CMS continues to expand list of non-reimbursables
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) says it is adding two conditions to its list of preventable medical complications for which Medicare will not reimburse hospitals. Costs associated with treating blood clots in the leg after knee or hip replacement and complications from poor control of blood sugar are now ineligible for reimbursement. Click here for more.

It is a small world, after all
Researchers studying the electronic messages of 180 million people prove that there are only six degrees of separation between any two people, at least on average. “To me, it was pretty shocking,” said Eric Horvitz, who examined instant-messaging traffic on the giant Microsoft Messenger network for the study. “What we’re seeing suggests there may be a social connectivity constant for humanity.” Click here for more.

AAP revises children’s cholesterol guidelines
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has altered its cholesterol guidelines for children and now recommends that high-risk children as young as 2 have their cholesterol tested. The new guidelines also say children can be considered for cholesterol drugs at age 8 because some cholesterol issues can’t be tackled with just diet and exercise alone. Click here to read more.

Community chronic care model being developed in Michigan
Physicians, employers, health plans, healthcare systems and the municipal government in Battle Creek, Mich., have refined and implemented a model to reduce barriers to care, improve patient outcomes and reduce costs for those with chronic diseases. The groups created a registry to track data for population health management and interfaces that connect providers and allow labs and hospitals to add data. They’re also working with a medical home model and a value-based insurance model with lower deductibles. Click here to read more.

National Cancer Institute to launch nationwide network
The National Cancer Institute is launching a 21st century information initiative that intends to transform the way it does cancer research by creating a network that will freely connect the entire cancer community. In doing so, it hopes to leverage valuable resources and save precious time toward new discoveries. Click here to read more.

Another view on cause of medical errors: mispronunciation
Mispronunciation of prescription drugs presents risks that could prove fatal for some patients, medical experts warn. A report from U.S. Pharmacopeia shows that nearly 1,500 drugs with names that look or sound alike were linked to medication errors, with 1.4 percent resulting in patient harm, including seven mistakes that may have led to death. “It’s just going to get worse with increases in the number of drugs and in the number of unfamiliar names,” a geriatric psychiatrist said. Click here to read more.