Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Emergency Medicine for November 2013. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Telemedicine in Rural ER Tied to Fewer Physician Rx Errors
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 27, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- For seriously ill and injured children, the use of telemedicine consultations in rural emergency departments is associated with fewer physician-related medication errors, according to a study published online Nov. 25 in Pediatrics.
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Practices Should Start Preparing for Transition to ICD-10
TUESDAY, Nov. 26, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Practices should start preparing for the transition to International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10), according to an article published Nov. 10 in Medical Economics.
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Chest Pain Characteristics Don't Help Diagnose AMI in Women
TUESDAY, Nov. 26, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Small differences are observed in the sex-specific diagnostic performance of chest pain characteristics (CPCs) for diagnosing acute myocardial infarction (AMI), according to a study published online Nov. 25 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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FDA Approves H5N1 Avian Influenza Vaccine
MONDAY, Nov. 25, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first adjuvanted vaccine for the prevention of H5N1 influenza in adults at greater-than-average risk of exposure.
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American Medical Groups Protesting Physician Cuts
MONDAY, Nov. 25, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Medical societies are taking action against the mass cancellations of physicians in Medicare Advantage plans in many states, according to an article published online Nov. 22 in Medical Economics.
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Blue Laser Devices Can Cause Permanent Eye Damage
MONDAY, Nov. 25, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Handheld high-power blue lasers can cause serious and permanent eye damage, according to a study published online Nov. 4 in Ophthalmology.
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High Abusive Head Trauma Rates With New Coding Method
MONDAY, Nov. 25, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Use of new coding algorithms show the highest abusive head trauma (AHT) rates in children < 1 year reported to date, but no significant change in national AHT rates, according to a study published online Nov. 25 in Pediatrics.
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Nebulizers Deliver Less Than Half of Prescribed Asthma Rx in Kids
MONDAY, Nov. 25, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- The amount of corticosteroids delivered by nebulizers in children with asthma differs from the prescribed dose, the amount varying with drug formulation, according to research published online Nov. 24 in Respirology.
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White House Extends Enrollment Deadline for Health Insurance
FRIDAY, Nov. 22, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Consumers who want to enroll in a health insurance plan through HealthCare.gov will get a few extra days to sign up for coverage that will take effect on Jan. 1. The deadline for buying insurance through the federal health insurance exchange will be pushed from Dec. 15 to Dec. 23, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said during a Friday news conference.
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Rates of CPR Training Vary Geographically in the U.S.
FRIDAY, Nov. 22, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- There are wide geographic disparities in rates of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training in the United States, according to a study published online Nov. 18 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Rape, Sexual Assault Likely Underestimated by Crime Survey
FRIDAY, Nov. 22, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Rape and sexual assault are likely underestimated on the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) and a new survey should be developed for more accurate estimation of incidence, according to a report published by the National Academy of Sciences.
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FDA Warns of Cardiac Risk With Stress Test Agents
FRIDAY, Nov. 22, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- The use of cardiac nuclear stress test agents comes with a rare but serious risk of heart attack and death, according to a warning sent by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to health care professionals.
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Daily Text Messages Improve Diabetes Outcomes
FRIDAY, Nov. 22, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with poorly controlled diabetes have improvements in hemoglobin A1c and medication adherence and fewer trips to the emergency room after receiving daily text messages, according to a study published online Nov. 13 in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.
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CDC Report: Health Disparities Persist in America
THURSDAY, Nov. 21, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Despite progress in some areas, health disparities remain for many Americans, health officials reported Thursday. These inequalities are related to income, education, sex, race, ethnicity, employment and sexual orientation, and they all affect Americans' health and well-being, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Gray Matter Abnormalities Persist After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 20, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- At four months following mild traumatic brain injury, symptoms are significantly reduced but gray matter abnormalities persist, according to research published online Nov. 20 in Neurology.
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Health Care Frustration Higher in U.S. Than Other Countries
TUESDAY, Nov. 19, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Compared to 10 other high-income industrialized nations, adults in the United States are more likely to go without health care because of costs, experience difficulty paying medical bills, and deal with frustrating health insurance paperwork or disputes such as unpaid claims, according to a report published by The Commonwealth Fund.
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Risk of Hospitalized Fall Injury Up for Seniors With Diabetes
TUESDAY, Nov. 19, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Older adults with diabetes, especially those treated with insulin, are at increased risk of injurious falls requiring hospitalization, according to a study published online Oct. 15 in Diabetes Care.
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Obama Nominates Health Care Law Backer to Be Surgeon General
FRIDAY, Nov. 15, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- An early supporter and advocate for the Affordable Care Act has been nominated by President Barack Obama to be the country's next surgeon general.
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FDA Requests Safety Measures for Topical Antiseptics
FRIDAY, Nov. 15, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is requesting manufacturers of certain topical antiseptics make changes to their labeling and packaging that will enhance product safety, according to a Drug Safety Communication issued by the agency.
