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Cardin is 'optimistic' that 'super committee' will fix SGR

Sen. Ben Cardin said Wednesday he is optimistic that the super committee will fix the Sustainable Growth Rate formula. "We have to start with a realistic budget baseline," the Maryland Democrat told about 500 National Institutes of Health employees at a town hall meeting on the agency's main campus in Bethesda, Md. Repealing the SGR is estimated to cost about $350 billion over the next decade, but wouldn't have to be offset to meet the super committee's goal of $1.2 trillion if the Bowles-Simpson baseline is used, Cardin said.

2 Sep 2011

Medicaid changes plaguing some recipients

State Medicaid program cutbacks are having an effect on care for low-income Americans.

2 Sep 2011

Health politics: Huntsman supports Ryan plan; Perry's thoughts on health law

I spoke with Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman on Tuesday evening, just as he was putting the finishing touches on his economic plan, which he announced Wednesday. Some excerpts from our conversation: "I embrace the Ryan plan. The content there is basically going to drive me forward in terms of debt and spending and how we get this country to 19 percent of GDP in health care spending as opposed to 23 percent. That is the model I would work from. I like what it advocates for Medicaid. I like what it talks about in terms of Medicare.

2 Sep 2011

Calif. bill to regulate health insurance rates dies

Heavy lobbying in the state Senate helped kill the bill, which would have strengthened the state's ability to review insurance premium increases.

2 Sep 2011

ACS' Commission on Cancer releases new standards to directly address patient concerns

A patient-centered approach is at the forefront of new accreditation standards for hospital cancer programs released today by the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons.

2 Sep 2011

Medi-Cal investigation of inflated bills yields settlement from Lab Corp.

Laboratory Corp. of America has agreed to pay $49.5 million to resolve a whistle-blower's allegations that the Burlington, N.C.-based company paid kickbacks to doctors and hospitals for referring California Medicaid patients, whose bills were then allegedly inflated.

2 Sep 2011

'Sustainable global pharmacovigilance' systems needed to monitor ARVs, other drugs

With more widespread access to antiretroviral (ARV) drugs comes a greater need to monitor and promote the safety and effectiveness of these essential medicines in the new environments, which are distinct from those of pre-market studies and the resource rich countries that have had ARV access for years.

2 Sep 2011

ACOEM to sponsor Fall Course Cluster in Denver, Colorado

The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) will sponsor a Fall Course Cluster, November 11-13, 2011, in Denver, Colorado.

2 Sep 2011

Obama gets tough on abortion protesters; state abortion laws challenged in courts

The Obama Justice Department has been taking a more aggressive approach against people who block access to abortion clinics, using a 1994 law to bring cases in greater numbers than its predecessor. The numbers are most stark when it comes to civil lawsuits, which seek to create buffer zones around clinic entrances for people who have blocked access in the past.

2 Sep 2011

FTC presses for more competition on generic drugs

Some drug makers are using an indirect method to delay competition from low-cost generic products by promising not to introduce their own generic versions if a potential competitor delays its entry into the market, the Federal Trade Commission said in a report on Wednesday.

2 Sep 2011

Libyan health system suffers following months of fighting

"Recent fighting in Libya, especially in the capital Tripoli, has taken a toll on medical services with overstretched personnel working under very difficult conditions, and seriously ill and injured patients unable to reach hospitals and clinics, health workers say," IRIN reports.

2 Sep 2011

Study: EHRs improve diabetes care, improve clinical quality

A Case Western Reserve University study has found electronic health records could help keep patients healthier - at least those with diabetes - and that clinical quality improvement is greater at practices that use EHRs.

2 Sep 2011

Researchers seek ways to reduce battlefield amputations, identify heart attacks early

A Kansas scientist has developed a device to stabilize fractures during battle in the hopes of cutting down the number of amputations needed. Meanwhile, St. Jude researchers have launched a study of a new heart defibrillator.

2 Sep 2011

People living with HIV in Egypt feel health care sector is source of stigma, report says

According to a 2011 report on HIV-related stigma in Egypt from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, "the health care sector was consistently identified by people living with HIV as a major source of stigma and discrimination," PlusNews reports.

2 Sep 2011

Ancient antibiotic resistance findings leads experts to stress need to use antibiotics sparingly

"An analysis of 30,000-year-old bacteria whose DNA has been recovered from the Yukon permafrost shows that they were able to resist antibiotics," providing "the first direct evidence that antibiotic resistance is a widespread natural phenomenon that preceded the modern medical use of antibiotics," according to a study in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature, the New York Times reports.

2 Sep 2011

One third of patients with unexplained body malodor production test positive for TMAU

Scientists from the Monell Center report that approximately one third of patients with unexplained body malodor production test positive for the metabolic disorder trimethylaminuria.

2 Sep 2011

HHS awards $40 million in public health grants

HHS handed out another $40 million in public health grants Wednesday - partly, but not completely, from ACA funds - to help beef up health departments and train the public health workforce.

2 Sep 2011

Simpler defibrillators may cause fewer problems for patients at risk of sudden cardiac death

When it comes to defibrillators, simpler may be safer, even though more complex machines are used on a majority of patients.

2 Sep 2011

Shah announces additional $23M U.S. pledge for Horn of Africa at Minnesota public forum on famine

At a public forum on the famine in the Horn of Africa held at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota on Wednesday, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah "announced the U.S. is pledging an additional $23 million in grants to support famine relief efforts, bringing the total commitment from the United States to $600 million," the Associated Press/KSTP reports.

2 Sep 2011

Longer looks: Perry's personal health policies; 5 state Medicaid strategies; medical illiteracy

When defending his 2007 attempt to make human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations mandatory for young girls in Texas, pointed out that both of his parents were cancer survivors and proclaimed, "I hate cancer." When asked to justify continued spending on abstinence-only education, despite the fact that it didn't seem to be budging Texas' high rates of teen pregnancy, he said, "I can tell you from my own life that abstinence works."

2 Sep 2011

Health Care News and Research

Cardin is 'optimistic' that 'super committee' will fix SGR

Medicaid changes plaguing some recipients

Health politics: Huntsman supports Ryan plan; Perry's thoughts on health law

Calif. bill to regulate health insurance rates dies

ACS' Commission on Cancer releases new standards to directly address patient concerns

Medi-Cal investigation of inflated bills yields settlement from Lab Corp.

'Sustainable global pharmacovigilance' systems needed to monitor ARVs, other drugs

ACOEM to sponsor Fall Course Cluster in Denver, Colorado

Obama gets tough on abortion protesters; state abortion laws challenged in courts

FTC presses for more competition on generic drugs

Libyan health system suffers following months of fighting

Study: EHRs improve diabetes care, improve clinical quality

Researchers seek ways to reduce battlefield amputations, identify heart attacks early

People living with HIV in Egypt feel health care sector is source of stigma, report says

Ancient antibiotic resistance findings leads experts to stress need to use antibiotics sparingly

One third of patients with unexplained body malodor production test positive for TMAU

HHS awards $40 million in public health grants

Simpler defibrillators may cause fewer problems for patients at risk of sudden cardiac death

Shah announces additional $23M U.S. pledge for Horn of Africa at Minnesota public forum on famine

Longer looks: Perry's personal health policies; 5 state Medicaid strategies; medical illiteracy

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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