Weekly Dose of Health News August 18 – 22 2014

The New York State Medicaid Drug Utilization Review Board has scheduled a meeting in Albany for September 18 from 9 to 4 in Meeting Room 3 in the Empire State Plaza.

The New York Times writes that Medicare will begin paying health care practitioners a monthly fee for care coordination for beneficiaries. Only 30% of Medicare patients are in managed care. The rest are in fee for service and often receive disjointed care.

This op-ed discusses the value of genetic testing for certain cancers.

The New York Times discusses religion, culture and organ donation in Israel. Israel has the lowest rate of organ donation among developed countries. This accompanying article talks about the worldwide organ trade business. Even in the United States, the wait time for a kidney is more than four years, with 4,000 people dying per year while waiting.

Although Medicare Advantage health plans cost a bit more, they offer better quality than mainstream Medicare according to this article.

The New York City Health Department is encouraging healthier eating.

Read about whether or not breakfast is all it’s alleged to be.

The man who brought Iyengar yoga to the west is dead at the age of 95. This article discusses what is so unique about the Iyengar approach.

A new report by the New York Public Interest Research Group, the Center for Medical Consumers and New Yorkers for Patient and Family Empowerment say that the numbers of doctors practicing in New York is up, which is contrary to other reports over the past several years.

The Food and Drug Administration is implementing stricter rules on prescribing medicines to treat pain.

The New York State Department of Health has released a new report on the readmission rate for patients that undergo certain cardiac procedures.

Governor Cuomo announced $191 million for affordable housing initiatives, including funding for projects that support veterans with special needs and those associated with the state’s Medicaid Redesign initiative.