News from other sources ...

Information technology

Prompted by a state law that took effect this year, a coalition of emergency and social service providers is working to create an electronic registry for Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment forms so they will be available to first responders and medical providers when they are needed. The group is starting with a three-year pilot project in San Diego and Contra Costa counties that could serve as a model for a single, statewide registry.

Medical devices and equipment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is pushing hospitals to do a better job reporting medical-device problems after finding many lapses, including the failure to flag a hysterectomy device's potentially deadly risk.

Pharmaceuticals

Three experimental Zika vaccines are already being tested in people; another four or five should start human trials between now and next fall. Larger Phase 2 trials for several candidate vaccines are planned for 2017; one will begin within the next couple of months. That is warp speed for vaccine development, especially in a case, such as this, where the race commenced from a standing start. But will there be a market for a Zika vaccine when the work is done? That question hangs over this work.

The Life-Changing Magic of Mushrooms | The Atlantic

A pair of randomized, blinded studies published Thursday in The Journal of Psychopharmacology provide the most robust evidence to date that a single dose of psilocybin can provide relief from the anxiety and gloom associated with cancer for at least six months.

Physicians

As consumers review their coverage and shop for 2017 insurance through the federal health law's online marketplaces during the annual open enrollment period, many of the directories they are using are outdated and inaccurate.