By Ronnie Cohen (Reuters) - Federal authorities approved a Nevada hospital's proposal on Friday for correcting deficiencies that led to newly discharged psychiatric patients being bused out of state without adequate plans for continued care. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also said it would conduct unannounced inspections of Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital in Las Vegas to ensure that procedures are in place and working to prevent further instances of so-called patient dumping. ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Health officials are investigating cases involving patients who suffered complications after being injected with potentially contaminated medications made by a Tennessee specialty pharmacy.

When she was 32, Wendy Drabick opened her own IT and accounting consulting business and started paying health insurance premiums for herself and her family, now a hefty $1,100 every month. That’s about $10,000 more each year than she’d be paying if she worked for a large employer who paid most of the premium. Drabick isn’t complaining, but she would like to know if her premium will go up under the Affordable Care Act (ACA, also known as Obamacare), and if so, how much. Nearly all Americans will need dto have coverage, many through state marketplaces, beginning January 1, 2014.

By Sharon Begley NEW YORK (Reuters) - A long-awaited report on workplace wellness programs, which has still not been publicly released, delivers a blow to the increasingly popular efforts, Reuters has learned, casting doubt on a pillar of the Affordable Care Act and a favorite of the business community. According to a report by researchers at the RAND Corp, programs that try to get employees to become healthier and reduce medical costs have only a modest effect. ...

Prince the goat alerts Sara Manley as to when she'll need her medication.        

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Back pain, migraine and other types of chronic pain without a known physical cause - and therefore little prospect for relief - were associated with an increased risk of suicide in a new study of U.S. veterans. But the researchers, who analyzed data on about five million patients in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, found no link between suicide and arthritis, neuropathies or non-migraine headaches. Dr. ...

By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A long-growing backlog of U.S. military veterans' disability claims, which has stoked congressional anger, has dipped in recent weeks, however tentatively. But that is not taking any pressure off President Barack Obama, his Department of Veterans Affairs or the Pentagon to fix a system that has left veterans waiting - sometimes for years - to get answers from the U.S. government about their disability claims. Instead, warnings from Congress are growing more acute. ...

By Dave Warner PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A Philadelphia couple charged with murder after their baby died without medical care must be held in jail whether or not they make bail, a judge ruled on Friday. The couple, Herbert and Catherine Schaible, believe in faith healing, and those who share their beliefs might be willing to harbor them if they decide to flee, Judge Benjamin Lerner told a court hearing in Philadelphia. The Schaibles were charged with third-degree murder on Wednesday after the April 18 death of their seven-month-old son Brandon from bacterial pneumonia, dehydration and strep. ...

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Despite expert guidelines advising against intense sports activity for people with implanted heart defibrillators, a new study suggests that some can compete without serious consequences. Researchers followed 372 athletes with defibrillators for about two and a half years and found that none died while running, skiing or playing sports like basketball and soccer. ...

By Toni Clarke (Reuters) - The Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it has received seven reports of illnesses in patients who took steroid injections compounded by a pharmacy in Tennessee. The FDA said full clinical information about the patients is still being gathered, but it suggested some of the problems were infections and that "at least one of these infections appears to be fungal in nature." The steroid in question is same one - methylprednisolone acetate - that was linked to a meningitis outbreak last year that has killed some 53 people and sickened more than 700. ...