News from other sources ...

Information technology

The West Virginia Health Care Authority denied the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s application to provide telemedicine services throughout the state. The authority determined that the state-wide approach would not provide adequate enough services and a county-by-county approach would be better.

Most healthcare data breaches from unauthorized access | Health IT Security

So far this year, there have been 114 healthcare data breaches reported to the Office for Civil Rights, most of which were caused by unauthorized access or disclosure. The largest data breach so far this year was caused by hackers. 21st Century Oncology experienced a data breach earlier this year that potentially affected 2.2 million individuals.

Pharmaceuticals

Despite failed attempts to buy drug makers Allergan and Astra Zeneca, Pfizer CEO Ian Read said he will consider mergers that bode well for shareholders. Though he said he will likely step away from tax-cutting acquisitions after previous attempts failed.

Sarepta stock falls after FDA released compassionate use guidelines | STAT

Sarepta Therapeutics’ stock fell more than 26% Friday following the release of the FDA’s compassionate use program. The Cambridge, Mass.-based company has attempted to gain approval for a drug treating Duchenne musical dystrophy with little success. Stockholders see the compassionate use program as an opportunity for the company to sidestep FDA approval.

Safety, quality and clinical practice

A study by Geisinger Health System in Danville, Penn., profiled 2,000 patients who overdosed on opioids, allowing researchers to predict who is most likely to die from drug abuse. Researchers found that a history of mental illness and other chronic illnesses are associated with overdose outcomes, while having private health insurance and being married protected an individual from overdosing.