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HSR Information Central

Brown ArrowNews Archive in HSR

News Archive in HSR


Year 2009: October September August July June May April March February January
Year 2008: December November


October 2009

  • AHRQ Call for Public Review: Draft Technology Assessment Report - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)) - 26-OCT-2009 This draft is entitled “Report on the Evidence Regarding Off-Label Indications for Targeted Therapies used in Cancer Treatment.” The document will be available for review from 9:00 AM on October 26, 2009 to 5:00 PM on November 9, 2009. If you have any questions, please contact ahrqtap@ahrq.hhs.gov.
  • Sociologist David Mechanic receives IOM's Sarnat Prize in Mental Health; Others honored for outstanding service - (Institute of Medicine (IOM)) - 23-OCT-2009 The Institute of Medicine today awarded the 2009 Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health to David Mechanic, University Professor and René Dubos Professor of Behavioral Sciences; and director, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. The Sarnat Prize, consisting of a medal and $20,000, was presented to Mechanic at IOM's annual meeting in Washington, DC. The Institute of Medicine honored today members Don E. Detmer, Bernard Guyer, and Joseph P. Newhouse for their outstanding service to the institution at the IOM's 39th annual meeting.
  • High Blood Pressure Medicines Show Promise for Treating Heart Disease - 21-OCT-2009 Two medications commonly used to treat high blood pressure appear to be effective in treating a common type of heart disease known as stable ischemic heart disease, according to a new comparative effectiveness review funded by AHRQ. A version of the analysis was posted in the October 20 online version of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
  • Health Impact Project Call for Proposals - (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)) - 20-OCT-2009 The Health Impact Project is looking for proposals to demonstrate the effectiveness of HIAs and promote their incorporation into local, state, tribal, and federal decision-making. Government agencies, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations are encouraged to apply. Successful applicants will receive grants of $25,000 to $150,000.
  • Illness often undiscovered and undertreated among the uninsured: Harvard study - 20-OCT-2009 A new study shows uninsured American adults with chronic illnesses like diabetes, high cholesterol or hypertension often go undiagnosed and undertreated, leading to an increased risk of costly, disabling and even lethal complications of their disease. The researchers, based at Harvard Medical School and the affiliated Cambridge Health Alliance, analyzed data on 15,976 US non-elderly adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2006.
  • Experimental device that lowers blood pressure may be a cost effective treatment. - 19-OCT-2009 A study conducted by the University of Rochester Medical Center demonstrates that, for certain patient populations, an experimental device that lowers blood pressure may be a cost effective treatment. The implantable device, called Rheos, is in advanced stages of testing for individuals with drug resistant hypertension.
  • Task Force finds insufficient evidence for screening for newborn jaundice to prevent a more serious chronic condition - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)) - 16-OCT-2009 According to a new recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, there is insufficient evidence to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening infants for hyperbilirubinemia to prevent chronic bilirubin encephalopathy. Hyperbilirubinemia is a condition marked by a high level of bilirubin in the blood, which is often apparent as yellow-colored skin and eyes (jaundice). This recommendation and the accompanying summary of evidence will appear in the October issue of Pediatrics.
  • Wrist fracture patients less likely to be evaluated for osteoporosis - 16-OCT-2009 A study published in the October 2009 issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery suggests a disconnect between the way wrist-fracture patients and those with a spine or hip fracture are managed and evaluated. The study, conducted in 2007 among 97 percent of the women in Korea, reviewed the incidence of fractures around the hip, spine, and wrist in female patients age 50 and older and the prescription frequencies of bone density scans for osteoporosis, along with the use of medications for its treatment.
  • Results from a 50-State Medicaid Budget Survey for State Fiscal Years 2009 and 2010 - (Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) US) - 03-OCT-2009 The survey finds that, based on initial legislative appropriations, Medicaid spending across states is expected to grow by an average of at least 6.3 percent in fiscal 2010. But officials in three-fourths of the states are concerned that those appropriations will not be enough, leading to more budget shortfalls and more pressures to trim services and spending.
  • Study outlines strategies to test new payment models for health care - (RAND Corporation USA) - 01-OCT-2009 A new RAND Corporation study outlines methods that might be used to test a novel payment system for medical care that would provide doctors, hospitals and other health providers a set fee for treating an ailment such as hip replacement surgery.


