Medicare Open Enrollment Ends on 12/7

There are many more plans to choose from now.

You may save by changing plans.  There is a wide range of differences.

https://www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan/questions/home.aspx

Data Mining for Clinical Answers

Elif Ayiter

"A large, costly and time-consuming clinical trial with proper controls might someday prove Frankovich’s hypothesis correct. But large, costly and time-consuming clinical trials are rarely carried out for uncommon complications of this sort. In the absence of such focused research, doctors and scientists are increasingly dipping into enormous troves of data that already exist — namely the aggregated medical records of thousands or even millions of patients to uncover patterns that might help steer care."

                   From:  "Can Big Data Tell Us What Clinical Trials Don't?"

Webinar from CDC on Preparing for Ebola

***Preparing for Ebola: What U.S. Hospitals Can Learn From Emory Healthcare and Nebraska Medical Center***

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity

Date: Tuesday, October 14, 2014 

Time: 2:00 - 3:00 pm (EDT)

Dial In Number: 888-603-9630 (U.S. Callers); 630-395-0291 (International Callers)

Passcode: 9976995

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has increased the possibility of patients traveling from the impacted countries to U.S. hospitals. A few patients with Ebola virus disease have been medically evacuated to receive care in U.S. hospitals. Recently, the first case of Ebola virus disease was diagnosed in the United States in a person who traveled to Dallas, Texas from West Africa; this patient passed away on October 8, 2014. CDC and partners are taking precautions to prevent the spread of Ebola within the United States. During this COCA Call, the presenters will focus on healthcare systems preparedness, and participants will learn how Emory Healthcare and Nebraska Medical Center prepared for patients with Ebola and the lessons learned. To help presenters communicate content that is most important to clinicians, please submit your questions before the call to coca@cdc.gov. Please note: the focus of this call will be healthcare systems preparedness, not clinical management of the patients with Ebola.

emergency.cdc.gov/coca/calls/2014/callinfo_101414.asp

***Webcast: Dean’s Symposium on Ebola: Crisis, Context and Response***

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Date: Tuesday, October 14, 2014 

Time: 9:00 am – 1:30pm (EDT)

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is hosting a symposium on the Ebola epidemic on Tuesday, October 14; the symposium will also be live streamed. Speakers will discuss the impact of the West Africa epidemic, current and future response, the status of vaccines and possible pharmacologic therapies, recommendations to prevent spread of the disease outside of West Africa, and other issues.

Agenda and more information: http://www.jhsph.edu/events/2014/ebola-forum/

Webcast link: http://www.jhsph.edu/events/2014/ebola-forum/webcast.html

Webinars from NIH give nsight into the NIH Peer Review Grant Process

This information came from Sponsored Programs:

NIH CSR Peer Review Webinars

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Center for Scientific Review (CSR) is offering a series of webinars to give grant applicants insight into the peer review process. The webinars will feature experts from NIH/CSR and cover a wide range of topics including application receipt and referral, the review process, key information about application type, and CSR’s Early Career Reviewer Program. Each of the four webinars will have a different program focus:

• Academic Research Enhancement Awards (R15)​ - November 4, 2014, from ​2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., EST        
• Fellowship Awards -​ ​November 5, 2014, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., EST           ​
• ​Small Business Grants (SBIR/STTR) ​November 7, 2014, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., EST       
• Research Project Grants (R01) ​​November 10, 2014, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., EST

The webinars will include a 30 minute question and answer session. Questions may be submitted in advance. Register by October 28, 2014 to attend.

Dual-Use Pathogens

From NPR: "Any research institution that receives federal funding will soon have to screen certain kinds of scientific experiments to see if the work could potentially be misused to endanger the public."

See the story.

Task Force Recommendation for Preschool Children and Fluoride

Prevention of Dental Caries in Children From Birth Through Age 5 Years: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement

 The USPSTF recommends that primary care clinicians prescribe oral fluoride supplementation starting at age 6 months for children whose water supply is deficient in fluoride. (B recommendation) The USPSTF recommends that primary care clinicians apply fluoride varnish to the primary teeth of all infants and children starting at the age of primary tooth eruption. (B recommendation) 

 
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2014/04/29/peds.2014-0483.abstract

Policy awareness, submitting papers, preparing citations to ensure compliance with NIH

I've attended webinars on this topic, but almost everything you need to know is at http://publicaccess.nih.gov/communications.htm

This will tell you how to submit your paper to PubMed Central, if the study was funded by NIH, so that you remain compliant with NIH.  This applies if the paper was accepted for publication after April, 2008. 

