state survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation. But states expect enrollment and spending to increase in 2008 as they move forward with program enhancements, according to the survey. “States are turning to Medicaid to address the rising number of uninsured to help fill in the gaps for low-income families,” Diane Rowland, executive vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, said in a statement.

Teen Smoking, Substance Abuse LInked

The nicotine in tobacco products poses a significant danger of structural and chemical changes in developing brains that can make teens more vulnerable to alcohol and other drug addiction, as well as to mental illness, according to a new white paper from Columbia University. The paper, commissioned by former top federal health officials, found that teens who smoke are nine times likelier to meet the medical criteria for past year alcohol abuse or dependence and 13 times likelier to meet the medical criteria for abuse and dependence on an illegal drug than are teens who don't smoke. The analysis also found that among teens aged 12-17 years, twice as many smokers as nonsmokers suffered from symptoms of depression in the last year, and smoking at a young age is related to panic attacks, general anxiety disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Combined Vaccine Sheet Considered

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering a new vaccine information statement that would combine information for six childhood vaccines, including DTaP, Haemophilus influenzae type b, inactivated polio vaccine, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, hepatitis B, and rotavirus. Physicians would have the choice of providing the consolidated statement or the six separate statements on the vaccines to their patients at the time of the vaccines. The American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee for Infectious Diseases is evaluating the proposed statement, but has not yet taken a position on it, according to an AAP spokesperson.

CDC:Schools Improving Health, Safety

U.S. schools have made considerable improvements in their policies and programs to promote the health and safety of students, particularly in the areas of nutrition, physical activity, and tobacco use, according to a CDC study. But more work is needed on health and wellness policies and programs, the CDC said. States prohibiting schools from offering junk foods in vending machines increased from 8% in 2000 to 32% in 2006, and states that required elementary schools to provide students with regularly scheduled recess increased from 4% in 2000 to 12% in 2006. But 22% of schools did not require students to take any physical education, and 36% of schools do not have policies prohibiting tobacco use in all locations at all times, according to the 2006 School Health Policies and Programs Study, a national survey conducted every 6 years.

NIH Adds 22 Centers to Study

The National Children's Study, the largest study ever on the effects of environmental and genetic factors on child and human health in the United States, has awarded contracts to 22 new study centers to manage recruitment and data collection in 26 additional communities. The new centers move the project closer to its goal of recruiting more than 100,000 children representative of the overall population, according to the National Institutes of Health. Researchers will examine what children are eating and drinking, what's in their air and in the dust from their homes, and their possible exposures to chemicals from materials used to construct their homes and schools. The first seven centers in the study were established in 2005, and federal lawmakers appropriated $69 million for the project in 2007.

Disordered Eating in Overweight Teens

Factors such as teasing by family, personal weight concerns, and dieting/unhealthy weight-control behaviors are strong and consistent predictors of overweight status, binge eating, and extreme weight-control behaviors later in adolescence, a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found. About 40% of overweight girls and 20% of overweight boys in the study engaged in either binge eating, extreme weight control, or both. The findings “suggest a need for decreasing weight-related pressures within an adolescent's social environment, decreasing weight concerns, and decreasing unhealthy weight control practices while promoting healthier alternatives,” the study's authors concluded.

Medicaid Enrollment Declines

Enrollment in Medicaid declined in 2007 for the first time in nearly a decade, primarily because new documentation requirements have caused significant delays in processing applications and because of the strong economy and lower unemployment, according to a new 50-state survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation. But states expect enrollment and spending to increase in 2008 as they move forward with program enhancements, according to the survey. “States are turning to Medicaid to address the rising number of uninsured to help fill in the gaps for low-income families,” Diane Rowland, executive vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, said in a statement.

MDs Don't Counsel on Contraceptives

Although prescription medications that may increase the risk of birth defects are commonly used by women of childbearing potential, only about half of those women receive contraceptive counseling from their health care providers, according to a University of Pittsburgh study involving 488,175 women. The study, reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that over the course of a year, one in six women of reproductive age filled a prescription for a medication labeled by the Food and Drug Administration as increasing the risk of fetal abnormalities. The researchers found little difference in rates of contraceptive counseling, use of contraception, or subsequent pregnancy test results when they compared medications labeled as increasing the risk of birth defects with safer medications. “Many women—and perhaps their physicians—may be unaware of the risks associated with the use of some medications, the chance that women may become pregnant, or both,” said study author Dr. Eleanor Bimla Schwarz, of the departments of medicine and obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive medicine at the school.

Tamper-Resistant Rx Rule Postponed

Congress has passed and President Bush has signed into law emergency legislation to delay until March 31, 2008, a requirement that tamper-resistant prescription pads be used for all Medicaid prescriptions. National Community Pharmacists Association spokesman John Norton noted in an interview that the delay was bundled with extensions on several programs due to expire Sept. 30, including an abstinence education initiative that the Bush administration supports. The original mandate, passed as part of war funding legislation earlier this year, requires that all Medicaid prescriptions be written on tamper-resistant paper to be eligible for federal reimbursement. Even though many states have similar requirements, pharmacists' organizations have maintained that most physicians do not currently use these types of pads, nor are supplies readily available.

FDA Asked to Ban Red Clover Ads

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has asked the FDA to ban what it calls deceptive advertising and labeling for a red clover-based dietary supplement called Promensil, saying it is being marketed to women for the relief of hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings. According to the CSPI, the advertising that the group would like the FDA to ban includes a recent television ad calling Promensil “the only supplement proven to reduce menopause symptoms” and ads in women's magazines touting the results of clinical studies that CSPI said actually show the supplement is ineffective in reducing menopausal symptoms. Promensil is sold by Natrol, a publicly traded company based in California.

N.J. Court Dismisses Abortion Case

Last month, the New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously ruled that physicians are not required to inform women seeking abortions that the procedure would result in “killing an existing human being.” The decision came in a medical malpractice lawsuit against a New Jersey physician that claimed the physician had failed to properly inform a patient that her embryo was a “complete, separate, unique and irreplaceable human being” with whom she had an “existing relationship,” and the physician's failure to make this disclosure caused the patient emotional distress. In its opinion, the New Jersey high court said there is no common law duty requiring a physician to suggest to a woman that abortion is “tantamount to murder. There is not even remotely a consensus among New Jersey's medical community or citizenry that plaintiff's assertions are medical facts, as opposed to firmly held moral, philosophical, and religious beliefs.”

Groups Call for New AIDS Strategy

More than 100 organizations from across the country are calling for the next president to commit to ending the AIDS epidemic in America, and they have asked every presidential candidate to develop a national AIDS strategy designed to reduce HIV infection rates, ensure access to care and treatment for those who are infected, and eliminate racial disparities. The “call to action,” detailed at

www.nationalaidsstrategy.org

MDs Don't Counsel on Contraceptives

Although prescription medications that may increase the risk of birth defects are commonly used by women of childbearing potential, only about half of those women receive contraceptive counseling from their health care providers, according to a University of Pittsburgh study involving 488,175 women. The study, reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that over the course of a year, one in six women of reproductive age filled a prescription for a medication labeled by the Food and Drug Administration as increasing the risk of fetal abnormalities. The researchers found little difference in rates of contraceptive counseling, use of contraception, or subsequent pregnancy test results when they compared medications labeled as increasing the risk of birth defects with safer medications. “Many women—and perhaps their physicians—may be unaware of the risks associated with the use of some medications, the chance that women may become pregnant, or both,” said study author Dr. Eleanor Bimla Schwarz, of the departments of medicine and obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive medicine at the school.

Tamper-Resistant Rx Rule Postponed

Congress has passed and President Bush has signed into law emergency legislation to delay until March 31, 2008, a requirement that tamper-resistant prescription pads be used for all Medicaid prescriptions. National Community Pharmacists Association spokesman John Norton noted in an interview that the delay was bundled with extensions on several programs due to expire Sept. 30, including an abstinence education initiative that the Bush administration supports. The original mandate, passed as part of war funding legislation earlier this year, requires that all Medicaid prescriptions be written on tamper-resistant paper to be eligible for federal reimbursement. Even though many states have similar requirements, pharmacists' organizations have maintained that most physicians do not currently use these types of pads, nor are supplies readily available.

FDA Asked to Ban Red Clover Ads

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has asked the FDA to ban what it calls deceptive advertising and labeling for a red clover-based dietary supplement called Promensil, saying it is being marketed to women for the relief of hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings. According to the CSPI, the advertising that the group would like the FDA to ban includes a recent television ad calling Promensil “the only supplement proven to reduce menopause symptoms” and ads in women's magazines touting the results of clinical studies that CSPI said actually show the supplement is ineffective in reducing menopausal symptoms. Promensil is sold by Natrol, a publicly traded company based in California.

N.J. Court Dismisses Abortion Case

Last month, the New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously ruled that physicians are not required to inform women seeking abortions that the procedure would result in “killing an existing human being.” The decision came in a medical malpractice lawsuit against a New Jersey physician that claimed the physician had failed to properly inform a patient that her embryo was a “complete, separate, unique and irreplaceable human being” with whom she had an “existing relationship,” and the physician's failure to make this disclosure caused the patient emotional distress. In its opinion, the New Jersey high court said there is no common law duty requiring a physician to suggest to a woman that abortion is “tantamount to murder. There is not even remotely a consensus among New Jersey's medical community or citizenry that plaintiff's assertions are medical facts, as opposed to firmly held moral, philosophical, and religious beliefs.”

Groups Call for New AIDS Strategy

More than 100 organizations from across the country are calling for the next president to commit to ending the AIDS epidemic in America, and they have asked every presidential candidate to develop a national AIDS strategy designed to reduce HIV infection rates, ensure access to care and treatment for those who are infected, and eliminate racial disparities. The “call to action,” detailed at

www.nationalaidsstrategy.org

MDs Don't Counsel on Contraceptives

Although prescription medications that may increase the risk of birth defects are commonly used by women of childbearing potential, only about half of those women receive contraceptive counseling from their health care providers, according to a University of Pittsburgh study involving 488,175 women. The study, reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that over the course of a year, one in six women of reproductive age filled a prescription for a medication labeled by the Food and Drug Administration as increasing the risk of fetal abnormalities. The researchers found little difference in rates of contraceptive counseling, use of contraception, or subsequent pregnancy test results when they compared medications labeled as increasing the risk of birth defects with safer medications. “Many women—and perhaps their physicians—may be unaware of the risks associated with the use of some medications, the chance that women may become pregnant, or both,” said study author Dr. Eleanor Bimla Schwarz, of the departments of medicine and obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive medicine at the school.

