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State News: N.Y. billing for disabled patients questioned

While the nation's attention has been focused on state worker battles in union strongholds such as Ohio and Wisconsin, quiet but consequential labor battles are breaking out in Kansas, Texas and other states where collective bargaining rights for public workers were weak or non-existent to begin with. The outcome of these confrontations will have a big impact.

8 Apr 2011

Viewpoints abound on impact of Ryan plan, government showdown

If the federal government shuts down at midnight on Friday — which seems likely unless negotiations take a sudden turn toward rationality — it will not be because of disagreements over spending. It will be because Republicans are refusing to budge on these ideological demands: No federal financing for Planned Parenthood. ... No local financing for abortion services in the District of Columbia. ... No funds for health care reform.

8 Apr 2011

Watson confirms patent challenge by Alcon for generic Vigamox

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today confirmed that its subsidiary, Watson Laboratories, Inc., filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval to market Moxifloxacin Hydrochloride Ophthalmic Solution USP, 0.5%. Watson's Moxifloxacin Hydrochloride Ophthalmic Solution USP, 0.5% is a generic version of Alcon, Inc.'s Vigamox®, an antibiotic solution that is indicated for the treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis.

8 Apr 2011

First Edition: April 8, 2011

Today's headlines include stories tracking the partisan negotiations surrounding a current-year spending bill. Currently at an impasse, the differences between the GOP and Democrats as well as the White House surrounds more than just the total dollar figure attached to spending cuts. It also involves controversial "policy riders." Meanwhile, without resolution, a government shutdown is just hours away.

8 Apr 2011

MedAZ' EHR Plus achieves ONC-ATCB certification

EHR Plus, the electronic medical record component of MedAZ Complete, has received ONC-ATCB certification for its ambulatory and inpatient versions. Certification means that the product qualifies for Meaningful Use implementation, enabling the eligible hospital or medical professional to receive incentives provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

8 Apr 2011

Two new studies on Veterans Affairs health care system

As recently as the 1990s, the Veterans Affairs health care system had a subpar reputation for quality, but two new studies of standard quality metrics, both led by Amal Trivedi, assistant professor of community health at Brown University and a physician at the Providence VA Medical Center, show that the system that cares for more than 5 million patients has improved markedly in the last decade.

8 Apr 2011

NEJM: Perspectives from Aaron, Reinhardt, Iglehart, Annas, Chambers and others

This week's New England Journal of Medicine features perspectives from prominent authors on Medicare and Medicaid. NEJM granted KHN permission to excerpt substantial portions of these columns.

8 Apr 2011

NCAJ launches new Web site to inform North Carolinians about workers comp bill

The North Carolina Advocates for Justice has launched a new Web site to inform North Carolinians about potential legislation that will restrict their rights if injured on the job.

8 Apr 2011

House Panel approves Ryan 2012 budget blueprint on party-line vote

The GOP budget proposal's Medicare provisions continue to draw scrutiny and debate about what the program's future should look like, how the plan would change senior citizens' health care costs and what its political implications might be.

8 Apr 2011

First trial to test shared decision making for weight-loss surgery

A video-based decision aid helped severely obese people to make more informed choices about bariatric surgery and reach more certainty about them, according to a trial involving 152 Group Health patients, e-published in Obesity in advance of print. This randomized controlled trial is the first to test shared decision making for weight-loss surgery.

8 Apr 2011

Though Congressional leaders cite progress, current-year spending deal still in play

If lawmakers fail to reach agreement on the 2011 budget, the government will shut down at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. Federal agencies have contingency plans in place in the event this happens. Media outlets report that Medicare and Medicaid would operate normally in the short run. Meanwhile, considerable discussion continues regarding what the political fallout will be and whether the public will hold Democrats or Republicans accountable.

8 Apr 2011

House subcommittee plans hearings on ACOs

In related news, Politico Pro reports that five leading health systems announced a plan to partner in sharing electronic health records. These systems note that the ability to share patient data with EHRs is key to success in creating ACOs.

8 Apr 2011

Longer looks: Could Ryan's plan be a pitfall for Democrats?; the cost of military health care; revealing more about doctors' billing practices

Every week, reporter Jessica Marcy selects interesting reading from around the Web.

8 Apr 2011

First Edition: April 7, 2011

Today's headlines include reports that the House Budget Committee yesterday approved the Ryan plan, which includes provisions to reshape Medicare and Medicaid, by a party-line vote. Meanwhile, congressional leaders and the White House seem to be making some progress is talks to reach agreement on current-year spending and avert a government shutdown.

7 Apr 2011

California Congressman receives CHI's first-ever Leadership Award

Congressman and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, was honored by CHI-California Healthcare Institute with the organization's first-ever Leadership Award.

7 Apr 2011

Reaction to GOP budget proposal swift, includes concern, support and political intrigue

After the budget proposal's release, reaction came from across the political and health industry spectrum. For instance, providers expressed concerns about reshaping Medicare and Medicaid. Possible GOP presidential hopefuls offered support, yet were viewed by some as "walking a tight rope."

7 Apr 2011

Study highlights transitional care importance in health reform

A new study, conducted by Ellen Kurtzman, R.N., M.P.H., FAAN, assistant research professor in the GW School of Nursing, and colleagues, published in the April 2011 issue of Health Affairs, highlights the importance of transitional care in reaching the goals of health reform, and provides evidence-based strategies to guide its implementation.

7 Apr 2011

OncoGenex, Teva's custirsen preclinical data in CRPC presented at AACR meeting

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that new preclinical data of their investigational compound custirsen in castrate resistant prostate cancer were presented this week at the 102nd Annual Meeting of the AACR.

7 Apr 2011

With 2012 budget plan, Republicans hope to transform government's role

The budget blueprint would begin to shift the federal government into a dramatically smaller entity, diminishing its role in health care and other areas.

7 Apr 2011

GOP budget blueprint would increase future Medicare costs for seniors

The budget document unveiled yesterday by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R- Wis., includes sweeping changes to the Medicare program. For instance, the plan would mean that, for people younger than 55, Medicare would be transformed into a "premium-support" program. It would also raise Medicare's eligibility age and leave the program's "doughnut hole" intact.

7 Apr 2011