News From Around the Web
> The Iowa House approved a ban on telemedicine abortions, according to the Sioux City Journal. Representatives voted 55-42 to approve House File 2175, which bans the practice of doctors prescribing abortion-inducing drugs from remote locations, typically using a video link. The practice has been the source of much debate in Iowa. Article
> A screening program for abdominal aortic aneurysms, integrated into an electronic health record, dramatically reduced the number of unscreened at-risk men by more than 50 percent within 15 months, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published this week in the Journal of Vascular Surgery. Announcement
Health Provider News
> Pharmacists say they aren't interested in taking over as patients' primary care providers, but they do see themselves as a potentially bigger part of the healthcare team. Article
> Drug shortages may compel providers to "ration care or rely on less effective drugs," according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Drug shortages are up nearly 300 percent from 2007, from 154 to 456, due mainly to generic versions of sterile injectable drugs, according to the report. Article
Health Insurance News
> Medicare Part D overpaid almost $12 million for inappropriate, gross drug costs for incarcerated beneficiaries from 2006 through 2010, according to results of an Office of Inspector General audit. The overpayment resulted from weak internal controls at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Article
And Finally... Who knew produce could be so dangerous? Article