Tamper-Resistant Rx Rule Postponed

Congress has passed and President Bush has signed into law emergency legislation to delay until March 31, 2008, a requirement that tamper-resistant prescription pads be used for all Medicaid prescriptions. National Community Pharmacists Association spokesman John Norton noted in an interview that the delay was bundled with extensions on several programs due to expire Sept. 30, including an abstinence education initiative that the Bush administration supports. The original mandate, passed as part of war funding legislation earlier this year, requires that all Medicaid prescriptions be written on tamper-resistant paper to be eligible for federal reimbursement. Even though many states have similar requirements, pharmacists' organizations have maintained that most physicians do not currently use these types of pads, nor are supplies readily available.

FDA Asked to Ban Red Clover Ads

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has asked the FDA to ban what it calls deceptive advertising and labeling for a red clover-based dietary supplement called Promensil, saying it is being marketed to women for the relief of hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings. According to the CSPI, the advertising that the group would like the FDA to ban includes a recent television ad calling Promensil “the only supplement proven to reduce menopause symptoms” and ads in women's magazines touting the results of clinical studies that CSPI said actually show the supplement is ineffective in reducing menopausal symptoms. Promensil is sold by Natrol, a publicly traded company based in California.

N.J. Court Dismisses Abortion Case

Last month, the New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously ruled that physicians are not required to inform women seeking abortions that the procedure would result in “killing an existing human being.” The decision came in a medical malpractice lawsuit against a New Jersey physician that claimed the physician had failed to properly inform a patient that her embryo was a “complete, separate, unique and irreplaceable human being” with whom she had an “existing relationship,” and the physician's failure to make this disclosure caused the patient emotional distress. In its opinion, the New Jersey high court said there is no common law duty requiring a physician to suggest to a woman that abortion is “tantamount to murder. There is not even remotely a consensus among New Jersey's medical community or citizenry that plaintiff's assertions are medical facts, as opposed to firmly held moral, philosophical, and religious beliefs.”

Groups Call for New AIDS Strategy

More than 100 organizations from across the country are calling for the next president to commit to ending the AIDS epidemic in America, and they have asked every presidential candidate to develop a national AIDS strategy designed to reduce HIV infection rates, ensure access to care and treatment for those who are infected, and eliminate racial disparities. The “call to action,” detailed at

www.nationalaidsstrategy.org

Illinois Enacts Stem Cell Law

Gov. Rod Blagojevich has signed a law permanently allowing state money to fund embryonic stem cell research in Illinois. The law permits embryonic stem cell researchers to receive state funds, while prohibiting cloning or any attempt to clone a human being. The legislation follows the governor's 2005 executive order establishing the Illinois Regenerative Medicine Institute program and allocating $15 million for stem cell research grants, which were issued to researchers at several state hospitals and institutions. The new law authorizes the Illinois Department of Public Health to administer the IRMI program to provide additional grants for stem cell research.

Breast-Feeding Ad Controversy Eyed

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is investigating allegations that former Surgeon General Richard Carmona was blocked from participating in a breast-feeding advocacy effort and that a federal campaign to promote breast-feeding was toned down after input from the formula industry. The investigation, part of the House panel's overall probe into the independence of the surgeon general position, is examining events surrounding a Health and Human Services Department-sponsored advertising campaign promoting breast-feeding that ran 3 years ago. The ad campaign, which originally featured images of pregnant women taking risks in an effort to illustrate the health risks of formula feeding, was replaced with one featuring softer photographs after International Formula Council lawyers complained it was misleading.

Bill Seeks Physician Gift Disclosure

Legislation in the Senate would require quarterly disclosure of gifts, honoraria, travel, and other payments to physicians by pharmaceutical, medical device, and biotechnology manufacturers. S. 2029 was introduced by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.) and would apply to manufacturers with more than $100 million in gross revenues. The U.S. Health and Human Services Department would be required to make the disclosure data available on the Internet. Penalties would range from $10,000 to $100,000 per violation. Ken Johnson, senior vice president of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, stated that his group had not yet reviewed the bill but that contact with physicians is essential for education purposes. The group's guidelines suggest gifts to physicians should not exceed $100. The American Medical Association had also not yet read the proposal, but noted in testimony earlier this year that it has extensive guidelines on accepting anything from industry.

CMS Rejects Standards for Labs

Citing cost concerns, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has rejected a petition filed by a coalition of health and consumer groups calling for the agency to strengthen standards for genetic testing laboratories. The petition, filed jointly in September 2006 by the Genetics and Public Policy Center, Public Citizen, and the Genetic Alliance, sought to increase the use of proficiency testing by requesting the creation of a “specialty” for genetic testing. “The results of these tests are being used to make life-and-death decisions,” said Genetic Alliance president Sharon Terry in a statement. “A patient who is going to decide whether to have a child, or undergo surgery, or take a particular drug, really needs to know that the test used to make that decision gives the right answer.”

Senate Votes to Dump Global Gag Rule

The Senate has voted 52–46 to overturn the so-called global gag rule that bans family planning aid for international groups that use their own privately raised funds to counsel women on the availability of abortion, advocate for changes to abortion laws, or provide abortion services. Similar language overturning the ban already has been approved by the House as part of funding legislation. President Bush established the global gag rule by executive order on his first working day in office in 2001, and has threatened to veto legislation overturning it.

WHI Results Still Unclear to Many

Just 18% of physicians said they have “no confusion at all” about the results of the Women's Health Initiative study, according to an online survey of more than 400 physicians conducted on behalf of the Hormone Foundation. In addition, only 15% said they believe patients accurately understand the risks of hormone therapy. The results “underscore the importance of physicians' role in educating patients and [the public] on menopause management,” said foundation director Paula Correa. The survey, sponsored by Novogyne Pharmaceuticals, also found that 74% of physicians still consider hormone therapy as a first-line treatment for menopause symptoms. Novogyne makes the hormone therapy patches Vivelle-Dot, Vivelle, and CombiPatch.

Illinois Enacts Stem Cell Law

Gov. Rod Blagojevich has signed a law permanently allowing state money to fund embryonic stem cell research in Illinois. The law permits embryonic stem cell researchers to receive state funds, while prohibiting cloning or any attempt to clone a human being. The legislation follows the governor's 2005 executive order establishing the Illinois Regenerative Medicine Institute program and allocating $15 million for stem cell research grants, which were issued to researchers at several state hospitals and institutions. The new law authorizes the Illinois Department of Public Health to administer the IRMI program to provide additional grants for stem cell research.

Breast-Feeding Ad Controversy Eyed

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is investigating allegations that former Surgeon General Richard Carmona was blocked from participating in a breast-feeding advocacy effort and that a federal campaign to promote breast-feeding was toned down after input from the formula industry. The investigation, part of the House panel's overall probe into the independence of the surgeon general position, is examining events surrounding a Health and Human Services Department-sponsored advertising campaign promoting breast-feeding that ran 3 years ago. The ad campaign, which originally featured images of pregnant women taking risks in an effort to illustrate the health risks of formula feeding, was replaced with one featuring softer photographs after International Formula Council lawyers complained it was misleading.

Bill Seeks Physician Gift Disclosure

Legislation in the Senate would require quarterly disclosure of gifts, honoraria, travel, and other payments to physicians by pharmaceutical, medical device, and biotechnology manufacturers. S. 2029 was introduced by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.) and would apply to manufacturers with more than $100 million in gross revenues. The U.S. Health and Human Services Department would be required to make the disclosure data available on the Internet. Penalties would range from $10,000 to $100,000 per violation. Ken Johnson, senior vice president of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, stated that his group had not yet reviewed the bill but that contact with physicians is essential for education purposes. The group's guidelines suggest gifts to physicians should not exceed $100. The American Medical Association had also not yet read the proposal, but noted in testimony earlier this year that it has extensive guidelines on accepting anything from industry.

CMS Rejects Standards for Labs

Citing cost concerns, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has rejected a petition filed by a coalition of health and consumer groups calling for the agency to strengthen standards for genetic testing laboratories. The petition, filed jointly in September 2006 by the Genetics and Public Policy Center, Public Citizen, and the Genetic Alliance, sought to increase the use of proficiency testing by requesting the creation of a “specialty” for genetic testing. “The results of these tests are being used to make life-and-death decisions,” said Genetic Alliance president Sharon Terry in a statement. “A patient who is going to decide whether to have a child, or undergo surgery, or take a particular drug, really needs to know that the test used to make that decision gives the right answer.”

Senate Votes to Dump Global Gag Rule

The Senate has voted 52–46 to overturn the so-called global gag rule that bans family planning aid for international groups that use their own privately raised funds to counsel women on the availability of abortion, advocate for changes to abortion laws, or provide abortion services. Similar language overturning the ban already has been approved by the House as part of funding legislation. President Bush established the global gag rule by executive order on his first working day in office in 2001, and has threatened to veto legislation overturning it.

WHI Results Still Unclear to Many

Just 18% of physicians said they have “no confusion at all” about the results of the Women's Health Initiative study, according to an online survey of more than 400 physicians conducted on behalf of the Hormone Foundation. In addition, only 15% said they believe patients accurately understand the risks of hormone therapy. The results “underscore the importance of physicians' role in educating patients and [the public] on menopause management,” said foundation director Paula Correa. The survey, sponsored by Novogyne Pharmaceuticals, also found that 74% of physicians still consider hormone therapy as a first-line treatment for menopause symptoms. Novogyne makes the hormone therapy patches Vivelle-Dot, Vivelle, and CombiPatch.

