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Incentives move doctors to e-prescribe; hospitals slow to join HIT exchanges

"The number of U.S. physicians and other medical professionals prescribing electronically is expected to more than double this year, enticed by higher Medicare payments tied to the technology's use," Dow Jones Newswires/Wall Street Journal reports.

6 Oct 2009

UTEK launches new online IP licensing platform for health-care devices

UTEK Corporation (NYSE Amex:UTK), a global IP licensing and innovation services company, is pleased to announce the launch of its new online IP licensing platform for health-care devices: www.MedicalDeviceLicensing.com.

5 Oct 2009

$40B needed to 'dramatically' reduce millions of child deaths annually, report says

Two million infants die within 24 hours of birth each year and almost nine million children died before the age of 5 in 2008, according to a report by Save the Children, which says it would take $40 billion annually to "dramatically" cut these numbers, Agence France-Presse reports (Mohiuddin, 10/5).

5 Oct 2009

MSF calls on drug companies to pool HIV patents

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) recently launched an e-mail campaign calling on nine of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies to "release their patents on specific HIV drugs into a collective pool that will increase access and affordability to treatment in developing countries," Inter Press Service reports (Borde, 10/1).

5 Oct 2009

Eleventh-hour lobbying campaigns hope to lower costs to industry

As the Senate Finance Committee finalizes its health reform proposal, medical-device makers are hoping to convince lawmakers to make one last change, The Wall Street Journal reports. "The Advanced Medical Technology Association, or AdvaMed, the trade group for the larger device manufacturers, wants [Committee Chair Max Baucus of Montana] to reduce $40 billion in fees over the next decade to $15 billion, according to people close to the negotiations. But industry was told that offer is too low.

5 Oct 2009

Health reform a chance for mental health care changes

The Baltimore Sun reports that congressional efforts to reform the health care system could lead to improvements in care for the nation's mentally ill.

5 Oct 2009

Costs of health bills, health care under scrutiny

"A bill to overhaul the nation's ailing health care system must avoid additional spending now, and also lower costs down the road, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Sunday," CNN reports. "Greenspan told the ABC program 'This Week' that the federal debt was already getting too big, so reforming health care must do more than achieve what politicians call revenue neutrality — bringing in as much money as it costs."

5 Oct 2009

Also in Global Health news: World Bank budget concerns; Ethiopia prepares for malaria surge; malnutrition in Yemen; malaria prevention in Africa

Before the start of the annual meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund World Bank on Friday, World Bank President Robert Zoellick warned that the international lender expects to "face serious constraints" by the middle of next year unless developed nations provide the bank with more resources, the Associated Press reports.

5 Oct 2009

Today's editorials and opinions

The Senate Finance Committee put the final touches on its healthcare bill early Friday morning, and soon Democratic leaders will begin reconciling it with a more costly alternative approved by the Senate's health panel.

5 Oct 2009

Challenges surround the calculation of costs associated with illegal immigrant care

PhillyBurbs.com examines the cost of caring for undocumented immigrants and whether it really is cheaper to exclude them under a health care overhaul. Despite widespread support for requiring people to prove their citizenship to receive government health benefits, PhillyBurbs.com reports: "Public health and immigration experts worry excluding undocumented immigrants would put everyone at risk, hamper attempts to prevent the spread of disease and lead to an increase in health care spending."

5 Oct 2009

Medicaid expansion proposal continues to worry governors

The Washington Post: "The nation's governors are emerging as a formidable lobbying force as health-care reform moves through Congress and states overburdened by the recession brace for the daunting prospect of providing coverage to millions of low-income residents.

5 Oct 2009

San Francisco’s public option receives high marks

The Los Angeles Times reports on San Francisco's public option: "Over the last two years, three-quarters of San Francisco's uninsured adults have enrolled in a public program that guarantees access to medical services, an effort that is being touted as a national model during the rancorous debate over healthcare reform.

5 Oct 2009

Lawmakers plan to finance health reform with Medicare cuts, much to seniors' dismay

Lawmakers are planning to pay for much of their plans to expand coverage to the uninsured by slowing Medicare spending by as much as $500 billion over 10 years, Long Island Newsday reports. Democrats say the only thing the cuts "take out of Medicare is waste" - in the words of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, - but Republicans who oppose the Democrat-led reform effort have warned that cuts will reduce services for seniors.

5 Oct 2009

Nursing home industry: New funding cuts will force closures

"The nation's nursing homes are perilously close to laying off workers, cutting services — possibly even closing — because of a perfect storm wallop from the recession and deep federal and state government spending cuts, industry experts say," The Associated Press reports.

5 Oct 2009

Snowe, some Democrats hesitate to support finance reform package

The Wall Street Journal reports that Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine continues to be a key swing vote as the Senate Finance Committee wraps up its work in its health bill version and prepares to move it to the Senate floor. "Early Friday, Ms. Snowe said she was not sure how she would vote. 'I've got to review the document and go from there,' she said of the revised bill.

5 Oct 2009

Arrayit deploys new proteomics platform

Arrayit Corporation, a life sciences and health care technology innovator, announces that on October 1st, 2009, the company deployed its next-generation proteomics platform to customers working in the areas of proteomics and in vitro molecular diagnostics.

5 Oct 2009

Innovative health care information technology solutions to improve quality of patient care

Methodist Hospital of Arcadia, California, has launched an integrated deployment of innovative health care information technology (HIT) solutions designed to help improve the quality of patient care and deliver operational efficiencies. MedPlus®, the health care information technology subsidiary of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX), provided the integrated solution to help Methodist reduce the length of stay associated with patients and help realize gains in efficiency and revenue.

5 Oct 2009

avVaa World Health Care Products launches Neuroskin Psoriasis Relief DRTV media test campaign

avVaa World Health Care Products Inc. a global biotechnology company, manufacturer and distributor of nationally branded therapeutic, natural skin and health care products, announced the launch of its two week Neuroskin(R) Psoriasis Relief DRTV media test campaign.

5 Oct 2009

Coventry Health Care signs definitive agreement to acquire Preferred Health Systems

Coventry Health Care, Inc. (NYSE: CVH) announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Preferred Health Systems, Inc. (“PHS”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Via Christi Health System, Inc.

5 Oct 2009

First edition: October 5, 2009

The continuing efforts to make progress on the nation's health overhaul are reflected in today's headlines, which highlight both politics and policies.

5 Oct 2009

Health Care News and Research

Incentives move doctors to e-prescribe; hospitals slow to join HIT exchanges

UTEK launches new online IP licensing platform for health-care devices

$40B needed to 'dramatically' reduce millions of child deaths annually, report says

MSF calls on drug companies to pool HIV patents

Eleventh-hour lobbying campaigns hope to lower costs to industry

Health reform a chance for mental health care changes

Costs of health bills, health care under scrutiny

Also in Global Health news: World Bank budget concerns; Ethiopia prepares for malaria surge; malnutrition in Yemen; malaria prevention in Africa

Today's editorials and opinions

Challenges surround the calculation of costs associated with illegal immigrant care

Medicaid expansion proposal continues to worry governors

San Francisco’s public option receives high marks

Lawmakers plan to finance health reform with Medicare cuts, much to seniors' dismay

Nursing home industry: New funding cuts will force closures

Snowe, some Democrats hesitate to support finance reform package

Arrayit deploys new proteomics platform

Innovative health care information technology solutions to improve quality of patient care

avVaa World Health Care Products launches Neuroskin Psoriasis Relief DRTV media test campaign

Coventry Health Care signs definitive agreement to acquire Preferred Health Systems

First edition: October 5, 2009

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

Applications Engineer

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