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Democrats gain in polling, but health care helps GOP hold 'enthusiasm' edge

Democrats are gaining ground in campaign polling, but Republicans still hold a lead, buoyed in part by their stance on health care as the November midterm elections near.

6 Oct 2010

Feds investigate whether drug companies paid bribes overseas

The Wall Street Journal: "Federal investigators are looking at ways that drug makers could be paying bribes overseas to boost sales and speed approvals, according to letters sent to the companies and people close to the matter.

6 Oct 2010

Toxic free radical responsible for lung damage due to oxygen therapy

The most toxic free radical appears responsible for much of the lung damage that can result from oxygen therapy in the critically ill or injured, Medical College of Georgia researchers report.

6 Oct 2010

Report calls for more independent role for nurses

Kaiser Health News staff writers Andrew Villegas and Mary Agnes Carey report: "A new report released today may give nurses with advanced degrees a potent weapon in their perennial battle to get the authority to practice without a doctor's oversight" (Villegas and Carey, 10/5).

6 Oct 2010

New biomarker could aid in accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease

A set of proteins found in blood serum shows promise as a sensitive and accurate way to diagnose Alzheimer's disease, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found as part of a statewide study.

6 Oct 2010

Study finds usage of advanced radiology in emergency department increases

From 1998 to 2007, the use of CT or MRI scans in emergency departments for injury-related conditions increased about 3-fold without a similar increase in the prevalence of the diagnosis of certain life-threatening trauma-related conditions, according to a study in the October 6 issue of JAMA.

6 Oct 2010

Ore. hospitals with most clout command higher prices

The (Portland) Oregonian: Prices vary radically for similar procedures at Oregon hospitals. "A balloon angioplasty to unclog heart arteries costs about $52,000 at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, more than three times the typical amount insurers paid Tuality Community Hospital in Hillsboro, according to hospital payment comparisons posted online today by Oregon health officials."

6 Oct 2010

CDC grant to support community-based public health project in RI and CT

A $250,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will support a Rhode Island Hospital research study aimed at reducing the state's leading cause of accidental death among adults. Researchers will explore the use and effectiveness of statewide prescription monitoring programs (PMP) in reducing the number of accidental overdose deaths involving prescription opioids like OxyContin and Vicodin in both Rhode Island and Connecticut.

6 Oct 2010

Health IT may bring unintended consequences

The Philadelphia Inquirer: As the Obama administration nudges the health system toward electronic medical records, researchers have identified some unintended consequences.

6 Oct 2010

HHS adds 1,000 companies to early retiree benefit program

Congress Daily: The federal government added 1,000 companies to the "early retiree benefit program established under the healthcare overhaul law, bringing the total number of companies participating to 3,000. The $5 billion program is a stopgap measure meant to help cover retired Americans over the age of 55 who are not eligible for Medicare."

6 Oct 2010

SJMHS and IHA announce strategic merger to develop new integrated health network

Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (SJMHS) and IHA, the region's leading physician group practice, both of Ann Arbor, Mich., today announced a strategic merger with the goal of developing a new integrated health network. The merger is expected to be effective on or before December 31, at which time IHA will be a member of SJMHS and will initially serve as the integrated physician enterprise for these St. Joseph Mercy Hospital markets: Washtenaw, Livingston and portions of western Wayne and south western Oakland counties.

6 Oct 2010

Bernanke: Aging, health costs challenge U.S. future

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke issued a new warning Monday about aging and health care costs.

6 Oct 2010

USP announces revision schedule for Model Guidelines Version 5.0

As the Medicare Model Guidelines-a listing of therapeutic categories and pharmacologic classes that Medicare Part D plans can utilize when developing their formularies-undergo revision for the first time in three years, the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is announcing its revision schedule and the expanded opportunities for public input as it develops Version 5.0.

6 Oct 2010

Accountable Care Organizations trigger legal worries from health care providers and insurers

Kaiser Health News staff writers Jenny Gold and Phil Galewitz report: "Doctors and hospitals eager to pursue a new model of health care being promoted by the Obama administration are raising concerns that they could run afoul of antitrust and anti-fraud laws, while insurers are warning that the new arrangements could lead to higher prices for medical care" (Gold and Galewitz, 10/5).

6 Oct 2010

Sebelius: Medicare Advantage cuts won't hurt plans

Will the health law curb private Medicare insurance plans, known as Medicare Advantage, or won't it? Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told reporters Monday that it won't, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. "Ms. Sebelius said the decision by a large Massachusetts insurer to leave the Medicare Advantage market is not a harbinger of the program's decline.

6 Oct 2010

Today's OpEds: ACOs, Health care honesty and the sanctity of health insurance

This year, some workers might see a new acronym in the alphabet soup of HMOs and PPOs. This one is called ACO, and it might be just the thing our health care system needs (Dr. Paul Grundy, 10/5).

6 Oct 2010

Administaff extends arrangement for medical and dental coverage with UnitedHealthcare

Administaff, Inc., a leading provider of human resources services for small and medium-sized businesses, today announced that it has extended its arrangement for medical and dental coverage with UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group company. This new, three-year arrangement reflects the company's success in moderating the rate of health care cost increases on behalf of its covered worksite employees, as well as a further strengthening of its business relationship with UnitedHealthcare.

5 Oct 2010

TMNG Global and Scientia Advisors partner to offer strategic consulting services for home health sector

TMNG Global a leading provider of professional services to the global communications, digital media, technology, and financial services industries, and Scientia Advisors, a global management consulting firm specializing in healthcare, life science, nutrition and biotechnology, today announced a partnership to offer strategic consulting services for the emerging home health sector.

5 Oct 2010

Majority of Canadians with asthma consider their disease 'well controlled'

A new survey, Asthma Insight and Management in Europe and Canada (EUCAN AIM), reveals that a majority of Canadians with asthma considered their disease "well controlled" at the time of the survey. However, in the year prior to the survey, more than half (52 per cent) required acute treatment for asthma, including seeing a doctor for worsening symptoms (45 per cent), unscheduled emergency room visits (28 per cent), and being hospitalized overnight (five per cent).

5 Oct 2010