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AARP implores Governor to enact HIE legislation

Legislation that will help modernize medical records, reduce errors, and improve quality of care for all Illinoisans passed both houses of the Illinois General Assembly and is on its way to the Governor's desk. AARP, which backed the measure, is urging Gov. Quinn to sign it into law.

5 May 2010

Teaching doctors the price of primary care

Reporting for Kaiser Health News, in collaboration with The New York Times, Susan Okie writes: "Doctors in training have traditionally been insulated from information about the cost of the tests and treatments they order for patients — in fact, for decades, the subject was virtually taboo when professors and trainees discussed treatment decisions during hospital rounds.

5 May 2010

Biotech industry reviews effects of the recession

Minneapolis Star Tribune, on the Biotechnology Industry Organization's convention in Chicago: "The biotechnology industry, hurt by the recession, is looking for inspiration from Charles Darwin. Leading executives say unless biotech companies adapt to a less-robust economy and changing industry standards, they won't survive the downturn. Biotech start-ups, seen as the lifeblood of the industry, have been among the worst hit by a decline in venture capital investments."

5 May 2010

Health law program may benefit early retirees, big firms

A health law program that will go into effect next month will steer $5 billion to buttress employer-sponsored health plans for retirees who are not yet old enough to qualify for Medicare and have no other options for buying coverage, The Associated Press reports.

5 May 2010

CBO: Medicare payment 'doc fix' is more expensive than expected

The debate over what to do about Medicare payments to doctors continues. Physicans have been lobbying "to repeal the Sustainable Growth Rate formula, which triggers automatic Medicare payment cuts if spending rises above a certain level," CongressDaily reports. Those cuts have been put off for years.

5 May 2010

Supreme Court decides federal doctors cannot be sued for prisoner's death

The Los Angeles Times: "The family of a Los Angeles-area immigrant who languished in federal detention for nearly a year while a cancerous growth went untreated cannot sue government doctors for medical neglect, the Supreme Court ruled Monday."

4 May 2010

Queensland Health payroll errors still not corrected fully

The payment woes of many Queensland Health care staff continue this pay cycle according to the Queensland Nurses Union. After the installation of a new computerized payroll system this March tens of thousands of health staff have been underpaid, overpaid, or not paid.

4 May 2010

Metropolitan Health Networks reports 2.9% increase in revenue for first-quarter 2010

Metropolitan Health Networks, Inc., a leading provider of healthcare services in Florida, today announced the financial results for their first quarter ended March 31, 2010.

4 May 2010

First Edition: May 4, 2010

Today's headlines include stories about parts of the new health reform law dealing with long-term care, high risk insurance pools and early retiree health insurance.

4 May 2010

Pay-for-performance programs could end up widening medical disparities: RAND study

Rewarding primary care physicians for providing better care to patients could end up widening medical disparities experienced by poorer people and those belonging to racial and ethnic minorities, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

4 May 2010

Pilot pneumonia-prevention program reduces postoperative pneumonia in hospital surgical ward: Research

The results of new research results published in the April issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons show that a pilot pneumonia-prevention program significantly reduced postoperative pneumonia in a hospital surgical ward.

4 May 2010

Consumer Reports Health lays out next steps for consumers in variety of situations

With health reform now the law of the land, Consumer Reports Health lays out next steps for consumers in a variety of situations - those who are currently insured; Medicare and Medicaid recipients; people with pre-existing conditions; parents of children with pre-existing conditions; parents of uninsured young adults; and people who develop serious illnesses.

4 May 2010

Merck reports non-GAAP EPS of $0.83 for first-quarter 2010

Merck & Co., Inc. today announced financial results for the first quarter of 2010. The company reported non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) earnings per share (EPS) for the first quarter of $0.83, which excludes purchase accounting adjustments, merger-related expenses and restructuring costs, as well as a tax charge related to the recently enacted health care reform legislation. First-quarter GAAP EPS was $0.09.

4 May 2010

Kaiser Permanente introduces Sustainability Scorecard for medical equipment, products

Kaiser Permanente, committed to improving the health of its patients, workforce and communities, announced today that it will require suppliers to provide environmental data for $1 billion worth of medical equipment and products used in its hospitals, medical offices and other facilities.

4 May 2010

Shorter shifts for endoscopists positively influence polyp detection rates

A shorter daily shift schedule for endoscopists, the physicians who perform colonoscopies, avoids a decrease in the polyp detection rate as the day progresses, research from Mayo Clinic indicates. The findings, which have implications for endoscopist scheduling, were presented by Mayo Clinic investigators today at Digestive Disease Week 2010, (http://www.ddw.org/wmspage.cfm?parm1=679) the annual meeting of the American Gastroenterological Association.

4 May 2010

Hartford Foundation awards $800,000 grant for training in geriatric social work

The prestigious Hartford Doctoral Fellows and Hartford Faculty Scholars programs have awarded $800,000 in combined new grants to ten researchers in the field of geriatric social work.

4 May 2010

Regence BlueShield to serve Washington State public employees

Regence BlueShield has been chosen to serve Washington State public employees through the Uniform Medical Plan (the State's self insured PPO plan). Using a competitive bid process, the Washington State Health Care Authority awarded the contract to Regence for its commitment to partnering with the state and for the company's exceptional experience serving large member groups.

4 May 2010

Research makes progress in ending guesswork involved in prescribing effective ADHD medications

Children with ADHD who carry a specific type of dopamine receptor gene respond better to the drug methylphenidate than those without the genotype, according to new research from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

4 May 2010

LA BioMed receives $1.5M in grant to study contraceptive for men

As the birth control pill marks its 50th birthday this month, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute announced today that it has received $1.5 million in grant funding to study a contraceptive for men that uses a combination of two hormonal gels applied to the skin of the arm and abdomen.

4 May 2010

FDA orders Baxter Healthcare to recall and destroy all Colleague infusion pumps

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent a letter to Baxter Healthcare Corp. on April 30 ordering the company to recall and destroy all of its Colleague Volumetric Infusion Pumps (Colleague pumps) currently in use in the United States. This action is based on a longstanding failure to correct many serious problems with the pumps. The FDA believes there may be as many as 200,000 of those pumps currently in use.

4 May 2010