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Insurer news: Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield to play 'significant' role in VA. implementation; Cigna report lauds consumer-directed plans

Marking its 75th year in business in Virginia, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is facing perhaps the biggest challenge in its history with the implementation of the national health care overhaul plan and the company's role in how the reform will be implemented in Virginia will be significant.

9 Nov 2010

Epeius receives competitive grant to support Rexin-G oncology product

Epeius Biotechnologies Corporation, a leader in the emerging field of targeted genetic medicine, announced today the receipt of additional financial support for the company's lead oncology product, Rexin-G, from the U.S. Departments of Treasury, Health and Human Services (HHS), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the form of a prestigious competitive grant.

9 Nov 2010

Firms pursue new digital technologies to meet stimulus- and health law-fueled provider demand

The Washington Post: "A growing number of companies are joining five-year-old AFrame Digital in offering products that link heath care with mobile and other remote technologies in an effort to increase the quality and reduce the cost of medical treatment. Health-care legislation made heaps of money available to digitize medical records and bolster the industry's information technology, including programs to foster innovation" (Overly, 11/8).

9 Nov 2010

CMS to review cancer vaccine, analysis shows high Medicare drug spending not correlated with better care

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services are conducting an unusual review to determine whether the government should pay for an expensive new vaccine for treating prostate cancer, rekindling debate over whether some therapies are too costly.

9 Nov 2010

CorMatrix receives $2.3 million grants under QTDP program to advance ECM technology

CorMatrix Cardiovascular, Inc., a medical device company dedicated to developing and delivering unique extracellular matrix (ECM) biomaterial devices that harness the body's innate ability to repair damaged cardiovascular tissue, today announced that the Company has been awarded $2.3 million in grants under the U.S. Government's Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project (QTDP) program to advance the development of their unique ECM technology.

9 Nov 2010

Feds crack down on fraud by issuing new Medicaid rules, helping medical students catch fraud

The Hill Healthwatch: "The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Friday proposed new rules for the use of private contractors that work for states to audit Medicaid payments. The Recovery Audit Contractors will function similarly to the way they do in the Medicare program, where they audit payments that may have been underpaid or overpaid, and recover overpayments or correct underpayments. … Under the new law, states must establish Medicaid RAC programs by submitting state plan amendments to CMS by December 31" (Pecquet, 11/5).

9 Nov 2010

Family history of HG increases risk of extreme morning sickness during pregnancy

Approximately 60,000 pregnant women are hospitalized each year due to hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), an extreme form of nausea and vomiting that endangers their lives and often forces them to reluctantly terminate their pregnancies.

9 Nov 2010

Duke focuses on community health in N.C.; Baltimore mental health agency's practices raise questions; Mass. clinic’s efforts to curb diabetes highlighted

The Washington Post reports on Duke University's experiment with community health centers Duke University has been focusing closer attention on the neighborhood that surrounds it by forming a partnership with Durham's Federally Qualified Health Center.

9 Nov 2010

Seniors need to check options as Medicare advantage plans change, drop out

The exodus of dozens of Medicare Advantage plans from various counties or from the state entirely is leaving 40,588 seniors across Washington to wade through charts in search of new plans.

9 Nov 2010

CHCF invests $10-million to improve health care in California

The California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) has launched a $10-million investment fund targeting nonprofit organizations and for-profit companies with innovative services, devices, and technologies that can significantly reduce costs and improve access to care in California.

9 Nov 2010

Children of deployed parents more likely to suffer mental health problems

The New York Times: "Young children in military families are about 10 percent more likely to see a doctor for a mental difficulty when a parent is deployed than when the parent is home, researchers are reporting Monday in the most comprehensive study to date of such families' use of health insurance during wartime."

9 Nov 2010

Employers struggle with increasing costs to insure workers

This year, Carilion Clinic has paid approximately 80 percent of the health care premium costs for full-time employees. Beginning in 2011, the region's largest employer will decrease its contribution significantly, absorbing an average of 66 percent of the premium costs.

9 Nov 2010

Sec. Clinton highlights importance of U.S.-Australia partnership to reduce violence against women worldwide

As part of her two-week Asia-Pacific tour, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was in Australia on Saturday, where she called for increased cooperation between Australia and the U.S. to help drive down violence against women globally, Bloomberg reports.

9 Nov 2010

Hospitals in Tennessee, Oregon invest in new growth

News outlets report on the hospital markets in Tennessee and Oregon.

9 Nov 2010

Doctors abandon traditional practice for concierge medicine, hospital employment

The Palm Beach Post, on the growth of concierge medicine: "As health reform prepares to send another 32 million people into the already stressed health system, some say that concierge medicine is the future — where the wealthy see the best primary care doctors in a luxury setting, and everyone else makes do with clinics staffed by 'physician extenders' such as nurse practitioners.

8 Nov 2010

Government cutting premiums for Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan

The federal government is trying to spur enrollment in a new health insurance program for uninsured people with pre-existing medical conditions by slashing rates.

8 Nov 2010

Conservatives' conflict: Try for health law repeal – or revision

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz reports: "Even if Republicans could wave a magic wand and persuade enough Democrats to change the big federal health law in the next two years, the effort might hurt chances of eventually repealing it, some conservatives say" (Galewitz, 11/7).

8 Nov 2010

Republicans talk strategy to repeal – or revise – health law

Republicans do not have enough seats to marshal through a full repeal if Democrats remain steadfast in their support. Even if Republicans were able to sway enough Democrats to support their effort, it would face a certain veto from Obama.

8 Nov 2010

Health reform updates: Biotech grants, privacy issues and birth control coverage

Firms vying to tap the fund a $1 billion fund meant to catalyze research on new biologic treatments for cancer and other diseases may be disappointed in the outcome, The Washington Post reports. "[W]ith so many companies applying for a share of the money, many firms got much smaller allotments than requested and said the financial boost won't go as far as they had initially hoped.

8 Nov 2010

New Yorker examines global TB diagnostic challenges

The New Yorker examines the challenges associated with treating tuberculosis across the world and looks at whether a rapid diagnostic test could prevent millions of deaths from the disease.

8 Nov 2010

Health Care News and Research

Insurer news: Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield to play 'significant' role in VA. implementation; Cigna report lauds consumer-directed plans

Epeius receives competitive grant to support Rexin-G oncology product

Firms pursue new digital technologies to meet stimulus- and health law-fueled provider demand

CMS to review cancer vaccine, analysis shows high Medicare drug spending not correlated with better care

CorMatrix receives $2.3 million grants under QTDP program to advance ECM technology

Feds crack down on fraud by issuing new Medicaid rules, helping medical students catch fraud

Family history of HG increases risk of extreme morning sickness during pregnancy

Duke focuses on community health in N.C.; Baltimore mental health agency's practices raise questions; Mass. clinic’s efforts to curb diabetes highlighted

Seniors need to check options as Medicare advantage plans change, drop out

CHCF invests $10-million to improve health care in California

Children of deployed parents more likely to suffer mental health problems

Employers struggle with increasing costs to insure workers

Sec. Clinton highlights importance of U.S.-Australia partnership to reduce violence against women worldwide

Hospitals in Tennessee, Oregon invest in new growth

Doctors abandon traditional practice for concierge medicine, hospital employment

Government cutting premiums for Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan

Conservatives' conflict: Try for health law repeal – or revision

Republicans talk strategy to repeal – or revise – health law

Health reform updates: Biotech grants, privacy issues and birth control coverage

New Yorker examines global TB diagnostic challenges

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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