Illinois Enacts Stem Cell Law

Gov. Rod Blagojevich has signed a law permanently allowing state money to fund embryonic stem cell research in Illinois. The law permits embryonic stem cell researchers to receive state funds, while prohibiting cloning or any attempt to clone a human being. The legislation follows the governor's 2005 executive order establishing the Illinois Regenerative Medicine Institute program and allocating $15 million for stem cell research grants, which were issued to researchers at several state hospitals and institutions. The new law authorizes the Illinois Department of Public Health to administer the IRMI program to provide additional grants for stem cell research.

Breast-Feeding Ad Controversy Eyed

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is investigating allegations that former Surgeon General Richard Carmona was blocked from participating in a breast-feeding advocacy effort and that a federal campaign to promote breast-feeding was toned down after input from the formula industry. The investigation, part of the House panel's overall probe into the independence of the surgeon general position, is examining events surrounding a Health and Human Services Department-sponsored advertising campaign promoting breast-feeding that ran 3 years ago. The ad campaign, which originally featured images of pregnant women taking risks in an effort to illustrate the health risks of formula feeding, was replaced with one featuring softer photographs after International Formula Council lawyers complained it was misleading.

Bill Seeks Physician Gift Disclosure

Legislation in the Senate would require quarterly disclosure of gifts, honoraria, travel, and other payments to physicians by pharmaceutical, medical device, and biotechnology manufacturers. S. 2029 was introduced by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.) and would apply to manufacturers with more than $100 million in gross revenues. The U.S. Health and Human Services Department would be required to make the disclosure data available on the Internet. Penalties would range from $10,000 to $100,000 per violation. Ken Johnson, senior vice president of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, stated that his group had not yet reviewed the bill but that contact with physicians is essential for education purposes. The group's guidelines suggest gifts to physicians should not exceed $100. The American Medical Association had also not yet read the proposal, but noted in testimony earlier this year that it has extensive guidelines on accepting anything from industry.

CMS Rejects Standards for Labs

Citing cost concerns, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has rejected a petition filed by a coalition of health and consumer groups calling for the agency to strengthen standards for genetic testing laboratories. The petition, filed jointly in September 2006 by the Genetics and Public Policy Center, Public Citizen, and the Genetic Alliance, sought to increase the use of proficiency testing by requesting the creation of a “specialty” for genetic testing. “The results of these tests are being used to make life-and-death decisions,” said Genetic Alliance president Sharon Terry in a statement. “A patient who is going to decide whether to have a child, or undergo surgery, or take a particular drug, really needs to know that the test used to make that decision gives the right answer.”

Senate Votes to Dump Global Gag Rule

The Senate has voted 52–46 to overturn the so-called global gag rule that bans family planning aid for international groups that use their own privately raised funds to counsel women on the availability of abortion, advocate for changes to abortion laws, or provide abortion services. Similar language overturning the ban already has been approved by the House as part of funding legislation. President Bush established the global gag rule by executive order on his first working day in office in 2001, and has threatened to veto legislation overturning it.

WHI Results Still Unclear to Many

Just 18% of physicians said they have “no confusion at all” about the results of the Women's Health Initiative study, according to an online survey of more than 400 physicians conducted on behalf of the Hormone Foundation. In addition, only 15% said they believe patients accurately understand the risks of hormone therapy. The results “underscore the importance of physicians' role in educating patients and [the public] on menopause management,” said foundation director Paula Correa. The survey, sponsored by Novogyne Pharmaceuticals, also found that 74% of physicians still consider hormone therapy as a first-line treatment for menopause symptoms. Novogyne makes the hormone therapy patches Vivelle-Dot, Vivelle, and CombiPatch.

New VP for AAP

The new vice president of the American Academy of Pediatrics intends to work with the academy's leadership to improve access to care for children by fighting to enhance payments to pediatricians under Medicaid and SCHIP, the self-described “in-the-trenches type pediatrician” said in an interview. Dr. David Tayloe Jr. of Goldsboro, N.C., said “our goal is for every child to have access to comprehensive child health services and a medical home that's directed by a board-certified pediatrician—a member of the academy.” Dr. Tayloe defeated Dr. James Shira of Denver, Colo. The number of votes per candidate was not given, but the total number cast was 13,177, according to a spokeswoman for AAP. Dr. Tayloe will become the president-elect this month and will serve as the 2008–2009 AAP president.

Tamper-Resistant Rx Rule Postponed

Congress has passed and President Bush has signed into law emergency legislation to delay until March 31, 2008, a requirement that tamper-resistant prescription pads be used for all Medicaid prescriptions. National Community Pharmacists Association spokesman John Norton noted in an interview that the delay was bundled with extensions on several programs due to expire Sept. 30, including an abstinence education initiative that the Bush administration supports. The original mandate, passed as part of war funding legislation earlier this year, requires that all Medicaid prescription be written on tamper-resistant paper to be eligible for federal reimbursement. Even though many states have similar requirements, pharmacists' organizations have maintained that most physicians do not currently use these types of pads, nor are supplies readily available.

Arkansas Reworks BMI Program

Arkansas' 4-year-old program to combat childhood obesity, which includes mandatory school-based body mass index (BMI) screenings, appears to have halted the rise in the obesity rate for the state's children. A report released last month showed that nearly 21% of tested schoolchildren were overweight last year, while just over 17% were at risk for being overweight, about the same figures as the previous year. However, a new state law has reduced screenings to every other year and makes it easier for parents to opt out their children, leading some health experts in the state to voice fears that the changes could weaken the successful program. But Arkansas Surgeon General Dr. Joe Thompson said in an interview that scaling back the screenings will allow schools to concentrate scarce resources on the children and families who need the most help battling obesity.

Court Ends 'Kiss and Tell' Suit

An appeals court has dismissed appeals to a Kansas lawsuit, ending attempts to enforce an interpretation of the state's child abuse law that that would have required health care providers and counselors to report all sexual activity by teenagers under 16 years to state authorities as evidence of child abuse. The case was dismissed because Kansas lawmakers revised the state's child abuse reporting laws to indicate the law does not require blanket reporting of adolescent sexual contact. The lawsuit, known as the “Kiss and Tell” case, originally was filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights in an effort to overturn an interpretation of the state's child abuse reporting law written by then-attorney general Phill Kline in 2003. Under Kline's interpretation, the Center argued, a school nurse would have had to report a 15-year-old student who disclosed that she was “making out” with her 15-year-old boyfriend. The lawsuit, filed by the center on behalf of a group of physicians, nurses, and counselors, argued that any threat to confidentiality is a strong deterrent against adolescents seeking health care and counseling.

N.J. Task Force Eyes Physician Gifts

The New Jersey Attorney General's Advisory Task Force on Physician Compensation, which met for the first time in September, is examining the potential impact of payments and gifts to physicians from the drug and device industry. The task force will also consider possible public disclosure of gifts, direct disclosure to patients, and limits on payments to physicians. Vermont, Maine, Minnesota, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia have passed laws requiring some form of reporting of payments made to physicians by pharmaceutical and medical device companies. In response to the formation of the task force, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America issued a statement citing its 2002 Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals as an important safeguard. The code declares all forms of entertainment to be inappropriate and says that any gifts given to physicians should support medical practice and be valued at less than $100.

New VP for AAP

The new vice president of the American Academy of Pediatrics intends to work with the academy's leadership to improve access to care for children by fighting to enhance payments to pediatricians under Medicaid and SCHIP, the self-described “in-the-trenches type pediatrician” said in an interview. Dr. David Tayloe Jr. of Goldsboro, N.C., said “our goal is for every child to have access to comprehensive child health services and a medical home that's directed by a board-certified pediatrician—a member of the academy.” Dr. Tayloe defeated Dr. James Shira of Denver, Colo. The number of votes per candidate was not given, but the total number cast was 13,177, according to a spokeswoman for AAP. Dr. Tayloe will become the president-elect this month and will serve as the 2008–2009 AAP president.

Tamper-Resistant Rx Rule Postponed

Congress has passed and President Bush has signed into law emergency legislation to delay until March 31, 2008, a requirement that tamper-resistant prescription pads be used for all Medicaid prescriptions. National Community Pharmacists Association spokesman John Norton noted in an interview that the delay was bundled with extensions on several programs due to expire Sept. 30, including an abstinence education initiative that the Bush administration supports. The original mandate, passed as part of war funding legislation earlier this year, requires that all Medicaid prescription be written on tamper-resistant paper to be eligible for federal reimbursement. Even though many states have similar requirements, pharmacists' organizations have maintained that most physicians do not currently use these types of pads, nor are supplies readily available.

Arkansas Reworks BMI Program

Arkansas' 4-year-old program to combat childhood obesity, which includes mandatory school-based body mass index (BMI) screenings, appears to have halted the rise in the obesity rate for the state's children. A report released last month showed that nearly 21% of tested schoolchildren were overweight last year, while just over 17% were at risk for being overweight, about the same figures as the previous year. However, a new state law has reduced screenings to every other year and makes it easier for parents to opt out their children, leading some health experts in the state to voice fears that the changes could weaken the successful program. But Arkansas Surgeon General Dr. Joe Thompson said in an interview that scaling back the screenings will allow schools to concentrate scarce resources on the children and families who need the most help battling obesity.

Court Ends 'Kiss and Tell' Suit

An appeals court has dismissed appeals to a Kansas lawsuit, ending attempts to enforce an interpretation of the state's child abuse law that that would have required health care providers and counselors to report all sexual activity by teenagers under 16 years to state authorities as evidence of child abuse. The case was dismissed because Kansas lawmakers revised the state's child abuse reporting laws to indicate the law does not require blanket reporting of adolescent sexual contact. The lawsuit, known as the “Kiss and Tell” case, originally was filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights in an effort to overturn an interpretation of the state's child abuse reporting law written by then-attorney general Phill Kline in 2003. Under Kline's interpretation, the Center argued, a school nurse would have had to report a 15-year-old student who disclosed that she was “making out” with her 15-year-old boyfriend. The lawsuit, filed by the center on behalf of a group of physicians, nurses, and counselors, argued that any threat to confidentiality is a strong deterrent against adolescents seeking health care and counseling.

