Thursday, July 31, 2014

Blood Test Might Help Prevent Certain Birth Defects

Blood Test Might Help Prevent Certain Birth Defects

Make Kids' Weight Loss a Family Affair, Study Suggests

Make Kids' Weight Loss a Family Affair, Study Suggests

Tip-Over Furniture Can Kill Kids

Tip-Over Furniture Can Kill Kids

Big Jump in Doctor's Office Visits for Young Adults With Diabetes

Big Jump in Doctor's Office Visits for Young Adults With Diabetes

Emory-Adventist Hospital plans to close | Georgia Health News

Emory-Adventist Hospital plans to close | Georgia Health News

Report Touches Off Fight Over Future Of Doctor Training Program - Kaiser Health News

Report Touches Off Fight Over Future Of Doctor Training Program - Kaiser Health News

6 States, D.C. Extending Medicaid Pay Raise Next Year To Primary Care Doctors – Capsules - The KHN Blog

6 States, D.C. Extending Medicaid Pay Raise Next Year To Primary Care Doctors – Capsules - The KHN Blog

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Less Flexibility Seen in Brain Wiring of Kids With Autism: Study

Less Flexibility Seen in Brain Wiring of Kids With Autism: Study

2 former hospital executives facing federal charges | www.wsbtv.com

2 former hospital executives facing federal charges | www.wsbtv.com

Florida Medical Association members vote to support Medicaid expansion | Tampa Bay Times

Florida Medical Association members vote to support Medicaid expansion | Tampa Bay Times

Gov. Nathan Deal makes a (very limited) exception to his stance against Medicaid expansion | Political Insider blog

Gov. Nathan Deal makes a (very limited) exception to his stance against Medicaid expansion | Political Insider blog

Moving Children From CHIP To Exchange Plans Would Increase Costs: Study – Capsules - The KHN Blog

Moving Children From CHIP To Exchange Plans Would Increase Costs: Study – Capsules - The KHN Blog

Expert Panel Recommends Sweeping Changes To Doctor Training System - Kaiser Health News

Expert Panel Recommends Sweeping Changes To Doctor Training System - Kaiser Health News

Monday, July 28, 2014

AAP Updates Recommendations for Use of Palivizumab Against RSV

AAP Updates Recommendations for Use of Palivizumab Against RSV

American Academy of Pediatrics Condemns Ruling Against Physicians’ Right to Counsel on Firearm Safety

American Academy of Pediatrics Condemns Ruling Against Physicians’ Right to Counsel on Firearm Safety

Preemies May Have Higher Risk of Blood Clots, Even as Adults

Preemies May Have Higher Risk of Blood Clots, Even as Adults

Healthy School Lunches Get Thumbs Up From Students

Healthy School Lunches Get Thumbs Up From Students

Youth benefit from community service programs that include reflection - Medical News Today

Youth benefit from community service programs that include reflection - Medical News Today

Puberty in girls timed by genes from one parent - Medical News Today

Puberty in girls timed by genes from one parent - Medical News Today

Electronic screening tool to triage teenagers and risk of substance misuse - Medical News Today

Electronic screening tool to triage teenagers and risk of substance misuse - Medical News Today

11th Circuit Upholds Fla. Law Limiting Doctors' Talk on Guns | The Daily Report

11th Circuit Upholds Fla. Law Limiting Doctors' Talk on Guns | The Daily Report

Tonsillectomy for Sleep Apnea May Trigger Weight Gain

Tonsillectomy for Sleep Apnea May Trigger Weight Gain

Doctors Urge Meningitis Shots for Vulnerable Infants, Children

Doctors Urge Meningitis Shots for Vulnerable Infants, Children

State’s child well-being rank improves slightly

State’s child well-being rank improves slightly

State says it’s hard at work on Medicaid backlog | Georgia Health News

State says it’s hard at work on Medicaid backlog | Georgia Health News

House plan to sue Obama over employer-mandate delay moves forward | Modern Healthcare

House plan to sue Obama over employer-mandate delay moves forward | Modern Healthcare

NC Senate votes for Medicaid overhaul | State Politics | NewsObserver.com

NC Senate votes for Medicaid overhaul | State Politics | NewsObserver.com

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Peer-Mentored Support Reduces Stress for Mothers of Children With Disabilities

