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Senate Committee: Indian Health Service hired cons, let workers steal drugs, excessive time off

The Associated Press: "The federal Indian Health Service has hired convicted criminals, failed to stop employees from stealing narcotics and allowed workers to take paid leave for more than a year while being investigated for misconduct, a federal investigation has found.

30 Sep 2010

Malaria experts focus on RTS, S as Malaria Vaccines for the World Conference begins

Scientists and physicians from around the world gathered in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday for the start of the second Malaria Vaccines for the World Conference, SAPA/News24 reports.

30 Sep 2010

New 'innovation' chief comes from 'model' health care system

Kaiser Health News staff writers Mary Agnes Carey and Christopher Weaver report: "Dr. Richard Gilfillan, the new acting director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, has quite a juggling act to perform, says Gail Wilensky" (Carey and Weaver, 9/28).

30 Sep 2010

Senate Democrats defeat GOP effort to reopen health care debate over HHS regulation

"Senate Democrats held together and beat back an attempt from Republicans to begin a piece-by-piece repeal of the healthcare law, defeating a resolution that would roll back an HHS rule on how new regulations apply to health insurance plans that existed before the overhaul bill was signed into law," Congress Daily reported.

30 Sep 2010

Researchers develop C5 technology to identify CTCs in breast cancer

Researchers have identified a novel, dual-platform technology, the On-Q-ity Circulating Cancer Capture and Characterization Chip (C5), which they believe is more efficient than the commonly used single-platform device in identifying circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in breast cancer.

30 Sep 2010

U.N. agencies' report examines global progress in fight against HIV/AIDS

"A record 1.2 million people in low- and middle-income countries started antiretroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS in 2009" - a 30 percent increase from the previous year and a 13-fold increase in six years, according to a joint report released Tuesday by the WHO, UNICEF and UNAIDS, Reuters reports. In total, the report found that 5.25 million people received antiretroviral therapy (ART) in 2009, three-quarters of them living in Africa (Migiro, 9/28).

30 Sep 2010

Obama challenged on health care in Iowa meeting

The Washington Post: "Back in Iowa, President Obama got an earful Wednesday from voters about two of his key policies: health care, and his desire to roll back Bush-era tax cuts. ... Standing in the back yard of a resident, Obama stood patiently as one woman described, at length, her fears that the U.S. health-care system will soon resemble that of Great Britain. ... The official topic in Iowa was 'challenges currently facing the middle class,' part of a series of similar economy-driven stops" (Kornblut, 9/29).

30 Sep 2010

Stock prices of home health companies fall after DOJ requests Medicare documents

Home health companies have come under investigation this year by Congress and the Securities and Exchange Commission over Medicare reimbursements for therapy visits,The Wall Street Journal reports.

30 Sep 2010

Health law's medical loss ratios, exchanges scrutinized

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners, which is working with the Department of Health and Human Services on implementing key parts of the health law, is still considering how to determine the kinds of insurers' expenses that are considered medical care.

30 Sep 2010

Mammogram for women over 40: Debate continues

A report this Wednesday showed that routine screenings for breast cancer called mammograms cut the breast cancer death rate by 26 percent for women in their 40s. The results have been received in a mixed way by experts.

30 Sep 2010

SCT transplantation benefits in Hodgkin's lymphoma is unclear

It remains an unresolved question whether adult patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a certain type of lymph node cancer, benefit from allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) with an unrelated donor. This is due to the fact that studies are lacking that compare this therapy with autologous transplantation or conventional chemotherapy without SCT.

30 Sep 2010

Study: Racial disparities in end-of-life care

A new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine finds that black patients and white patients may not receive the same quality in end-of-life care.

30 Sep 2010

Grants seek to bolster, expand primary care workforce

CQ HealthBeat: "Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Tuesday announced $320 million in grants to bolster and expand the nation's primary care workforce as part of the health care overhaul law. … Of the $320 million, $253 million will go to six programs administered by HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration The money will be used by states to deal with current and expected labor shortages.

30 Sep 2010

Campaign fear themes: GOP picks Medicare; Dems take Social Security

"Democrats and Republicans are waging an intense fight for the loyalties of older voters, who turn out reliably in midterm elections and whose fears have been stoked this year by the battle over health care," The Wall Street Journal reports. Republicans are telling the the health law "will cripple Medicare by cutting $500 billion from the program," while Democrats say the GOP plans to "gut Social Security." Seniors rely on one program as the payer for much of their health care, and the other for financial support.

30 Sep 2010

Federal appeals court rules NIH can continue to fund stem cell research

The Wall Street Journal: "A federal appeals court said Tuesday the Obama administration can continue to fund embryonic stem-cell research, reversing for the time being a trial judge's injunction barring the funding. The one-page order by a three-judge panel of the U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the administration met the legal standard for a stay of the injunction, but didn't discuss the case in detail.

30 Sep 2010

Opinions: U.S. aid to Pakistan; MDGS; GHI and Global Fund

The U.S. military has been working hard to provide flood assistance, but most of that is invisible to Pakistanis, David Ignatius writes in a Washington Post opinion piece. The article examines the views of Pakistani flood victims, including criticism of their own government's response.

30 Sep 2010

Health IT Blotter: Extension center choices, Medicaid meaningful use, 'build or buy' shift

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has selected the final two of 62 regional extension centers (REC), which will help small, rural hospitals and private physicians with the nationwide rollout of electronic medical records (EMR) systems.

30 Sep 2010

Today's Opinions: Health law leaves children behind; growing fear of accountable care organizations

The child only market is used mostly by poor families who can't afford to insure everybody in their household, or whose peculiar circumstances make it inconvenient for them to cover a child under a parent's plan.

30 Sep 2010

Congress must stop Medicare cuts in November

The AMA, along with medical societies representing 50 states and the District of Columbia and 65 national physician organizations, united to send a strong message to Congress – immediate action is needed to stop the drastic 30 percent Medicare payment cuts looming at the end of this year to protect seniors’ access to health care.

29 Sep 2010

Dems expect 9/11 'first responders' bill to pass today

CongressDaily: "At the urging of what one aide called 12 'pushy' New York lawmakers, House Democratic leaders plan to bring to the floor today legislation that would extend healthcare aid to 9/11 first responders. ... The $7.4 billion measure would provide health monitoring and treatment benefits to first responders and survivors of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

29 Sep 2010