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Minimally invasive surgical ablation for AFib: Unapproved, warns whistleblower

As reported in today's Wall Street Journal, the more than 2 million Americans with atrial fibrillation are now on notice that the over-zealous marketing tactics and incentives by manufacturers of expensive medical devices which are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of atrial fibrillation are likely to be influencing doctors' and hospitals' decisions about treatment for their patients' heart conditions.

12 Mar 2010

Democrats close to health bill deal as some Democrats - and all Republicans - hold out

Congressional Democrats, reportedly closing in on a final health reform agreement, are seeking to alleviate concerns of reluctant members.

12 Mar 2010

Senate passes extension of COBRA, other unemployment benefits

The Senate passed a $140 billion "jobs bill" Wednesday that will extend unemployment coverage, increase federal Medicaid funding, block cuts to physician pay and preserve numerous tax breaks and credits that would have expired without congressional action, The Christian Science Monitor reports. "Jobs trump the national debt. That's the message from a robust, bipartisan Senate vote…" (Chaddock, 3/10).

12 Mar 2010

Does Medicare 'doughnut hole' spur increase in foreign drug imports?

Medill Reports: "Unless federal legislation closes the Medicare coverage gap colloquially known as the 'doughnut hole,' seniors may opt for online drug imports to alleviate steep prescription costs. ... 'As seniors start falling into the doughnut hole, they are going online to find deals on prescription drugs, whether they're based in the U.S. or in other countries,' said Gabriel Levitt, vice president of PharmacyChecker.com LLC, a leader in the evaluation of online and mail-order pharmacies in both the U.S. and abroad.

12 Mar 2010

Hospitals cope with losing money

Kentucky's Jewish Hospital and St. Mary's HealthCare is eliminating 500 jobs this month. The layoffs represent the first large-scale cuts in a Louisville-area hospital system since the recession began.

12 Mar 2010

Study questions frequency of heart angiograms

A recent study raises questions about the frequency of doctors' use of elective heart angiograms, which showed no disease in almost 40 percent of patients. BusinessWeek reports: "Doctors may be sending patients too quickly for elective angiograms to detect heart disease, exposing them to radiation and driving up U.S. health-care costs, a study suggests.

12 Mar 2010

Congress, Obama continue health reform push

"Health care reform takes center stage Thursday as President Obama and top congressional Democrats work behind closed doors to nail down a final agreement," CNN reports. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., hosted a "meeting of the entire House Democratic caucus in the morning," while Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid plans to hold a news conference that will "build public momentum by framing the issue in more personal terms."

12 Mar 2010

Obama makes impassioned argument for health reform, tough measures to combat health fraud

A shirt-sleeved President Barack Obama took his closing arguments for health care reform to the St. Louis area Wednesday.

12 Mar 2010

Detroit federal jury convicts doctor in Medicare fraud scheme

Farmington Hills, Mich., physician Jose Castro-Ramirez was convicted today by a Detroit federal jury on all 13 charged counts in connection with his role in an $18.3 million Medicare fraud scheme.

12 Mar 2010

Watson Pharmaceuticals' TRELSTAR receives FDA approval for treatment of advanced prostate cancer

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of TRELSTAR® 22.5 mg (triptorelin pamoate for injectable suspension), a new twice-yearly formulation of TRELSTAR®, a proven, simple and effective palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer.

11 Mar 2010

Private sector auditors to root out fraud in Medicare and Medicaid: CAGW lauds decision

The nation’s premier taxpayer watchdog group, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), today applauded President Obama for announcing that he will use private sector auditors to root out fraud in the country’s two massive government-run healthcare plans, Medicare and Medicaid. The practice of using private sector auditors to identify and recover improper overpayments to healthcare contractors and providers, technically called recovery audit contractors (RACs), has been a staple in the private sector for many years.

11 Mar 2010

First Edition: March 11, 2010

Today's headlines offer details of President Obama's continued full-court press on health reform with an appearance in Missouri. Meanwhile, work to move the bill toward a vote continues on Capitol Hill.

