Today’s Top Story
Court rules that off-label drug promotion is free speech.
The Associated Press reports that a federal district court has ruled that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may not prohibit a drug manufacturer from truthfully promoting its product for off-label use, because doing so would violate the First Amendment. The ruling only applies to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which includes New York, Connecticut, and Vermont. However, observers note that it could set a precedent with far-reaching implications. FDA has 60 days to appeal the ruling. Read more…
Other News
Survey projects significant reduction in uninsured since 2013.
According to survey data released by Gallup, the percentage of people in the United States who lack health insurance has fallen from 17.3 percent in full-year 2013 to 11.7 percent in the first half of 2015. The company based its information on a random sample of 178,072 adults in 2013 and 88,667 adults through the first half of 2015. All survey participants were aged 18 years or older, and the survey covered all 50 states and the District of Columbia. In addition, the researchers note that states that opted to expand Medicaid and set up their own state exchanges or partnerships in the health insurance marketplace have seen significantly greater declines in uninsured rates since 2013 compared to states that did not take those steps. Read more…
Report notes physician dissatisfaction with EHRs.
A report released by AmericanEHR and the American Medical Association suggests that many physicians may be dissatisfied with their electronic health records (EHR) systems. The researchers surveyed 940 physicians between May 30, 2014 and July 18, 2014. Among their findings:
- 42 percent of respondents thought their EHR system’s ability to improve efficiency was difficult or very difficult
- 72 percent thought their EHR system’s ability to decrease workload was difficult or very difficult
- 54 percent found their EHR system increased their total operating costs
- 43 percent said they had yet to overcome the productivity challenges related to their EHR system
Study: Vitamin D3 treatment may not improve function for postmenopausal women.
Data published online in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine suggest that treatment with vitamin D3 may not be associated with improvements in bone mineral density (BMD), muscle function, muscle mass, or likelihood of falls among postmenopausal women. The authors conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 230 postmenopausal women aged 75 years or younger, who had baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels of 14 ng/mL through 27 ng/mL and no osteoporosis. They found that participants who received 50,000 IU vitamin D3 twice per month saw a 1 percent increase in calcium absorption, while those who received daily 800 IU vitamin D3 experienced a 2 percent decrease in calcium absorption, and patients given placebo had a 1.3 percent decrease in calcium absorption. However the researchers found no significant difference across cohorts in changes in spine, mean total-hip, mean femoral neck, or total-body BMD, trabecular bone score, muscle mass, and Timed Up and Go or five sit-to-stand test scores. Additionally, they noted no significant difference between groups in number of falls, number of fallers, physical activity, or functional status. Read more…
Read the abstract…
Study: Little quality evidence available on cleaning hospital rooms to reduce HAIs.
A study published online in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine suggests a lack of good evidence regarding cleaning of hospital surfaces aimed at reducing the incidence of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). The researchers reviewed 80 studies published between 1998 and 2014 and found that few investigated comparative effectiveness of different cleaning methods. In general, they found that existing studies often compared the magnitude of surface contamination after cleaning to the magnitude of contamination before cleaning. More than 65 percent of the studies assessed surface contamination, such as bacterial burden and colony counts, as the primary outcome, while less than 35 percent reported on patient-centered outcomes, such as HAI rates or colonization. Read more…
Read the study…
Appeals court rejects latest ACA challenge.
The Health Affairs blog reports that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has rejected a petition that observers say could have been one of the last legal challenges to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The plaintiff had argued that the ACA’s individual mandate had been adopted in violation of the Constitution’s Origination Clause, which states that all bills created to raise revenue must originate in the U.S. House of Representatives. The claim had been rejected by both the district court and a panel of the appellate court, and this recent decision upholds the panel’s decision. Read more…
Read the decision (PDF)…
Ohio.
According to Modern Healthcare, five independent physician groups in Ohio have begun collaborating in an effort to compete against the increasing trend of physician employment by healthcare systems. The groups, which employ more than 400 physicians and serve more than 450,000 patients, are considering joint ventures into group purchasing, national risk-based contracts, and medical liability insurance. The collaborative eventually hopes to expand to cover the entire state and to include smaller physician practices. Read more…(registration may be required)
Call for volunteers: Advocacy Resource Committee.
Aug. 31 is the last day to submit your application for a position on the Advocacy Resource Committee (three member openings). The Advocacy Resource Committee is coordinates communications on issues related to health policy with federal and state legislative, regulatory, and executive officials, the media, and the public. Applicants for this position must be active fellows with experience in AAOS advocacy activities as a member on the Board of Councilors, Board of Specialty Societies, or appropriate AAOS health policy related committee or council. Learn more and submit your application…
