Morning Headlines 4/23/15

FDA grant to determine drug safety through EHRs

The FDA is offering a grant worth up to $1 million to fund research focused on mining EHRs for data that will support post-market drug safety assessments.

Comparative Effectiveness of Childhood Obesity Interventions in Pediatric Primary Care

A study published in JAMA Pediatrics finds that the use of clinical decision support prompts in the pediatric primary care setting had a positive effect on reducing BMI in obese children. The CDS alerts presented clinicians with obesity screening guidelines and links to relevant weight management programs.

Senate hearing examines telehealth benefits, barriers to expansion

More than a dozen bi-partisan senators attended yesterday’s Senate Commerce Subcommittee meeting on telehealth to lobby for expanded access to telehealth services for Medicare beneficiaries and for infrastructure investments that would expand internet access in rural areas.  Kristi Henderson, chief telehealth and innovation officer at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, explains ‘Right now, the greatest challenges lie in winning the federal level reimbursement parity that will make telehealth attractive in the marketplace and securing the reliable, high quality connectivity that telehealth requires.”