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WSJ: Study on eye medicine reveals possible savings for Medicare

The Wall Street Journal reports that Medicare could save $500 million a year by switching from one type of eye medicine to another, both made by Genentech, "according to a draft study by federal officials and a University of Miami eye doctor.

18 Jun 2010

NPR's Morning Edition examines Global Health Initiative

NPR's Morning Edition examines the Obama administration's Global Health Initiative (GHI) and efforts to combat HIV/AIDS. The $63 billion dollar "initiative preserves the Bush AIDS relief plan," known as PEPFAR, and aims "to allow patients to get care at one location rather than having to seek care at different places. For example, family planning at one facility and HIV care at another," NPR notes.

18 Jun 2010

State round up: Colo. to delay Medicaid pay to doctors; La. Legislature passes law requiring ultrasounds before an abortion

"Colorado has declared a fiscal emergency and delayed payments to doctors and clinics taking care of the state's neediest patients. Under state law, the Medicaid department can delay reimbursements to doctors, hospitals and clinics during a fiscal emergency. Physicians treating patients with the health-insurance plan for the poor will not receive normally scheduled payments on June 25 or July 2, a hardship for safety-net clinics in particular that rely on public funds. State officials said they would begin catching up on payments July 9 after a new fiscal year begins" (Brown, 6/17).

18 Jun 2010

Gary Coleman's death highlights importance of end-of-life decisions

Actor Gary Coleman's death is highlighting the importance of who makes your end-of-life decisions and is drawing attention to the fact that having a "living will" does not always guarantee that your wishes will be carried out, CNN reports.

18 Jun 2010

Drug makers face tightened regulations by FDA and less clout at medical meetings

The Washington Post: "The Food and Drug Administration this week began posting online the results of safety evaluations of recently approved drugs and vaccines. The action follows a law enacted in 2007 that requires the agency to provide more safety information to consumers and health professionals. The evaluations must be conducted 18 months after a new drug comes on the market.

18 Jun 2010

Loss of Manhattan hospital crowds other ERs; Utah discourages Medicaid patients from unnecessary ER visits

"Emergency rooms in downtown Manhattan have become more crowded since St. Vincent's Hospital closed in April, but ambulances are getting patients into the remaining ERs faster than they did when the 161-year-old Greenwich Village hospital was open." Bellevue Hospital Center, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York Downtown Hospital and New York University Langone Medical Center are the "four downtown ERs left to pick up the slack" and have experienced increases in patient visits in May compared with 2008 levels.

18 Jun 2010

HHS announces $250 million in federal funding to boost primary care providers

The Washington Post: "In an attempt to address a national shortage of health-care workers, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Wednesday that the federal government will spend $250 million in programs to increase the number of doctors, nurses and other care providers. The money ... includes $168 million to train 500 new primary-care physicians over the next five years, $30 million to encourage 600 nursing students to attend school full-time and complete their education, and $32 million to create 600 new physician assistants."

18 Jun 2010

Baby with heart condition after surgery ‘chilled’ and cured

Four month old baby Finley Burton was taken for a routine visit to his doctor when two holes were detected in his heart. He subsequently underwent an intricate heart operation to close these holes that were making it difficult for his heart to pump out blood. Right after the operation he developed irregular, erratic heart beats that went over 200 beats per minute. This could have killed him but doctors in Britain found a miracle solution for the problem. They lowered his body temperature.

18 Jun 2010

First Edition: June 17, 2010

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey reports on states' progress with high-risk pools created as part of the health reform law: "The program, one of the highest profile provisions of the law, is designed to provide health insurance to people who have been denied coverage due to a pre-existing medical condition and have been without coverage for at least six months.

17 Jun 2010

Opinions: Maintain fight against HIV/AIDS; Ending PMTCT; Impact of U.S. health reform on foreign-trained physicians

Following a recent trip to the largest HIV/AIDS clinic in Uganda, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon reflects on the recent progress made in the fight against the disease in a McClatchy opinion piece. Though "Uganda was the epicenter of the AIDS epidemic. …Uganda is also a success story," Ban writes. "A decade ago, fewer than 10,000 people were on the new generation of antiretroviral drugs that suppress the disease and offer the promise of a normal life.