Peer-Mentored Support Reduces Stress for Mothers of Children With Disabilities

Many Kids With Medicaid Use ER as Doctor's Office: CDC

Many Kids With Medicaid Use ER as Doctor's Office: CDC

Teenage Boys Want Intimacy, Not Just Sex, Survey Finds

Teenage Boys Want Intimacy, Not Just Sex, Survey Finds

Too Few Teens Receive HPV Shot, CDC Says

Too Few Teens Receive HPV Shot, CDC Says

Standard handoff practices help children's hospitals cut errors - FierceHealthcare

Standard handoff practices help children's hospitals cut errors - FierceHealthcare

Boost in child services staff eases statewide case backlog

Boost in child services staff eases statewide case backlog

Merger shows health IT still blooming in Georgia | Georgia Health News

Merger shows health IT still blooming in Georgia | Georgia Health News

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Obesity During Pregnancy Linked to Raised Asthma Risk in Kids

Obesity During Pregnancy Linked to Raised Asthma Risk in Kids

Many Obese U.S. Kids Think They're Thinner Than They Are

Many Obese U.S. Kids Think They're Thinner Than They Are

Dangerous Use of Growth Hormone Surges Among U.S. Teens

Dangerous Use of Growth Hormone Surges Among U.S. Teens

Exchange subsidies draw conflicting court rulings | Georgia Health News

Exchange subsidies draw conflicting court rulings | Georgia Health News

Groups Sue Tennessee Over Medicaid Enrollment Delays - Kaiser Health News

Groups Sue Tennessee Over Medicaid Enrollment Delays - Kaiser Health News

What’s Next In The Wake Of Conflicting Federal Court Decisions – Capsules - The KHN Blog

What’s Next In The Wake Of Conflicting Federal Court Decisions – Capsules - The KHN Blog

Administration to broaden contraception accommodation for religious groups

Administration to broaden contraception accommodation for religious groups
By JOANNE KENEN | 7/22/14 POLITICO

The Obama administration will create a new option for certain religious nonprofits that object to both the Obamacare contraception mandate and the earlier administration efforts to find accommodation for them, according to a court document filed Tuesday.

The brief filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit says the administration is broadening the accommodation policy after the Supreme Court ruled that Wheaton College, a religious institution, did not have to provide contraception in employee health plans while the issue makes its way through the courts. Details were not spelled out.

The legal issues surrounding religious nonprofits are separate from the recent Hobby Lobby ruling by the Supreme Court. In Hobby Lobby, the court ruled that certain family-owned for-profit businesses did not have to provide birth control in employee health plans if it violated their religious beliefs. The cases involving religious nonprofits are still before the courts.

Wheaton and some other groups, such as an order of nuns in Denver, objected to filling out a form that would trigger the accommodation process – which would still guarantee that women get the contraception coverage, but without direct involvement of the employer. This will provide an alternative, although an administration official said it would take about a month to issue a new rule.
“This is part of ensuring that all women have access to contraception coverage,” a senior White House official said. “The administration believes the accommodation is legally sound,” but the administration will still broaden the policy.

“The Wheaton College injunction does not reflect a final Supreme Court determination that RFRA [Religious Freedom Restoration Act] requires the government to apply the accommodations in this manner,” the brief said. But the administration decided to move ahead.

Docs Slam Recertification Rules They Call A Waste Of Time - Kaiser Health News

Docs Slam Recertification Rules They Call A Waste Of Time - Kaiser Health News

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

How 'good mothering' hardwires infant brain - Medical News Today

How 'good mothering' hardwires infant brain - Medical News Today

Asthma Drug May Help Those With Chronic Hives

Asthma Drug May Help Those With Chronic Hives

Parents of Children With Autism Need Help, Too

Parents of Children With Autism Need Help, Too

Lab CEO accused of falsifying test results, affecting metro... | www.wsbtv.com

Lab CEO accused of falsifying test results, affecting metro... | www.wsbtv.com

New science, medical MBAs at GRU | The Augusta Chronicle

New science, medical MBAs at GRU | The Augusta Chronicle

MIAMI: Health officials crack down on Medicaid marketing - Florida Wires - MiamiHerald.com

