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Adverse Event Reports Go Unused
The Food and Drug Administration's Center for Devices and Radiological Health fails to use adverse event reports in a systematic manner to detect and address medical device safety problems, a report from the HHS Office of the Inspector General found. The center has no documentation of following up on deaths, serious injuries, and device malfunctions reported by manufacturers and medical facilities, and most reports are not read in a timely fashion, according to the report. The Inspector General's office found that the FDA center received about 73,000 adverse event reports in 2003, and more than 150,000 in 2007. The Inspector General recommended that the center develop better protocols for reviewing and tracking the reports.
Preventive Services Underused
Only about one in four Americans aged 50-64 years regularly gets recommended preventive services such as screenings and immunizations, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC, which compiled the data in collaboration with AARP and the American Medical Association, noted that preventive services often missed by older adults include influenza vaccination, cholesterol screening, breast and cervical cancer screening, and physician screenings for unhealthy behaviors such as binge drinking. The report, which identifies ways to make these services more accessible and convenient, is available at
Electronic Tools Effective: AHRQ
Consumer health informatics—electronic tools designed to provide tailored health advice to patients—could save money by eliminating the need for some health education now provided by clinicians, said a report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Health informatics also could improve clinician-patient interactions, the AHRQ said. The agency reviewed more than 100 studies of consumers getting health information via the Web, computer programs, and other electronic avenues such as texting and chat groups. The analysis found that the most effective tools tailor messages using a patients' own health information and provide feedback progress. Feedback provided by a clinician doesn't seem to be any more effective–the key is timeliness, not the human touch, the study concluded.
AMA Weighs In on Chemicals
The American Medical Association has called for more effective government oversight of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. At its midwinter meeting, the organization adopted a resolution, introduced by the Endocrine Society, calling for most regulations on the chemicals to be handled by a single office. The exception: Endocrine disruptors used as pharmaceuticals would continue to be regulated by the FDA. The resolution also calls for policies on the chemicals to be developed jointly by endocrinologists, toxicologists, occupational- and environmental-medicine specialists, epidemiologists, and policy makers. “This new resolution marks an important step in engaging policy makers to enact policies that decrease public exposure to these potentially harmful chemicals,” said Dr. Robert Vigersky, Endocrine Society president.
CDC Eliminates HIV Exclusion
People seeking to immigrate to the United States will no longer be required to undergo HIV testing, under a final rule issued by the CDC. “While HIV infection is a serious health condition, it is not a communicable disease that is a significant public health risk for introduction, transmission, and spread to the U.S. population through casual contact,” CDC officials wrote in the Federal Register. The rule goes into effect on Jan. 4. Until now, CDC policy has been that individuals with HIV who are living outside the United States are not eligible to receive a visa for admission to the country. The CDC received more than 20,000 public comments on the proposed change, of which (about 19,500 supported removing HIV from the list of communicable diseases of public health significance, agency officials said.
New Surgeon General Confirmed
Dr. Regina Benjamin has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate as the U.S. Surgeon General. Dr. Benjamin, a family physician who is founder and CEO of the Bayou La Batre (Ala.) Rural Health Clinic, will start her work by responding to pandemic influenza A(H1N1)i Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement. The American Academy of Family Physicians praised the confirmation. “All Americans will benefit from Dr. Benjamin's medical expertise, clinical experience, and advocacy for all patients,” the academy's president, Dr. Lori Heim, said in a statement. “She is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to health care, regardless of economic status.” Dr. Heim also praised Dr. Benjamin's perseverance in providing care to the underserved. Since the late 1990s, her clinic was destroyed by two hurricanes, Georges and Katrina, as well as a fire.
Adverse Event Reports Go Unused
The Food and Drug Administration's Center for Devices and Radiological Health fails to use adverse event reports in a systematic manner to detect and address medical device safety problems, a report from the HHS Office of the Inspector General found. The center has no documentation of following up on deaths, serious injuries, and device malfunctions reported by manufacturers and medical facilities, and most reports are not read in a timely fashion, according to the report. The Inspector General's office found that the FDA center received about 73,000 adverse event reports in 2003, and more than 150,000 in 2007. The Inspector General recommended that the center develop better protocols for reviewing and tracking the reports.
Preventive Services Underused
Only about one in four Americans aged 50-64 years regularly gets recommended preventive services such as screenings and immunizations, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC, which compiled the data in collaboration with AARP and the American Medical Association, noted that preventive services often missed by older adults include influenza vaccination, cholesterol screening, breast and cervical cancer screening, and physician screenings for unhealthy behaviors such as binge drinking. The report, which identifies ways to make these services more accessible and convenient, is available at
Electronic Tools Effective: AHRQ
Consumer health informatics—electronic tools designed to provide tailored health advice to patients—could save money by eliminating the need for some health education now provided by clinicians, said a report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Health informatics also could improve clinician-patient interactions, the AHRQ said. The agency reviewed more than 100 studies of consumers getting health information via the Web, computer programs, and other electronic avenues such as texting and chat groups. The analysis found that the most effective tools tailor messages using a patients' own health information and provide feedback progress. Feedback provided by a clinician doesn't seem to be any more effective–the key is timeliness, not the human touch, the study concluded.