N.J. Task Force Eyes Physician Gifts

The New Jersey Attorney General's Advisory Task Force on Physician Compensation, which met for the first time in September, is examining the potential impact of payments and gifts to physicians from the drug and device industry. The task force will also consider possible public disclosure of gifts, direct disclosure to patients, and limits on payments to physicians. Vermont, Maine, Minnesota, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia have passed laws requiring some form of reporting of payments made to physicians by pharmaceutical and medical device companies. In response to the formation of the task force, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America issued a statement citing its 2002 Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals as an important safeguard. The code declares all forms of entertainment to be inappropriate and says that any gifts given to physicians should support medical practice and be valued at less than $100.

New VP for AAP

The new vice president of the American Academy of Pediatrics intends to work with the academy's leadership to improve access to care for children by fighting to enhance payments to pediatricians under Medicaid and SCHIP, the self-described “in-the-trenches type pediatrician” said in an interview. Dr. David Tayloe Jr. of Goldsboro, N.C., said “our goal is for every child to have access to comprehensive child health services and a medical home that's directed by a board-certified pediatrician—a member of the academy.” Dr. Tayloe defeated Dr. James Shira of Denver, Colo. The number of votes per candidate was not given, but the total number cast was 13,177, according to a spokeswoman for AAP. Dr. Tayloe will become the president-elect this month and will serve as the 2008–2009 AAP president.

Tamper-Resistant Rx Rule Postponed

Congress has passed and President Bush has signed into law emergency legislation to delay until March 31, 2008, a requirement that tamper-resistant prescription pads be used for all Medicaid prescriptions. National Community Pharmacists Association spokesman John Norton noted in an interview that the delay was bundled with extensions on several programs due to expire Sept. 30, including an abstinence education initiative that the Bush administration supports. The original mandate, passed as part of war funding legislation earlier this year, requires that all Medicaid prescription be written on tamper-resistant paper to be eligible for federal reimbursement. Even though many states have similar requirements, pharmacists' organizations have maintained that most physicians do not currently use these types of pads, nor are supplies readily available.

Arkansas Reworks BMI Program

Arkansas' 4-year-old program to combat childhood obesity, which includes mandatory school-based body mass index (BMI) screenings, appears to have halted the rise in the obesity rate for the state's children. A report released last month showed that nearly 21% of tested schoolchildren were overweight last year, while just over 17% were at risk for being overweight, about the same figures as the previous year. However, a new state law has reduced screenings to every other year and makes it easier for parents to opt out their children, leading some health experts in the state to voice fears that the changes could weaken the successful program. But Arkansas Surgeon General Dr. Joe Thompson said in an interview that scaling back the screenings will allow schools to concentrate scarce resources on the children and families who need the most help battling obesity.

Court Ends 'Kiss and Tell' Suit

An appeals court has dismissed appeals to a Kansas lawsuit, ending attempts to enforce an interpretation of the state's child abuse law that that would have required health care providers and counselors to report all sexual activity by teenagers under 16 years to state authorities as evidence of child abuse. The case was dismissed because Kansas lawmakers revised the state's child abuse reporting laws to indicate the law does not require blanket reporting of adolescent sexual contact. The lawsuit, known as the “Kiss and Tell” case, originally was filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights in an effort to overturn an interpretation of the state's child abuse reporting law written by then-attorney general Phill Kline in 2003. Under Kline's interpretation, the Center argued, a school nurse would have had to report a 15-year-old student who disclosed that she was “making out” with her 15-year-old boyfriend. The lawsuit, filed by the center on behalf of a group of physicians, nurses, and counselors, argued that any threat to confidentiality is a strong deterrent against adolescents seeking health care and counseling.

N.J. Task Force Eyes Physician Gifts

The New Jersey Attorney General's Advisory Task Force on Physician Compensation, which met for the first time in September, is examining the potential impact of payments and gifts to physicians from the drug and device industry. The task force will also consider possible public disclosure of gifts, direct disclosure to patients, and limits on payments to physicians. Vermont, Maine, Minnesota, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia have passed laws requiring some form of reporting of payments made to physicians by pharmaceutical and medical device companies. In response to the formation of the task force, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America issued a statement citing its 2002 Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals as an important safeguard. The code declares all forms of entertainment to be inappropriate and says that any gifts given to physicians should support medical practice and be valued at less than $100.

Obesity Rivals Tobacco in Impact

Obesity's impact on America's health rivals that of tobacco use in terms of morbidity and related health risk, according to a report from the President's Cancer Panel, a division of the National Cancer Institute. The report cited research showing overall cancer death rates are 50%–60% higher among the obese, and said that two-thirds of all cancer deaths could be prevented through changes in lifestyle. However, the panel said there are policy, industry and cultural barriers that prevent the public from making the changes necessary to reduce cancer risk. For example, the panel noted a lack of adequate sidewalks and safe recreational areas, along with worsening physical education in schools and federal subsidies for foods that contribute to obesity. The report urged physicians to increase efforts to educate patients about weight management, and recommended changes in reimbursement to enable such counseling. “To minimize the growing financial burden that cancer inflicts on our nation, we must dramatically increase our focus on disease prevention and ensure that preventive services, including nutrition and physical activity interventions, become an integral and reimbursable component of primary care,” the panel said in a letter to President Bush.

AAFP, ACP to Test Medical Home

The American Academy of Family Physicians. the American College of Physicians, and the American Academy of Pediatrics will join with the UnitedHealth Group to test the concept of a patient-centered medical home. UnitedHealth Group will provide financial and administrative support for the project, which will be conducted with six Florida-based small and mid-sized general internal medicine groups. Practices will have to demonstrate that they have the infrastructure and personnel to provide patient-centered care, and United will provide additional payments to the physicians whose care is based on the model and who demonstrate measurable improvements in the overall health of their patients. The organizations involved in the pilot expressed hope that the results will help determine how to refine and expand the use of the patient-centered medical home concept. “This is what physicians-in-training signed up for when they elected to become internists and this is the care that patients want and deserve,” said ACP Florida chapter governor Dr. Kay Mitchell in a statement.

DTC Spending Triples

Spending on direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising by the pharmaceutical industry has more than tripled in the last decade, despite criticism and regulatory action designed to curb it, according to a study in the Aug. 16 New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers analyzed the pharmaceutical industry's spending on DTC advertising and promotions to physicians, and found that total real spending on drug promotions almost tripled, from more than $11 billion to almost $30 billion, between 1996 and 2005. Most of the spending was aimed at physicians. But over the past 9 years, spending on DTC ads and free samples has risen has a percentage of the overall promotional budget, while promotional investment in professional journals has fallen. Real spending on DTC advertising increased by 330% from 1996 to 2005, the researchers found. That spending was concentrated among a relatively small number of brands; the 20 drugs with the highest spending made up more than half of total industry spending on DTC ads in 2005, the study found. Most of these were new drugs used to treat chronic conditions, and nearly all ad campaigns for the most heavily advertised drugs began within a year of the drugs' Food and Drug Administration approval.

ABIM Quality Program Adopted

Four large national health care organizations are using the American Board of Internal Medicine's Maintenance of Certification program to recognize and reward quality care, the ABIM said. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, CIGNA HealthCare, Humana, and Wellpoint Inc., will incorporate ABIM's tools into their quality recognition programs. Internists who regularly complete an ABIM Practice Improvement Module (PIM) can authorize ABIM to send verification of these completed Web-based quality improvement modules to health plans participating in the program. Physicians participating in programs offered by the insurers and the Blues association will receive special recognition in provider directories.

Physical Activity Bill Introduced

U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.), Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.), and Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) have introduced a bill to mandate more physical activity for schoolchildren. The Fitness Integrated With Teaching Kids (FIT Kids) Act would add physical education to the ways of determining accountability under the No Child Left Behind Act. States would be graded on how well they worked to meet a target for required physical education of 150 minutes per week in elementary schools and 225 minutes per week for middle- and high-school students. Schools would be required to report their progress. “The statistics on childhood obesity are staggering, and we need to get them going in the other direction,” Rep. Wamp said in a statement. “Research shows that healthy children learn more effectively and achieve more academically. The FIT Kids Act would ensure a strong emphasis on physical education to help bolster academic performance and provide students with the physical activity and education to lead healthy lifestyles.”

Obesity Rivals Tobacco in Impact

Obesity's impact on America's health rivals that of tobacco use in terms of morbidity and related health risk, according to a report from the President's Cancer Panel, a division of the National Cancer Institute. The report cited research showing overall cancer death rates are 50%–60% higher among the obese, and said that two-thirds of all cancer deaths could be prevented through changes in lifestyle. However, the panel said there are policy, industry and cultural barriers that prevent the public from making the changes necessary to reduce cancer risk. For example, the panel noted a lack of adequate sidewalks and safe recreational areas, along with worsening physical education in schools and federal subsidies for foods that contribute to obesity. The report urged physicians to increase efforts to educate patients about weight management, and recommended changes in reimbursement to enable such counseling. “To minimize the growing financial burden that cancer inflicts on our nation, we must dramatically increase our focus on disease prevention and ensure that preventive services, including nutrition and physical activity interventions, become an integral and reimbursable component of primary care,” the panel said in a letter to President Bush.

AAFP, ACP to Test Medical Home

The American Academy of Family Physicians. the American College of Physicians, and the American Academy of Pediatrics will join with the UnitedHealth Group to test the concept of a patient-centered medical home. UnitedHealth Group will provide financial and administrative support for the project, which will be conducted with six Florida-based small and mid-sized general internal medicine groups. Practices will have to demonstrate that they have the infrastructure and personnel to provide patient-centered care, and United will provide additional payments to the physicians whose care is based on the model and who demonstrate measurable improvements in the overall health of their patients. The organizations involved in the pilot expressed hope that the results will help determine how to refine and expand the use of the patient-centered medical home concept. “This is what physicians-in-training signed up for when they elected to become internists and this is the care that patients want and deserve,” said ACP Florida chapter governor Dr. Kay Mitchell in a statement.