17 Jun 2010

“Experiment” with homeopathy killed a cancer patient: Inquest

Doctor Peter Dingle at an inquest into the events that led to the death of his wife Penelope, 45 on 25th August 2005 revealed that he had argued with her decision to go for alternative therapies as her colorectal cancer treatment.

17 Jun 2010

Rand Paul, who opposed federal 'handouts,' is criticized for taking Medicare patients; Other health politics news

Rand Paul, a Kentucky GOP Senate candidate, sees Medicare and Medicaid patients, even as he opposes federal "handouts" and is facing criticism from his Democratic opponent for not releasing his Medicare billing records, The Associated Press reported.

17 Jun 2010

Fertility drugs cause multiple and premature births

The widespread use of fertility drugs, not just high-tech laboratory procedures, plays a major role in causing multiple births and contributes to the problem of premature birth in the United States, experts said today at the March of Dimes National Communications Advisory Council luncheon.

17 Jun 2010

First Edition: June 16, 2010

Today's health policy headlines focus on the latest Senate developments regarding the Medicare 'doc fix' as well as continuing health reform implementation news.

16 Jun 2010

UNC researchers study why surgery happens less often in blacks with lung cancer

A new study led by UNC researchers that looks at newly diagnosed lung cancer patients and follows them from diagnosis forward is one of the first to give reasons why patients don't go to lung surgery and why surgery happens less often in blacks.

16 Jun 2010

Synthetic sutures less painful than natural "catgut" sutures after vaginal birth

Synthetic sutures appear to cause less pain than natural "catgut" sutures in women who receive stitches after a vaginal birth, according to a new review of studies.

16 Jun 2010

New public service advertisements to spread preventive medical testing awareness

Men are 24 percent less likely than women to have visited the doctor within the past year, according to new data released today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In addition, men are about 30 percent more likely than women to be hospitalized for preventable conditions such as congestive heart failure and complications from diabetes, according to new AHRQ data.

16 Jun 2010

WellPoint to begin offering 'electronic' house calls

The Indianapolis Star: "Indianapolis-based health insurance giant WellPoint unveiled a new program to give its members access to doctors and other health-care providers via the Internet. The house call would be initiated by a patient logging in for a video chat from work to describe a sore throat, or a parent at home texting about a child with poison ivy.

16 Jun 2010

Researchers examine rates of cancer in British white and British Indian population

British Indians have fewer cases of many different cancers including breast, prostate, colon and lung than the British white population, according to new research published in the British Journal of Cancer1 today (Wednesday).

16 Jun 2010

“Devastating” evidence against Dr. Jayant Patel

Dr. Jayant Patel, 60, is pleading not guilty to the manslaughter of Mervyn Morris, Gerry Kemps and James Phillips and grievous bodily harm to Ian Vowles during his time as director of surgery at the Bundaberg Base Hospital between 2003 and 2005. In new developments the Brisbane Supreme Court heard many medical specialists give evidence against Patel’s decision to operate on Mr. Phillips in May 2003 who later died.

15 Jun 2010

Doctor News and Research

WSJ: Study on eye medicine reveals possible savings for Medicare

NPR's Morning Edition examines Global Health Initiative

State round up: Colo. to delay Medicaid pay to doctors; La. Legislature passes law requiring ultrasounds before an abortion

Gary Coleman's death highlights importance of end-of-life decisions

Drug makers face tightened regulations by FDA and less clout at medical meetings

Loss of Manhattan hospital crowds other ERs; Utah discourages Medicaid patients from unnecessary ER visits

HHS announces $250 million in federal funding to boost primary care providers

Baby with heart condition after surgery ‘chilled’ and cured

First Edition: June 17, 2010

Opinions: Maintain fight against HIV/AIDS; Ending PMTCT; Impact of U.S. health reform on foreign-trained physicians

“Experiment” with homeopathy killed a cancer patient: Inquest

Rand Paul, who opposed federal 'handouts,' is criticized for taking Medicare patients; Other health politics news

Fertility drugs cause multiple and premature births

First Edition: June 16, 2010

UNC researchers study why surgery happens less often in blacks with lung cancer

Synthetic sutures less painful than natural "catgut" sutures after vaginal birth

New public service advertisements to spread preventive medical testing awareness

WellPoint to begin offering 'electronic' house calls

Researchers examine rates of cancer in British white and British Indian population

“Devastating” evidence against Dr. Jayant Patel

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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