AMA Weighs In on Chemicals
The American Medical Association has called for more effective government oversight of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. At its midwinter meeting, the organization adopted a resolution, introduced by the Endocrine Society, calling for most regulations on the chemicals to be handled by a single office. The exception: Endocrine disruptors used as pharmaceuticals would continue to be regulated by the FDA. The resolution also calls for policies on the chemicals to be developed jointly by endocrinologists, toxicologists, occupational- and environmental-medicine specialists, epidemiologists, and policy makers. “This new resolution marks an important step in engaging policy makers to enact policies that decrease public exposure to these potentially harmful chemicals,” said Dr. Robert Vigersky, Endocrine Society president.
CDC Eliminates HIV Exclusion
People seeking to immigrate to the United States will no longer be required to undergo HIV testing, under a final rule issued by the CDC. “While HIV infection is a serious health condition, it is not a communicable disease that is a significant public health risk for introduction, transmission, and spread to the U.S. population through casual contact,” CDC officials wrote in the Federal Register. The rule goes into effect on Jan. 4. Until now, CDC policy has been that individuals with HIV who are living outside the United States are not eligible to receive a visa for admission to the country. The CDC received more than 20,000 public comments on the proposed change, of which (about 19,500 supported removing HIV from the list of communicable diseases of public health significance, agency officials said.
New Surgeon General Confirmed
Dr. Regina Benjamin has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate as the U.S. Surgeon General. Dr. Benjamin, a family physician who is founder and CEO of the Bayou La Batre (Ala.) Rural Health Clinic, will start her work by responding to pandemic influenza A(H1N1)i Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement. The American Academy of Family Physicians praised the confirmation. “All Americans will benefit from Dr. Benjamin's medical expertise, clinical experience, and advocacy for all patients,” the academy's president, Dr. Lori Heim, said in a statement. “She is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to health care, regardless of economic status.” Dr. Heim also praised Dr. Benjamin's perseverance in providing care to the underserved. Since the late 1990s, her clinic was destroyed by two hurricanes, Georges and Katrina, as well as a fire.
Adverse Event Reports Go Unused
The Food and Drug Administration's Center for Devices and Radiological Health fails to use adverse event reports in a systematic manner to detect and address medical device safety problems, a report from the HHS Office of the Inspector General found. The center has no documentation of following up on deaths, serious injuries, and device malfunctions reported by manufacturers and medical facilities, and most reports are not read in a timely fashion, according to the report. The Inspector General's office found that the FDA center received about 73,000 adverse event reports in 2003, and more than 150,000 in 2007. The Inspector General recommended that the center develop better protocols for reviewing and tracking the reports.
Preventive Services Underused
Only about one in four Americans aged 50-64 years regularly gets recommended preventive services such as screenings and immunizations, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC, which compiled the data in collaboration with AARP and the American Medical Association, noted that preventive services often missed by older adults include influenza vaccination, cholesterol screening, breast and cervical cancer screening, and physician screenings for unhealthy behaviors such as binge drinking. The report, which identifies ways to make these services more accessible and convenient, is available at
Electronic Tools Effective: AHRQ
Consumer health informatics—electronic tools designed to provide tailored health advice to patients—could save money by eliminating the need for some health education now provided by clinicians, said a report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Health informatics also could improve clinician-patient interactions, the AHRQ said. The agency reviewed more than 100 studies of consumers getting health information via the Web, computer programs, and other electronic avenues such as texting and chat groups. The analysis found that the most effective tools tailor messages using a patients' own health information and provide feedback progress. Feedback provided by a clinician doesn't seem to be any more effective–the key is timeliness, not the human touch, the study concluded.
AMA Weighs In on Chemicals
The American Medical Association has called for more effective government oversight of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. At its midwinter meeting, the organization adopted a resolution, introduced by the Endocrine Society, calling for most regulations on the chemicals to be handled by a single office. The exception: Endocrine disruptors used as pharmaceuticals would continue to be regulated by the FDA. The resolution also calls for policies on the chemicals to be developed jointly by endocrinologists, toxicologists, occupational- and environmental-medicine specialists, epidemiologists, and policy makers. “This new resolution marks an important step in engaging policy makers to enact policies that decrease public exposure to these potentially harmful chemicals,” said Dr. Robert Vigersky, Endocrine Society president.
CDC Eliminates HIV Exclusion
People seeking to immigrate to the United States will no longer be required to undergo HIV testing, under a final rule issued by the CDC. “While HIV infection is a serious health condition, it is not a communicable disease that is a significant public health risk for introduction, transmission, and spread to the U.S. population through casual contact,” CDC officials wrote in the Federal Register. The rule goes into effect on Jan. 4. Until now, CDC policy has been that individuals with HIV who are living outside the United States are not eligible to receive a visa for admission to the country. The CDC received more than 20,000 public comments on the proposed change, of which (about 19,500 supported removing HIV from the list of communicable diseases of public health significance, agency officials said.
New Surgeon General Confirmed
Dr. Regina Benjamin has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate as the U.S. Surgeon General. Dr. Benjamin, a family physician who is founder and CEO of the Bayou La Batre (Ala.) Rural Health Clinic, will start her work by responding to pandemic influenza A(H1N1)i Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement. The American Academy of Family Physicians praised the confirmation. “All Americans will benefit from Dr. Benjamin's medical expertise, clinical experience, and advocacy for all patients,” the academy's president, Dr. Lori Heim, said in a statement. “She is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to health care, regardless of economic status.” Dr. Heim also praised Dr. Benjamin's perseverance in providing care to the underserved. Since the late 1990s, her clinic was destroyed by two hurricanes, Georges and Katrina, as well as a fire.