CMS last week announced that Medicare quality improvement organizations will focus more of their efforts on nursing homes and hospitals that offer the most likelihood for improvement in selected areas as part of a set of new responsibilities, CQ HealthBeat reports (Reichard, CQ HealthBeat, 2/8).

Officials from the HHS Office of Minority Health met with state and local representatives last week in Gadsden County, Fla., to discuss infant mortality among blacks in the area, the Gadsden County Times reports.

While many blacks have high blood pressure and high cholesterol, few are aware that such factors put them at risk for dementia, according to a survey to be released this week, USA Today reports. The survey, by Richard Day Research for the

Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat, examines House action on mental health parity, President Bush’s threat to veto any spending bills that exceed amounts in his fiscal year 2009 budget proposal and a

Australia will allocate $40 million in 2008 to help fight the spread of HIV/AIDS in Indonesia, Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith announced on Thursday, the AAP/Australian reports.

In a letter to CDC Director Julie Gerberding on Wednesday, three members of the

Uncontrolled hypertension rates in men and women vary across the country, but all states - especially in the south and including the nation’s capital - should boost blood pressure control efforts, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.Uncontrolled hypertension in this study was defined as above 140 millimeters of mercury. The measurements were taken in a mobile examination clinic (MEC) and averaged. The first measurement was excluded.

A bipartisan group of House members has introduced a bill (HR 5268) that would temporarily increase the Medicaid federal medical assistance percentage by 2.95% for eligible states, CQ HealthBeat reports. The legislation would increase FMAP from April 1 through June 30, 2009.

The cancer drug Avastin (bevacizumab) is used to treat advanced bowel cancer in combination with chemotherapy. This drug targets a protein called VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) that stimulates blood vessel growth. Avastin inhibits the growth of tumors by cutting off their blood supply, which deprives them of oxygen and other nutrients.

A new publication designed to help individuals, doctors and governments reduce the global burden of cancer has been announced by Europe’s leading society for medical oncologists.The ESMO Handbook of Cancer Prevention, from the European Society for Medical Oncology, contains state-of-the-art, practical guidance on reducing cancer risk, screening for tumors and preventing their spread.