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Eon Labs to pay $3.5M for resolving False Claims Act allegations concerning Nitroglycerin SR capsules

Eon Labs Inc. has agreed to pay the United States $3.5 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations relating to the company's drug Nitroglycerin Sustained Release (SR) capsules, the Justice Department announced today. Eon Labs is a subsidiary of Sando Inc., which is in turn a subsidiary of Novartis AG.

23 Feb 2010

Nursing workforce issues: An expanded role for nurse practitioners, Calif. doctors sue for supervision of nurse anesthetists

News outlets report on nursing workforce issues, including a push for an expanded role for nurse practitioners, supervision of nurse anesthetists and a trend toward delayed retirement.

23 Feb 2010

Medicaid cuts hurt Calif. dental coverage, drive away doctors in Okla; Public hospitals in NYC fear possible reductions

NPR: "In California, it's been seven months since some 3 million poor and disabled adults lost their dental coverage to budget cuts. ... While the recession may be easing, California and other states across the country continue to face eye-popping budget deficits. As a result, states are cutting deep into public health programs, and dental benefits for Medicaid recipients top the list. ... Before the state budget cuts, Medicaid patients here could get annual exams, cleanings and, if needed, root canals to save their teeth.

23 Feb 2010

Study shows hospitals costs vary widely and are not associated with quality of care

The costs that hospitals incur in treating patients vary widely and do not appear to be strongly associated either with the quality of care patients receive or their risk of dying within 30 days, according to a report in the February 22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

23 Feb 2010

Global rules barring TB patients from flying are too stringent, study says

A "controversial" study, released on Sunday, "suggests international rules that bar potentially infectious tuberculosis patients from flying are too stringent and airline passengers are really at little risk from catching TB from a fellow traveler," the Associated Press/Washington Post reports. The paper is being published in the March edition of Lancet Infectious Diseases (Stobbe, 2/21).

23 Feb 2010

KHN column - Malpractice Reform: A test case for bipartisanship at the health summit

In his latest Kaiser Health News column, done in collaboration with The New Republic, Jonathan Cohn writes: "Ever since President Barack Obama announced he'd be having a bipartisan meeting to talk about health care reform, Republicans have been denouncing it as a charade.

23 Feb 2010

Senate, FDA reports increasing concerns about controversial diabetes drug

"Hundreds of people taking Avandia, a controversial diabetes medicine, needlessly suffer heart attacks and heart failure each month, according to confidential government reports that recommend the drug be removed from the market ... ," The New York Times reports. "The internal F.D.A. reports are part of a fierce debate within the agency over what to do about Avandia, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline."

23 Feb 2010

AAAS meeting examines test-and-treat model's potential for fighting HIV spread, TB co-infection

Researchers speaking at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting on Saturday, discussed how a strategy to promote universal voluntary HIV tests and early antiretroviral treatment for patients living in high-risk areas might "derail the spread of [HIV/]AIDS, a battle where a successful vaccine remains elusive," the Associated Press/Washington Post reports

23 Feb 2010

Maine studies prospects for state reform efforts while N.Y. experience shows impact of guaranteeing access to coverage

In Maine, insurance regulators say measures aimed at expanding health coverage to more people in that state should wait for final action in Congress, The Associated Press/WBZ reports. A Maine report "released last week, stems from a 2009 law that asks the superintendent to review ways to improve the availability and affordability of Maine's individual health insurance market." In the report, the authors write that Maine's options to expand access and make coverage more affordable will depend on what Congress does.

22 Feb 2010

Obama's health plan to target insurers' rates

President Obama will propose a regulatory crack down on insurers' rate hikes this morning, as the administration seeks to set the stage for a week-long push to reinvigorate the health care debate, The New York Times reports.

22 Feb 2010

GOP plans to attend health summit as Obama calls for compromise

President Barack Obama warned during the weekend that both Republicans and Democrats should be careful not to turn this week's health care summit into "political theater" but to work to find "common ground" on the issues, The Washington Post reports. "The Thursday event, scheduled to be televised live on C-SPAN, could prove a pivotal moment in the year-long effort to overhaul the health-care system.

