News from other sources ...

Today's roundup of technology, pharmaceutical and safety news includes a report about how patients' reports on their own health can help physicians, the acceptance telemedicine is gaining, and more.

Information technology

How patients' reports on their health can help doctors do a better job | NPR

Programs like Orchestra Project, an online data tracking tool available at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, are making it easier for patients to track and assess their own physical and mental conditions and quality of life. With patient-centered care becoming more common, identifying ways to use outcomes reported by individuals to assist physicians in guiding their care has become a trend.

Recent telemedicine surveys make for interesting reading | The National Law Review

According to a pair of recent surveys, telemedicine still has a ways to go in order to gain wider acceptance, but its benefits are being recognized. One HealthMine survey discovered that 39% of tech-savvy consumers had never heard of telemedicine, but 93% of consumers who used it claimed it lowered healthcare costs. A second survey, conducted by Reach Health, polled healthcare executives and clinicians and found that 66% of the participants said telemedicine is the top or one of the top priorities for their organizations.

Safety, quality and clinical practices

UVA study links disparities in pain management to racial bias | NPR

Studies in the past have found that black patients are less likely than white patients to receive pain medicine for the same injury. Now, a new study from the University of Virginia has revealed a possible reason why: a substantial number of white medical students and residents believe black people are less sensitive to pain.

Physicians

Florida pledges better healthcare for poor children to settle lawsuit | Reuters

Officials in Florida will increase access to both health and dental care for poor children in Tuesday's settlement of a lawsuit originally filed in 2005 that accused state officials of not paying doctors enough to care for 2 million children that have government-supported health coverage. The lawsuit claimed this discouraged doctors from providing services.

Pharmaceuticals

Valeant finishes accounting and Philidor review with no more problems | Wall Street Journal

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International announced it has completed its internal review of how the company accounted for revenue through the mail-order pharmacy Philidor RX Services and that no additional issues requiring restatement had been found.