Change in allocation policy for organ transplants
Transplant surgeons say organ allocation policies should be changed to ensure that only the sickest patients get donated livers and that transplants aren’t given to patients who don’t need them. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said changes should begin with physicians and should be enforced with federal regulations. Click here for more.

Nurses key in addressing mental health patients in New Orleans
Nurses are playing a critical role in getting depressed and suicidal patients help as New Orleans rebuilds after Katrina. The city still lacks sufficient psychiatric hospital beds and adequate outpatient services. Click here for more.

Report on home monitoring improves care and saves dollars
A report from Deloitte shows that remote-monitoring technologies save an estimated $400 billion annually in health care costs by helping keep patients at home and out of acute care and ambulatory settings. The technology, when used with a personalized care-management program, can improve medication adherence, boost self-care chronic disease management and reduce complications. To access the report, click here.

Going public about quality
A Pennsylvania health care consortium that includes providers, insurers and the government has put consumer-friendly hospital quality data on the Web for patients to access. The Pennsylvania Health Care Quality Alliance offers information on the state’s 170 acute-care providers in treating heart attacks, heart failure and pneumonia, and in preventing infections. Click here for more.

Launched: Center for Genomics and Health DisparitiesÂ
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched a new center that will investigate social, economic and genetic factors that contribute to differences in diseases rates and health care treatment among different races. The Center for Genomics and Health Disparities will examine issues such as why medications for diabetes and high blood pressure are less effective for blacks than for whites. Click here for more.