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VCU Massey receives grant to expand cancer research community program

Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center recently was awarded a two-year, $2.4 million grant from the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission (Tobacco Commission) to expand the breadth of the center's community involvement and to grow its state-of-the-art clinical research and cancer specialist delivery system.

29 Oct 2010

Hospital group and physicians looking at ACOs; Harvard to open primary care education center

In an Oct. 27 letter to the CMS, the Federal Trade Commission and HHS inspector general's office, the Federation of American Hospitals offered comments on accountable care organizations.

29 Oct 2010

Countdown on as Republicans ready health repeal agenda, Democrats continue push

Kaiser Health News' Health on the Hill, examines advertisements about the new health law in a video conversation. Many Democrats, concerned that voters view the measure in a negative light, continue to not mention health reform.

29 Oct 2010

Talecris third quarter net revenue increases 2.8% to $407.0 million

Talecris Biotherapeutics Holdings Corp. today announced its financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010 and filed its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

29 Oct 2010

Return of the doc cuts threatens access, physician-group lobby says, again

Pending Medicare cuts could mean physician practices would back away from the program, according to a trade group representing these doctor groups, Medscape reports.

29 Oct 2010

More details of the health law revealed as implementation unfolds

The law imposes stringent restrictions on physician-owned hospitals, which critics say cherry pick the lucrative specialty patients community hospitals depend on to stay afloat, Kaiser Health News/USA Today report.

29 Oct 2010

Today's Op-Eds: Medicare rip-offs; Courts and the individual mandate; Accountable care

Instead of getting hung up on labels adopted in the heat of political battle, they should focus instead on Supreme Court precedents that found that taxes designed to influence behavior, like taxes to deter the sale of particularly dangerous firearms, were constitutional, provided they raised revenue in the process.

29 Oct 2010

HealthSpring third quarter net income increases 27.1% to $42.3 million

HealthSpring, Inc. today announced its results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2010. Net income of $53.8 million, or $0.95 per diluted share, up 27.1% over $42.3 million, or $0.77 per diluted share, in the 2009 third quarter.

28 Oct 2010

Omnicare third quarter net sales increases from $1,543.9 million to $1,544.4 million

Omnicare, Inc. one of the nation's leading providers of pharmaceutical care for the elderly, reported today financial results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2010.

28 Oct 2010

NICE issues PTNS guidance for overactive bladder

Uroplasty, Inc. announced today that the United Kingdom's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued a guidance document titled "Percutaneous Posterior Tibial Nerve Stimulation for Overactive Bladder Syndrome," reinforcing the safety and effectiveness of PTNS for overactive bladder.

28 Oct 2010

Invacare completes new senior secured credit agreement

Invacare Corporation announced today the completion of a new Credit Agreement establishing a $400 million senior secured revolving credit facility maturing in October 2015.

28 Oct 2010

Older patients suffer with real life-changing burdens after beating sepsis: Study

A study of nearly 1,200 older patients hospitalized for severe sepsis indicate that those who survive are at higher risk for long-term cognitive impairment and physical limitations than those hospitalized for other reasons.

28 Oct 2010

KCI announces U.S. launch of Skin IQ MCM for pressure ulcers

Kinetic Concepts, Inc. announced today the U.S. launch of Skin IQ Microclimate Manager (Skin IQ MCM) through KCI's Therapeutic Support Systems business. Skin IQ MCM is a for-sale, powered coverlet offering clinicians one of the most effective and intuitive products available for the prevention and management of pressure ulcers.

28 Oct 2010

Administrative costs of Medicare plans decline 4.1% in 2009

Administrative expenses of Medicare plans fell by 4.1% per member in 2009 versus an increase of 8.3% in 2008. After eliminating the effects of product mix, costs declined by 4.1% in 2009 versus 4.1% growth in 2008.

28 Oct 2010

Phrma pushes back against campaign calls for Medicare Part D price negotiation

The powerful pharmaceutical lobby is pushing back against campaign-trail calls to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices on behalf of millions of seniors enrolled in Part D, The Hill reports.

28 Oct 2010

A look at the secretive AMA panel behind Medicare's payment rates

A group of 29 physicians, convened by the American Medical Associations and "mostly selected" by specialty trade groups, have the task of recommending how to divide Medicare money into payments for each service, procedure and treatment the program covers, The Wall Street Journal reports.

28 Oct 2010

Mass. hospitals turn away mentally ill kids, Anthem braces for rate hearings, other state news

The Boston Globe reports that children with mental illnesses are "increasingly being turned away from some Massachusetts hospitals' psychiatric wards, a problem the hospital industry acknowledges and blames on insufficient insurance payments to cover treatment of such sick children. … Dr. JudyAnn Bigby, the state's health and human services secretary, said yesterday that hospitals licensed to treat mentally ill children must provide that care if they have sufficient staffing and beds, regardless of the reimbursement rates" (Lazar, 10/27).

28 Oct 2010

Republican's controversial proposal to mend Medicare

In a Kaiser Health News companion piece to the story, Some Hill Races Could Hinge On Seniors' Anger Over Medicare, Marilyn Werber Serafini reports that Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan's ideas - including giving Medicare beneficiaries a voucher to buy health coverage and adjusting benefits based on income -- could gain ground if the GOP wins control of the House in November (Serafini, 10/26).

28 Oct 2010

Gov. candidates in Florida, Minnesota offer few details on health care

News outlets report that gubernatorial candidates in Florida and Minnesota are offering little details about their plans for health spending.

28 Oct 2010

Candidates on health care offense, defense in final week before election

Candidates are in full campaign mode ahead of midterm elections that will likely spell out how the health law is implemented. The New York Times reports that some Democrats are playing defense after voting for health reform. They include Virginia Rep. Tom Perriello who is running against Republican state Sen. Robert Hurt.

28 Oct 2010