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Pelosi holds news conference to discuss the Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Chairwoman Louise Slaughter, Congressman Peter DeFazio, and Wendell Potter, senior fellow on health care at the Center for Media and Democracy and a former insurance industry executive, held a news conference this afternoon in the Capitol to discuss the Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act that will end the unfair anti-trust protection for the health insurance industry.

24 Feb 2010

Hospitals maintain dominant position in determining health care pricing decisions: Study

A study by USC researcher Vivian Wu finds that despite the increasing clout of HMOs in the 1990s, hospitals maintained a dominant position in determining health care pricing decisions.

24 Feb 2010

Research study to develop new model of health care delivery for patients

GE Healthcare, Intel Corporation and Mayo Clinic are investigating a new model of health care delivery for patients at increased risk of rehospitalization that is designed to meet patients' needs where they are, including in their homes.

24 Feb 2010

Sentry BioPharma Services to warehouse and distribute influenza vaccines for CDC

Sentry BioPharma Services announced today that The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) selected Sentry to store and distribute influenza vaccine in support of its national strategic reserve. Sentry will warehouse and distribute vaccine from its cGMP, FDA-registered facility located in Indianapolis, Ind. Sentry's vast experience storing and transporting regulated, temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products will ensure product integrity, supply chain security and fast, efficient distribution of the disease-preventing vaccines.

24 Feb 2010

Physicians’ average weekly hours decreased by 7% over the last decade

After remaining stable for 2 decades, the average hours worked per week by physicians decreased by about 7 percent between 1996 and 2008, according to a study in the February 24 issue of JAMA.

24 Feb 2010

FEHBP PBM contracts: HR 4489 to reduce fraud and grant OPM greater power to audit

The House Subcommittee for the Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia heard testimony today on HR 4489, the “FEHBP Prescription Drug Integrity, Transparency, and Cost Savings Act.” The proposed bill would reform many aspects of how the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) contracts with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to provide prescription drug benefits to federal workers.

24 Feb 2010

Senate Committee report addresses U.S. government response to Haiti

A Senate Foreign Relations Committee report, written by two Senate staffers, who just returned from Haiti where they assessed relief efforts, draws attention to "immediate shelter and sanitation concerns" and voices "concern about the coordination of Washington's U.S. government response to Haiti," Politico's Laura Rozen writes on her blog. A link to the text of the report appears on Politico's Web site.

24 Feb 2010

USPSTF-recommended guidelines lead to decline in mammograms and early detection programs for women under 50

In some states women ages 40 to 49 have less access to mammograms since the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released its recommendations to change breast cancer screening guidelines last November, according to a recent survey conducted by the Avon Foundation for Women. The USPSTF recommended changing the current mammography screening guidelines for average risk women to begin biennial screening at age 50 instead of annual mammograms starting at age 40.

24 Feb 2010

PAREXEL International expands capabilities by opening new early phase unit in Port Elizabeth, South Africa

PAREXEL International Corporation, a leading global biopharmaceutical services provider, today announced that it has expanded its capabilities through the opening of a new early phase unit in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

From Parexel 24 Feb 2010

UK pharmacists overwhelmingly prefer dispensing preservative-free drugs

MeadWestvaco Corp. announced today results from an online survey of 100 pharmacists in the UK regarding their preference for dispensing preservative-free nasal medications. The survey showed that 67 percent of UK pharmacists have a preference for dispensing a preservative-free drug. This percentage increased significantly to 84 percent after the benefits of preservative-free drugs were reviewed with these pharmacists.

24 Feb 2010

Combination therapies effective for treating depression

Even after she left her alcoholic, abusive husband behind, Patrice, a nurse in Florida, couldn't summon the energy to keep her house straight, couldn't sleep.

24 Feb 2010

FDA recommends H1N1 for inclusion in next year's flu vaccine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday recommended that the H1N1 (swine flu) strain be added to next year's seasonal flu vaccine, "putting an end to separate shots deployed against the pandemic," Bloomberg reports. The FDA committee voted unanimously to make the H1N1 strain one of the three strains included in the shot, according to the news service. "The panel's recommendations are routinely adopted and used to guide vaccine manufacturers," Bloomberg writes (Randall, 2/22).

