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ORLANDO, Fla. — Healtheway on Monday announced the formation of Carequality, a new initiative dedicated to accelerating progress in health data exchange among multiplatform networks, healthcare providers, electronic health record vendors and health information exchange vendors. Carequality is an open, transparent and inclusive industry-driven effort. It will convene stakeholders and facilitate industry consensus to develop and maintain a standards-based interoperability framework that enables information exchange between and among networks.

ATLANTA — The Drug Enforcement Administration's Atlanta Field Division last week announced the launch of an anonymous statewide prescription drug texting tip line available to the public. 

WASHINGTON — As part of the National Governors Association’s ongoing effort to help states reduce prescription drug abuse, findings from the Prescription Drug Abuse Reduction Policy Academy were the focus of the Health and Human Services Committee session at NGA’s 2014 Winter Meeting, the association announced Sunday. 

LONDON — Concurrent opioid prescribing by multiple providers is common in Medicare patients and is associated with higher rates of hospital admission related to opioid use, according to a study published last week in BMJ. 

ATLANTA — It appears this year's flu season will officially wind down toward the beginning of March. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday reported a decline in influenza activity, though nationwide it's still above the national baseline. 

No states reported high influenza like illness activity, the CDC noted, and seven states experienced moderate ILI activity (Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, New Mexico, Texas and Virginia).

ATLANTA — Only one-third of adults between the ages of 18 and 64 have gotten their flu shot this season, which is a contributing factor to why this year's flu activity has hit young adults particularly hard, according to Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

DETROIT — The Detroit Lions and Walgreens earlier this week teamed up to tackle the flu in Detroit Public Schools. On Feb. 25 Walgreens, the official health and wellness partner of the Detroit Lions, will give Detroit Lions Academy students flu immunizations.

Students who choose to get flu immunizations will have the opportunity to participate in a Playworks recess session that includes special guest Detroit Lions running back Joique Bell.

Families — parents and siblings — of students are also welcome to receive complimentary flu immunizations.

NEW YORK — The Food and Drug Administration recently approved two "robotic pills," or pills that place an image camera or ingestible sensors into the gastrointestinal tract, according to a report published earlier this week by the Wall Street Journal. 

Other robotic pills still in development include one backed by Google — a pill that would replace injectable drugs, the report noted.