Year: 2019
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Can We Overhaul Our ‘Broken’ Health Data System?
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Our system for protecting health data in the United States is fundamentally broken, and we need a national effort to rethink how we safeguard this information, according to three experts in data privacy. “Data scandals are occurring on a regular basis, with no end in sight,” said Efthimios Parasidis, a co-author of…
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Federal Judge Rules FDA Acted Illegally in Delaying Required Review of E-Cigarettes, Cigars
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a major victory for America’s kids and public health, a federal judge has ruled that, in August 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration acted illegally by allowing e-cigarettes to remain on the market until 2022 before applying for FDA authorization and by permitting products to remain on the market indefinitely during…
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A Review of Alabama’s Human Life Protection Act
UPDATE MAY 24, 2019: Lawsuit filed to block abortion ban. A federal lawsuit filed Friday, May 24, asks a judge to block Alabama’s law that outlaws almost all abortions, the most far-reaching attempt by a conservative state to seek new restrictions on the procedure. The American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood filed the lawsuit on behalf…
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Pregnancy-Related Deaths Happen Before, During, and Up to a Year After Delivery
3-in-5 pregnancy-related deaths could be prevented, no matter when they occur. Pregnancy-related deaths can occur up to a year after a woman gives birth – but whenever they occur, most of these deaths are preventable, according to a new CDC Vital Signs report. Of the 700 pregnancy-related deaths that happen each year in the United…
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For the First Time, Employed Physicians Outnumber Self-Employed
CHICAGO — For the first time in the United States, employed physicians outnumber self-employed physicians, according to a newly updated study on physician practice arrangements by the American Medical Association. This milestone marks the continuation of a long-term trend that has slowly shifted the distribution of physicians away from ownership of private practices. Employed physicians were 47.4…
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Meet Our New Board Members
Alexis T. Mason, M.D. Secretary-Treasurer Alexis T. Mason, M.D., is a native of Town Creek, Ala., and was elected Secretary-Treasurer during the Association’s Annual Meeting in April. It was a lawnmower accident when she was just 3 years old, which nearly took a limb and ended her life, that led her to her life’s calling…
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How Are HIPAA Breaches Impacting Alabama?
HIPAA enforcement reached an all-time high in 2018, with financial settlements ranging from $100,000 to $16,000,000. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights (OCR) is responsible for providing oversight and ensuring HIPAA compliance. Last year alone, OCR resolved a total of 25,089 complaints of HIPAA violations and required at least…
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First Presumptive Positive Measles Case in Alabama for 2019
The Alabama Department of Public Health received notification of a case of presumptive positive measles the morning of May 2 in an infant in St. Clair County. Currently, this is the only presumptive measles case under investigation in Alabama. The infant was considered contagious from April 23, 2019, through May 1, 2019. ADPH is working…
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CDC Clarifies Opioid Prescribing Guidelines
Since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its Guidelines for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain in 2016, physicians have relied on the document for recommendations when prescribing pain medication to their patients. However, because the CDC did not specifically clarify the guidelines in the original release, many physicians’ groups have been concerned the…
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Drug Overdoses in Young People on the Rise
PISCATAWAY, NJ – In American adolescents and young adults, death rates from drug poisoning, particularly from opioids, have sharply increased over the last 10 years, according to new research in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. In 2006, the death rate from drug poisoning from any type of legal or illicit drug was 8.1…