22 Feb 2010

Insurers rebut criticisms of profits, rates

As the Obama Administration seizes on a proposed 39-percent rate hike by a California insurer earlier this month to rally new support for a health overhaul, that insurer's top executive is preparing to go before Congress, The Associated Press/Los Angeles Times reports.

22 Feb 2010

Full text: Obama's health care proposal

Kaiser Health News reports the "proposal President Barack Obama will bring to his Thursday health 'summit' with Congressional leaders contains many of the ideas from the bills already passed by the Democratic House and Senate, including a mandate that individuals buy insurance and a promise to 'end discrimination' from pre-existing conditions."

22 Feb 2010

VA focuses on female veterans' struggles, disability claims backlog

News outlets explore issues at the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is seeking to cut a backlog in disability claims and also address the needs of female veterans.

22 Feb 2010

Governors on health reform: 'We want in'

"Some governors, frustrated by halted federal efforts to overhaul the U.S. health-care system" and by lingering budget shortfalls deepened by rising health costs, "are introducing their own changes at the state level," The Wall Street Journal reports. While some states, such as Massachusetts, have already taken on health care, others, such as Colorado, Pennsylvania and Republican-led Utah, are now tackling the issues, including cost. "Some governors suggested they may be better equipped to work with one another on health care than congressional leaders who have been at an impasse over federal legislation" (Thiruvengadam, 2/22).

22 Feb 2010

First Edition: February 22, 2010

Peter Orszag, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, tells POLITICO that it is "absolutely" still possible to pass a comprehensive health reform bill, insisting that "to really reform the health care system" would be "best for the economy and the American public" (Politico).

22 Feb 2010

Axolotl has the most live HIE clients in acute-to-acute space, KLAS reports

Axolotl Corp. was identified as one of the early leading Health Information Exchange (HIE) solution providers with a fast-growing client base in the new KLAS report “Health Information Exchanges: The Reality of HIE Adoption.”

22 Feb 2010

Capitol Connection summit calls upon elected officials to recognize PAs' vital role in health care reform

Hundreds of physician assistants (PAs) will converge in Washington, D.C. on February 23 during the American Academy of Physician Assistants' Capitol Connection summit to deliver the message to Capitol Hill that PAs are integral to a strong health care system that delivers the highest possible care to patients.

22 Feb 2010

HHS Secretary reviews H1N1 response at NACCHO conference

Thank you, Tom. I also want to thank NACCHO for hosting this important conference and for inviting me to speak here today. Public health is a top priority for this administration. So is strengthening our partnerships across government. So I’m glad I could come talk with you about how we can work together to keep Americans healthy and safe.

22 Feb 2010

Panel discussion addresses complex health problems

NIH's Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research convenes a panel discussion, "Science in Motion: Addressing Complex Health Problems Through Upstream Solutions."

22 Feb 2010

Health Care News and Research

Eon Labs to pay $3.5M for resolving False Claims Act allegations concerning Nitroglycerin SR capsules

Nursing workforce issues: An expanded role for nurse practitioners, Calif. doctors sue for supervision of nurse anesthetists

Medicaid cuts hurt Calif. dental coverage, drive away doctors in Okla; Public hospitals in NYC fear possible reductions

Study shows hospitals costs vary widely and are not associated with quality of care

Global rules barring TB patients from flying are too stringent, study says

KHN column - Malpractice Reform: A test case for bipartisanship at the health summit

Senate, FDA reports increasing concerns about controversial diabetes drug

AAAS meeting examines test-and-treat model's potential for fighting HIV spread, TB co-infection

Maine studies prospects for state reform efforts while N.Y. experience shows impact of guaranteeing access to coverage

Obama's health plan to target insurers' rates

GOP plans to attend health summit as Obama calls for compromise

Insurers rebut criticisms of profits, rates

Full text: Obama's health care proposal

VA focuses on female veterans' struggles, disability claims backlog

Governors on health reform: 'We want in'

First Edition: February 22, 2010

Axolotl has the most live HIE clients in acute-to-acute space, KLAS reports

Capitol Connection summit calls upon elected officials to recognize PAs' vital role in health care reform

HHS Secretary reviews H1N1 response at NACCHO conference

Panel discussion addresses complex health problems

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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