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WSJ: Federal judge advances medical records case

The lawsuit, brought by the newspaper's publisher, seeks to overturn an injunction that keeps the public from being able to see Medicare billing records. In related news, The Fiscal Times examines Medicare waste and improper payments.

29 Sep 2011

Viewpoints: Blocking, replacing health law; a doc's HPV advice; County wellness plan working

Too often, the Republican Party health-care agenda seems to consist of incanting "repeal and replace" and then to stop thinking - if the thinking ever begins at all. Certainly the current Presidential field is saying little beyond promising to repeal ObamaCare, but in the nick of time Paul Ryan has provided some intellectual guidance in an important speech yesterday at Stanford's Hoover Institution. he said "we cannot simply revert to the status quo."

29 Sep 2011

Capsules: N.C. insurer invests $15M in docs' health IT; HHS offers new push for coordinated care

Now on Capsules, Christian Torres writes about a new federal coordinated care initiative: If the Department of Health and Human Services has its way, hundreds of physician practices will follow the money and take up a coordinated model of health care.

29 Sep 2011

First Edition: September 28, 2011

Today's headlines include reports about the costs of employer insurance plans and the final installment of KHN's "Building Ambitions" series about children's hospitals.

28 Sep 2011

Viewpoints: Lots of advice for super committee on Medicare, Medicaid

Obama partisans, you must consider at least two, possibly mixed results - a politically risky legal battle on the individual mandate in the middle of a presidential campaign, and added insurance that Obama administration lawyers will see the case through its final appeal.

28 Sep 2011

Perry, Romney continue in GOP primary spotlight

News outlets report on the ongoing sparring between the two candidates and on Perry's health policy record as Texas governor. Meanwhile, Michele Bachmann points to her rivals' positions on issues including health care and says Republicans should not settle for a moderate candidate. Also, NPR flashes back to GOP candidate Herman Cain's 1994 debate performance. And, on the other side of the political spectrum, The Associated Press reports that Democrats are shifting their campaign message away from the health law and toward Medicare.

28 Sep 2011

With significant health care dollars at stake, interest groups focus on 'super committee'

Health care groups have started flooding the super committee with appeals to protect their sliver of federal health care programs. Because the panel's mandate is to find at least $1.2 trillion in debt-reduction over the next decade, Medicare and Medicaid are prime targets. Together, those two government insurance programs account for nearly one-quarter of all federal spending.

28 Sep 2011

Older patients who undergo carotid stenting from less experienced physicians have higher death risk

Preventing a stroke by placing a stent in the carotid artery, a major artery of the head and neck, is a procedure that's skyrocketing in the United States, but the outcomes can be deadly if older patients are not in the right hands.

28 Sep 2011

Specialty groups: We shouldn't have to pay to fix Medicare's physician payment formula

Doctors shouldn't have to foot the bill if Congress comes up with a new way to set their Medicare payments, a group of medical specialties said Monday. There are few policies - if any - that are more important to doctors' organizations than a permanent repeal of the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula.

28 Sep 2011

Roundup: Conn.'s new insurance commissioner getting noticed; Miami-Dade County fires consulting firm over health care issue

Checking his watch, Thomas B. Leonardi worked quickly through his dense defense of this nation's state-by-state approach to insurance regulation. This small New England state generates more insurance business than all but a half-dozen nations. He sided with consumer advocates in March at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, helping to delay a federal regulation designed to protect fees for health insurance brokers. Advocates said the regulation would have driven up the costs of insurance to consumers.

28 Sep 2011

Healthcare becoming an overdrive model feel half of the primary physicians

In a new poll of primary care physicians, nearly half of them said their patients received too much medical care and more than a quarter said they were practicing more aggressively than they'd like to. This could mean ordering more tests, prescribing more drugs or diagnosing people with diseases, although they would never have experienced any symptoms. On the other hand, just six percent of doctors believed their patients were getting too little care.

27 Sep 2011

Campaign gears up against fake plastic surgeons

A public safety campaign called, “White Coat Deception,” by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons is moving against doctors who provide care beyond their specialties.