MIAMI: Health officials crack down on Medicaid marketing - Florida Wires - MiamiHerald.com

Arkansas Weighs Plan To Make Some Medicaid Enrollees Fund Savings Accounts - Kaiser Health News

Arkansas Weighs Plan To Make Some Medicaid Enrollees Fund Savings Accounts - Kaiser Health News

Monday, July 21, 2014

Life Skills, Parenting Classes May Cut Inflammation in Poor Kids

Life Skills, Parenting Classes May Cut Inflammation in Poor Kids

Ga. considers exemptions to school food standards | The Augusta Chronicle

Ga. considers exemptions to school food standards | The Augusta Chronicle

State's low Medicaid payments pinch doctor practices in low-income areas

State's low Medicaid payments pinch doctor practices in low-income areas

Fertile ground for Medicaid pitch

- The Washington Post

Protecting Children from Gun Violence: A Message from the AAP President

Protecting Children from Gun Violence: A Message from the AAP President

Drug-Resistant Superbug Increasing in Southeast U.S. Hospitals

Drug-Resistant Superbug Increasing in Southeast U.S. Hospitals

Many Young Adults Misinformed About Hookahs' Harms

Many Young Adults Misinformed About Hookahs' Harms

Common Genes Implicated in Autism Study

Common Genes Implicated in Autism Study

Good Schools May Be Good for a Teen's Health, Too

Good Schools May Be Good for a Teen's Health, Too

Waistlines of U.S. Kids Seem to Be Holding Steady, Study Finds

Waistlines of U.S. Kids Seem to Be Holding Steady, Study Finds

State agency loses federal ‘family planning’ grant | Georgia Health News

State agency loses federal ‘family planning’ grant | Georgia Health News

Teen's death puts focus on caffeine powder dangers | www.ajc.com

Teen's death puts focus on caffeine powder dangers | www.ajc.com

Teen's death puts focus on caffeine powder dangers | www.ajc.com

Teen's death puts focus on caffeine powder dangers | www.ajc.com

Governor approves hire of 100 new child protective service workers


Governor approves hire of 100 new child protective service workers
July 16, 2014

Deal: Recent influx of cases required immediate action to protect Georgia children, improve system

Gov. Nathan Deal today approved the hire of 100 new child protective service workers to assist with a recent influx of cases. The number of reports of child abuse and neglect has significantly increased since the opening of a centralized 24/7 Child Protective Services Intake Communications Center.

"If we do nothing else, we must always do everything in our power to ensure that our children are safe and that they get their best shot at a good life," Deal said. “Since June of last year, we have seen a 63 percent increase in the number of investigations and family support cases. I saw it necessary to hire 100 new workers, in addition to the 175 included in this year’s budget. No child welfare case should ever lack the attention it so greatly deserves. Supplemental personnel will better equip our state to manage recent demand and help us reach our goal of a 15:1 caseload to caseworker ratio — a nationwide best practice — by 2017.”

Funding for additional personnel will be included in the governor’s amended FY15 budget.
"Over the last several months, Georgia DFCS has experienced a dramatic increase in the number of reports of child maltreatment,” said Bobby Cagle, interim director of the Division of Family and Children Services. “These 100 new positions, in addition to the 175 previously committed and hired July 1, will allow us to quickly improve safety for vulnerable children throughout the state. I greatly appreciate Governor Deal's leadership in recognizing the pressing need and quickly allocating additional staff."

The governor will continue to evaluate the ratio between number of caseworkers and caseload on an ongoing basis.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Child-centered protocols proposed for safe imaging - Medical News Today

Child-centered protocols proposed for safe imaging - Medical News Today

Could the cause of cerebral palsy run in the family? - Medical News Today

Could the cause of cerebral palsy run in the family? - Medical News Today

Most Kids Eat Fruit, Veggies Daily: CDC

Most Kids Eat Fruit, Veggies Daily: CDC

First lady touts vaccinations during hospital visit

First lady touts vaccinations during hospital visit

Even without expansion, Texas Medicaid rolls rise - Houston Chronicle

Even without expansion, Texas Medicaid rolls rise - Houston Chronicle

Specialty Care Is A Challenge In Some ACA Plans - Kaiser Health News

Specialty Care Is A Challenge In Some ACA Plans - Kaiser Health News

Monday, July 14, 2014

Spoon Measurements Behind Many Child Drug-Dosing Errors: Study

Spoon Measurements Behind Many Child Drug-Dosing Errors: Study

Bed-Sharing Linked to SIDS

Bed-Sharing Linked to SIDS

Babies' Brains Prep for Speech Long Before First Words Come Out

Babies' Brains Prep for Speech Long Before First Words Come Out

Southwest Georgia public health officials encouraging early vaccinations | Albany Herald

