Viewpoints: 4th Circuit decision; Advice for the FDA; Docs and the AMA

The Washington Post: Virginia's Flimsy Health-Care Challenge 
Minutes after President Obama signed his health-care program into law on March 23, 2010, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II raced to become the first state official to challenge it in court. But as a federal appeals court panel concluded Thursday, being first isn't the same as being right. ... Even if timing were not an issue, the notion that a state could nullify a federal program in this way is absurd (9/8).

The New York Times: Damage From Brain Stents
This case raises the question of whether the F.D.A. should demand more rigorous trials before a device is granted a humanitarian exemption. It clearly shows the value of conducting rigorous controlled studies with enough patients to provide meaningful results. This is just the kind of "comparative effectiveness" research that the national health care reforms seek to promote (9/8). 

The Hill: Balancing The Needs Of Consumers And Patients
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released last week a proposed agreement on the federal review process for new drugs. ... A drug benefit-risk analysis is not a "one size fits all" decision. It must address both the condition the medication is designed to treat and the intended user, such as a consumer who moves in and out of the health care system or a patient who is dependent on medications for the chance to live a healthier life – or the chance to stay alive at all (Sally Greenberg and Myrl Weinberg, 9/8).  

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Physicians Say The AMA No Longer Their Voice
Many believe that the AMA is deeply conflicted. You see, the AMA was torn between generating revenue versus reflecting the position of America's practicing physicians. The AMA owns the mechanism by which the entire healthcare delivery system is reimbursed – a coding system used for Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements and then utilized in the private health insurance market. ... There is a fundamental difference between leadership and representation. Unfortunately for America's physicians, the AMA is doing neither (Wayne Oliver, 9/8).

Des Moines Register: New Health Law Beats Alternative
The current system of employer-based health insurance burdens American businesses. It leaves companies with less money to develop products or hire more workers. ...  What this country has now doesn't work.  ... There are many unknowns about how the new law will impact everyone. But we do know the current system is not a viable alternative -; for businesses or for anyone else (9/8).

Des Moines Register: Surveys: An Important Part Of Mercy's Push For Continual Improvement
All medical centers naturally are, and should be, scrutinized by government and by private accreditation organizations to ensure the highest quality of care is delivered to patients. ... Mercy routinely is visited by surveyors from nearly 40 different accreditation and inspection entities. ... surveyors and inspectors are reviewing some part of Mercy nearly every day. While these processes can be burdensome at times, we at Mercy understand they are important parts of continuously improving quality -; necessary steps in the journey toward perfect care (David Vellinga, 9/8).