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Studies explore geography's influence on medical practice, spending

Reuters: "Doctors in some parts of the United States are more likely to tell Medicare patients they are sick than in other parts, researchers said on Wednesday in a finding that could explain regional differences in health spending. The study is the latest from the Dartmouth Atlas Project, which [has uncovered] wide differences in spending by region, a finding that became a touchstone in the debate about the need for healthcare reform in the United States."

14 May 2010

New England Journal offers perspectives on health law

The New England Journal of Medicine dedicates a significant amount of its current issue to research and perspectives on the new health reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which is abbreviated as ACA (5/12).

14 May 2010

Insight Imaging third-quarter revenues decrease 12.9% to $46.4 million

InSight Health Services Holdings Corp. today announced its financial results for the third quarter ended March 31, 2010.

14 May 2010

Osteoporosis screening of women increased from 34% in 2001 to 64% in 2006: AHRQ

The proportion of women age 65 and over on Medicare who said that they had been screened for osteoporosis increased from 34 percent in 2001 to 64 percent in 2006, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

14 May 2010

GOP launches attacks on CMS nominee Berwick

Republicans have begun attacking Donald Berwick, a doctor and Harvard professor nominated to head the Obama administration's Medicare and Medicaid agency, The Boston Globe reports. If confirmed, Berwick would run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, an agency with 4,500 employees and an annual budget of $780 billion.

14 May 2010

Insight Imaging signs definitive agreement to acquire eight imaging centers for $8.5M

InSight Health Services Holdings Corp. today announced that it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire eight imaging centers in the Phoenix, Arizona, El Paso, Texas, and Las Cruces, New Mexico areas from subsidiaries of MedQuest, Inc. and Novant Health, Inc., for a total purchase price of approximately $8.5 million.

14 May 2010

Federal officials say crackdown on Medicare fraud recovers $2.5 billion

The Associated Press: "The government says it recovered $2.5 billion in overpayments for the Medicare trust fund last year as the Obama administration focused attention on fraud enforcement efforts in the health care industry. Investigators have new tools this year to help crack down on health care fraud, with the Justice Department and the Health and Human Services Department working cooperatively to police companies.

14 May 2010

Today's Opinions: CBO numbers undercut health law promises; Concerns about Berwick nomination; The recission myth

The Democrats' reform is barely out of the gate and the Congressional Budget Office already says its previous cost estimate was too low. Either the bill's supporters lied or they're profoundly ignorant. Either way, they are not fit to serve the country, much less rule it, which many of them seem to believe is their divine right. As noted on these pages and elsewhere, government programs always cost far more than their original projections (5/12).

14 May 2010

Home health care stocks fall with Senate Finance Committee inquiry

Shares of four home health care providers tumbled Thursday after the Senate Finance Committee raised questions about how the companies bill Medicare for home health therapy visits, The Associated Press/ABC News reports.

14 May 2010

Medco announces new $3 billion share repurchase program

Medco Health Solutions, Inc. today announced that its Board of Directors has unanimously approved a new $3 billion share repurchase program.

13 May 2010

First Edition: May 13, 2010

Among today's headlines are reports that some Republican senators are taking aim at President Obama's pick to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

13 May 2010

Current residency programs do not have capacity to address growing shortage of general surgeons

Current residency programs do not have the capacity to address the growing shortage of general surgeons, according to survey research presented today at the Sixth Annual Association of American Medical Colleges Physician Workforce Research Conference in Alexandria, Va.

13 May 2010

Florida weighs next steps for small business insurance exchange; N.J. considers COBRA eligibility expansion; Other highlights

When Republican lawmakers created the Florida Health Choices program in 2008, they billed it as a way to deregulate the health-care market for small businesses. Two years later, Florida Health Choices has still not started offering coverage, and its leaders and lawmakers face a philosophical choice that could determine whether the program survives.

13 May 2010

Prescription costs more likely to keep Hispanics away from pharmacy counter: Study

Drug costs could prevent some people from filling their prescriptions, which can interfere with optimal health care. A new study of Medicare beneficiaries finds that cost concerns are more likely keep Hispanics away from the pharmacy counter than non-Hispanics.

13 May 2010

Atherotech to showcase VAP Cholesterol Test at NLA Scientific Sessions 2010

Atherotech Inc. will exhibit its VAP® Cholesterol Test in booth #102 at the National Lipid Association (NLA) Scientific Sessions 2010. The meeting takes place May 13-16 at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers in Chicago.

13 May 2010

Proposed cuts in Medicare payments impact access to healthcare: Poll

An independent poll recently conducted on behalf of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) shows that an alarming number of physicians will stop seeing Medicare beneficiaries if current payment policies are not reformed.

13 May 2010

FDA warns of side effects from swallowing Benadryl Extra Strength Itch Stopping Gel

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers about potentially serious side effects from mistakenly swallowing Benadryl Extra Strength Itch Stopping Gel, an over-the-counter (OTC) product that should only be used on the skin.

13 May 2010

BSX receives CE Mark approval for TAXUS Element Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System

Boston Scientific Corporation today announced it has received CE Mark approval for its TAXUS Element Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System, the Company's third-generation drug-eluting stent technology. This approval includes a specific indication for the treatment of diabetic patients.

13 May 2010

Today's OpEds: Mass. health reform and small business; Mccain's ideas not in Obama plan; Wellpoint's impact on law

The Commonwealth's 2006 health care reform was supposed to help address rising health insurance costs for small businesses. It hasn't — and small businesses are paying the price (Jim Stergios and Amy Lischko, 5/12).

13 May 2010

Medical fraud: 'Unless you're very, very aggressive, you're going to lose a lot of money'

Kaiser Health News staff writer Andrew Villegas reports that "every year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services loses an estimated $65 billion to criminals who defraud the health care system, according to Lou Saccoccio, executive director of the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association.

12 May 2010

Medicare News and Research

Studies explore geography's influence on medical practice, spending

New England Journal offers perspectives on health law

Insight Imaging third-quarter revenues decrease 12.9% to $46.4 million

Osteoporosis screening of women increased from 34% in 2001 to 64% in 2006: AHRQ

GOP launches attacks on CMS nominee Berwick

Insight Imaging signs definitive agreement to acquire eight imaging centers for $8.5M

Federal officials say crackdown on Medicare fraud recovers $2.5 billion

Today's Opinions: CBO numbers undercut health law promises; Concerns about Berwick nomination; The recission myth

Home health care stocks fall with Senate Finance Committee inquiry

Medco announces new $3 billion share repurchase program

First Edition: May 13, 2010

Current residency programs do not have capacity to address growing shortage of general surgeons

Florida weighs next steps for small business insurance exchange; N.J. considers COBRA eligibility expansion; Other highlights

Prescription costs more likely to keep Hispanics away from pharmacy counter: Study

Atherotech to showcase VAP Cholesterol Test at NLA Scientific Sessions 2010

Proposed cuts in Medicare payments impact access to healthcare: Poll

FDA warns of side effects from swallowing Benadryl Extra Strength Itch Stopping Gel

BSX receives CE Mark approval for TAXUS Element Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System

Today's OpEds: Mass. health reform and small business; Mccain's ideas not in Obama plan; Wellpoint's impact on law

Medical fraud: 'Unless you're very, very aggressive, you're going to lose a lot of money'

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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