NLM Launches Value Set Authority Center

The Value Set Authority Center (VSAC) is provided by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), in collaboration with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.  One purpose of Value Sets is to support the 2014 Clinical Quality Measures prescribed for “Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records."

The VSAC provides downloadable access to all official versions of vocabulary value sets contained in the 2014 Clinical Quality Measures (CQMs). Each value set consists of the numerical values (codes) and human-readable names (terms), drawn from standard vocabularies such as SNOMED CT® , RxNorm, LOINC and ICD-10-CM, which are used to define clinical concepts used in clinical quality measures (e.g., patients with diabetes, clinical visit).  Their page is at https://vsac.nlm.nih.gov/.

The State of America's Children 2014

This is a comprehensive compilation and analysis of the most recent and reliable national and state-by-state data on population, poverty, family structure, family income, health, nutrition, early childhood development, education, child welfare, juvenile justice, and gun violence. The report provides key child data showing alarming numbers of children at risk. - See more at: http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/state-of-americas-children/#sthash.FMc7Q6M7.dpuf

This is a comprehensive compilation and analysis of the most recent and reliable national and state-by-state data on population, poverty, family structure, family income, health, nutrition, early childhood development, education, child welfare, juvenile justice, and gun violence. The report provides key child data showing alarming numbers of children at risk. - See more at: http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/state-of-americas-children/#sthash.FMc7Q6M7.dpuf

This is a comprehensive compilation and analysis of the most recent and reliable national and state-by-state data on population, poverty, family structure, family income, health, nutrition, early childhood development, education, child welfare, juvenile justice, and gun violence. The report provides key child data showing alarming numbers of children at risk. - See more at: http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/state-of-americas-children/#sthash.FMc7Q6M7.dpuf

This is a comprehensive compilation and analysis of the most recent and reliable national and state-by-state data on population, poverty, family structure, family income, health, nutrition, early childhood development, education, child welfare, juvenile justice, and gun violence. The report provides key child data showing alarming numbers of children at risk. - See more at: http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/state-of-americas-children/#sthash.FMc7Q6M7.dpuf

This is a comprehensive compilation and analysis of the most recent and reliable national and state-by-state data on population, poverty, family structure, family income, health, nutrition, early childhood development, education, child welfare, juvenile justice, and gun violence. The report provides key child data showing alarming numbers of children at risk. - See more at: http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/state-of-americas-children/#sthash.FMc7Q6M7.dpuf

This is a comprehensive compilation and analysis of the most recent and reliable national and state-by-state data on population, poverty, family structure, family income, health, nutrition, early childhood development, education, child welfare, juvenile justice, and gun violence. The report provides key child data showing alarming numbers of children at risk. - See more at: http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/state-of-americas-children/#sthash.FMc7Q6M7.dpuf

This is a comprehensive compilation and analysis of the most recent and reliable national and state-by-state data on population, poverty, family structure, family income, health, nutrition, early childhood development, education, child welfare, juvenile justice, and gun violence. The report provides key child data showing alarming numbers of children at risk. - See more at: http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/state-of-americas-children/#sthash.FMc7Q6M7.dpuf

This is a comprehensive compilation and analysis of the most recent and reliable national and state-by-state data on population, poverty, family structure, family income, health, nutrition, early childhood development, education, child welfare, juvenile justice, and gun violence. The report provides key child data showing alarming numbers of children at risk. - See more at: http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/state-of-americas-children/#sthash.FMc7Q6M7.dpuf

This is a comprehensive compilation and analysis of the most recent and reliable national and state-by-state data on population, poverty, family structure, family income, health, nutrition, early childhood development, education, child welfare, juvenile justice, and gun violence. The report provides key child data showing alarming numbers of children at risk. - See more at: http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/state-of-americas-children/#sthash.FMc7Q6M7.dpuf

This is a comprehensive compilation and analysis of the most recent and reliable national and state-by-state data on population, poverty, family structure, family income, health, nutrition, early childhood development, education, child welfare, juvenile justice, and gun violence. The report provides key child data showing alarming numbers of children at risk. - See more at: http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/state-of-americas-children/#sthash.FMc7Q6M7.dpuf

his is a comprehensive compilation and analysis of the most recent and reliable national and state-by-state data on population, poverty, family structure, family income, health, nutrition, early childhood development, education, child welfare, juvenile justice, and gun violence. The report provides key child data showing alarming numbers of children at risk. - See more at: http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/state-of-americas-children/#sthash.FMc7Q6M7.dpuf

A sobering look at the state of America's children.  Children in Kentucky are not doing too well. Report provides key child data showing alarming numbers of children at risk.

