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Scientists update criteria for diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease

Scientists at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease 2010 today presented the first draft reports from three workgroups convened by the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association to update the diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease for the first time in 25 years.

14 Jul 2010

AD may lead to increased risk of comorbid conditions, research shows

Pfizer Inc., together with its collaborator on the Alzheimer's Immunotherapy Program, Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy, presented new research this week at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease 2010 from two podium and four poster presentations.

14 Jul 2010

Call for clarification, education on enactment of new FSA restriction

A provision of health care reform could blindside consumers and create an administrative nightmare for providers and retailers as its January 1, 2011 implementation date draws closer. Without intervention, the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act, passed earlier this year, will require consumers to obtain a physician's "prescription" in order to use their pre-tax flexible spending accounts (FSAs) to pay for over-the-counter (OTC) medicines other than insulin.

14 Jul 2010

HHS Secretary, U.S. Attorney General to kick-off Miami fraud prevention summit

On Friday, July 16, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will kick off the first in a series of day-long summits bringing together a wide array of federal, state, and local partners, beneficiaries, providers, and other interested parties to discuss innovative ways to eliminate fraud within the U.S. health care system. The summit will include educational panels featuring law enforcement officials, consumer experts, providers, and key government agencies.

14 Jul 2010

Researchers examine long-term cause-specific mortality among childhood cancer survivors

Follow-up of a group of British childhood cancer survivors indicates they have an increased risk of death from second primary cancers and cardiac and cerebrovascular causes more than 25 years after their initial cancer diagnosis, according to a study in the July 14 issue of JAMA.

14 Jul 2010

NCCS supports two final rules issued by CMS, ONC for EHR incentive programs

The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship announced its support of the two final rules issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology for the electronic health record incentive programs at a briefing hosted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today.

14 Jul 2010

No World Borders sponsors Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange conference

No World Borders, Inc., a leading health care IT and management consulting firm, today announced that it is a sponsor of the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) conference in Fairfax, today through July 15, 2010.

14 Jul 2010

Palmetto Health Board of Directors approve establishment of Palmetto Health Quality Collaborative

The Palmetto Health Board of Directors has unanimously approved the establishment of Palmetto Health Quality Collaborative, LLC, often referred to as an accountable care organization. The Quality Collaborative will be a physician-led, patient-centered, interdependent medical entity that focuses on best practices in clinical outcomes and evidence-based care. Palmetto Health will soon begin offering the more than 1,000 physicians on its medical staff an opportunity to join.

14 Jul 2010

In N.J., patients who receive free AIDS meds to face stricter income limits; some W. Va. state employees will no longer receive monthly insurance subsidies

The (Bergen County, N.J.) Record: "New Jersey will no longer provide free AIDS medications for 950 people who are HIV-positive, under a little-noticed provision of the state budget enacted this month.

14 Jul 2010

Experts discuss long-term viability of cost containment measures in health care reform bill

Leading experts in health policy and the economics of health care gathered in Washington, D.C. today to discuss the long-term viability of cost containment measures in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, such as prevention and disease management, in an environment with increasing downward fiscal pressures.

14 Jul 2010

HHS grants seek to encourage health care workforce diversity

The Washington Post: "It is a sign of the economic times: Nursing students at Howard University work part-time jobs and still cannot keep up with tuition. … At the start of the month, the game changed. Howard received $1.5 million from the Obama administration to train student nurses and others in sciences such as radiology and occupational therapy.

14 Jul 2010

ACRO releases statement regarding proposed privacy rule from HHS

The Association of Clinical Research Organization is pleased that the proposed privacy rule from Department of Health and Human Services strikes an appropriate balance between the critical needs of researchers for access to health information and the desire to protect the privacy of individual's health records.

14 Jul 2010

Medicaid stalemate, pay-for-delay ban among health care items under debate

"Several states are preparing to make deep cuts to Medicaid as a federal stalemate over funding for the poor drags on—even as states face mandates to expand the program under the new health-care law." Efforts to extend provisions of the stimulus programs that provided extra federal money to state Medicaid programs remain in limbo; the enhanced funding is set to expire at the end of the year.

14 Jul 2010

PTSD treatment claims process eased, some remain skeptical

NPR: The Department of Veterans Affairs announced a new rule Monday that aims to make it easier for troops who return from battle to get the PTSD support they need. "Veterans will no longer have to prove that a certain attack, bomb explosion or event in a combat zone triggered post-traumatic stress. It's a change that most agree has been a long time coming.

14 Jul 2010

Universal surveillance for MRSA decreased HAIs related to devices: Study

Pitt County Memorial Hospital today announced results of a study demonstrating that universal surveillance for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus decreased health care-associated infections related to devices. Infection rates decreased 68 percent for ventilator-associated pneumonias; 51 percent for central line-associated bacteremias; and 49 percent for catheter-associated urinary tract infections.

14 Jul 2010

Obama administration marks 6-month Haitian earthquake anniversary

Marking the six month anniversary of Haiti's major earthquake, President Barack Obama thanked Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez on Monday for his country's help, Agence France-Presse reports.

14 Jul 2010

FDA opens two-day hearing to examine safety of diabetes drug Avandia

The Fiscal Times: "There will be more at stake than just one drug's future when the Food and Drug Administration opens a two-day hearing Tuesday on the safety of the diabetes drug Avandia. The 30-member panel of outside experts will also be rendering judgment on research methods that are frequently used to compare effectiveness and are slated to become a pillar of the nation's drug safety monitoring system.

14 Jul 2010

Slow-starting high risk pools look for bigger wave of enrollees, other reform issues

States have seen a "slow trickle" of enrollees for new federally funded high-risk pools but are expecting more to begin enrolling as word spreads about the coverage option, Politico reports.

14 Jul 2010

New research shows there is great need for culturally-appropriate Alzheimer care resources

Racially and ethnically diverse older adults are one of the fastest growing population segments in the United States and new research presented today at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease 2010 in Honolulu reveals that older African-Americans and Latinos with significant cognitive impairment have a lower likelihood of nursing home placement and longer survival than White older adults in the study.

14 Jul 2010

Metamark Genetics closes $22M Series B financing

Metamark Genetics, Inc., a molecular diagnostics company addressing a major challenge in cancer medicine, has completed a $22 million Series B financing. Metamark's Prognosis Determinants platform has illuminated the genetic drivers governing the lethal metastatic progression of major cancers and is now focused on pivotal translational and commercialization efforts to bring these breakthrough discoveries to cancer patients worldwide.

14 Jul 2010