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DJO Global third quarter net sales increase 12.7% to $263.1 million

DJO Global, Inc., a leading global provider of medical device solutions for musculoskeletal health, vascular health and pain management, today announced financial results for its operating subsidiary, DJO Finance LLC, for the third quarter of fiscal 2011, ended October 1, 2011.

2 Nov 2011

Hospitals must improve tracking of serious errors, report finds

Medicare inspectors must do a better job of tracking reports of serious mistakes in care at the nation's hospitals, as well as of informing rating agencies of the errors, according to a report released Tuesday by the agency's inspector general.

2 Nov 2011

Alliances form among super committee members

Reuters reports that three Republicans and three Democrats are joining together in an effort to develop the framework of a deal themselves. Meanwhile, an outside organization - the AFL-CIO - is launching a campaign to defeat any Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security cuts the panel may ultimately propose. And, according to Politico, Social Security is in play as the panel's deliberations continue.

2 Nov 2011

State roundup: Ga., Minn. move slowly on exchanges

The entire Massachusetts congressional delegation is asking CMS to preserve the level of safety net funding and provider payments as the state tries to renew its Medicaid waiver. "We are concerned that changes proposed by CMS could significantly threaten payments to Massachusetts health care providers providing care for the most vulnerable populations," Sens. John Kerry and Scott Brown and the 10 House members in the state's delegation wrote.

2 Nov 2011

Home health payments will fall 2.3% in 2012

The pay cut for home health agencies was announced in a regulation that was issued Monday. Although this reduction is less than initially proposed and will be phased in over two years, industry voices described it as "severe."

2 Nov 2011

Early retirees' health insurance fund running out

A federal report predicts this $5 billion account created as part of the health law will be drained by 2012. In related news, one senator criticizes the program's handling. Also drawing criticism are exchange regulations, which advocates say could undermine the law's goal of expanding health insurance. Meanwhile, the Department of Health and Human Services finalized standards - part of the administration's efforts to reduce health disparities - to track factors that affect people's health.

2 Nov 2011

NYC settles Medicaid suit; Wis. officials face deadline for new plan for health care for poor

New York City will pay the federal government $70 million to settle a lawsuit that accused the city of overbilling Medicaid by improperly approving home care for frail and elderly clients, both parties said on Monday.

2 Nov 2011

Teva third quarter net sales increase 2% to $4.34 billion

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. today reported results for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

2 Nov 2011

Viewpoints: Super committee clock is ticking; replacing CLASS; 'personhood' amendment in Miss.

There are only three weeks left for the Congressional supercommittee to come up with a plan to reduce the federal deficit by at least $1.2 trillion, and there is no sign that the panel is anywhere close to reaching an agreement. Only one side, in fact, seems to be trying - the Democrats - and it is being far too accommodating, given the fierce obstructionism of the other side, the Republicans.

2 Nov 2011

Watson third quarter net income increases 31% to $138.7 million

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported net revenue of $1.1 billion for the third quarter ended September 30, 2011, an increase of 23 percent when compared to $882.4 million in the third quarter 2010. On a non-GAAP basis, net income for the third quarter 2011 increased 31 percent to $138.7 million or $1.09 per diluted share, compared to $105.9 million or $0.85 per diluted share in the third quarter 2010.

1 Nov 2011

First Edition: November 1, 2011

Today's headlines include a report that the health law's early retirees' health insurance fund may be running out.

1 Nov 2011

Pressure mounts as clock ticks toward super committee's Thanksgiving deadline

The LA Times reports on how a deficit-reduction deal has so far eluded Congress while Politico outlines the politics that are at work in the process.

1 Nov 2011

Health care comments prominent on the trail to Iowa caucus

In a campaign speech to potential caucusgoers here this afternoon, presidential candidate Michele Bachmann colored her calls for the repeal of the federal health care law passed in 2010 with a brief history of health care. When she was a child, she said, a visit to the doctor in Waterloo, Iowa, cost just $5, and people who couldn't afford that often would receive free care at the physician's discretion. Such prices and charity care are impossible today, she argued, because of government intervention into the health care system and the threat of lawsuits.

1 Nov 2011

ACO rule revisions get nod from medical industry group

An influential medical group's change of heart is boosting President Barack Obama's plan to use Medicare to promote higher quality, less expensive care. The American Medical Group Association represents premier organizations like the Mayo Clinic, the models for the proposed "accountable care organizations" in Obama's health care overhaul law. The networks of doctors and hospitals will collaborate to keep patients healthier.

1 Nov 2011

Legislation introduced to offer some legal protection to providers who use electronic medical records

The legislation, which would focus its legal protection on providers who participate in Medicare and Medicaid, is designed to encourage the adoption of health information technology.

1 Nov 2011

Teva reports data from QNASL studies on seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. today announced that data from four late-stage studies examining QNASL (beclomethasone dipropionate [BDP]) HFA, a nasal aerosol corticosteroid in development for the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) and perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR) symptoms, will be presented at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Boston, Mass., November 3-8, 2011.

1 Nov 2011

Radiologists remain the primary users of POC ultrasound

Although non-radiologist physicians have contributed to the widespread use of point-of-care (POC) ultrasound, radiologists remain the primary users, according to a study in the November issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

1 Nov 2011

Viewpoints: Judd Gregg on revamping entitlements and taxes; John Breaux on slashing Medicare fraud; Medicaid limits on hospital stays

Consider this. As of this year, every other household in America will have at least one person in it who is receiving an entitlement benefit, according to the Census Bureau. As of this year, fewer than half of the Americans who have earned income will pay income taxes on that income.

1 Nov 2011