USA Today (10/15, O’Donnell) reports that according to a National Council on Patient Information and Education study, “poor adherence to medications among patients with multiple chronic conditions has reached ‘crisis proportions’ in the US,” leading “to ‘unnecessary disease progression’ and complications and too many emergency room visits, hospitalizations and avoidable hospital re-admissions.” The coalition recommends “lowering or eliminating co-payments for medications used to treat the most common chronic diseases,” as well as “pushing pharmacies to better coordinate patients’ medications.”

Related Links:

— “Crisis: Patients not taking their medications, “Jayne O’Donnell, USA Today, October 15, 2013.

CQ (10/16, Attias, Subscription Publication) reports that former Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI) “is attempting to use his famous family’s brand and his own experiences to advance the cause of mental health.” The retired congressman “is seeking to elevate the attention this issue receives at a time when the 2010 health care law should expand access to treatment options and a long-awaited rule for a mental-health parity law is soon to be released.” Mental health professionals as well as many members of Congress believe that “Kennedy has the authority to reach beyond partisanship as he tries to unite diverse advocacy groups behind a common agenda.”

Medwire (10/16, McDermid) reports that, according to a study published in the October issue of the journal World Psychiatry, “people with symptoms of psychosis have an increased rate of medical comorbidities and unhealthy lifestyle habits even if they do not have a psychiatric diagnosis.” After analyzing “data from 224,254 participants in the World Health Organization World Health Survey,” researchers found that such patients “also had increased rates of healthcare indicators such as nonpsychiatric hospital stays, and prescribed medications.”

Related Links:

— “Psychotic symptoms alone denote medical health risk, “Eleanor McDermid, Medwire News, October 16, 2013.

CNN (10/15, Luhby) reports that some consumers buying insurance from the new Affordable Care Act marketplaces “may find themselves restricted to more limited doctor and hospital networks than their peers outside the state-based exchanges enjoy.” According to the article, many insurance companies “have opted to limit their selection of doctors in some exchange plans to keep premiums and other costs down.”

Related Links:

— “Doctor choice in Obamacare? Not so much, “Tami Luhby, CNN, October 14, 2013.

USA Today (10/14, Healy) reports on a new study published online in Pediatrics, which found “aspects of the health toll” inflicted on adolescents from gun injuries other than the death toll “get much less attention, including injury severity, the need for major surgical intervention, and high care costs.” The study found the impact to be particularly heavy for adolescent males aged 15 to 19, accounting for 83.2 percent of the gunshot wounds suffered by children in the study. According to the researchers, “the study provides ‘a broader look’ at the disproportionate and negative effects beyond fatalities.”

Related Links:

— “Death tallies belie true impact of kids’ gun injuries, “Michelle Healy, USA Today, October 14, 2013.