September 2009

  • New Chapter Added to Methods Guide for Comparative Effectiveness Reviews - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)) - 30-SEP-2009 Effectiveness and Comparative Effectiveness Reviews, systematic reviews of existing research on the effectiveness, comparative effectiveness, and comparative harms of different health care interventions, are intended to provide relevant evidence to inform real-world health care decisions for patients, providers, and policymakers. In an effort to improve the transparency, consistency, and scientific rigor of the work of the Effective Health Care (EHC) Program, through a collaborative effort, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Scientific Resource Center, and the Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPCs) have developed a Methods Guide for Comparative Effectiveness Reviews. We intend that these documents will serve as a resource for our EPCs as well as for other investigators interested in conducting Comparative Effectiveness Reviews.
  • Heart Attack Mortality Seen Declining Among VHA Patients - (Health Services Research and Development Service, Veterans Administration (HSR&D)) - 30-SEP-2009 In response to research findings several years ago suggesting excess mortality following acute myocardial infarction (AMI), VA implemented an ambitious initiative intended to improve acute cardiac care. This study sought to evaluate trends in mortality within VHA after this initiative was undertaken, and to compare them with mortality rates among patients admitted to hospitals funded by Medicare. The investigators compared 30-day mortality rates among patients age 65 and older treated for AMI
  • Study dispels myth that new residents cause increase in medical errors in July - 27-SEP-2009 New research published in the September issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons challenges the widely held belief that more medical errors occur in teaching hospitals during the month of July due to the influx of new graduates from medical and nursing schools – also known as the "July Phenomenon." The study shows no differences in in-hospital mortality rates, number of days in the intensive care unit (ICU) or on ventilator support, or minutes spent undergoing resuscitation for trauma patients in July compared with results for other months of the year.
  • Limited Competition: AHRQ CHOICE Grants - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)) - 25-SEP-2009 invites Research Project Grant (R01) applications for large projects in comparative effectiveness aimed at generating new knowledge to help inform decision making in priority areas of clinical care. The impact of these studies should have a high likelihood of creating major advancements in clinical care.
  • $24 Billion Price Tag for Racial/Ethnic Disparities - (Urban Institute (UI)) - 22-SEP-2009 This analysis estimates cost burdens of racial and ethnic disparities in a select set of preventable diseases including diabetes, hypertension and stroke. Excess rates of these diseases among African Americans and Latinos relative to whites will cost the health care system $23.9 billion dollars in 2009. Medicare alone will spend an extra $15.6 billion, and private insurers will spend an extra $5.1 billion.
  • Racial Disparities in Diabetes Prevalence Linked to Living Conditions - 22-SEP-2009 The higher incidence of diabetes among African Americans when compared to whites may have more to do with living conditions than genetics, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study, available online in advance of publication in the October 2009 edition of the Journal of General Internal Medicine, found that when African Americans and whites live in similar environments and have similar incomes, their diabetes rates are similar, which contrasts with the fact that nationally diabetes is more prevalent among African Americans than whites.
  • New Research Shows Direct Link Between Soda and Obesity - (UCLA Center for Health Policy Research) - 19-SEP-2009 In the study: Bubbling Over: Soda Consumption and Its Link to Obesity in California, researchers from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR) and the California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA) discovered a strong correlation between soda consumption and weight. Based upon data from more than 40,000 interviews conducted by the California Health Interview Surveys (CHIS), researchers found that adults who drink a soda or more per day are 27 percent more likely to be overweight than those who do not drink sodas, regardless of income or ethnicity.
