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VA to develop fully automated, online system for handling disability compensation claims

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced today plans to develop a fully automated, online system for handling Veterans' disability compensation claims. More than a simple digitization of existing paper-based claims, the new system is part of VA's modernization of the end-to-end processing workflow. Automation will substantially reduce processing time and increase accuracy while simplifying the way that Veterans interact with the claims process.

3 Jul 2010

Today's OpEds: Insurance premium caps; Doc shortage; High-risk pool

The insurer's proposed premium hikes are staggering, but the problem is that medical costs have been growing considerably faster than inflation. AB 2578 would help put a check on unjustified hikes ... The Assembly passed the bill last month, and we urge the Senate to follow suit (7/2).

3 Jul 2010

Watson Laboratories receives FDA approval for Tacrolimus ANDA

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced that its subsidiary, Watson Laboratories, Inc., has received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration on its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Tacrolimus 5 mg capsules, the generic equivalent to Astellas' Prograf® capsules.

2 Jul 2010

Sensor-augmented insulin-pump therapy effective for type 1 diabetes patients

Adding a continuous blood sugar level sensor to an insulin pump helps patients with type 1 diabetes achieve better blood sugar control compared to the common standard of care, multiple daily insulin injections, concludes a study published on-line today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

2 Jul 2010

ISHLT issues first international consensus formulation of standardized nomenclature for CAV

Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV), the major limitation to long term survival after heart transplantation, occurs when blood vessels in a transplanted heart progressively narrow and lead to dysfunction of the heart muscle or sudden death. Ascertaining benefit from appropriate treatment for this condition has been hampered in part because of the lack of a standard nomenclature.

2 Jul 2010

HL patients with heart disease at increased risk of hospitalization for cardiac complications after treatment

Older patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and a history of heart disease face a high risk of hospitalization for cardiac complications after completing treatment, according to research published online today in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology. HL is a form of cancer of arising in the lymph nodes, and approximately 8,500 people were diagnosed with the disease in 2009, according to the American Cancer Society.

2 Jul 2010

SNMTS honors contributions in nuclear medicine and molecular imaging at 57th Annual Meeting

SNM's Technologist Section (SNMTS)-an international scientific and medical organization-recognized the contributions and work to the field of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging during its 57th Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City. Several awards ceremonies were held to recognize the value that SNMTS members play in advancing the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease, cancer and neurological conditions.

2 Jul 2010

Cambridge Heart announces CMS reimbursement modification for MTWA test

Cambridge Heart, Inc., today announced that effective July 1, 2010, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will allow full reimbursement for both a Microvolt T-Wave Alternans (MTWA) test and a stress test when both tests are performed during the same patient visit. The CMS update removes a previous restriction that substantially limited reimbursement when a patient underwent an MTWA test on the same day as the patient underwent a standard cardiac stress test, echocardiography stress test, nuclear cardiac stress test, or pulmonary stress test.

2 Jul 2010

Heart patients with transient kidney dysfunction have no serious complications

New research led by UC Health cardiologists shows that while short-term worsening kidney function is frequent among patients with heart failure, these patients also have better outcomes than those who have persistent kidney failure

2 Jul 2010

Researchers identify gene abnormality for most common congenital birth defect, clubfoot

Although clubfoot is one of the most common congenital birth defects, few genetic causes have been found. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found what they believe to be the most common cause of inherited clubfoot yet discovered.

2 Jul 2010

Pay-for-performance program may cause inequalities among healthcare providers

Pay-for-performance is an increasingly popular approach to improving health care quality. But the planned nationwide implementation of institutional bonuses mandated under federal health care reform threatens to act as a "reverse Robin Hood," potentially causing hospitals in less-advantaged regions to lose funds to health care facilities in more affluent areas of the country, according to a study published in the academic journal PLoS Medicine.

2 Jul 2010

New MRI technology may revolutionize diagnosis of medical conditions

The development of a new magnetic resonance imaging technology that could revolutionise the way medical conditions are diagnosed and treated is to take a major step forward as a £7m research centre is established at the University of York.

2 Jul 2010

Older men with high testosterone levels more likely to have heart attacks

A large U.S. multicenter study shows that older men with higher testosterone levels are more likely to have a heart attack or other cardiovascular disease in the future. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego.

2 Jul 2010

Clinical study proves effectiveness of acupuncture for heart patients

Acupuncture can improve exercise tolerance in patients suffering from chronic heart failure. This was determined in a clinical pilot study by the team headed by Dr. Johannes Backs, physician and study director at the Department of Internal Medicine III (Cardiology, Angiology, and Pneumology - Medical Director: Professor Dr. Hugo Katus) of Heidelberg University Hospital.

2 Jul 2010

Genes can predict longevity with 77% accuracy: Study

In an analysis of genes of more than 1,000 centenarians, American researchers have come to the conclusion that genes play a large role in completing a century in life. The research team studied 1,055 Caucasians born between 1890 and 1910 and compared them with 1,267 people born later. They claim that there are signatures in the genetic makeup of these people that have a possible link with their longevity.

2 Jul 2010

High fructose diet can cause hypertension

People who eat a diet high in fructose, in the form of added sugar, are at increased risk of developing high blood pressure, or hypertension, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN).

2 Jul 2010

Patients receiving TMP-SMX antibiotics are more likely to develop hyperkalemia: Study

Older adults taking the antibiotic combination trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX)—widely prescribed for urinary tract infections—are at increased risk of elevated potassium levels, called hyperkalemia, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).

2 Jul 2010

CPMC launches new innovative program to help poor families

For any parent the birth of a new child is a cause for celebration, a magical, unforgettable moment. Now parents who give birth at California Pacific Medical Center will be able to mark that moment, and help families less fortunate than themselves, through a new program called Tiny Treasure Tributes.

2 Jul 2010

Düsseldorf court awards AGA Medical €2.1 million in Occlutech patent infringement case

AGA Medical Holdings, Inc. today announced the Düsseldorf Regional Court has awarded €2.1 million in damages to AGA Medical as a result of a patent infringement case filed by AGA Medical against Occlutech GmbH (Occlutech), based in Jena, Germany. AGA Medical is a leading developer of interventional devices for the minimally invasive treatment of structural heart defects and vascular abnormalities.

1 Jul 2010

Study finds increased neonatal mortality among planned home births

About 1 in 200 women in the US delivers her baby at home, with approximately 75% of these low-risk, single-baby births planned in advance as home deliveries. In a study published online today by the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology (AJOG), researchers from Maine Medical Center, Portland, Maine, analyzed the results of multiple studies from around the world.

1 Jul 2010