Paper or Online?

Why the smart reading device of the future might be paper.

 

Cites several studies on the topic indicating that paper may still be preferable for deep reading and retention, but does that change with the age of the reader?  Does the recent advances in reading devices make a difference?

The Jury is Still Out

"Many questions remain. If reading shorter texts on screen or paper is indeed a matter of preference, does the same hold for deep reading? Can interface designers find better workarounds for the physical limitations of screens? Will people eventually adapt, with screen-trained readers finding new ways of creating structures in the absence of tactile cues?"

NLM's Mobile Apps

Get your information on the go with these apps from the National Library of Medicine.

Doctors wearing Google Glass

How will Google Glass assist doctors?

How could Google Glass change medicine?

Three of the most incredible ways Google Glass could change the future of medicine.This article looks at applications for surgery, point of care, and self-care for patients with chronic conditions.

New Diagnostic App for Google Glass

A team of researchers from UCLA’s Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has developed a Google Glass application and a server platform that allow users of the wearable, glasses-like computer to perform instant, wireless diagnostic testing for a variety of diseases and health conditions.

Choose Privacy Week

ALA - Choose Privacy Week - May 1 - 7, 2014.

The Uninsured at the Starting Line: Findings from the 2013 Kaiser Survey of Low-Income Americans and the ACA

Though ACA implementation is underway and people are already enrolling in coverage, policymakers continue to need information to inform coverage expansions. Reports of difficulties in enrolling in coverage, continued confusion and lack of information about the law point to challenges in the early stages of implementation. In the future, data will be needed to assess whether and how the ACA is helping low- and moderate-income families gain affordable coverage, access needed care, and obtain financial security. Detailed data on the population targeted for coverage expansions’ experience with health coverage, current patterns of care, and family situation can help policymakers target early efforts, provide insight into some of the challenges that are arising in the first months of new coverage, and evaluate the ACA’s longer-term affects.
Full Kaiser Report at  http://kff.org/uninsured/report/the-uninsured-at-the-starting-line-findings-from-the-2013-kaiser-survey-of-low-income-americans-and-the-aca/

Libraries and the Affordable Care Act Library Guide

Librarians will be asked to help patrons with locating information about the ACA and the Insurance Marketplace. This guide points to resources; general and region-specific.

Stroke survivors may lose month of healthy life for 15-minute delay in treatment

“In stroke treatment, every minute saved gives patients days of healthy life,” Meretoja said. “Patients should never wait a single minute for stroke signs, such as face droop, arm weakness or speech disturbance, to go away. They should call for help immediately. Additionally, most emergency medical services and hospitals have the ability to reduce response and treatment delays significantly, and we have described how to do this.”  Meretoja's article was published in Stroke yesterday.  The American Heart Association has this Rapid Access Journal Report here.

Environmental and State-Level Regulatory Factors Affect the Incidence of Autism and Intellectual Disability

Researchers from the University of Chicago have found that rates of autism and intellectually disability in the US correlate with incidence of genital malformation in newborn males at county level - an indicator of fetus exposure to harmful environmental factors, such as pesticides. PLOS Article

The Future of Medicine

3-D printing of organs sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie.  This Popular Science article discusses the potential of this technology, "In two decades, 3-D printing has grown from a niche manufacturing process to a $2.7-billion industry, responsible for the fabrication of all sorts of things: toys, wristwatches, airplane parts, food. Now scientists are working to apply similar 3-D–printing technology to the field of medicine, accelerating an equally dramatic change. But it's much different, and much easier, to print with plastic, metal, or chocolate than to print with living cells."  They also have this synopsis, "Five Body Parts Scientists Can 3-D Print."  And this article is available  "Bioprinting Toward Organ Fabrication: Challenges and Future Trends" from IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.  You will need to sign into Murray State to read this one.

Johnson & Johnson to share Drug Research Data with Yale

Wall Street Journal Article

J&J signed an agreement with Yale University under which it will share detailed clinical trial data from hundreds of drugs and other products with outside academic researchers.

Affordable Care Act

NNLM's LibGuide on the Affordable Care Act.

This is directed at Librarians, but it's full of good information for anyone interested in learning more about or helping others with the Affordable Care Act.

The Kaiser Foundation has an easy to understand video about the Affordable Health Care Act at
http://kff.org/health-reform/video/youtoons-obamacare-video/