  • Blacks Fare Worse After Cardiac Arrest - 17-SEP-2009 Black patients who suffer cardiac arrest in the hospital are much less likely to survive than white patients, a new study finds. The report is published in the Sept. 16 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. For the study, Chan and colleagues used data from the National Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation to look at differences in survival among patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest. They collected information on 10,011 patients, about 19 percent of whom were black, from 274 hospitals. These patients had all been defibrillated after a cardiac arrest.
  • Particle Beam Radiation Therapy Promising but Unproven for Treating Cancer - 15-SEP-2009 Particle beam radiation therapy, a technology used to treat several types of cancer, is considered by some clinicians to be better than traditional radiation, but there is limited evidence about its safety compared with other types of radiation therapy, according to a new comparative effectiveness report funded by the Department of Health & Human Services' (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
  • Free 1 hour Webinar, Tuesday, 9/15/09, 2 p.m. EDT re key features of the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) of 2009 - 13-SEP-2009 The webinar is cosponsored by the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, and the National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality. The event will feature Lisa Simpson, director of the Child Policy Research Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the lead author of a new Commonwealth Fund report on CHIPRA implementation, and coauthor Jocelyn Guyer, co-executive director of the Georgetown Center for Children and Families, along with Catherine Hess, senior program director at NASHP.
  • New MEPS Data on Dental Visits, Other Medical Expenses and Home Health File Are Available - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)) - 11-SEP-2009 The public use data file is one in a series of event-level public use data files drawn from the 2007 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) Household Component (HC). Information on 2007 dental visits, other medical expenses (MEPS HC-110C), and household reported information on expenditures for home health visits (MEPS HC-110H)can be downloaded from the MEPS website.
  • Patients Increasingly Leaving Hospitals Against Medical Advice - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)) - 10-SEP-2009 The number of hospital stays that ended with patients leaving against the advice of medical staff increased from 264,000 cases to 368,000—about 39 percent—between 1997 and 2007 according to the latest News and Numbers from AHRQ.
  • Cardiac Biomarker Levels Strongly Predict Outcome Of Bypass Surgery - 07-SEP-2009 Levels of a biomarker used in the diagnosis of heart attacks are almost universally elevated in patients who have undergone coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG) and, when markedly elevated, are powerfully prognostic, a team of researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Heart Center has found.
  • Fear of insurance rejection deters potentially life saving genetic tests for bowel cancer - 07-SEP-2009 An Australian study of families with genetic risk of bowel cancer has found that 50 percent of participants declined genetic testing when informed of insurance implications. "This indicates that people have a significant fear of insurance discrimination which impacts their decision to have potentially life saving genetic testing," says co-lead author Dr Louise Keogh, of the University of Melbourne's Key Centre for Women's Health in Society.
  • Market Based Reforms Have Not Harmed Equity in the NHS - 04-SEP-2009 Recent NHS reforms, such as the introduction of patient choice and provider competition, have not had a deleterious impact on equity with respect to waiting times for elective surgery in England, concludes a recently published study published on BMJ.com.