DTC Spending Triples

Spending on direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising by the pharmaceutical industry has more than tripled in the last decade, despite criticism and regulatory action designed to curb it, according to a study in the Aug. 16 New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers analyzed the pharmaceutical industry's spending on DTC advertising and promotions to physicians, and found that total real spending on drug promotions almost tripled, from more than $11 billion to almost $30 billion, between 1996 and 2005. Most of the spending was aimed at physicians. But over the past 9 years, spending on DTC ads and free samples has risen has a percentage of the overall promotional budget, while promotional investment in professional journals has fallen. Real spending on DTC advertising increased by 330% from 1996 to 2005, the researchers found. That spending was concentrated among a relatively small number of brands; the 20 drugs with the highest spending made up more than half of total industry spending on DTC ads in 2005, the study found. Most of these were new drugs used to treat chronic conditions, and nearly all ad campaigns for the most heavily advertised drugs began within a year of the drugs' Food and Drug Administration approval.

ABIM Quality Program Adopted

Four large national health care organizations are using the American Board of Internal Medicine's Maintenance of Certification program to recognize and reward quality care, the ABIM said. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, CIGNA HealthCare, Humana, and Wellpoint Inc., will incorporate ABIM's tools into their quality recognition programs. Internists who regularly complete an ABIM Practice Improvement Module (PIM) can authorize ABIM to send verification of these completed Web-based quality improvement modules to health plans participating in the program. Physicians participating in programs offered by the insurers and the Blues association will receive special recognition in provider directories.

Physical Activity Bill Introduced

U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.), Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.), and Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) have introduced a bill to mandate more physical activity for schoolchildren. The Fitness Integrated With Teaching Kids (FIT Kids) Act would add physical education to the ways of determining accountability under the No Child Left Behind Act. States would be graded on how well they worked to meet a target for required physical education of 150 minutes per week in elementary schools and 225 minutes per week for middle- and high-school students. Schools would be required to report their progress. “The statistics on childhood obesity are staggering, and we need to get them going in the other direction,” Rep. Wamp said in a statement. “Research shows that healthy children learn more effectively and achieve more academically. The FIT Kids Act would ensure a strong emphasis on physical education to help bolster academic performance and provide students with the physical activity and education to lead healthy lifestyles.”

Obesity Rivals Tobacco in Impact

Obesity's impact on America's health rivals that of tobacco use in terms of morbidity and related health risk, according to a report from the President's Cancer Panel, a division of the National Cancer Institute. The report cited research showing overall cancer death rates are 50%–60% higher among the obese, and said that two-thirds of all cancer deaths could be prevented through changes in lifestyle. However, the panel said there are policy, industry and cultural barriers that prevent the public from making the changes necessary to reduce cancer risk. For example, the panel noted a lack of adequate sidewalks and safe recreational areas, along with worsening physical education in schools and federal subsidies for foods that contribute to obesity. The report urged physicians to increase efforts to educate patients about weight management, and recommended changes in reimbursement to enable such counseling. “To minimize the growing financial burden that cancer inflicts on our nation, we must dramatically increase our focus on disease prevention and ensure that preventive services, including nutrition and physical activity interventions, become an integral and reimbursable component of primary care,” the panel said in a letter to President Bush.

AAFP, ACP to Test Medical Home

The American Academy of Family Physicians. the American College of Physicians, and the American Academy of Pediatrics will join with the UnitedHealth Group to test the concept of a patient-centered medical home. UnitedHealth Group will provide financial and administrative support for the project, which will be conducted with six Florida-based small and mid-sized general internal medicine groups. Practices will have to demonstrate that they have the infrastructure and personnel to provide patient-centered care, and United will provide additional payments to the physicians whose care is based on the model and who demonstrate measurable improvements in the overall health of their patients. The organizations involved in the pilot expressed hope that the results will help determine how to refine and expand the use of the patient-centered medical home concept. “This is what physicians-in-training signed up for when they elected to become internists and this is the care that patients want and deserve,” said ACP Florida chapter governor Dr. Kay Mitchell in a statement.

DTC Spending Triples

Spending on direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising by the pharmaceutical industry has more than tripled in the last decade, despite criticism and regulatory action designed to curb it, according to a study in the Aug. 16 New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers analyzed the pharmaceutical industry's spending on DTC advertising and promotions to physicians, and found that total real spending on drug promotions almost tripled, from more than $11 billion to almost $30 billion, between 1996 and 2005. Most of the spending was aimed at physicians. But over the past 9 years, spending on DTC ads and free samples has risen has a percentage of the overall promotional budget, while promotional investment in professional journals has fallen. Real spending on DTC advertising increased by 330% from 1996 to 2005, the researchers found. That spending was concentrated among a relatively small number of brands; the 20 drugs with the highest spending made up more than half of total industry spending on DTC ads in 2005, the study found. Most of these were new drugs used to treat chronic conditions, and nearly all ad campaigns for the most heavily advertised drugs began within a year of the drugs' Food and Drug Administration approval.

ABIM Quality Program Adopted

Four large national health care organizations are using the American Board of Internal Medicine's Maintenance of Certification program to recognize and reward quality care, the ABIM said. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, CIGNA HealthCare, Humana, and Wellpoint Inc., will incorporate ABIM's tools into their quality recognition programs. Internists who regularly complete an ABIM Practice Improvement Module (PIM) can authorize ABIM to send verification of these completed Web-based quality improvement modules to health plans participating in the program. Physicians participating in programs offered by the insurers and the Blues association will receive special recognition in provider directories.

Physical Activity Bill Introduced

U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.), Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.), and Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) have introduced a bill to mandate more physical activity for schoolchildren. The Fitness Integrated With Teaching Kids (FIT Kids) Act would add physical education to the ways of determining accountability under the No Child Left Behind Act. States would be graded on how well they worked to meet a target for required physical education of 150 minutes per week in elementary schools and 225 minutes per week for middle- and high-school students. Schools would be required to report their progress. “The statistics on childhood obesity are staggering, and we need to get them going in the other direction,” Rep. Wamp said in a statement. “Research shows that healthy children learn more effectively and achieve more academically. The FIT Kids Act would ensure a strong emphasis on physical education to help bolster academic performance and provide students with the physical activity and education to lead healthy lifestyles.”

Obesity Rivals Tobacco in Impact

Obesity's impact on America's health rivals that of tobacco use in terms of morbidity and related health risk, according to a report from the President's Cancer Panel, a division of the National Cancer Institute. The report cited research showing overall cancer death rates are 50%–60% higher among the obese, and said that two-thirds of all cancer deaths could be prevented through changes in lifestyle.The panel cited policy, industry, and cultural barriers that prevent the public from making the changes necessary to reduce cancer risk. For example, the panel noted a lack of adequate sidewalks and safe recreational areas, along with worsening physical education in schools and federal subsidies for foods that contribute to obesity. The report urged physicians to increase efforts to educate patients about weight management, and recommended changes in reimbursement to enable such counseling. “To minimize the growing financial burden that cancer inflicts on our nation, we must dramatically increase our focus on disease prevention and ensure that preventive services, including nutrition and physical activity interventions, become an integral and reimbursable component of primary care,” the panel said in a letter to President Bush.

ACP, AAFP to Test Medical Home

The American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American Academy of Pediatrics will join with UnitedHealth Group to test the concept of a patient-centered medical home. UnitedHealth Group will provide financial and administrative support for the project, which will be conducted with six Florida-based small and mid-sized general internal medicine groups. Practices will have to demonstrate that they have the infrastructure and personnel to provide patient-centered care, and UHG will provide additional payments to the physicians whose care is based on the model and who demonstrate measurable improvements in the overall health of their patients. The organizations involved in the pilot expressed hope that the results will help determine how to refine and expand the use of the patient-centered medical home concept. “This is what physicians-in-training signed up for when they elected to become internists, and this is the care that patients want and deserve,” ACP Florida chapter governor Dr. Kay Mitchell said in a statement.

DTC Spending Triples

Spending on direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising by the pharmaceutical industry has more than tripled in the last decade, despite criticism and regulatory action designed to curb it, according to a study in the Aug. 16 New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers analyzed the pharmaceutical industry's spending on DTC advertising and promotions to physicians, and found that total real spending on drug promotions almost tripled, from more than $11 billion to almost $30 billion, between 1996 and 2005. Most of the spending was aimed at physicians. But over the past 9 years, spending on DTC ads and free samples has risen, while promotional investment in professional journals has fallen. Real spending on DTC advertising increased by 330% from 1996 to 2005, the researchers found. That spending was concentrated among a relatively small number of brands; the 20 drugs with the highest spending made up more than half of total industry spending on DTC ads in 2005, the study found. Most of these were new drugs used to treat chronic conditions, and nearly all ad campaigns for the most heavily advertised drugs began within a year of the drugs' Food and Drug Administration approval.

Insurers Adopt ABIM Program

Four large national health care organizations are using the American Board of Internal Medicine's Maintenance of Certification program to recognize and reward quality care, the ABIM said. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, CIGNA HealthCare, Humana, and Wellpoint Inc., will incorporate ABIM's tools into their quality recognition programs. Internists who regularly complete an ABIM Practice Improvement Module (PIM) can authorize ABIM to send verification of these completed Web-based quality improvement modules to health plans participating in the program. Physicians participating in programs offered by the insurers and the Blues association will receive special recognition in provider directories.

Small Practices Decline

Physicians are shying away from solo and two-physician practices, according to a new report from the Center for Studying Health System Change. Although these small practices are still the most common practice arrangements, between 1996–1997 and 2004–2005 researchers saw a shift from solo and two-person practices to mid-sized, single-specialty groups of 6–50 physicians. The percentage of physicians who practiced in solo and two-person practices fell from 41% in 1996–1997 to 33% in 2004–2005. During the same time period, the percentage of physicians practicing in mid-sized groups rose from 13% to 18%. The biggest declines in physicians who choose small practices have come from medical specialists and surgical specialists, while the proportion of primary care physicians in small practices has remained steady at about 36%. “Physicians appear to be organizing in larger, single-specialty practices that present enhanced opportunities to offer more profitable ancillary services rather than organizing in ways that support coordination of care,” Paul B. Ginsburg, president of the Center for Studying Health System Change, said in a statement. The report's findings are based on the group's nationally representative Community Tracking Study Physician Survey.

