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Maryland doctors to get rewards for cheaper care; In S.D., Sue to open more doc-owned hospitals

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, the largest insurer in the Maryland, Washington and Northern Virginia market, will begin offering financial rewards to physicians who improve quality while cutting costs. Beginning on Jan. 1, the insurer plans to recruit doctors "to participate in its new initiative designed to cut down on the number of unnecessary diagnostic tests, emergency room visits and hospital re-admissions. To do so, CareFirst is putting the onus on the 5,000 doctors already in its network to revamp the care provided to their patients — particularly those with chronic diseases or at risk of contracting them — and more carefully consider where they send patients when they need to see a specialist or go to the hospital."

5 Jun 2010

Hip strengthening regimen proves effective at reducing PFP in female runners: Study

A twice weekly hip strengthening regimen performed for six weeks proved surprisingly effective at reducing -- and in some cases eliminating -- knee pain referred to as patellofemoral pain in female runners.

5 Jun 2010

Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation to join with JFC to celebrate Children's Day

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation will join with Jewelers for Children and other charities on Sunday to celebrate JFC's Children's Day, which commemorates the jewelry industry's charitable efforts on behalf of children throughout the year. This second annual Children's Day concludes with JFC's 12th annual Facets of Hope dinner held in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the theme It's All About the Kids.

5 Jun 2010

COBRA subsidy starts running out for some as Congress grapples with extension

Howard Kornblum has been watching every penny for the past 15 months and it's about to get worse. After being laid off from his job as a consulting director in Michigan, he took advantage in March 2009 of a federal subsidy to help pay for health insurance.

5 Jun 2010

John Theurer Cancer Center to showcase treatment advancements for cancer at ASCO 2010

The John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center announced today important research findings that will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting taking place June 4 - 8, 2010 in Chicago. Research highlights include a comparison of first-line treatments for an aggressive form of lymphoma, the efficacy and safety of a new genetically engineered cancer therapy, and the value of a commonly used tool for staging lymphoma.

5 Jun 2010

South Africa prepares health systems for World Cup disaster — but could be overwhelmed

The Associated Press: South Africa is attempting to prepare its emergency services in case of a disaster at the World Cup, which begins next week. "But the public system won't have to cope alone, the chief medical officer for local tournament organizers said in an interview this week. Dr. Victor Ramathesele outlined plans for what he said would be unprecedented coordination between the public system, the military and the private sector in case of emergency during Africa's first World Cup."

5 Jun 2010

Green tea component reduces leukemia cells in patients with CLL

An extract of green tea appears to have clinical activity with low toxicity in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients who used it in a phase II clinical trial, say researchers at Mayo Clinic.

5 Jun 2010

British PM calls for G8, G20 to reduce maternal mortality, announces new health worker training fund

In a Guardian opinion piece, published on Thursday, British Prime Minister David Cameron says G8 and G20 nations should reduce maternal mortality in developing countries and set "'an ambitious target' of saving three million more lives by 2015," the Guardian reports (Watt, 6/3).

5 Jun 2010

Onyx presents interim results of Phase 1b dose-escalation carfilzomib combination trial for multiple myeloma

Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced updated interim results of the Phase 1b dose-escalation trial, known as the 006 study, evaluating carfilzomib in combination with lenalidomide (Revlimid®) and low dose dexamethasone in patients with relapsed and/or refractory myeloma. These data are being presented today at the 46th American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago.

5 Jun 2010

Sebelius defends Berwick for CMS post

The Wall Street Journal: HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius "Thursday rejected criticism of the Obama administration's nominee to run Medicare and Medicaid, saying Republicans were being unfair to Donald Berwick and she was confident he would be confirmed. Dr. Berwick, a Harvard pediatrician and health-quality advocate, has come under sharp attack from Republicans over his ties to Britain's national health system and past writings about how to make health care more efficient.

5 Jun 2010

Encore Path signs license agreement for UMB technology that helps stroke patients redevelop natural gait

The University of Maryland, Baltimore's Office of Research and Development announced that Encore Path, Inc. of Baltimore signed an exclusive worldwide license agreement for a device technology invented jointly by researchers at the University of Maryland, Baltimore and the University of Maryland Baltimore County that helps stroke patients retrain their bodies to walk.