11 Mar 2010

Proposed rule to exchange EHR's without patients' consent will affect Americans' health privacy

The proposed federal rule to create and exchange electronic health records without patients' consent threatens Americans' health privacy, warns the Institute for Health Freedom.

11 Mar 2010

PCMA poll: 74% of people oppose Congress' effort to change FEHBP’s prescription drug benefits

Seventy-four percent of those enrolled in the Federal Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) oppose a new effort by Congress to change the program’s prescription drug benefits, according to a new poll released by the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association.

11 Mar 2010

New policy document examines options to integrate care for dual eligible beneficiaries

The SCAN Foundation released a policy options document by the Center for Health Care Strategies, Inc. (CHCS) summarizing four options to integrate care for dual eligibles, the nearly 9 million seniors and adults with disabilities who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid.

11 Mar 2010

RetireSafe: Seniors should call on Congress to stand up for better hospital care and lower hospital costs

Today RetireSafe, representing 400,000 senior citizen supporters across America, urged seniors nationwide to call on Congress to save high-quality physician hospitals from the restrictive health care reform language now pending in Congress. House and Senate "reform" efforts would ration high-quality physician hospital care to Medicare patients, as a "cost savings."

11 Mar 2010

Insight Imaging commences operations in partnership with ARA in the Dallas metro-area

InSight Health Services Holdings Corp. announced today that it has commenced operations in partnership with American Radiology Associates, P.A. in the Dallas metro-area. Insight Imaging will manage the partnership, which has acquired ARA’s Willowbend Diagnostic Imaging Center. ARA has also agreed to provide professional services in the coming months at Insight Diagnostic Center – Forest Lane.

11 Mar 2010

President announces plans to crack down on health care fraud

The Boston Globe: "President Barack Obama said Tuesday he'll bring in high-tech bounty hunters to help root out health care fraud, grabbing a populist idea with bipartisan backing in his final push to overhaul the system. ... Obama's anti-fraud announcement was aimed directly at the political middle."

11 Mar 2010

Non-profit operations plugging health care gap in Chicago

Medill Reports presents a story on community health centers in Chicago that try to fill access-to-care gaps for people too sick to get health care coverage or too poor to afford other care.

11 Mar 2010

Passage of legislation could spell disaster for Idaho's health care system

Hundreds of thousands of Idahoans struggling with the high cost of health care received bad news last night -- no relief and more problems are on the way. With the passage of the Idaho Health Freedom Act (House Bill 391), the Senate moved forward legislation that could spell disaster for Idaho's health care system, while addressing none of the health care issues plaguing families across the state.

11 Mar 2010

Medicare News and Research

Minimally invasive surgical ablation for AFib: Unapproved, warns whistleblower

Democrats close to health bill deal as some Democrats - and all Republicans - hold out

Senate passes extension of COBRA, other unemployment benefits

Does Medicare 'doughnut hole' spur increase in foreign drug imports?

Hospitals cope with losing money

Study questions frequency of heart angiograms

Congress, Obama continue health reform push

Obama makes impassioned argument for health reform, tough measures to combat health fraud

Detroit federal jury convicts doctor in Medicare fraud scheme

Watson Pharmaceuticals' TRELSTAR receives FDA approval for treatment of advanced prostate cancer

Private sector auditors to root out fraud in Medicare and Medicaid: CAGW lauds decision

First Edition: March 11, 2010

Proposed rule to exchange EHR's without patients' consent will affect Americans' health privacy

PCMA poll: 74% of people oppose Congress' effort to change FEHBP’s prescription drug benefits

New policy document examines options to integrate care for dual eligible beneficiaries

RetireSafe: Seniors should call on Congress to stand up for better hospital care and lower hospital costs

Insight Imaging commences operations in partnership with ARA in the Dallas metro-area

President announces plans to crack down on health care fraud

Non-profit operations plugging health care gap in Chicago

Passage of legislation could spell disaster for Idaho's health care system

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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