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Study: Diabetes raises mortality risk in cancer patients | Sulfonylureas as second-line therapy may cut diabetes costs | Ark. makes strides in children's health, report says

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March 14, 2014

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Study: Diabetes raises mortality risk in cancer patients
Cancer patients with insulin-treated diabetes were four times more likely to die within a year of cancer diagnosis and had a fivefold increased odds of dying within five years of diagnosis compared with those without diabetes, a study revealed. Researchers also found patients on diabetes drugs alone had a 10% and 50% higher mortality risk two and five years after cancer diagnosis, respectively. The findings appear in Diabetologia. HealthDay News (3/14)

Sulfonylureas as second-line therapy may cut diabetes costs
Data on type 2 diabetes patients showed those who used sulfonylurea drugs as a second-line agent attained improvements in glycemic control and quality-adjusted life years similar to other treatments. However, sulfonylureas yielded lower costs for patients compared with other regimens, researchers reported in Diabetes Care. Healio (free registration)/Endocrine Today (3/10)

Nutrition & Wellness

Ark. makes strides in children's health, report says
A report released Thursday showed significant improvements in childhood vaccination rates and access to dental care in Arkansas since 2007. However, more than 4,300 children failed to get vaccinated in 2012 and 2013, and approximately 38% of children were considered overweight or obese, the report showed. San Francisco Chronicle (free content)/The Associated Press (3/13)

Study: Larger waist size raises mortality risk
A study in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings says larger waist circumferences may raise the risk of mortality and reduce life expectancy in both men and women. Mayo Clinic researchers found the higher mortality risk was linked to waist circumference regardless of BMI. United Press International (3/12)

Practice Update

CMS issues guidance for stage 2 meaningful use exemptions
Health care professionals and hospitals may qualify for an exemption to stage 2 meaningful use rules if they have experienced vendor-related EHR certification delays, according to guidance from the CMS. Professionals also can apply for an exemption due to unforeseen or uncontrollable circumstances, lack of control over the availability of certified EHR technology or a lack of face-to-face interaction. Professionals must submit hardship exemption applications by July 1; hospitals must do so by April 1. Health Data Management (3/11)

Calif. bill would accelerate physician education
California Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, D-Concord, has introduced a bill that would enable medical school students in the state to complete their studies in three years in an effort to turn out physicians at a faster rate with less education debt. American City Business Journals/San Francisco/Morning Edition blog (3/12)

Trends & Technology

ACA private plan enrollment tops 4 million, HHS says
About 4.2 million people had enrolled in a commercial health insurance plan as of March 1, and a surge of enrollees is expected before open enrollment ends March 31, HHS officials said. A quarter of recent enrollees are young adults, officials said. About 943,000 people enrolled in a plan in February. In January, there were 1.1 million enrollees, and there were 1.8 million in December. Reuters (3/11), HealthDay News (3/11), The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (3/12)

Research questions reliability of surgery performance metrics
A review published in JAMA Surgery raises questions about the reliability of some commonly used quality performance measures. Researchers said differences in case volume represented the most important factor associated with reliability, with hospitals whose data included more cases tending to be more reliable. BeckersHospitalReview.com (3/13)

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Self-assessment program on exercise and diabetes -- free CME/CE opportunity
This self-assessment program consists of clinical problem-solving multiple choice questions and educational critiques. It is designed to objectively assess and strengthen your knowledge of diabetes and provide you with a better understanding of the relationship between exercise and diabetes. Credit is available for all health care professionals. Learn more about this module and other educational opportunities.

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