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Obama: You Can Keep Your Health Plan (for a Year)
THURSDAY, Nov. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Bending to political pressure, President Barack Obama on Thursday announced a plan to allow Americans to keep their health insurance plans for another year, even if that coverage would have been cancelled because it fails to meet new rules under the Affordable Care Act.
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Obama Signs Bill to Encourage Schools to Stock Epinephrine
THURSDAY, Nov. 14 (HealthDay News) -- A new law meant to increase the availability of life-saving epinephrine in U.S. schools was signed Wednesday by President Barack Obama.
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First Human Infected With New Strain of Bird Flu
THURSDAY, Nov. 14 (HealthDay News) -- The first confirmed case of a person infected with a new H6N1 bird flu virus subtype has been reported by scientists in Taiwan, according to research published online Nov. 14 in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
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Health Care Enrollments Fall Far Short of White House Estimates
THURSDAY, Nov. 14 (HealthDay News) -- The Obama administration late Wednesday released a report revealing a disappointing number of health plan enrollments through the new federal and state insurance exchanges. Just over 106,000 Americans enrolled in health plans through the new marketplaces from Oct. 1 through Nov. 2, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said during a news conference.
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No Promises on Nov. 30 ACA Website Fix: U.S. Tech Chief
THURSDAY, Nov. 14 (HealthDay News) -- The nation's chief of information technology would not confirm on Wednesday whether the hobbled HealthCare.gov insurance exchange website would be fixed by month's end.
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New Models Could Alleviate Primary Care Provider Shortage
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 13 (HealthDay News) -- New models of primary care delivery could reduce the anticipated primary care physician shortage, according to an article published Nov. 4 in Medical Economics.
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Many Would Give Health Plans Private Info to Save Money: Poll
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Many Americans say they'd submit to insurance company medical tests and lifestyle monitoring in exchange for lower-cost premiums, a new Harris/HealthDay poll finds.
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Population Aging Crisis May Have Been Overestimated
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Use of an alternative measure for assessing the number of dependent older people suggests that the population aging crisis may have been overestimated, according to an analysis published online Nov. 12 in BMJ.
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Hospitalizations for About 70 Percent of ER Visits for A-Fib
TUESDAY, Nov. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Nationwide, 69 percent of emergency department visits for atrial fibrillation (AF) result in hospitalization, with patient- and hospital-level factors affecting hospitalization, according to a study published in the Nov. 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
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Initial Health-Plan Enrollment Falls Below Expectations
TUESDAY, Nov. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Fewer than 50,000 people have enrolled in health insurance through the federal HealthCare.gov website, according to published reports. The tally represents enrollment in the troubled federal health insurance exchange from its launch date on Oct. 1 through last week, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday. HealthCare.gov serves as the insurance exchange for people in 36 states.
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Analysis Describes Economic Anatomy of U.S. Health Care
TUESDAY, Nov. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Despite the increases in resources devoted to health care in the United States, multiple health care metrics show that the United States is trailing peer nations, according to a special communication published in the Nov. 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, a theme issue on critical issues in U.S. health care.
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Market Withdrawal, Relabeling Cut Cough Med-Linked ER Visits
MONDAY, Nov. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Voluntary market withdrawal and labeling revision correlated with reductions in the number of emergency department visits for cold and cough medication (CCM) adverse drug events (ADEs) in young children, according to a study published online Nov. 11 in Pediatrics.
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White House Boosts Insurance Coverage for Mental Illness
FRIDAY, Nov. 8 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. health officials unveiled long-awaited rules Friday that require insurance companies to cover treatment for mental illnesses and addiction the same way they cover physical illnesses. The regulations will make the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act a reality, and fulfill a generation-long effort to improve benefits and treatment for people with mental health issues or substance abuse problems.
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Obama 'Sorry' Some People Losing Health Coverage
FRIDAY, Nov. 8 (HealthDay News) -- President Barack Obama said he's "sorry" some Americans are losing their insurance coverage as a result of his signature health-reform law, but his administration is pressing ahead with the law's implementation. It's estimated that 5 percent of Americans have individual health insurance policies, and many of these people are receiving cancellation notices as insurers switch to plans that comply with new health-reform requirements.
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FDA Approves Generic Aciphex to Treat GERD
FRIDAY, Nov. 8 (HealthDay News) -- The first generic versions of the gastroesophageal reflux disease drug Aciphex (rabeprazole sodium) have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for people aged 12 and older, the agency said Friday.
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Socioeconomic, Marital Status Affect Death From Accidents
FRIDAY, Nov. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Both socioeconomic status (SES) and marital status are important factors impacting mortality risk from unintentional injuries, according to research published online Sept. 29 in Social Science Research.
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Clot Risk High for Pregnant Women in Hospital
FRIDAY, Nov. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Pregnant women admitted to the hospital for reasons other than delivery or venous thromboembolism are at higher risk of a first venous thromboembolism, particularly during the third trimester and among older women, according to a study published online Nov. 7 in BMJ.
