News from Around the Web
> A Facebook intervention led to increased HIV testing among high-risk men, according to a study from from the University of California at Los Angeles. An announcement states that after 12 weeks of the intervention, more intervention participants had requested an HIV testing kit than control participants (44 percent vs 20 percent, respectively). In both groups, the median number of sexual partners decreased during the trial. Announcement
> The National Football league will deploy a league-wide PACS system, according to an article in Health Data Management. The NFL will use software to offer on-demand access to players' medical images across the league. Article
> The Agency for Health Research and Quality has proposed an emergency department discharge tool pilot study, according to an announcement posted in the Federal Register. "The ultimate aim of this study is to pilot test a discharge tool which has the potential to reduce unnecessary visits to the Emergency Department [ED], reduce healthcare expenditure in the ED, as well as streamline and enhance the quality of care delivered to ED patients," the announcement stated. Announcement
Mobile Health News
> Public health departments in the U.S. are starting to get on the mobile healthcare bandwagon by developing their own apps, according to an article in Time. Alabama is the first state to develop a public health app. The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) launched its mobile app to make it easier for the public to access health information. The app connects all ADPH social media accounts--Facebook, Twitter and YouTube--in one place. Article
Provider News
> Atlanta's Emory University has agreed to pay $1.5 million for overbilling Medicare and Medicaid in a violation of the False Claims Act, according to an announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice. Emory, according to the DOJ, billed Medicare and Medicaid for clinical trial research at the university's Winship Cancer Institute, despite the fact that the sponsor of the trials had already agreed to pay those costs. Article
And Finally… Even if the case weren't dismissed, he likely would have known the outcome ahead of time. Article