Morning Headlines 6/24/16

Andy Gurman, MD, Takes Reins as AMA President

Incoming AMA president Andrew Gurman, MD says that he has no EHR in his practice and prefers to take a penalty than participate in the Meaningful Use program.

Nearly 1 in 3 On Medicare Got Commonly Abused Opioids

A federal report finds that 12 million Medicare beneficiaries were prescribed opioids last year, at a cost of $4.1 billion.

Implementation Of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs Associated With Reductions In Opioid-Related Death Rates

A Health Affairs study finds that prescription drug monitoring programs reduced opioid-related overdose deaths by 1.12 per 100,000 people in the year after implementation.

Statement of Dr. David Shulkin Undersecretary of Health Veterans Health Administration

VA Undersecretary of Health David Shulkin, MD says during testimony before the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs that its EHR modernization plans are “not dependent on any particular EHR.”