Obesity Rivals Tobacco in Impact

Obesity's impact on America's health rivals that of tobacco use in terms of morbidity and related health risk, according to a report from the President's Cancer Panel, a division of the National Cancer Institute. The report cited research showing overall cancer death rates are 50%–60% higher among the obese, and said that two-thirds of all cancer deaths could be prevented through changes in lifestyle.The panel cited policy, industry, and cultural barriers that prevent the public from making the changes necessary to reduce cancer risk. For example, the panel noted a lack of adequate sidewalks and safe recreational areas, along with worsening physical education in schools and federal subsidies for foods that contribute to obesity. The report urged physicians to increase efforts to educate patients about weight management, and recommended changes in reimbursement to enable such counseling. “To minimize the growing financial burden that cancer inflicts on our nation, we must dramatically increase our focus on disease prevention and ensure that preventive services, including nutrition and physical activity interventions, become an integral and reimbursable component of primary care,” the panel said in a letter to President Bush.

ACP, AAFP to Test Medical Home

The American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American Academy of Pediatrics will join with UnitedHealth Group to test the concept of a patient-centered medical home. UnitedHealth Group will provide financial and administrative support for the project, which will be conducted with six Florida-based small and mid-sized general internal medicine groups. Practices will have to demonstrate that they have the infrastructure and personnel to provide patient-centered care, and UHG will provide additional payments to the physicians whose care is based on the model and who demonstrate measurable improvements in the overall health of their patients. The organizations involved in the pilot expressed hope that the results will help determine how to refine and expand the use of the patient-centered medical home concept. “This is what physicians-in-training signed up for when they elected to become internists, and this is the care that patients want and deserve,” ACP Florida chapter governor Dr. Kay Mitchell said in a statement.

DTC Spending Triples

Spending on direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising by the pharmaceutical industry has more than tripled in the last decade, despite criticism and regulatory action designed to curb it, according to a study in the Aug. 16 New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers analyzed the pharmaceutical industry's spending on DTC advertising and promotions to physicians, and found that total real spending on drug promotions almost tripled, from more than $11 billion to almost $30 billion, between 1996 and 2005. Most of the spending was aimed at physicians. But over the past 9 years, spending on DTC ads and free samples has risen, while promotional investment in professional journals has fallen. Real spending on DTC advertising increased by 330% from 1996 to 2005, the researchers found. That spending was concentrated among a relatively small number of brands; the 20 drugs with the highest spending made up more than half of total industry spending on DTC ads in 2005, the study found. Most of these were new drugs used to treat chronic conditions, and nearly all ad campaigns for the most heavily advertised drugs began within a year of the drugs' Food and Drug Administration approval.

Insurers Adopt ABIM Program

Four large national health care organizations are using the American Board of Internal Medicine's Maintenance of Certification program to recognize and reward quality care, the ABIM said. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, CIGNA HealthCare, Humana, and Wellpoint Inc., will incorporate ABIM's tools into their quality recognition programs. Internists who regularly complete an ABIM Practice Improvement Module (PIM) can authorize ABIM to send verification of these completed Web-based quality improvement modules to health plans participating in the program. Physicians participating in programs offered by the insurers and the Blues association will receive special recognition in provider directories.

Small Practices Decline

Physicians are shying away from solo and two-physician practices, according to a new report from the Center for Studying Health System Change. Although these small practices are still the most common practice arrangements, between 1996–1997 and 2004–2005 researchers saw a shift from solo and two-person practices to mid-sized, single-specialty groups of 6–50 physicians. The percentage of physicians who practiced in solo and two-person practices fell from 41% in 1996–1997 to 33% in 2004–2005. During the same time period, the percentage of physicians practicing in mid-sized groups rose from 13% to 18%. The biggest declines in physicians who choose small practices have come from medical specialists and surgical specialists, while the proportion of primary care physicians in small practices has remained steady at about 36%. “Physicians appear to be organizing in larger, single-specialty practices that present enhanced opportunities to offer more profitable ancillary services rather than organizing in ways that support coordination of care,” Paul B. Ginsburg, president of the Center for Studying Health System Change, said in a statement. The report's findings are based on the group's nationally representative Community Tracking Study Physician Survey.

Obesity Rivals Tobacco in Impact

Obesity's impact on America's health rivals that of tobacco use in terms of morbidity and related health risk, according to a report from the President's Cancer Panel, a division of the National Cancer Institute. The report cited research showing overall cancer death rates are 50%–60% higher among the obese, and said that two-thirds of all cancer deaths could be prevented through changes in lifestyle.The panel cited policy, industry, and cultural barriers that prevent the public from making the changes necessary to reduce cancer risk. For example, the panel noted a lack of adequate sidewalks and safe recreational areas, along with worsening physical education in schools and federal subsidies for foods that contribute to obesity. The report urged physicians to increase efforts to educate patients about weight management, and recommended changes in reimbursement to enable such counseling. “To minimize the growing financial burden that cancer inflicts on our nation, we must dramatically increase our focus on disease prevention and ensure that preventive services, including nutrition and physical activity interventions, become an integral and reimbursable component of primary care,” the panel said in a letter to President Bush.

ACP, AAFP to Test Medical Home

The American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American Academy of Pediatrics will join with UnitedHealth Group to test the concept of a patient-centered medical home. UnitedHealth Group will provide financial and administrative support for the project, which will be conducted with six Florida-based small and mid-sized general internal medicine groups. Practices will have to demonstrate that they have the infrastructure and personnel to provide patient-centered care, and UHG will provide additional payments to the physicians whose care is based on the model and who demonstrate measurable improvements in the overall health of their patients. The organizations involved in the pilot expressed hope that the results will help determine how to refine and expand the use of the patient-centered medical home concept. “This is what physicians-in-training signed up for when they elected to become internists, and this is the care that patients want and deserve,” ACP Florida chapter governor Dr. Kay Mitchell said in a statement.

DTC Spending Triples

Spending on direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising by the pharmaceutical industry has more than tripled in the last decade, despite criticism and regulatory action designed to curb it, according to a study in the Aug. 16 New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers analyzed the pharmaceutical industry's spending on DTC advertising and promotions to physicians, and found that total real spending on drug promotions almost tripled, from more than $11 billion to almost $30 billion, between 1996 and 2005. Most of the spending was aimed at physicians. But over the past 9 years, spending on DTC ads and free samples has risen, while promotional investment in professional journals has fallen. Real spending on DTC advertising increased by 330% from 1996 to 2005, the researchers found. That spending was concentrated among a relatively small number of brands; the 20 drugs with the highest spending made up more than half of total industry spending on DTC ads in 2005, the study found. Most of these were new drugs used to treat chronic conditions, and nearly all ad campaigns for the most heavily advertised drugs began within a year of the drugs' Food and Drug Administration approval.

Insurers Adopt ABIM Program

Four large national health care organizations are using the American Board of Internal Medicine's Maintenance of Certification program to recognize and reward quality care, the ABIM said. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, CIGNA HealthCare, Humana, and Wellpoint Inc., will incorporate ABIM's tools into their quality recognition programs. Internists who regularly complete an ABIM Practice Improvement Module (PIM) can authorize ABIM to send verification of these completed Web-based quality improvement modules to health plans participating in the program. Physicians participating in programs offered by the insurers and the Blues association will receive special recognition in provider directories.

Small Practices Decline

Physicians are shying away from solo and two-physician practices, according to a new report from the Center for Studying Health System Change. Although these small practices are still the most common practice arrangements, between 1996–1997 and 2004–2005 researchers saw a shift from solo and two-person practices to mid-sized, single-specialty groups of 6–50 physicians. The percentage of physicians who practiced in solo and two-person practices fell from 41% in 1996–1997 to 33% in 2004–2005. During the same time period, the percentage of physicians practicing in mid-sized groups rose from 13% to 18%. The biggest declines in physicians who choose small practices have come from medical specialists and surgical specialists, while the proportion of primary care physicians in small practices has remained steady at about 36%. “Physicians appear to be organizing in larger, single-specialty practices that present enhanced opportunities to offer more profitable ancillary services rather than organizing in ways that support coordination of care,” Paul B. Ginsburg, president of the Center for Studying Health System Change, said in a statement. The report's findings are based on the group's nationally representative Community Tracking Study Physician Survey.

Mass. Considers Retail Clinic Rules

Massachusetts' Public Health Council is considering rules that would limit the scope of retail medical clinics in the state. The proposal is in response to a request by CVS Corp. to open 20–30 of its MinuteClinics in the Boston area beginning this fall. Under the health council's proposal, applicants would need to state what services they intend to provide; would be required to develop policies that limit the number of times each patient could receive care there; and would have to refer patients without a primary care physician to one in the area who is accepting new patients.

Publix to Offer Free Antibiotics

Publix Super Markets will offer 14-day prescriptions of seven oral antibiotics free of charge at its 684 pharmacy locations, the Lakeland, Fla.-based store chain announced. The antibiotics included in the program—amoxicillin, cephalexin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (SMZ-TMP), ciprofloxacin (excluding Cipro XR), penicillin VK, ampicillin, and erythromycin (excluding Ery-Tab)—account for almost 50% of the generic prescriptions filled for adolescents and children at Publix, the company said. There is no limit to the number of free prescriptions, which are available to patients with prescription drug coverage as well, the store chain said.

Initial Breast-Feeding Rates Rise

More women are initiating breast-feeding, but the percentage of those who breast-feed exclusively at 3 months is below the national goal of 60%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data from 2004 (the most current available) show that 74% of women initiated breast-feeding when their infants were born, but only 31% were breast-feeding exclusively at 3 months. By 6 months, only 11% of mothers were exclusively breast-feeding, compared with the national target of 25%. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breast-feeding for the first 6 months of life with a continuation of breast-feeding for the first year and beyond as other foods are introduced. Racial and ethnic disparities also were found. The CDC found that black infants had the lowest rates of exclusive breast-feeding through 3 months with just 20% of mothers continuing to exclusively breast-feed. The report was published in the Aug. 3 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Counseling Lowers Cholesterol

Regularly counseling families and children about diets low in saturated fats reduces blood cholesterol levels in children up to age 14 years without affecting normal physical development, according to a study in the August issue of Circulation. Finnish researchers compared 540 children assigned to a dietary counseling group, beginning at age 7 months, with 522 who did not get special diet advice. Families in the counseling group received individualized diet counseling from a nutritionist at 1- to 3-month intervals until the child reached 2 years, and then twice a year thereafter. At age 14 years, the dietary group had a small but statistically significantly lower median cholesterol level. The counseled children also had diets consistently lower in fat and saturated fat, and higher in protein and carbohydrates than did those who received no dietary advice alone.