August 2009

  • Childhood Obesity: The Increasing Vascular Drama - 31-AUG-2009 Obesity is one of the most important health problems in industrialized countries irrespective of socio-economic status, age, sex or ethnicity. The prevalence of childhood obesity in children has reached alarming levels, even in developing countries. It is estimated that about 1 billion people worldwide are overweight, with 22 millions being under the age of 5 years and 300 million people are obese. By 2010 it is estimated that 26 million children in E.U. countries will be overweight, including 6.4 million who will be obese.
  • No evidence for the routine use of aspirin in people with asymptomatic vascular events - 31-AUG-2009 The routine use of aspirin for the primary prevention of vascular events in people with asymptomatic disease cannot be supported, according to results from the Aspirin for Asymptomatic Atherosclerosis (AAA) study. The study is the first placebo-controlled randomised trial designed to determine the effect of aspirin in asymptomatic atherosclerosis as reflected by a low ankle brachial index (ABI). Results found no statistically significant difference in primary endpoint events between those subjects allocated to aspirin or placebo (HR 1•03, 95% CI 0•84-1•27).
  • Racial disparity studied in patients undergoing liver transplantation for hepatitis B - 30-AUG-2009 Recently, doctors from across the U.S. conducted a multicenter retrospective-prospective study of the waitlist status and outcomes of liver transplant patients with HBV infection. This study led by Natalie Bzowej from California Pacific Medical Center and Anna Lok from the University of Michigan and funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), found there to be similar waitlist and post-transplant outcomes among Asian Americans, African Americans, and Caucasians with HBV. These research findings appear in the September issue of Liver Transplantation.
  • New Deputy Director Named for Department of Veterans Affairs HSR&D - (Health Services Research and Development Service, Veterans Administration (HSR&D)) - 27-AUG-2009 Andrew Guccione, PT, PhD, DPT, FAPTA, has been named Deputy Director of VA's Health Services Research and Development Service (HSR&D) effective July 2009. Prior to this, Dr. Guccione served as Scientific Program Manager for HSR&D's Quality Measurement Development portfolio, which focuses on HSR&D research that designs, tests, and refines quality indicators, provider performance tools, and systematic approaches to evaluating the quality of care for Veterans.
  • Off-label use: Oft not evidence based - (University of Chicago Medical Center US) - 22-AUG-2009 In a recent national survey, a substantial minority of physicians erroneously believed that certain off-label uses of prescription drugs were approved by the Food and Drug Administration. This mistaken belief could encourage them to prescribe these drugs, despite the lack of scientific evidence supporting such use.
  • New Message from Dr. Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology - (Office of the National Coordinator for Information Technology (ONC) US) - 21-AUG-2009 Dr. Blumenthal notes, "We have the tools to begin a major transformation in American health care made possible through the creation of a secure, interoperable nationwide health information system...it provides the best opportunity for each patient to receive optimal care." Read the entire update.
  • New study finds links between video-game playing and health risks in adults - 18-AUG-2009 Writing in the article, Dr. James B Weaver III, PhD, MPH, National Center for Health Marketing, CDC, Atlanta, states, "As hypothesized, health-risk factors – specifically, a higher BMI and a greater number of poor mental-health days – differentiated adult video-game players from nonplayers. Video-game players also reported lower extraversion, consistent with research on adolescents that linked video-game playing to a sedentary lifestyle and overweight status, and to mental-health concerns. Internet community support and time spent online distinguished adult video-game players from nonplayers, a finding consistent with prior research pointing to the willingness of adult video-game enthusiasts to sacrifice real-world social activities to play video games. The data illustrate the need for further research among adults to clarify how to use digital opportunities more effectively to promote health and prevent disease."
  • Forty Percent of Military Population Uses Alternative Therapies - (Department of Defense (DoD) U.S.) - 12-AUG-2009 The Naval Health Research Center recently published an article in the Annals of Epidemiology on the use of complementary and alternative medicine in the military population. Forty-one percent of the group surveyed reported using any of 12 popular CAM therapies included in the Millennium Cohort Study.
  • Four in 10 Emergency Department Visits Billed to Public Insurance - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)) - 10-AUG-2009 More than 40 percent of the 120 million visits that Americans made to hospital emergency departments in 2006 were billed to public insurance, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
  • Moving to US Increases Cancer Risk for Hispanics - (American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) US) - 06-AUG-2009 Results of a new study confirm trends that different Hispanic population groups have higher incidence rates of certain cancers and worse cancer outcomes if they live in the United States, than they do if they live in their homelands.
  • New Spanish-Language Consumer Guides Compare Treatments for Depression, Prostate Cancer and Other Conditions - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)) - 02-AUG-2009 Spanish speakers who want to know how soon they can expect to feel better when taking an antidepressant, which rheumatoid arthritis drugs work best against pain or how surgery compares with other options for prostate cancer now can get this and other treatment information through new Spanish-language consumer guides released by the Department of Health and Human Services.


July 2009

  • PTSD Strongly Associated with Increased Risk for Developing Dementia - (Health Services Research and Development Service, Veterans Administration (HSR&D)) - 26-JUL-2009 Some studies have shown that chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is related to increased rates of death and illness, as well as an "accelerated aging" process. Moreover, PTSD is highly prevalent among Veterans returning from combat. This HSR&D study sought to determine if PTSD is associated with increased risk of developing dementia among older Veterans. Using VA data, investigators conducted a retrospective cohort study of 181,093 Veterans aged > 55 without dementia from 1997 to 2000. Of these Veterans, 53,155 were diagnosed with PTSD. During the follow-up period from 2001-2007, investigators gathered data on newly diagnosed dementia.
  • HHS Releases New Report: Hidden Costs of Health Care - 01-JUL-2009 The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has released a new report -- Hidden Costs of Health Care: Why Americans are Paying More but Getting Less. The report documents the rising cost of deductibles, co-payments and out-of-pocket expenses that are making it more difficult for families with insurance to receive the health care they need.