Southwest Georgia public health officials encouraging early vaccinations | Albany Herald

Feds to scrutinize Georgia’s Medicaid backlog | Georgia Health News

Feds to scrutinize Georgia’s Medicaid backlog | Georgia Health News

Nurse Practitioners Gain Flexibility With New State Law - Kaiser Health News

Nurse Practitioners Gain Flexibility With New State Law - Kaiser Health News

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Risk factors identified for little league shoulder - Medical News Today

Risk factors identified for little league shoulder - Medical News Today

Outdoor play promotes physical activity in youth - Medical News Today

Outdoor play promotes physical activity in youth - Medical News Today

Delaying Kid's Knee Surgery Could Be a Bad Play, Study Finds

Delaying Kid's Knee Surgery Could Be a Bad Play, Study Finds

Emergency Surgeries on Weekends Riskier for Kids: Study

Emergency Surgeries on Weekends Riskier for Kids: Study

Saliva Test Might Someday Replace Needle Prick for Diabetics

Saliva Test Might Someday Replace Needle Prick for Diabetics

Are hospital closures necessary to fix healthcare? - FierceHealthcare

Are hospital closures necessary to fix healthcare? - FierceHealthcare

Fourth insurer plans statewide exchange offerings | Georgia Health News

Fourth insurer plans statewide exchange offerings | Georgia Health News

Enrollment in Michigan Medicaid expansion exceeds 322K | The Detroit News

Enrollment in Michigan Medicaid expansion exceeds 322K | The Detroit News

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Researchers Say They've Found New Clues to Autism

Researchers Say They've Found New Clues to Autism

Doctors Need to Protect Athletes From Concussion Risk: Neurologists

Doctors Need to Protect Athletes From Concussion Risk: Neurologists

Kids Still Getting Too Much 'Screen Time': CDC

Kids Still Getting Too Much 'Screen Time': CDC

Exercising Moms-to-Be Have Less Chubby Babies, Study Finds

Exercising Moms-to-Be Have Less Chubby Babies, Study Finds

Tips to improve patient handoffs, outcomes - FierceHealthcare

Tips to improve patient handoffs, outcomes - FierceHealthcare

For Many Americans, Stress Takes A Toll On Health And Family : Shots - Health News : NPR

For Many Americans, Stress Takes A Toll On Health And Family : Shots - Health News : NPR

Georgia governor pushes trials of marijuana derivative | Online Athens

Georgia governor pushes trials of marijuana derivative | Online Athens

Minor head injury not reason enough for CT scan in children - Medical News Today

Minor head injury not reason enough for CT scan in children - Medical News Today

Exposure to low-level arsenic in the womb revealed by infant toenails - Medical News Today

Exposure to low-level arsenic in the womb revealed by infant toenails - Medical News Today

1 in 6 Teens Treated in ER Has History of Dating Violence: Study

1 in 6 Teens Treated in ER Has History of Dating Violence: Study

Teens Drawn to Heavily Advertised Alcohol Brands: Study

Teens Drawn to Heavily Advertised Alcohol Brands: Study

Study Targets Causes of Birth Defects

Study Targets Causes of Birth Defects

Cervical Cancer Vaccine Doesn't Boost Clot Risk: Study

Cervical Cancer Vaccine Doesn't Boost Clot Risk: Study

41 treated for fireworks-related injuries through holiday weekend | The Augusta Chronicle

41 treated for fireworks-related injuries through holiday weekend | The Augusta Chronicle

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Sibling composition impacts childhood obesity risk - Medical News Today

Sibling composition impacts childhood obesity risk - Medical News Today

Antidepressant drugs do not improve well-being in children and adolescents - Medical News Today

Antidepressant drugs do not improve well-being in children and adolescents - Medical News Today