Panel to Meet on Cough Medicines

The Food and Drug Administration's Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee will meet Oct. 18–19 to consider additional warnings on the use of over-the-counter cold and cough medicines in children. In August, the FDA warned about the use of these products, especially in very young children. In higher-than-normal doses, cough and cold medicines can lead to arrhythmia, and also have been associated with high blood pressure and stroke. The medications should never be given to children under 2 years, unless approved by a physician, the agency said, adding that children should never be given cold and cough medicines packaged for adults, and that parents should closely follow dosage instructions.

Bill Urged on Food Allergies

Back-to-school time is particularly worrisome for the 2.2 million school-aged children with food allergies, along with their parents, according to proponents of legislation that would call on the federal government to establish voluntary national guidelines for managing students with such allergies. Some schools are well prepared to deal with food allergy issues, while others are not, said Anne Munoz-Furlong, founder and CEO of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. “Children with food allergy, and their parents, always have to be on guard to prevent a reaction,” she said.

Mass. Considers Retail Clinic Rules

Massachusetts' Public Health Council is considering rules that would limit the scope of retail medical clinics in the state. The proposal is in response to a request by CVS Corp. to open 20–30 of its MinuteClinics in the Boston area beginning this fall. Under the health council's proposal, applicants would need to state what services they intend to provide; would be required to develop policies that limit the number of times each patient could receive care there; and would have to refer patients without a primary care physician to one in the area who is accepting new patients.

Publix to Offer Free Antibiotics

Publix Super Markets will offer 14-day prescriptions of seven oral antibiotics free of charge at its 684 pharmacy locations, the Lakeland, Fla.-based store chain announced. The antibiotics included in the program—amoxicillin, cephalexin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (SMZ-TMP), ciprofloxacin (excluding Cipro XR), penicillin VK, ampicillin, and erythromycin (excluding Ery-Tab)—account for almost 50% of the generic prescriptions filled for adolescents and children at Publix, the company said. There is no limit to the number of free prescriptions, which are available to patients with prescription drug coverage as well, the store chain said.

Initial Breast-Feeding Rates Rise

More women are initiating breast-feeding, but the percentage of those who breast-feed exclusively at 3 months is below the national goal of 60%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data from 2004 (the most current available) show that 74% of women initiated breast-feeding when their infants were born, but only 31% were breast-feeding exclusively at 3 months. By 6 months, only 11% of mothers were exclusively breast-feeding, compared with the national target of 25%. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breast-feeding for the first 6 months of life with a continuation of breast-feeding for the first year and beyond as other foods are introduced. Racial and ethnic disparities also were found. The CDC found that black infants had the lowest rates of exclusive breast-feeding through 3 months with just 20% of mothers continuing to exclusively breast-feed. The report was published in the Aug. 3 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Counseling Lowers Cholesterol

Regularly counseling families and children about diets low in saturated fats reduces blood cholesterol levels in children up to age 14 years without affecting normal physical development, according to a study in the August issue of Circulation. Finnish researchers compared 540 children assigned to a dietary counseling group, beginning at age 7 months, with 522 who did not get special diet advice. Families in the counseling group received individualized diet counseling from a nutritionist at 1- to 3-month intervals until the child reached 2 years, and then twice a year thereafter. At age 14 years, the dietary group had a small but statistically significantly lower median cholesterol level. The counseled children also had diets consistently lower in fat and saturated fat, and higher in protein and carbohydrates than did those who received no dietary advice alone.

Panel to Meet on Cough Medicines

The Food and Drug Administration's Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee will meet Oct. 18–19 to consider additional warnings on the use of over-the-counter cold and cough medicines in children. In August, the FDA warned about the use of these products, especially in very young children. In higher-than-normal doses, cough and cold medicines can lead to arrhythmia, and also have been associated with high blood pressure and stroke. The medications should never be given to children under 2 years, unless approved by a physician, the agency said, adding that children should never be given cold and cough medicines packaged for adults, and that parents should closely follow dosage instructions.

Bill Urged on Food Allergies

Back-to-school time is particularly worrisome for the 2.2 million school-aged children with food allergies, along with their parents, according to proponents of legislation that would call on the federal government to establish voluntary national guidelines for managing students with such allergies. Some schools are well prepared to deal with food allergy issues, while others are not, said Anne Munoz-Furlong, founder and CEO of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. “Children with food allergy, and their parents, always have to be on guard to prevent a reaction,” she said.

Mass. Considers Retail Clinic Rules

Massachusetts' Public Health Council is considering rules that would limit the scope of retail medical clinics in the state. The proposal is in response to a request by CVS Corp. to open 20–30 of its MinuteClinics in the Boston area beginning this fall. Under the health council's proposal, applicants would need to state what services they intend to provide; would be required to develop policies that limit the number of times each patient could receive care there; and would have to refer patients without a primary care physician to one in the area who is accepting new patients.

Publix to Offer Free Antibiotics

Publix Super Markets will offer 14-day prescriptions of seven oral antibiotics free of charge at its 684 pharmacy locations, the Lakeland, Fla.-based store chain announced. The antibiotics included in the program—amoxicillin, cephalexin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (SMZ-TMP), ciprofloxacin (excluding Cipro XR), penicillin VK, ampicillin, and erythromycin (excluding Ery-Tab)—account for almost 50% of the generic prescriptions filled for adolescents and children at Publix, the company said. There is no limit to the number of free prescriptions, which are available to patients with prescription drug coverage as well, the store chain said.

Initial Breast-Feeding Rates Rise

More women are initiating breast-feeding, but the percentage of those who breast-feed exclusively at 3 months is below the national goal of 60%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data from 2004 (the most current available) show that 74% of women initiated breast-feeding when their infants were born, but only 31% were breast-feeding exclusively at 3 months. By 6 months, only 11% of mothers were exclusively breast-feeding, compared with the national target of 25%. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breast-feeding for the first 6 months of life with a continuation of breast-feeding for the first year and beyond as other foods are introduced. Racial and ethnic disparities also were found. The CDC found that black infants had the lowest rates of exclusive breast-feeding through 3 months with just 20% of mothers continuing to exclusively breast-feed. The report was published in the Aug. 3 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Counseling Lowers Cholesterol

Regularly counseling families and children about diets low in saturated fats reduces blood cholesterol levels in children up to age 14 years without affecting normal physical development, according to a study in the August issue of Circulation. Finnish researchers compared 540 children assigned to a dietary counseling group, beginning at age 7 months, with 522 who did not get special diet advice. Families in the counseling group received individualized diet counseling from a nutritionist at 1- to 3-month intervals until the child reached 2 years, and then twice a year thereafter. At age 14 years, the dietary group had a small but statistically significantly lower median cholesterol level. The counseled children also had diets consistently lower in fat and saturated fat, and higher in protein and carbohydrates than did those who received no dietary advice alone.

Panel to Meet on Cough Medicines

The Food and Drug Administration's Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee will meet Oct. 18–19 to consider additional warnings on the use of over-the-counter cold and cough medicines in children. In August, the FDA warned about the use of these products, especially in very young children. In higher-than-normal doses, cough and cold medicines can lead to arrhythmia, and also have been associated with high blood pressure and stroke. The medications should never be given to children under 2 years, unless approved by a physician, the agency said, adding that children should never be given cold and cough medicines packaged for adults, and that parents should closely follow dosage instructions.

Bill Urged on Food Allergies

Back-to-school time is particularly worrisome for the 2.2 million school-aged children with food allergies, along with their parents, according to proponents of legislation that would call on the federal government to establish voluntary national guidelines for managing students with such allergies. Some schools are well prepared to deal with food allergy issues, while others are not, said Anne Munoz-Furlong, founder and CEO of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. “Children with food allergy, and their parents, always have to be on guard to prevent a reaction,” she said.

Publix to Offer Free Antibiotics

Publix Super Markets will offer seven oral antibiotics free of charge at its 684 pharmacy locations, the Lakeland, Fla.-based store chain announced. The antibiotics included in the program—amoxicillin, cephalexin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (SMZ-TMP), cipro- floxacin (excluding Cipro XR), penicillin VK, ampicillin, and erythromycin (excluding Ery-Tab)—account for almost 50% of the generic prescriptions filled for adolescents and children at Publix, the company said. New or current customers simply need to provide the Publix pharmacists with their prescriptions, up to a 14-day supply, and they will be filled at no charge. There is no limit to the number of prescriptions customers can fill for free, and the free antibiotics are offered to customers regardless of their prescription insurance provider, the store chain said.

FDA, DoD to Share Data

The Department of Defense will share data and expertise with the Food and Drug Administration related to the review and use of FDA-regulated drugs, biologics, and medical devices in an effort to identify potential concerns and recognize benefits of products, the two agencies said. The DoD will share general patient data from military health system records with the FDA, although the agencies will protect all personal health information exchanged under the agreement. Among the DoD programs involved in the agreement is TRICARE, which serves 9.1 million members of the uniformed services, retirees, and their families, and TRICARE prescription data likely will be the first information shared as part of the project. The partnership between the DoD and FDA is part of the FDA's Sentinel Network, a project intended to explore linking private sector and public sector information to create an integrated electronic network.

Bill Would Improve Import Safety

User fees on imported food and drug shipments would fund additional personnel to inspect shipments both at the border and at FDA laboratories under legislation proposed by the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Funds from the proposed user fees also would be used to test import samples and research new testing techniques. “We are importing twice as much food as we were a decade ago, yet the FDA examines less than 1% of it,” said Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.). “Without regular inspections and analysis there is little incentive for food producers and importers to ensure that our food supply is free from harmful and sometimes fatal contaminants.” The legislation also would expand FDA authority to issue recalls, require country of origin labeling, and halt imports of certain products in the case of problems.

