Missouri House bans gun access info from EHRs; HEALTHeLINK offers syndromic surveillance reporting to N.Y. state health department;

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> Missouri legislators have passed legislation in the state's House that bars providers from using an electronic health record that requires obtaining information about access to guns, according to the Joplin Independent. The provision is part of a bill dealing with gun ownership in general. The bill is similar to one passed out last session but vetoed by Gov. Jay Nixon due to First Amendment concerns. Article

> HEATLHeLINK, the health information exchange of Western New York, has launched an automated syndromic surveillance reporting service for its hospital partners to detect outbreaks and monitor disease developments, Healthcare Informatics reported. The hospitals are required to report this information to the state's Department of Health; previously they had to upload the information using a separate system. Article

Health Finance News

> The number of retail clinics across the U.S. could reach 3,000 by next year, according to a new study by the consulting firm Accenture. Although the first retail clinics only opened in the year 2000, consumers embrace them for several reasons, including the physician shortage, lower price points than other care locales--oftentimes less than a fifth of an emergency room visit--and greater price transparency, according to the report. Article

> The most recent delay of ICD-10's implementation will probably have a positive impact on the bottom lines of many not-for-profit providers, according to a new assessment by Fitch Ratings. Article

Health Insurance News

> New enrollees who purchased coverage through state and federal marketplaces are more likely to use specialty medications, such as those used to treat HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C, than people enrolled in commercial health plans, Express Scripts research finds. For those enrolled in state and federal plans, six of the 10 priciest medications used have been specialty drugs, according to the analysis of more than 650,000 de-identified pharmacy claims from Jan. 1 through Feb. 28 of this year. For those enrolled in commercial plans, four of the 10 priciest meds were specialty. Article

> Almost 4 million people with severe mental illness will remain uninsured because 24 states have refused to expand Medicaid, according to a report from the American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA). Conversely, the states that are expanding Medicaid have helped about 3 million people with serious mental illness, psychological distress or a substance abuse disorder to obtain insurance. Article

And Finally... At least the luggage wasn't missing since World War I! Article