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FDA approves new treatment option for prostate cancer

Today is an exciting day for men with advanced prostate cancer and the millions of families and loved ones who are profoundly affected. Today a new prostate cancer treatment option, Provenge, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

30 Apr 2010

IPS examines how Uganda's anti-counterfeit bill could impact access to generic drugs

Inter Press Service examines Uganda's "controversial Counterfeit Goods Bill," which some say will limit the public's access to "life-saving generic medicines."

30 Apr 2010

Seniors often don't choose best quality Medicare Advantage plans, study finds

The Associated Press: "Millions of seniors signed up for popular Medicare Advantage insurance plans don't get the best quality, an independent study found. How the private plans score on a quality rating system set up by the government is about to have a direct impact on insurers' finances — not to mention seniors' benefits and premiums.

30 Apr 2010

Health insurers adopt reform changes early; WellPoint reports rising profits

Following announcements by leading health insurers that their firms would end the practice of rescission, or stripping the sick from their roles, the broader insurance industry followed suit, according to a letter from America's Health Insurance Plans to congressional Democrats, Politico reports. "The decision to end rescission … was made during a Tuesday afternoon conference call of chief executives organized by their trade group, America's Health Insurance Plans, and represents the industry's latest attempt to build political good will after the bruising health care fight."

30 Apr 2010

States crack down on discount health plans

Kaiser Health News: "State regulators are cracking down on a health care product that targets the growing group of uninsured and underinsured Americans: the discount health plan.

30 Apr 2010

Consumer confusion triggers crackdown by states on discount health plans

Reporting for Kaiser Health News, Maggie Mertens writes: "State regulators are cracking down on a health care product that targets the growing group of uninsured and underinsured Americans: the discount health plan" (Mertens, 4/29).

30 Apr 2010

The closing of St. Vincent's Hospital creates many uncertainties in N.Y.

The Wall Street Journal reports on the closing of St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan. One story details how the staff of St. Vincent's has not yet received details about the hospital's closing on Friday. The hospital has been slowly winding down services since it announced its closure. "The emergency room stopped admitting patients and ambulances started going elsewhere, leaving the emergency room focused on walk-ins. Their needs have run the gamut. Tuesday night, for example, brought a patient with a possible ruptured aorta...

30 Apr 2010

Republicans call for investigation of health law's costs

Politico: "House Republicans on Wednesday demanded an investigation into whether the health care overhaul plan would increase national health spending, following a recent report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that showed cost increases, at least in the first decade." The Medicare actuary's report showed a one percent increase in health spending over 10 years, which Republicans said cut against Democrats' pledge that the health overhaul would "bend the cost curve down."

30 Apr 2010

Experts see 'lump sums' in health spending's future

Los Angeles Times/Dallas Morning News: Some elite California hospitals will begin "bundling" their fees for joint replacement surgeries into a single lump sum in an attempt to rethink the current pricing system that leaves "hospitals and doctors charging separately for their services," driving "up costs while leaving no one to coordinate decisions about patient care."

30 Apr 2010

Partisan disagreement mounts as health programs are considered by debt commission

This week's focus on the federal deficit -- at a fiscal summit that drew many major policy makers and at the opening of President Barack Obama's bipartisan debt-reduction commission -- has renewed interest in the economic effects of the new health care law, especially given Obama's remarks that everything, even that law, would be under consideration by the commission as it looks to cut the national debt.

30 Apr 2010

Study examines doctors' uncompensated daily work

The New York Times: "A new study detailing the uncompensated work burden on family doctors points to the need to change how they are paid, medical experts say — particularly as the new health care law promises to add millions more patients to the system. … Family doctors make up the embattled front line of the nation's health care system.

30 Apr 2010

Bristol-Myers Squibb reports 11% increase in first-quarter 2010 revenue

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today reported strong sales and earnings growth for the first quarter of 2010.

30 Apr 2010

First Edition: April 29, 2010

This week, as yet another major health insurer reports quarterly gains, the industry says it will stop the practice of rescissions earlier than required by the new reform law. Meanwhile, other headlines examine key provisions of the measure, such as its high risk pools.

29 Apr 2010

First UK conference to address benefits of breastfeeding for babies with developmental disabilities

The first UK conference to address the benefits of breastfeeding for babies with developmental disabilities will be hosted by the University of Hertfordshire next week.

29 Apr 2010

New FineThanx phone system gives peace of mind to elderly patients

In a new system, telephone calls twice a day find out how an aging loved one is doing. Then the system reports back the good news or bad.

29 Apr 2010

Health care providers now have access to free toolkit to improve youth smoking cessation programs

Health care providers and educators nationwide who run youth smoking cessation programs now have access to a free toolkit to improve their programs.

29 Apr 2010

Masimo forms non-profit Foundation to improve patient safety, deliver advanced health care

Masimo Corporation, the inventor of Pulse CO-Oximetry and Measure-Through Motion and Low Perfusion pulse oximetry, announced today the formation of The Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare, a non-profit organization that will facilitate its corporate philanthropy.

29 Apr 2010

Primary health care providers play key role in helping patients navigate Canadian health care system

For Canadians with chronic conditions, having a regular doctor doesn't necessarily mean they're receiving the safest or most supportive medical care. That doctor must also provide the basic elements of good primary care, two of which are: knowing their patient's history and helping to coordinate other aspects of their care, according to a Health Council of Canada bulletin released today.

29 Apr 2010

Federal employee health program unlikely to extend young adult coverage on parents' plan this year

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jessica Marcy reports: "Many parents breathed a sigh of relief when they heard that health insurance companies were opening up coverage to young adult children.

29 Apr 2010

PMC Canada puts latest Canadian health research at fingertips of researchers

The flow of information and ideas amongst researchers is a fundamental element in turning knowledge into discoveries that will address the health challenges of tomorrow. Thanks to the newly launched PubMed Central Canada, Canadian researchers can now contribute to a growing, searchable digital archive of published Canadian health research.

29 Apr 2010

Health Care News and Research

FDA approves new treatment option for prostate cancer

IPS examines how Uganda's anti-counterfeit bill could impact access to generic drugs

Seniors often don't choose best quality Medicare Advantage plans, study finds

Health insurers adopt reform changes early; WellPoint reports rising profits

States crack down on discount health plans

Consumer confusion triggers crackdown by states on discount health plans

The closing of St. Vincent's Hospital creates many uncertainties in N.Y.

Republicans call for investigation of health law's costs

Experts see 'lump sums' in health spending's future

Partisan disagreement mounts as health programs are considered by debt commission

Study examines doctors' uncompensated daily work

Bristol-Myers Squibb reports 11% increase in first-quarter 2010 revenue

First Edition: April 29, 2010

First UK conference to address benefits of breastfeeding for babies with developmental disabilities

New FineThanx phone system gives peace of mind to elderly patients

Health care providers now have access to free toolkit to improve youth smoking cessation programs

Masimo forms non-profit Foundation to improve patient safety, deliver advanced health care

Primary health care providers play key role in helping patients navigate Canadian health care system

Federal employee health program unlikely to extend young adult coverage on parents' plan this year

PMC Canada puts latest Canadian health research at fingertips of researchers

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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