Leaders Back Payment Reform

The vast majority (95%) of key public officials, analysts, and executives say fundamental health care payment reform is needed, and 75% support Medicare reform that would pay “medical homes” for care coordination, according to the latest Commonwealth Fund Health Care Opinion Leaders survey. The survey found consensus for specific strategies; for example, 90% of respondents said use of health information technology should be mandated for Medicare providers within 5–10 years, and half supported financial incentives for physicians and hospitals to provide high quality care. Around three-quarters of respondents agreed that greater organization and integration of provider care is necessary for improved quality and efficiency, but nearly 8 of 10 said that physician autonomy would be a challenge to care integration. A total of 59% said they support public reporting of providers' performance on quality measures, and more than half said they support the creation of a new public-private entity to coordinate quality efforts and form a national quality agenda.

GAO Finds Medicaid Decline

A law requiring most U.S. citizens applying for Medicaid coverage to document their citizenship has caused eligible citizens to lose Medicaid coverage, and the law costs far more to administer than it saves, according to two government analyses. The law went into effect on July 1, 2006, and affects 30 million children and 16 million parents currently enrolled in Medicaid, as well as millions of new applicants. The first analysis, from the Government Accountability Office, found that half of the states are reporting declines in Medicaid coverage because of the requirement, and many of those losing coverage appear to be U.S. citizens. The second analysis, produced by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, found that for every $100 spent by federal taxpayers to implement the documentation requirements in six states, only 14 cents in Medicaid savings can be documented.

R.I. to Begin Information Exchange

Rhode Island is one step closer to a health information system that will allow physicians to access patient health data from a variety of sources. The state has chosen Electronic Data Systems Corp. and its subcontractor, InterSystems Corp., to build and integrate the necessary technology and software. Through a 3-year, federally funded $1.71 million contract, the companies will build the core components of the system under the oversight of the Rhode Island Department of Health. Initially, data will come from several state laboratories and from SureScripts, a national e-prescribing services company. When the system is complete, authorized health care providers will have access to laboratory results and medication histories for their patients, state officials said.

Publix to Offer Free Antibiotics

Publix Super Markets will offer seven oral antibiotics free of charge at its 684 pharmacy locations, the Lakeland, Fla.-based store chain announced. The antibiotics included in the program—amoxicillin, cephalexin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (SMZ-TMP), cipro- floxacin (excluding Cipro XR), penicillin VK, ampicillin, and erythromycin (excluding Ery-Tab)—account for almost 50% of the generic prescriptions filled for adolescents and children at Publix, the company said. New or current customers simply need to provide the Publix pharmacists with their prescriptions, up to a 14-day supply, and they will be filled at no charge. There is no limit to the number of prescriptions customers can fill for free, and the free antibiotics are offered to customers regardless of their prescription insurance provider, the store chain said.

FDA, DoD to Share Data

The Department of Defense will share data and expertise with the Food and Drug Administration related to the review and use of FDA-regulated drugs, biologics, and medical devices in an effort to identify potential concerns and recognize benefits of products, the two agencies said. The DoD will share general patient data from military health system records with the FDA, although the agencies will protect all personal health information exchanged under the agreement. Among the DoD programs involved in the agreement is TRICARE, which serves 9.1 million members of the uniformed services, retirees, and their families, and TRICARE prescription data likely will be the first information shared as part of the project. The partnership between the DoD and FDA is part of the FDA's Sentinel Network, a project intended to explore linking private sector and public sector information to create an integrated electronic network.

Bill Would Improve Import Safety

User fees on imported food and drug shipments would fund additional personnel to inspect shipments both at the border and at FDA laboratories under legislation proposed by the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Funds from the proposed user fees also would be used to test import samples and research new testing techniques. “We are importing twice as much food as we were a decade ago, yet the FDA examines less than 1% of it,” said Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.). “Without regular inspections and analysis there is little incentive for food producers and importers to ensure that our food supply is free from harmful and sometimes fatal contaminants.” The legislation also would expand FDA authority to issue recalls, require country of origin labeling, and halt imports of certain products in the case of problems.

Leaders Back Payment Reform

The vast majority (95%) of key public officials, analysts, and executives say fundamental health care payment reform is needed, and 75% support Medicare reform that would pay “medical homes” for care coordination, according to the latest Commonwealth Fund Health Care Opinion Leaders survey. The survey found consensus for specific strategies; for example, 90% of respondents said use of health information technology should be mandated for Medicare providers within 5–10 years, and half supported financial incentives for physicians and hospitals to provide high quality care. Around three-quarters of respondents agreed that greater organization and integration of provider care is necessary for improved quality and efficiency, but nearly 8 of 10 said that physician autonomy would be a challenge to care integration. A total of 59% said they support public reporting of providers' performance on quality measures, and more than half said they support the creation of a new public-private entity to coordinate quality efforts and form a national quality agenda.

GAO Finds Medicaid Decline

A law requiring most U.S. citizens applying for Medicaid coverage to document their citizenship has caused eligible citizens to lose Medicaid coverage, and the law costs far more to administer than it saves, according to two government analyses. The law went into effect on July 1, 2006, and affects 30 million children and 16 million parents currently enrolled in Medicaid, as well as millions of new applicants. The first analysis, from the Government Accountability Office, found that half of the states are reporting declines in Medicaid coverage because of the requirement, and many of those losing coverage appear to be U.S. citizens. The second analysis, produced by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, found that for every $100 spent by federal taxpayers to implement the documentation requirements in six states, only 14 cents in Medicaid savings can be documented.

R.I. to Begin Information Exchange

Rhode Island is one step closer to a health information system that will allow physicians to access patient health data from a variety of sources. The state has chosen Electronic Data Systems Corp. and its subcontractor, InterSystems Corp., to build and integrate the necessary technology and software. Through a 3-year, federally funded $1.71 million contract, the companies will build the core components of the system under the oversight of the Rhode Island Department of Health. Initially, data will come from several state laboratories and from SureScripts, a national e-prescribing services company. When the system is complete, authorized health care providers will have access to laboratory results and medication histories for their patients, state officials said.

Publix to Offer Free Antibiotics

Publix Super Markets will offer seven oral antibiotics free of charge at its 684 pharmacy locations, the Lakeland, Fla.-based store chain announced. The antibiotics included in the program—amoxicillin, cephalexin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (SMZ-TMP), cipro- floxacin (excluding Cipro XR), penicillin VK, ampicillin, and erythromycin (excluding Ery-Tab)—account for almost 50% of the generic prescriptions filled for adolescents and children at Publix, the company said. New or current customers simply need to provide the Publix pharmacists with their prescriptions, up to a 14-day supply, and they will be filled at no charge. There is no limit to the number of prescriptions customers can fill for free, and the free antibiotics are offered to customers regardless of their prescription insurance provider, the store chain said.

FDA, DoD to Share Data

The Department of Defense will share data and expertise with the Food and Drug Administration related to the review and use of FDA-regulated drugs, biologics, and medical devices in an effort to identify potential concerns and recognize benefits of products, the two agencies said. The DoD will share general patient data from military health system records with the FDA, although the agencies will protect all personal health information exchanged under the agreement. Among the DoD programs involved in the agreement is TRICARE, which serves 9.1 million members of the uniformed services, retirees, and their families, and TRICARE prescription data likely will be the first information shared as part of the project. The partnership between the DoD and FDA is part of the FDA's Sentinel Network, a project intended to explore linking private sector and public sector information to create an integrated electronic network.

Bill Would Improve Import Safety

User fees on imported food and drug shipments would fund additional personnel to inspect shipments both at the border and at FDA laboratories under legislation proposed by the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Funds from the proposed user fees also would be used to test import samples and research new testing techniques. “We are importing twice as much food as we were a decade ago, yet the FDA examines less than 1% of it,” said Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.). “Without regular inspections and analysis there is little incentive for food producers and importers to ensure that our food supply is free from harmful and sometimes fatal contaminants.” The legislation also would expand FDA authority to issue recalls, require country of origin labeling, and halt imports of certain products in the case of problems.

Leaders Back Payment Reform

The vast majority (95%) of key public officials, analysts, and executives say fundamental health care payment reform is needed, and 75% support Medicare reform that would pay “medical homes” for care coordination, according to the latest Commonwealth Fund Health Care Opinion Leaders survey. The survey found consensus for specific strategies; for example, 90% of respondents said use of health information technology should be mandated for Medicare providers within 5–10 years, and half supported financial incentives for physicians and hospitals to provide high quality care. Around three-quarters of respondents agreed that greater organization and integration of provider care is necessary for improved quality and efficiency, but nearly 8 of 10 said that physician autonomy would be a challenge to care integration. A total of 59% said they support public reporting of providers' performance on quality measures, and more than half said they support the creation of a new public-private entity to coordinate quality efforts and form a national quality agenda.

GAO Finds Medicaid Decline

A law requiring most U.S. citizens applying for Medicaid coverage to document their citizenship has caused eligible citizens to lose Medicaid coverage, and the law costs far more to administer than it saves, according to two government analyses. The law went into effect on July 1, 2006, and affects 30 million children and 16 million parents currently enrolled in Medicaid, as well as millions of new applicants. The first analysis, from the Government Accountability Office, found that half of the states are reporting declines in Medicaid coverage because of the requirement, and many of those losing coverage appear to be U.S. citizens. The second analysis, produced by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, found that for every $100 spent by federal taxpayers to implement the documentation requirements in six states, only 14 cents in Medicaid savings can be documented.

R.I. to Begin Information Exchange

Rhode Island is one step closer to a health information system that will allow physicians to access patient health data from a variety of sources. The state has chosen Electronic Data Systems Corp. and its subcontractor, InterSystems Corp., to build and integrate the necessary technology and software. Through a 3-year, federally funded $1.71 million contract, the companies will build the core components of the system under the oversight of the Rhode Island Department of Health. Initially, data will come from several state laboratories and from SureScripts, a national e-prescribing services company. When the system is complete, authorized health care providers will have access to laboratory results and medication histories for their patients, state officials said.