Morning Breakouts

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Family Planning Should Be ‘Cornerstone’ Of U.S. Policy In Afghanistan

Morning Briefing

“Without attention to population, countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan stand a good chance of staying mired in poverty, conflict, and corrupt, repressive government. That is why sustained investment in family planning by the United States and other countries would do more to stabilize the political climate there than any other foreign-policy initiative,” Jennifer Dabbs Sciubba, former Defense Department consultant and the Mellon Environmental Fellow in the department of international studies at Rhodes College, writes in a Philadelphia Inquirer opinion piece.

Research Roundup: Health IT And Diabetes Care; Kids’ Care On Insurance Exchanges; Medicare And The ‘Super Committee’

Morning Briefing

This week’s reports come from the National Governors Association, the Journal Of Public Health Policy, the Government Accountability Office, the Journal Of Internal General Medicine, the New England Journal Of Medicine, the Urban Institute and the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Researchers Seek Ways To Reduce Battlefield Amputations, Identify Heart Attacks Early

Morning Briefing

A Kansas scientist has developed a device to stabilize fractures during battle in the hopes of cutting down the number of amputations needed. Meanwhile, St. Jude researchers have launched a study of a new heart defibrillator.

Study: EHRs Improve Diabetes Care, Improve Clinical Quality

Morning Briefing

A Case Western Reserve University study has found electronic health records could help keep patients healthier – at least those with diabetes – and that clinical quality improvement is greater at practices that use EHRs.

Integrating Rapid Syphilis And HIV Testing For Pregnant Women Could Reduce Maternal, Child Morbidity And Mortality

Morning Briefing

“A study conducted in Uganda and Zambia by the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) found high rates of syphilis and HIV co-infection among pregnant women in both countries,” but showed that “integrating rapid syphilis screening and HIV testing for pregnant women was feasible, cost-effective, and helped to prevent transmission of syphilis and HIV from mother-to-child,” PlusNews reports.