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Antidepressants may have adverse effect on elders when prescribed for the first time

More than half of older Americans who were prescribed antidepressants for the first time were already taking a medication that could adversely interact with the antidepressant, according to a new study from Thomson Reuters.

17 Dec 2010

Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota praises fix of orphan drug discount under 340B program

Families who were facing the prospect of huge increases in the cost of life-saving drugs for their children can breath easier thanks to a new law that will preserve discounts on specialized, so-called "orphan drugs."

17 Dec 2010

President signs one-year 'pay-fix'; Medicare tests competitive bidding for common medical equipment

The Kansas City Star reports on a new Medicare program that will apply competitive bidding to common medical equipment and supplies. Meanwhile, President Obama signed into law yesterday a one-year delay in Medicare payment cuts for physicians.

17 Dec 2010

Reuters rates hospitals' cardiovascular program

Loyola University Hospital's mortality rate from heart-bypass surgery is 74 percent lower than the mortality rate at peer hospitals, according to Thomson Reuters Cardiovascular Benchmarks Report.

17 Dec 2010

White House to hold meetings with stakeholders on overhaul implementation

News outlets offer reports about action on the implementation front, including White House stakeholder meetings and a vote by state insurance officials regarding the information health plans should provide consumers.

17 Dec 2010

Collaboration seeks to uncover the best strategies to improve health care, lower costs

A group of health care organizations are joining forces to compile evidence on the strategies the work best to address a variety of common, and usually expensive, medical conditions. Meanwhile, the nation's new Medicare chief is hitting the road to hear ideas about improving the health care system.

17 Dec 2010

Positive economic signs evident in health sector

News outlets report that the health care sector has recently been posting more jobs and been the focus of more private equity investment interest.

17 Dec 2010

Health law challenges shift to Florida courtroom

Today marks a "new day in court" as oral arguments will be heard in a Florida courtroom regarding the 20-state legal challenge. This lawsuit includes issues surrounding the health law's individual mandate and Medicaid expansions. Meanwhile, analysis continues regarding Monday's decision by a federal court judge in Virginia and a new round of debate regarding whether the health overhaul lawsuits bring to light issues of judicial bias.

16 Dec 2010

First Edition: December 16, 2010

In today's headlines, continuing analysis of how the health law is faring in the courts and what the sweeping measure's future might look like.

16 Dec 2010

Centene anticipates premium and service revenue in the range of $4.9 billion to $5.1 billion for fiscal 2011

Centene Corporation announced today its 2011 financial guidance. The discussions below are in the context of continuing operations and all financial ratios exclude premium taxes.

16 Dec 2010

AMA commends President Obama for commitment to one-year delay of Medicare cut into law

"Today, President Obama signed into law a one-year delay of the looming Medicare physician payment cut that would have hurt seniors' health care. The AMA commends President Obama and bipartisan leaders in the Senate and House for their commitment to a year-long delay of the 25 percent cut. The AMA strongly advocated for this one-year delay to create a stable environment for seniors and their physicians.

16 Dec 2010

Watson, PregLem enter licensing agreement to develop, market Esmya in the U.S. and Canada

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Gedeon Richter Plc today announced that Watson's subsidiary, Watson Laboratories, Inc. has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with PregLem, S.A., ("Preglem") the wholly owned subsidiary of Richter, to develop and market Esmya™ (ulipristal acetate) in the U.S. and Canada.

16 Dec 2010

New study records show dementia residents seek hospice benefit

A new study of nursing home records shows more residents with dementia are seeking a hospice benefit and using it longer. The study also estimates that 40 percent of nursing home residents die with some degree of dementia.

16 Dec 2010

Nation's leading health care systems collaborate to improve quality while reducing costs

Six of the nation's leading health care systems today announced a first-of-its-kind collaboration to improve health care quality while reducing costs.

16 Dec 2010

CRS report details regs issued since passage of health overhaul

The Congressional Research Service issued a new report examining the processes followed in the development of the new rules put in place since the passage of the health overhaul. Meanwhile, the omnibus spending bill now moving through Congress includes funds for Medicare and Medicaid fraud prevention.

16 Dec 2010

Sun-Times: Medicare wants pharmacists out of Plan D decision-making process

Walgreens pharmacists are no longer giving customers advice on which Medicare Part D plans best work with the customers' prescriptions by the Dec. 31 deadline, and a Medicare spokesman says that's a good thing.

16 Dec 2010

Today's Opinions: Reviewing judge's ruling on health law's individual mandate

The legal case against it almost certainly will make its way to the Supreme Court before the individual mandate is due to take effect in 2014. But considered in its proper context, it doesn't violate the Constitution (12/15).

15 Dec 2010

First Edition: December 15, 2010

Today's major health policy news is full of second-day stories and analysis regarding Monday's health law decision by a federal court judge in Virginia.

15 Dec 2010

Customer satisfaction with health insurance falls 2.7%, says ACSI report

Steady or improving customer satisfaction with several types of financial services is not enough to overcome the customer satisfaction challenges of the health insurance industry, according to a report released today by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The report covers customer satisfaction with banks, credit unions, health insurance, life insurance and property & casualty insurance.

15 Dec 2010

CMS increases reimbursement rate for Cylex's immune cell function assay by 267%

Cylex Incorporated® today announced that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) nearly tripled the reimbursement for ImmuKnow®, the immune cell function assay FDA-cleared for the detection of cell-mediated immune response in populations undergoing immunosuppressive therapy for organ transplant. This significant increase was granted in a time when the overall CMS clinical fee schedule experienced a comprehensive decrease in laboratory reimbursement rates.

15 Dec 2010

Medicare News and Research

Antidepressants may have adverse effect on elders when prescribed for the first time

Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota praises fix of orphan drug discount under 340B program

President signs one-year 'pay-fix'; Medicare tests competitive bidding for common medical equipment

Reuters rates hospitals' cardiovascular program

White House to hold meetings with stakeholders on overhaul implementation

Collaboration seeks to uncover the best strategies to improve health care, lower costs

Positive economic signs evident in health sector

Health law challenges shift to Florida courtroom

First Edition: December 16, 2010

Centene anticipates premium and service revenue in the range of $4.9 billion to $5.1 billion for fiscal 2011

AMA commends President Obama for commitment to one-year delay of Medicare cut into law

Watson, PregLem enter licensing agreement to develop, market Esmya in the U.S. and Canada

New study records show dementia residents seek hospice benefit

Nation's leading health care systems collaborate to improve quality while reducing costs

CRS report details regs issued since passage of health overhaul

Sun-Times: Medicare wants pharmacists out of Plan D decision-making process

Today's Opinions: Reviewing judge's ruling on health law's individual mandate

First Edition: December 15, 2010

Customer satisfaction with health insurance falls 2.7%, says ACSI report

CMS increases reimbursement rate for Cylex's immune cell function assay by 267%

Event guide: 4th Extra-Hepatic Lipid-Based Nanoparticles Delivery Summit eBook

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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