Hookah Smoking Popular Among Well-Heeled Teens: Survey

Hookah Smoking Popular Among Well-Heeled Teens: Survey

Home Nurse Visits May Improve Survival of Moms, Babies

Home Nurse Visits May Improve Survival of Moms, Babies

Kids on Tight Schedules May Lose Out, Study Says

Kids on Tight Schedules May Lose Out, Study Says

The Marietta Daily Journal - WellStar Pediatric Center opens today

The Marietta Daily Journal - WellStar Pediatric Center opens today

Restart of rural South Georgia hospital fizzles | Georgia Health News

Restart of rural South Georgia hospital fizzles | Georgia Health News

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Childhood Vaccines Vindicated Once More

Childhood Vaccines Vindicated Once More

State Mandates New Vaccinations for Seventh Graders | WABE 90.1 FM

State Mandates New Vaccinations for Seventh Graders | WABE 90.1 FM

State announces new choices for 2015 benefits plan | Georgia Health News

State announces new choices for 2015 benefits plan | Georgia Health News

‘A Uniquely New Hampshire Approach’ To Medicaid Expansion – Capsules - The KHN Blog

‘A Uniquely New Hampshire Approach’ To Medicaid Expansion – Capsules - The KHN Blog

Supply won't meet growing demand for primary care

Supply won't meet growing demand for primary care

Kaitlyn Krasselt and Jayne O'Donnell, USA TODAY   June 30, 2014

Federally funded programs will add at least 2,300 new primary care practitioners by the end of 2015, but the funding for at least one of those programs is set to expire at the same time, contributing to a massive shortage of doctors available to treat patients — including those newly insured through the Affordable Care Act and Medicare.

The U.S. is expected to need 52,000 more primary care physicians by 2025, according to a study by the Robert Graham Center, which does family medicine policy research. But funding for teaching hospitals that could train thousands more of these doctors expires in late 2015.

Population growth will drive most of the need for family care doctors, accounting for 33,000 additional physicians, the study says. The aging population will require about 10,000 more. The Affordable Care Act is expected to increase the number of family doctors needed by more than 8,000, the study says.

Farzan Bharucha, a health care strategist with consulting firm Kurt Salmon, says the ACA should have focused more on the primary care shortage "because we already knew there was a problem -- and we knew implementation of ACA would potentially make it worse."

Health and Human Services spokeswoman Erin Shields Britt says continuing to build the primary care workforce will take time, but she notes President Obama's budget working its way through Congress has several new ways to expand the primary care workforce, which includes nurse practitioners and pediatricians. The ACA, she says, significantly increases the number of primary care providers in underserved areas and increases Medicare and Medicaid payment for services delivered by primary care practitioners.

ACA funding that added 600 new primary care residencies was part of a five-year investment that expires at the end of 2015, eliminating the chance to produce hundreds more doctors each year.

But many agree far more needs to be done. Among the issues:

• Other medical residency funding. More oversight is needed in the distribution of the current $12 billion in federal graduate medical education (GME) funding, which is used for medical residencies, says Bob Phillips with the American Board of Family Medicine. Hospitals can decide the kind of residencies to create and tend to train and hire specialists who bring in more revenue than primary care doctors, he says. HHS says reform is needed, but that it doesn't have authority to make program changes since the GME formula is determined by Congress.

• Rising cost of medical school. For the class of 1992, the median education debt was $50,000. In 2012, it was $170,000, according to a 2012 Association of American Medical Colleges study. Gina Martin, who is finishing her primary care residency and plans to practice in rural Delta, Colo., says she faces $250,000 in medical school debt, which made her choice more difficult.

• More lucrative specialty care. Payment rates for Medicare and Medicaid — the largest payers for primary care by far — tend to reward specialty, interventionist care over prevention, primary care and diagnosis, says health care consultant Kip Piper. Family physicians made an average of $175,000 in 2012, the third lowest of any doctor, according to the MedScape annual physician compensation report.

• Scope of practice laws. States regulate and license doctors and have been slow to embrace the idea that non-physicians could take over some of the functions. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants should be performing vaccinations and strep tests, Bharucha says.
Despite the challenges, Martin says her intention to pursue the field has never wavered. "I grew up in a system and I'm now training in a system that works toward keeping people as healthy as possible," she says.