June 2009

  • Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology seeks comments - 17-JUN-2009 The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is seeking comments on the preliminary definition of Meaningful Use, as presented to the HIT Policy Committee on June 16, 2009. Comments on the draft description of Meaningful Use are due by 5 pm est June 26, 2009, and should be no more than 2,000 words in length. Electronic responses to the draft description of Meaningful Use are preferred and should be addressed to: MeaningfulUse@hhs.gov With the subject line Meaningful Use
  • Value of Genetic Testing for Preventing Blood Clots Unproven, According to New AHRQ Study - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)) - 17-JUN-2009 According to a new report by the Department of Health & Human Services' (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), there is insufficient evidence to conclude that genetic testing for two gene mutations in adults with a history of blood clots helps to prevent a condition known as deep-vein thrombosis or to improve other clinical outcomes.
  • Medicare Part D too complicated for seniors to identify lowest-cost plan - 04-JUN-2009 In the face of rising health-care costs, a new study has found that older adults were less likely to identify the plan that minimized their total annual cost and were likely to mistakenly think they had chosen the lowest-cost plan. The study, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Investigator Awards in Health Policy Research, is currently available online, and will be published in the August 2009 issue of Health Services Research.
  • Acupuncture-Like Treatments Improve Low Back Pain - (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, NIH (NCCAM)) - 03-JUN-2009 Acupuncture and simulated acupuncture both improved chronic low back pain more than conventional care in a new study. The result highlights central questions about how acupuncture helps people with chronic pain.


May 2009

  • Nearly 1 million Californians seek medical care in Mexico annually - (UCLA Center for Health Policy Research) - 27-MAY-2009 The paper is the first large-scale population-based research ever published on U.S. residents who travel to Mexico for health services. It is based on an analysis of 2001 data from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), the nation's largest state health survey.
  • HHS Establishes Office of Health Reform - 14-MAY-2009 Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius has announced the establishment of the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of Health Reform. This office will spearhead the department's efforts to pass urgently needed health reform this year and coordinate closely with the White House Office of Health Reform.
  • Social Security Board of Trustees releases 2009 Annual Report to Congress - (Social Security Administration (SSA)) - 14-MAY-2009 on the financial health of the Social Security Trust Funds. The Trustees project that program costs will exceed tax revenues in 2016, one year sooner than projected in last year's report. The combined assets of the Old-Age and Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) Trust Funds will be exhausted in 2037, four years sooner than projected last year. The worsening of the long-range outlook for the Social Security program is due primarily to the recent economic downturn and faster reductions in mortality than previously assumed.


April 2009


March 2009


February 2009

  • President Selects Top Rural Health Care Advocate to Oversee HRSA - 27-FEB-2009 President Obama has appointed one of the nation's top rural health care professionals as Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Dr. Mary Wakefield, director of the Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota, will oversee this critical agency, which helps to deliver health care to those who are uninsured and underserved by our current health care system.
  • Surgeon General's New Family Health History Tool Is Released, Ready for “21st Century Medicine” - 10-FEB-2009 The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released an updated and improved version of the Surgeon General's Internet-based family health history tool. The new tool makes it easier for consumers to assemble and share family health history information. It can also help practitioners make better use of health history information so they can provide more informed and personalized care for their patients.


January 2009

  • APHA 2009 Annual Meeting Call for Abstracts - 27-JAN-2009 The American Public Health Association (APHA) is announcing the Call for Abstracts for the 2009 Annual Meeting and Exposition to be held November 7-11, 2009, in Philadelphia, PA. The theme of the meeting is “Water and Public Health: The 21st Century Challenge.” The deadline for submission of abstracts range from February 9 to February 13, 2009.


December 2008


November 2008

  • Health Services Research Core Competencies Final Report released on AHRQ Web site - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)) - 05-NOV-2008 Health services research (HSR) applies methods from multiple disciplines to a wide variety of health issues. HSR doctoral competencies can offer a common framework for students, alumni, faculty, programs, and institutions that employ HSR doctoral graduates.

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