27 Sep 2011

Hospital for Special Surgery establishes HSS Spine & Sport in Jupiter, Florida

Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), a world leader in orthopedics, rheumatology and rehabilitation, announced the establishment of HSS Spine & Sport in Jupiter, Florida. This first HSS expansion beyond the New York region is a direct response to patient and physician demand.

27 Sep 2011

Congressional mood, 'super committee' news highlight difficulties

The New York Times reports that expectations for the deficit-reduction panel continue to drop, as the Democrats' and Republicans' respective positions on trimming entitlements and raising taxes appear to be hardening. And, in the background, The Wall Street Journal notes that another government shutdown looms as lawmakers fail to make progress in striking a deal to fund the federal branch through Nov. 18.

27 Sep 2011

GOP lawmakers show no sign in letting up on controversy surrounding health reform waivers

Even though the Obama administration decision to end health law exemptions for businesses and unions has now kicked in, Republicans say they will keep up their criticism. Politico Pro explores some of the questions that still surround this waiver program.

27 Sep 2011

Research roundup: Widows and medical spending; disparities in heart care, hospital deaths

The authors write: "We find that out-of-pocket medical spending is approximately 29 percent higher when an individual becomes widowed, a large portion of which is spending on nursing homes. Our results suggest a substantial role of living arrangements in out-of-pocket medical spending; however, our estimates combined with differences in rates of widowhood across gender suggest that marital status can explain only one third of the gender difference in total out-of-pocket medical spending, leaving a large portion unexplained.

27 Sep 2011

Viewpoints: LA Times wants solutions from GOP candidates; WSJ finds worrisome census numbers

We've now seen three full-dress debates among the Republican politicians who want to be the next president of the United States, and here's what we've learned: They all believe taxes are too high, even though federal taxes are lower as a percentage of the U.S. economy than any time in the last 60 years. They all believe onerous environmental regulations are preventing economic recovery, though few economists would agree.

27 Sep 2011

First Edition: September 26, 2011

In today's headlines, KHN kicks off a three-day series, "The Big Money World Of Kid's Care."

26 Sep 2011

Not enough doctors in Australia to follow up on breast cancer cases

Australian women who have undergone surgery for early-stage breast cancer could be monitored afterwards by their GP instead of a hospital clinic, under a federal government project that acknowledges there will not be enough specialist doctors for the coming wave of cancer cases among ageing baby boomers.

26 Sep 2011

Primatene inhalers to be phased out this December: FDA

According to the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), the Armstrong Pharmaceutical's Primatene mist inhaler will be discontinued on Dec. 31, and prescription inhalers are the only alternative to the over-the-counter asthma drug.

26 Sep 2011

Medicare News and Research

WSJ: Federal judge advances medical records case

Viewpoints: Blocking, replacing health law; a doc's HPV advice; County wellness plan working

Capsules: N.C. insurer invests $15M in docs' health IT; HHS offers new push for coordinated care

First Edition: September 28, 2011

Viewpoints: Lots of advice for super committee on Medicare, Medicaid

Perry, Romney continue in GOP primary spotlight

With significant health care dollars at stake, interest groups focus on 'super committee'

Older patients who undergo carotid stenting from less experienced physicians have higher death risk

Specialty groups: We shouldn't have to pay to fix Medicare's physician payment formula

Roundup: Conn.'s new insurance commissioner getting noticed; Miami-Dade County fires consulting firm over health care issue

Healthcare becoming an overdrive model feel half of the primary physicians

Campaign gears up against fake plastic surgeons

Hospital for Special Surgery establishes HSS Spine & Sport in Jupiter, Florida

Congressional mood, 'super committee' news highlight difficulties

GOP lawmakers show no sign in letting up on controversy surrounding health reform waivers

Research roundup: Widows and medical spending; disparities in heart care, hospital deaths

Viewpoints: LA Times wants solutions from GOP candidates; WSJ finds worrisome census numbers

First Edition: September 26, 2011

Not enough doctors in Australia to follow up on breast cancer cases

Primatene inhalers to be phased out this December: FDA

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Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

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