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Telemedicine Represents Enhanced Care Model
THURSDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Telemedicine may represent an effective care model but there are associated concerns, specifically relating to reimbursement and legal issues, according to an article published Oct. 25 in Medical Economics.
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FDA to Ban Trans Fats in Foods
THURSDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. health officials announced Thursday a plan to phase out heart-harmful trans fats in processed foods and restaurant fare. U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, M.D., said the proposed restrictions on the use of trans fats could prevent 20,000 heart attacks a year and 7,000 deaths.
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Aspiring Doctors Are Optimistic About the Future of Medicine
THURSDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Aspiring doctors are optimistic about the future of medicine, according to a report published by the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists.
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Amount of Care Similar for Rural, Urban Medicare Users
THURSDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Although there may be a limited supply of physicians in some rural areas, little difference is found in the amount of health care received by Medicare beneficiaries for rural versus urban areas within the same region, according to research published in the November issue of Health Affairs.
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Study Looks at Anticipated ACA Reimbursement Trends in ER
THURSDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- As a result of implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), outpatient emergency department encounters could reimburse considerably more for both previously uninsured patients who obtain Medicaid coverage and for those who move into private insurance products, according to a study published online Oct. 31 in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.
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Sebelius on Exchange Website: 'Delay Is Not an Option'
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 6 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Wednesday that the Obama administration will not consider delaying implementation of health reform. Nor will it take down HealthCare.gov -- the troubled health insurance marketplace website -- while it's being fixed. "For millions of Americans, delay is not an option," Sebelius told the Senate Finance Committee during a hearing on the new health insurance marketplace. "People's lives depend on this," she said.
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Hyperglycemia May Increase Myocardial Infarction Mortality
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Hyperglycemia is common among patients presenting with myocardial infarction and is associated with a higher risk of death, according to a study published in the Nov. 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
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Senators Seek Answers on Health Marketplace Woes
TUESDAY, Nov. 5 (HealthDay News) -- A top Obama administration health official said Tuesday that HealthCare.gov -- the troubled federal website used to sign up for insurance -- is improving, and insisted that private information provided during the online application process is safe and secure.
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In the Doctor's Lounge With Dr. Cindy Haines
FRIDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- This is the second issue of a monthly letter from me, HealthDay's chief medical officer and the managing editor of Physician's Briefing, HealthDay's news service for health care professionals. The intention of this letter (and the intention of what we do at HealthDay) is to provide tools of communication. At Physician's Briefing, this is by providing you, the busy and buried health care professional, news and information that matters to you in a way that won't slow you down. The intention is to provide news that can help you stay abreast of changing clinical guidelines, cutting-edge technologies, and novel treatment options. And now, we offer free Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits for you on select clinical articles, enabling you to get (at least) two birds with one stone.
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In the Doctor's Lounge With Dr. Cindy Haines
TUESDAY, Oct. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Please allow me to introduce myself: I am HealthDay's chief medical officer and the managing editor of Physician's Briefing, HealthDay's news service for health care professionals. This service is intended to provide busy physicians, nurses, and pharmacists with easily accessible, digestible health news that can keep them up-to-date and not missing a beat in their busy days providing care for those in need (and navigating the headaches and heartaches the business of medicine can too often bring). In short, this service is intended to make your professional life flow more smoothly in the way that helpful, useable, relevant, and timely information can.
Exchanges Will Be Cornerstone for Coverage Choices
Young Adults May Be Key to Making It All Work
Expect Pluses, Minuses for Those With Job-Based Coverage
If You're an Uninsured Worker, It's Your Chance to Get Covered
Medicaid Expansion Will Allow More to Get More
Many on Medicare Already Enjoying Benefits
AMA Presents: The National Journal
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Triage System Underperforms in Children With Chronic Illness
MONDAY, Nov. 4 (HealthDay News) -- For children presenting to the emergency department with infectious symptoms, performance of the Manchester Triage System (MTS) is lower for those with chronic illnesses, compared to those without chronic illnesses, according to a study published online Nov. 4 in Pediatrics.
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CDC: Malaria Cases Reach 40-Year High in United States
FRIDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- 2011 marked the highest number of malaria cases diagnosed in the United States, according to a surveillance summary published Nov. 1 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Six People Signed Up on Day One of Federal Exchange Website
FRIDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Just six people enrolled for health insurance through the federal HealthCare.gov website the first day of operation on Oct. 1, just-released Obama administration documents show.
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Physician Buy-In Key to Reducing Health Care Costs
FRIDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Physician buy-in is essential for creation of any new payment system aimed at reducing health care costs, according to an article published Oct. 21 in Medical Economics.
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Proper Metered-Dose Inhaler-Spacer Technique Lacking
FRIDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Proper metered-dose inhaler (MDI)-spacer technique is lacking among the caregivers of urban, minority children with persistent asthma, according to a study published online Oct. 22 in the Journal of Asthma.
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