24 Feb 2010

Poll: Americans split on health care bills, but majority frustrated by delays

A new tracking poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds Americans with mixed views on health care reform.

24 Feb 2010

Research addresses preterm birth, stillbirth health issues, highlights preventive interventions

New research published in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth notes some of the "serious short- and long-term health issues" associated with preterm births and identifies steps that can be taken to reduce the number of stillbirths and premature births worldwide, United Press International reports.

24 Feb 2010

State Round up: Utah struggling with state online health exchange; California cracks down on discount health plans

The Salt Lake Tribune: "Utah lawmakers this year have spared no energy trumpeting their dislike for federal health reform, passing bills asserting states' right to govern themselves. But Utah's own health care fix, an online insurance market called the Utah Health Exchange, has gotten off to a wobbly start. And legislation to repair it, sponsored by Republican House Speaker Dave Clark, came under siege last week. ...The debate left some reform advocates privately wondering if the topic has become too toxic to handle" (Stewart, 2/23).

24 Feb 2010

GW report: Asthma is on the rise in America and more than 1M children with asthma not insured

Researchers from The George Washington University, School of Public Health and Health Services said today that asthma, a largely manageable and chronic disease, is on the rise in America and released new data on the magnitude of the asthma crisis, the surging cost of treatment, and the more than 1 million children with asthma who are uninsured.

24 Feb 2010

FDA: Invirase-Norvir combination therapy for HIV may adversely affect the heart

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced preliminary data suggesting that Invirase (saquinavir) in combination with Norvir (ritonavir) may have potentially important adverse effects on the heart.

24 Feb 2010

Study says lower-cost hospitals don't have lower quality care for certain illnesses

A study Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine found little difference in outcomes between hospitals with longer patient stays and shorter ones, which could make it "possible to lower costs in the U.S. system without hurting patients," Reuters reports.

24 Feb 2010

AARP tracks upcoming Senate vote on Idaho Health Freedom Act

With the Idaho State Senate expected to vote today on the ill-conceived Idaho Health Freedom Act (HB 391), a bill that could wreak havoc on the state's health care system, AARP has announced it will make the vote a part of it's "accountability vote" efforts.

24 Feb 2010

Emergency department closures will be disastrous, says ACEP

As members of Congress and President Obama meet this week about health care reform, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) today raised alarm over the recent closure of an emergency department in Cincinnati and reports of more ERs on the brink of closure in New York and Washington, D.C.

24 Feb 2010

Health Care News and Research

Pelosi holds news conference to discuss the Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act

Hospitals maintain dominant position in determining health care pricing decisions: Study

Research study to develop new model of health care delivery for patients

Sentry BioPharma Services to warehouse and distribute influenza vaccines for CDC

Physicians’ average weekly hours decreased by 7% over the last decade

FEHBP PBM contracts: HR 4489 to reduce fraud and grant OPM greater power to audit

Senate Committee report addresses U.S. government response to Haiti

USPSTF-recommended guidelines lead to decline in mammograms and early detection programs for women under 50

PAREXEL International expands capabilities by opening new early phase unit in Port Elizabeth, South Africa

UK pharmacists overwhelmingly prefer dispensing preservative-free drugs

Combination therapies effective for treating depression

FDA recommends H1N1 for inclusion in next year's flu vaccine

Poll: Americans split on health care bills, but majority frustrated by delays

Research addresses preterm birth, stillbirth health issues, highlights preventive interventions

State Round up: Utah struggling with state online health exchange; California cracks down on discount health plans

GW report: Asthma is on the rise in America and more than 1M children with asthma not insured

FDA: Invirase-Norvir combination therapy for HIV may adversely affect the heart

Study says lower-cost hospitals don't have lower quality care for certain illnesses

AARP tracks upcoming Senate vote on Idaho Health Freedom Act

Emergency department closures will be disastrous, says ACEP

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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