News From Around the Web:
> Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) introduced an alternative healthcare plan on Wednesday with the promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act. However, it would cost millions of Americans to lose their current insurance plans, according to Think Progress. Article
> Kaiser Permanente announced it is using the new hepatitis C drug, Sovaldi. The drug, which can can cure a majority of hepatitis C patients, often within 12 weeks, comes with a price tage of $84,000, Reuters reported. Article
> The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to eliminate certain language in the Affordable Care Act that defines full-time workers as working more than 30 hours a week, The Hill reported. Republicans say the law forcies millions of workers to accept fewer hours and smaller paychecks. Article
Health Provider News:
> Providing health insurance to the uninsured does not reduce 30-day readmission rates, according to research published in the British Medical Journal. Article
> Many common nursing practices derive from tradition rather than empirical evidence that they are effective, according to an article in Critical Care Nurse. Article
> New York will pass legislation this week as part of the state budget to expand the authority of nurse practitioners (NPs) to practice independently, Syracuse.com reports. Article
Health IT News:
> Federal efforts to define and advance telehealth are certainly a work in progress as nationwide and state-based laws are developed. A new study in Telemedicine and e-Health explores seven unique definitions of telehealth in use across the U.S. government. Article
> The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has reduced its claims backlog by about 44 percent to 344,000 claims from more than 611,000 last March, according to an announcement. Article
And Finally... Science just brought us one step closer to speaking with dolphins. Article