Harvard Dean Jeffrey S. Flier has accepted the recommendations of the Harvard University Faculty of Medicine Committee on Conflicts of Interest and Commitment to revise and clarify the existing Policy on Conflicts of Interest and Commitment.

Vasomedical has released the iPhone for its Enhanced External Counterpulsation (EECP) therapy application, which provides patients, physicians, therapists and other interested parties with a mobile source of information and support materials for EECP therapy. EECP is an FDA-cleared technology for noninvasive treatment of certain cardiovascular diseases.

Beginning on Sept. 23, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Labor and the Treasury will require new health plans to cover preventive services including blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol test screenings to give patients better access to preventive care.

A survey of physicians finds that while most support the professional commitment to report other physicians who they feel are incompetent or impaired, such as from alcohol or drug use, when faced with this situation, many did not follow through on making a report, according to a study in the July 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The use of secure patient-physician email in context of a comprehensive EHR is associated with the improved care for patients with diabetes and hypertension, according to Kaiser Permanente research published in the July issue of Health Affairs.

Pay-for-performance is an increasingly popular approach in the U.S. to improving healthcare quality. But the planned nationwide implementation of institutional bonuses mandated under federal healthcare reform threatens to act as a "reverse Robin Hood," potentially causing hospitals in less advantaged regions to lose funds to healthcare facilities in more affluent areas of the U.S., according to a study published June 29 in PLoS Medicine.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a proposed rule that would implement provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 that reduce preventive services for Medicare beneficiaries by 6.1 percent on or after Jan. 1, 2011. This reduction would be added to a projected 23.5 percent cut that is scheduled to take effect Dec. 1, unless Congress acts to change the current sustainable growth rate formula.

Despite more interest in using radiofrequency identification (RFID) to reduce medical errors and increase patient safety, the technology is mainly deployed for non-patient functions, according to a report from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).