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More minorities attending American medical schools

News outlets report on issues affecting the doctor workforce, including increased diversity at medical schools and questions about whether rural doctors will qualify for the Medicare payment bonus for primary care physicians.

15 Oct 2010

Administering ondansetron drug to children is economically advantageous

Two years ago, a study by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers found that an anti-vomiting drug called ondansetron helps reduce vomiting, the need for intravenous fluids and hospital admissions in children with acute gastroenteritis.Now a new economic analysis led by Canadian researchers, in collaboration with Michael J. Steiner, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at UNC, concludes that routinely giving ondansetron to children with gastroenteritis-induced vomiting would prevent thousands of hospitalizations and save millions of dollars each year.

15 Oct 2010

Enzo Biochem fiscal 2010 total revenues increase 8% to $97.1 million

Enzo Biochem, Inc. today reported results for the fiscal fourth quarter, consistent with our announcement on September 20, 2010, and for the year ended July 31, 2010.

15 Oct 2010

'Largest Medicare fraud scheme' busted

The Los Angeles Times: More than two dozen Los Angeles-area residents were arrested Wednesday "for their alleged roles in a nationwide scheme to bilk Medicare out of more than $160 million. The investigation, dubbed Diagnosis Dollars, resulted in the arrests of 52 people across the U.S. in what authorities described as 'the largest Medicare fraud scheme ever perpetrated by a single criminal enterprise.'"

15 Oct 2010

FDA approves Gamunex-C for primary immunodeficiency treatment

Talecris Biotherapeutics announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Gamunex-C (Immune Globulin Injection [Human], 10% Caprylate/Chromatography Purified) for subcutaneous administration in the treatment of primary immunodeficiency (PI).

15 Oct 2010

First Edition: October 14, 2010

Today's headlines examine the Obama administration's efforts to work with insurers to keep coverage options for children, the latest campaign news on the health overhaul and a major government crackdown on a Medicare fraud ring.

14 Oct 2010

U.S. Bone and Joint Decade observes National Action Week

An annual global event, Bone and Joint National Action Week is held October 12-20 with activities focused on disorders including arthritis, back pain, osteoporosis, and the effects of childhood obesity on the musculoskeletal system. Events and projects organized worldwide are designed to raise awareness of prevention, disease management and treatments. In the United States, the U.S. Bone and Joint Decade represents the global initiative.

14 Oct 2010

Berwick: New technology will make coordinating care easier

Health care practitioners have new information technologies at their disposal that will make coordinating care among providers easier and more effective than the old health maintenance organization model of 40 years ago, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services told a group of policy experts Tuesday.

14 Oct 2010

Insurance companies denied policies to 1 of every 7 applicants, probe finds

The Wall Street Journal: The four largest for-profit health insurers in the U.S. -- Aetna Inc., Humana Inc., UnitedHealth Group Inc., and WellPoint Inc. -- "on average denied policies to one out of every seven applicants based on their prior medical history," according to a congressional investigative report released yesterday by Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.).

14 Oct 2010

Anger, seniors and Ad campaigns: Health reform politics

A poll released Tuesday shows most seniors in Medicare's prescription drug benefit program don't know that the health law "closes Part D's coverage gap," The Hill's Healthwatch blog reports.

14 Oct 2010

Today's Opeds: Individual mandate in court, on ballot and in campaigns

The first federal court decision on the constitutionality of the new health care reform law upheld its validity and dealt a well-deserved setback to opponents who are trying to overturn it.

14 Oct 2010

Studies highlight high Medicare costs for people in nursing homes

Kaiser Health News staff writer Aimee Miles reports on three new studies exploring Medicare costs for beneficiaries living in long-term care facilities.

13 Oct 2010

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services awards HP $26M task order to maintain IDR

HP Enterprise Services today announced it has been awarded a task order worth up to $26 million by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to maintain its Integrated Data Repository (IDR) and provide data quality services to improve the accuracy of Medicare payment data.

13 Oct 2010

First Edition: October 13, 2010

Today's early morning highlights from major news organizations looks at the number of people denied health coverage by major insurers, arguments before the Supreme Court on the right to sue vaccine makers, concerns about the FDA's plans on reviewing medical devices and doctors moving from private practice to hospital work.

13 Oct 2010

Secure Tracks launches innovative new patient support system

Weight bearing gait aides such as conventional walkers and belts could quickly become a thing of the past in rehabilitation centers of hospitals as Secure Tracks today announced the launch of its innovative new patient support system. Customized for each hospital's unique needs, Secure Tracks is a purely mechanical system that consists of a ceiling-mounted monorail track, an exclusive trolley and a U-shaped support device that allows patients to stand completely upright and walk with a natural gait without the need for a harness.

13 Oct 2010

MetLife study finds Adult Day Services centers are increasing in the U.S.

There has been significant growth in the number of Adult Day Services centers in the U.S. over the past eight years, according to a new study by the MetLife Mature Market Institute. As reported in "The MetLife National Study of Adult Day Services: Providing Support to Individuals and Their Family Caregivers," there are more than 4,600 Adult Day Services (ADS) centers nationwide, a 35% increase since 2002.

13 Oct 2010

Studies examine risk factors for hospital readmission

In two studies published today in the Journal of Hospital Medicine, the risk factors for readmission to the hospital are examined based upon general medicine inpatients and those with at least two admissions in a six-month period. Alongside clinical factors such as having cancer, chronic diseases such as heart failure or lung disease, or being on high-risk medications, the studies identified other factors which increase the likelihood of a patient being readmitted which could help hospitalists focus in on these groups.

13 Oct 2010

Patients with advanced cancer undergo common non-beneficial cancer screening tests

A sizeable proportion of patients with advanced cancer and a life expectancy of only a few years continue to undergo common cancer screening tests that are unlikely to provide meaningful benefit, according to a study in the October 13 issue of JAMA.

13 Oct 2010

Investigators wondering: Fraud, bad medicine or Union manuevering at Calif. hospital chain?

The Los Angeles Times reports that state and federal investigators are trying to determine whether "a serious health problem or multimillion-dollar Medicare fraud" is behind a reported spike in blood poisoning cases at hospitals operated by Prime Healthcare Services, "a Southern California hospital chain known for aggressive billing practices and cost-cutting."

13 Oct 2010

Health care politics: Republican messages examined, how state propositions evolved

PolitiFact/St. Petersburg Times evaluated Republican claims in campaign ads about Medicare and the new health law that are "targeting older voters who may be worried their Medicare benefits will be harmed." Such ads are airing in Florida, Pennsylvania and California. "PolitiFact found each of those attacks to be Barely True. In these attacks and many others, PolitiFact found the ads have taken a small amount of truth — the Democratic incumbent's vote in favor of the health care law — and exaggerated the impact.

13 Oct 2010