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Experts discuss long-term viability of cost containment measures in health care reform bill

Leading experts in health policy and the economics of health care gathered in Washington, D.C. today to discuss the long-term viability of cost containment measures in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, such as prevention and disease management, in an environment with increasing downward fiscal pressures.

14 Jul 2010

HHS grants seek to encourage health care workforce diversity

The Washington Post: "It is a sign of the economic times: Nursing students at Howard University work part-time jobs and still cannot keep up with tuition. … At the start of the month, the game changed. Howard received $1.5 million from the Obama administration to train student nurses and others in sciences such as radiology and occupational therapy.

14 Jul 2010

U.N. report released ahead of International AIDS Conference: HIV prevalence drops among young Africans

The number of new HIV infections among young people in Africa is falling in most of the "25 countries hardest hit by the virus," according to a report released Tuesday by UNAIDS, the Associated Press reports (Cheng, 7/13).

14 Jul 2010

Insuring your health: How house calls may help frail elderly

In her latest Kaiser Health News consumer column, Michelle Andrews writes: "In this era of assembly-line appointments, when you're lucky to get 10 minutes of face time with a physician, the idea of doctors making house calls seems old fashioned.

14 Jul 2010

ACRO releases statement regarding proposed privacy rule from HHS

The Association of Clinical Research Organization is pleased that the proposed privacy rule from Department of Health and Human Services strikes an appropriate balance between the critical needs of researchers for access to health information and the desire to protect the privacy of individual's health records.

14 Jul 2010

Medicaid stalemate, pay-for-delay ban among health care items under debate

"Several states are preparing to make deep cuts to Medicaid as a federal stalemate over funding for the poor drags on—even as states face mandates to expand the program under the new health-care law." Efforts to extend provisions of the stimulus programs that provided extra federal money to state Medicaid programs remain in limbo; the enhanced funding is set to expire at the end of the year.

14 Jul 2010

PTSD treatment claims process eased, some remain skeptical

NPR: The Department of Veterans Affairs announced a new rule Monday that aims to make it easier for troops who return from battle to get the PTSD support they need. "Veterans will no longer have to prove that a certain attack, bomb explosion or event in a combat zone triggered post-traumatic stress. It's a change that most agree has been a long time coming.

14 Jul 2010

Universal surveillance for MRSA decreased HAIs related to devices: Study

Pitt County Memorial Hospital today announced results of a study demonstrating that universal surveillance for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus decreased health care-associated infections related to devices. Infection rates decreased 68 percent for ventilator-associated pneumonias; 51 percent for central line-associated bacteremias; and 49 percent for catheter-associated urinary tract infections.

14 Jul 2010

Obama administration marks 6-month Haitian earthquake anniversary

Marking the six month anniversary of Haiti's major earthquake, President Barack Obama thanked Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez on Monday for his country's help, Agence France-Presse reports.

14 Jul 2010

FDA opens two-day hearing to examine safety of diabetes drug Avandia

The Fiscal Times: "There will be more at stake than just one drug's future when the Food and Drug Administration opens a two-day hearing Tuesday on the safety of the diabetes drug Avandia. The 30-member panel of outside experts will also be rendering judgment on research methods that are frequently used to compare effectiveness and are slated to become a pillar of the nation's drug safety monitoring system.

14 Jul 2010

Slow-starting high risk pools look for bigger wave of enrollees, other reform issues

States have seen a "slow trickle" of enrollees for new federally funded high-risk pools but are expecting more to begin enrolling as word spreads about the coverage option, Politico reports.

14 Jul 2010

First comprehensive U.S. HIV/AIDS strategy to draw on lessons from PEPFAR

President Barack Obama plans to "unveil the first formal national HIV/AIDS strategy on Tuesday, a plan that aims to reduce the number of new cases [in the U.S.] by 25 percent in the next five years, officials said," the Washington Post reports.

14 Jul 2010

New research shows there is great need for culturally-appropriate Alzheimer care resources

Racially and ethnically diverse older adults are one of the fastest growing population segments in the United States and new research presented today at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease 2010 in Honolulu reveals that older African-Americans and Latinos with significant cognitive impairment have a lower likelihood of nursing home placement and longer survival than White older adults in the study.

14 Jul 2010

Hospitals hope to improve outlook by turning for-profit

"For decades, the Detroit Medical Center and its network of eight hospitals have served as a safety net for thousands of poor patients throughout southeastern Michigan. So when its pending sale to a for-profit hospital system was announced in March, pediatrician James Collins began worrying whether the poor would still get the care they need" (Gold, 7/13).

14 Jul 2010

Metamark Genetics closes $22M Series B financing

Metamark Genetics, Inc., a molecular diagnostics company addressing a major challenge in cancer medicine, has completed a $22 million Series B financing. Metamark's Prognosis Determinants platform has illuminated the genetic drivers governing the lethal metastatic progression of major cancers and is now focused on pivotal translational and commercialization efforts to bring these breakthrough discoveries to cancer patients worldwide.

14 Jul 2010

Advocates lobbying for passage of International Violence Against Women Act

"Supporters of the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) are ramping up their lobbying efforts as Congress prepares to bring the measure to a vote," The Hill reports. More than a dozen organizations and advocacy groups have written a letter requesting the support of Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio. The bill currently has two Republican sponsors in the senate and "advocates say his support will be vital to obtaining the desired amount of funding from Congress: up to $1.3 billion over five years," the newspaper writes.

14 Jul 2010

Administration to unveil first national HIV/AIDS strategy today

The White House will unveil the first formal national HIV/AIDS strategy on Tuesday, a plan that aims to reduce the number of new cases by 25 percent in the next five years, officials said. Noting that the number of new infections in the United States has been static -- and that the number of people living with HIV is growing -- the new policy would direct more resources toward African Americans and gay and bisexual men. Latinos and substance abusers should also be a priority, the report says.

14 Jul 2010

Mass. lawmakers may strip ban on medical-industry gifts

Massachusetts lawmakers may repeal a two-year old law requiring medical firms to disclose gifts to doctors, The Associated Press/Boston Herald reports. "Health care advocates say such a move could put a quick halt to efforts to rein in health care costs and increase transparency in the industry. Those pushing for repeal say the law has made it harder to attract those businesses to the state.

14 Jul 2010

Britain planning a health overhaul of its own

Britain's new, conservative-led coalition government says it will overhaul the national, government-financed health system by cutting back on the bureaucracy - to the tune of $30 billion between now and 2014 - and increasing funding for health services.

14 Jul 2010

Obama Administration approves direct federal funding of abortion: FRC Action

Family Research Council Action responded today to a discovery made by the National Right to Life Committee that the Obama Administration has given federal approval to send Pennsylvania $160 million in taxpayer funds which will directly fund abortions through President Obama's recently enacted health care law.

14 Jul 2010