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Electronic medical records aid reporting of drug problems, study finds

The Wall Street Journal reports that a recent small study finds that reporting of prescription side effects increases when doctors use computerized patient records. "The study, at Massachusetts General and Brigham & Women's hospitals in Boston and sponsored by Pfizer Inc., showed a large increase in reporting of adverse events to the Food and Drug Administration once doctors used an automated tool.

18 Oct 2010

CVS agrees to record fine to settle meth suit

The CVS retail pharmacy chain agreed Thursday to pay a record fine to settle a civil case brought by federal prosecutors who said the company had allowed criminals to buy large amounts of methamphetamine ingredients over the counter.

18 Oct 2010

Catholic officials approve Caritas sale in Mass., Boston and Milwaukee hospitals strengthen their financial standing

Catholic church officials have signed off on the sale of Caritas Christi Health Care to a private equity firm, according to a document filed with the Supreme Judicial Court.

18 Oct 2010

Three West African countries set to roll out new meningitis vaccine

A new vaccine for meningitis, MenAfriVac, offers hope of an escape from one of the world's deadliest, most disabling and infectious diseases, the BBC writes. The vaccine was developed by non-governmental organization PATH in partnership with the WHO and created specifically for Africa.

18 Oct 2010

FDA plans to revoke knee implant approval following intense political pressure for its approval

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday said it planned to revoke a medical-device company's right to sell a knee implant called Menaflex after an unprecedented yearlong review concluded the agency erred in allowing it on the market

18 Oct 2010

Former U.N. Secretary-General, Gates Foundation CEO, Ethiopian official address World Food Prize conference

In a speech at the World Food Prize conference on Thursday, former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan discussed several topics related to food security and said that discrimination against women is limiting agricultural development in Africa, the Des Moines Register reports.

18 Oct 2010

Malpractice claims against hospitals pick up

The pace of malpractice claims against hospitals is picking up, according to a recent report from Aon Risk Solutions and the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management.

18 Oct 2010

Opinions: PR for U.S. foreign aid; African food security

Foreign aid is a much cheaper way of conducting a country's foreign policy than the military - and in many cases it can be much more effective, too, Reuters' Felix Salmon writes on his blog.

18 Oct 2010

Today's Op-Eds: Critiques of 'Obamacare,' Skyrocketing brand name drug prices, pay-for-performance

People are less negative about some of the specifics than they are about the package as a whole. But does this imply that those who understand the law like it better. Despite their political views, the well-informed share a strong opposition to the new law.

18 Oct 2010

AMA selects Quest Diagnostics' Care360 EHR for new online physician platform

Quest Diagnostics' healthcare information (IT) technology subsidiary MedPlus and the American Medical Association (AMA), the nation's largest physician organization, today announced they are partnering to expand the adoption of health information technology by offering Care360™ EHR, a web-based electronic health record, on the AMA's new online platform for physicians.

From Quest Diagnostics 15 Oct 2010

New analysis examines guiding principles for policymakers to fight health care fraud

In light of the recent historic Medicare fraud bust, a new analysis that examines the "Seven Guiding Principles for Policymakers" to fighting health care fraud invites new questions about legislative efforts to reduce accountability and oversight of independent pharmacies, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) said today.

15 Oct 2010

CDC: Hispanics more likely to have HIV than whites, but live longer

The Associated Press: Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "estimate that 1 in 22 black Americans will be diagnosed with the AIDS virus in their lifetime — more than twice the risk for Hispanics and eight times that of whites. ... the lifetime risk is 1 in 52 for Hispanics, and 1 in 170 for whites. Asian-Americans had the lowest lifetime risk, at about 1 in 222" (10/14).

15 Oct 2010

Report: Fewer people than expected chose COBRA subsidy

Fewer people than expected chose to use the COBRA subsidy offered by the federal government, according to an analysis by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, The New York Times Prescriptions blog reports.

15 Oct 2010

UnitedHealth proposes managed-care plan for those who get both Medicare and Medicaid

UnitedHealth Group Inc. is proposing a managed-care plan for dual recipients of Medicare and Medicaid.

15 Oct 2010

Abortion, health law heat up campaign debates around the country

Running for re-election, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., Thursday charged that Republican Carly Fiorina's stance on abortion is "'a direct threat' to the rights of women in California and the nation ...," the Los Angeles Times reports. "'Overturning Roe vs. Wade would turn women and doctors into criminals,' Boxer said. 'The most extreme anti-choice groups have found their candidate in Carly Fiorina.'

15 Oct 2010

New rates and benefits for 2011 from APWU Health Plan

APWU Health Plan announces new rates and benefits for 2011. APWU Health Plan continues to offer comprehensive health care to America's Workforce at a competitive premium. The average rate increase for the FEHB Program in 2011 is 7.2 percent. For the tenth straight year, the APWU Health Plan's rate increase was below the FEHB average.

15 Oct 2010

Report examines impact of federal stimulus funding on health spending in Florida

The Collins Center for Public Policy has released a report that examines the impact of the federal government's economic stimulus funding on Florida's health care system.

15 Oct 2010

Access receives first MuGard prescriptions and reimbursement

Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company specializing in products for cancer and supportive care, announced today it has received initial prescriptions for its lead product, MuGard – an FDA-approved, ready-to-use mucoadhesive oral wound rinse for the management of oral mucositis, a debilitating side effect of radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy.

15 Oct 2010

NIH awards $1.2M for study on discharge decisions at hospitals

A Georgia State University professor and an Emory University surgeon have received a $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for a joint research project to study discharge decisions at hospitals.

15 Oct 2010

Medicare actuary says changes in advantage plans will mean more cost for some seniors

Politico obtained an analysis by Richard Foster, the actuary for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, which that the health law will mean increased costs for seniors in Medicare Advantage plans.

15 Oct 2010

Health Care News and Research

Electronic medical records aid reporting of drug problems, study finds

CVS agrees to record fine to settle meth suit

Catholic officials approve Caritas sale in Mass., Boston and Milwaukee hospitals strengthen their financial standing

Three West African countries set to roll out new meningitis vaccine

FDA plans to revoke knee implant approval following intense political pressure for its approval

Former U.N. Secretary-General, Gates Foundation CEO, Ethiopian official address World Food Prize conference

Malpractice claims against hospitals pick up

Opinions: PR for U.S. foreign aid; African food security

Today's Op-Eds: Critiques of 'Obamacare,' Skyrocketing brand name drug prices, pay-for-performance

AMA selects Quest Diagnostics' Care360 EHR for new online physician platform

New analysis examines guiding principles for policymakers to fight health care fraud

CDC: Hispanics more likely to have HIV than whites, but live longer

Report: Fewer people than expected chose COBRA subsidy

UnitedHealth proposes managed-care plan for those who get both Medicare and Medicaid

Abortion, health law heat up campaign debates around the country

New rates and benefits for 2011 from APWU Health Plan

Report examines impact of federal stimulus funding on health spending in Florida

Access receives first MuGard prescriptions and reimbursement

NIH awards $1.2M for study on discharge decisions at hospitals

Medicare actuary says changes in advantage plans will mean more cost for some seniors

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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