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Romney begins vice presidential search and Rep. Ryan could be on the short list

Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the author of the House GOP budget plan which revamps Medicare, helped Romney in Wisconsin. In other campaign news, Romney renews attack on health law to woo conservative leaders.

18 Apr 2012

Comparing publicly available hospital readmission rates can lead to misinformation

The odds that someone undergoing spinal surgery at a particular hospital will have to be readmitted to the same hospital within 30 days is an important measure of the quality of care patients receive. That's because these "hospital readmission rates" often reflect problems like hospital-acquired infections or complications from surgery.

18 Apr 2012

Tengion completes FDA Pre-IND meeting for Neo-Kidney Augment preclinical program

Tengion, Inc., a leader in regenerative medicine, today announced that it recently completed a successful Pre-IND meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its lead preclinical program, the Neo-Kidney Augment.

18 Apr 2012

Medical societies bracing for Medicare penalties

After earning hundreds of millions of dollars through Medicare incentive programs designed to improve the quality of care and hold down costs, the medical profession now worries about the flip side of bonuses - financial penalties from all angles.

18 Apr 2012

Federal officials use health law to cite two insurers for excessive premium increases

The insurance companies will be able to charge the higher amount, but they will be required to disclose on websites that reviewers found the rates to be unreasonable and explain why they are still imposing them.

18 Apr 2012

NSCLC drug regimen approved in 2006 does not improve survival for older patients

Analysis of a drug regimen approved by the F.D.A. in 2006 for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (bevacizumab added to the standard chemotherapy regimen carboplatin and paclitaxel) finds Medicare insured patients age 65 years and older who received this regimen did not have improved survival compared to patients who received the standard treatment of carboplatin and paclitaxel alone, according to a study in the April 18 issue of JAMA.

18 Apr 2012

U.S. Chamber of Commerce finds small business owners wary of health law regs

The survey finds that the regulations rank at the top of small business owners' concerns. In other news, the National Journal examines the future of accountable care organizations.

18 Apr 2012

IMRT facilitates radiation dose escalation without compromising long-term morbidity for prostate cancer

In an analysis of three different types of radiation therapy used to treat localized prostate cancer, compared with conformal radiation therapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) was associated with fewer diagnoses of gastrointestinal adverse effects, hip fractures, and receipt of additional cancer treatments but more erectile dysfunction, while proton therapy was associated with more gastrointestinal adverse effects than IMRT.

18 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: White House makes its case on cutting Medicare but one critic isn't buying the 'shared sacrifice'

These officials say the administration has also made modest but important progress in controlling Medicare spending, the biggest debt driver. The budget raises some Medicare premiums on high-income retirees and increases some deductibles.

18 Apr 2012

IMRT better than CRT for treatment of localized prostate cancer

A treatment for localized prostate cancer known as Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) is better than conventional conformal radiation therapy (CRT) for reducing certain side effects and preventing cancer recurrence, according to a study published in the April 18, 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

18 Apr 2012

Bevacizumab added to chemotherapy for NSCLC does not improve survival in elderly patients

Adding the drug bevacizumab (Avastin) to the standard chemotherapy regimen for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) - an approach approved by the FDA in 2006 - did not lead to significantly increase survival rates for patients over the age of 65 enrolled in Medicare, a new study by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers has found.

18 Apr 2012

Surgery to remove only the tumor preferable to removing entire kidney

Kidney cancer patients who had only their tumor removed had better survival than patients who had their entire kidney removed, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

18 Apr 2012

Seniors increasingly challenged by cost, logistics of handling health care

News organizations are covering how some seniors are moving in with their children or grandchildren -- or using community programs -- to help navigate the world of care.

18 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 17, 2012

Today's health policy headlines include reports from the presidential campaign trail as well as news from the states regarding abortion laws.

17 Apr 2012

Entitlement programs at center of Capitol Hill's gathering budget storm

The likely and emerging partisan clash in Congress could force GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney to take difficult policy positions in the fall -- just as the campaign is coming to an end. Meanwhile, this week on Capitol Hill, lawmakers will wrestle with a number of health care issues.

17 Apr 2012

ACS, CDC partner to improve surgical patient safety

A joint, strategic partnership to improve surgical patient safety at the national level was announced today by leaders of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

17 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: The missing debate on women; The true cost of care; Fair wages for home health aides

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just reported that the nation's teen pregnancy rate is at an all-time low. Increased contraceptive use appears to have played a significant role in the decline. The Guttmacher Institute estimates that without Title X services, hundreds of thousands more teenagers would become pregnant every year. Why does GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney think eliminating the federal money for family planning - $327 million annually - is wise?

17 Apr 2012

Study looks at quality measures provided by nursing homes

While nursing homes are the place where an estimated 30 percent of Americans die, there currently exists no way to compare which institutions do a better job at managing end of life care. A new study appearing this week in the Journal of Palliative Medicine is starting a discussion over the need to create end of life quality measures in order to both inform consumers and provide nursing homes with incentive to improve care.

17 Apr 2012

Health law implementation questions include impact of Medicaid expansion, subsidies for buying insurance

News outlets report on how a range of health law provisions are taking shape, including the proposed rule on federal subsidies to buy insurance, Medicaid expansion and accountable care organizations.

17 Apr 2012

States roundup: Calif. mental health system grapples with controversy, shortage; Texas issues new stem cell rules

In 2006, the U.S. Department of Justice sued the state, alleging that it was violating patients' rights by heavily drugging and improperly restraining them and failing to provide appropriate treatment. The state settled, agreeing to an extensive court-supervised improvement plan at four hospitals with more than 4,000 patients. But a Times investigation found that the plan has failed to achieve the Justice Department's main objective: to raise the level of care so patients could control their violent tendencies and would not be institutionalized any longer than necessary.

17 Apr 2012

Medicare News and Research

Romney begins vice presidential search and Rep. Ryan could be on the short list

Comparing publicly available hospital readmission rates can lead to misinformation

Tengion completes FDA Pre-IND meeting for Neo-Kidney Augment preclinical program

Medical societies bracing for Medicare penalties

Federal officials use health law to cite two insurers for excessive premium increases

NSCLC drug regimen approved in 2006 does not improve survival for older patients

U.S. Chamber of Commerce finds small business owners wary of health law regs

IMRT facilitates radiation dose escalation without compromising long-term morbidity for prostate cancer

Viewpoints: White House makes its case on cutting Medicare but one critic isn't buying the 'shared sacrifice'

IMRT better than CRT for treatment of localized prostate cancer

Bevacizumab added to chemotherapy for NSCLC does not improve survival in elderly patients

Surgery to remove only the tumor preferable to removing entire kidney

Seniors increasingly challenged by cost, logistics of handling health care

First Edition: April 17, 2012

Entitlement programs at center of Capitol Hill's gathering budget storm

ACS, CDC partner to improve surgical patient safety

Viewpoints: The missing debate on women; The true cost of care; Fair wages for home health aides

Study looks at quality measures provided by nursing homes

Health law implementation questions include impact of Medicaid expansion, subsidies for buying insurance

States roundup: Calif. mental health system grapples with controversy, shortage; Texas issues new stem cell rules

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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