5 Jun 2010

HHF to open Terni Human Health Bioscience Institute

The Human Health Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 2006 to develop and fund biomedical research in Italy, will open the Terni Human Health Bioscience Institute for the investigation of breast, brain and lung cancer on June 7th in Terni, Italy.

5 Jun 2010

Survey: Group insurance rates rise for employers

"Group health insurance rates for small and midsize employers are surging for 2011 renewals, according to a survey by the Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers," Business Insurance reports.

5 Jun 2010

VA partners with National Institutes of Health to research on Parkinson's disease

Veterans and others with Parkinson's disease who undergo deep brain stimulation may benefit from research co-sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs and published recently in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.

5 Jun 2010

Insurers, White House bound by need to make overhaul a success

Although the Obama administration and insurance industry had opposing views on aspects of the health bill that Congress eventually passed, they have now found their fortunes bound together as both work to make the overhaul successful, The New York Times reports. "The political fortunes of President Obama and Congressional Democrats depend on their ability to translate its promise into reality for voters, by reining in health costs and making insurance available to everyone at an affordable price.

5 Jun 2010

Obama sets town hall meeting with seniors to tout Medicare rebate checks

President Barack Obama has scheduled a televised town hall meeting Tuesday in Wheaton, Md., "to trumpet one of the most popular provisions of his landmark health care bill: a $250 rebate to help Medicare beneficiaries pay for prescription drugs. ... An estimated 80,000 checks are scheduled to be sent in June, with others to follow on a rolling basis, to Medicare beneficiaries who enter the so-called 'doughnut hole' - a gap in prescription drug coverage that requires them to pay out of pocket" (Stolberg, 6/3).

5 Jun 2010

States to curb retiree benefits in search of savings

States are seeking savings in public employee retiree benefits to close sprawling budget gaps, Bloomberg Businessweek reports. "New Jersey and 20 other states are urging early retirements, cutting benefits and demanding employees contribute more in the face of what the Pew Center on the States says is a $1 trillion gap between available assets and what's owed workers."

5 Jun 2010

Health care quality issues: The disconnect between patients and experts

Improving "health literacy" could help improve patient outcomes and quality. This literacy is "the limited ability to understand the technical jargon, the orders, the prescriptions and the forms coming from doctors, nurses, pharmacists and insurance companies. This failure to communicate leads to missed doctor appointments, medications taken incorrectly, instructions ignored — all contributing to worsening health."

5 Jun 2010

N.J. court case examines end-of-life decisions

The Wall Street Journal: A New Jersey court is weighing if the life of Ruben Betancourt "should have been prolonged and who should have made that decision: the hospital or his family." In a lawsuit, "his daughter, Jacqueline Betancourt, contends that her father was aware of his family's presence and that the hospital had no right to terminate life support without the family's agreement."

5 Jun 2010

AMA launches ads pushing Senators on 'doc fix' while warning on cuts

The American Medical Association has launched a multi-million-dollar series of ads pressuring senators to intervene to prevent a scheduled payment cut for doctors who treat Medicare patients and warning that a separate permanent fix of the system is the only way to completely ensure continuity of care for seniors.

5 Jun 2010

Research News and Research

Maryland doctors to get rewards for cheaper care; In S.D., Sue to open more doc-owned hospitals

Hip strengthening regimen proves effective at reducing PFP in female runners: Study

Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation to join with JFC to celebrate Children's Day

COBRA subsidy starts running out for some as Congress grapples with extension

John Theurer Cancer Center to showcase treatment advancements for cancer at ASCO 2010

South Africa prepares health systems for World Cup disaster — but could be overwhelmed

Green tea component reduces leukemia cells in patients with CLL

British PM calls for G8, G20 to reduce maternal mortality, announces new health worker training fund

Onyx presents interim results of Phase 1b dose-escalation carfilzomib combination trial for multiple myeloma

Sebelius defends Berwick for CMS post

Encore Path signs license agreement for UMB technology that helps stroke patients redevelop natural gait

HHF to open Terni Human Health Bioscience Institute

Survey: Group insurance rates rise for employers

VA partners with National Institutes of Health to research on Parkinson's disease

Insurers, White House bound by need to make overhaul a success

Obama sets town hall meeting with seniors to tout Medicare rebate checks

States to curb retiree benefits in search of savings

Health care quality issues: The disconnect between patients and experts

N.J. court case examines end-of-life decisions

AMA launches ads pushing Senators on 'doc fix' while warning on cuts

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