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State Roundup: Oklahoma, S.C. and Ill. facing tough choices on health costs

States around the country are debating how to deal with health costs and tight budgets.

26 May 2010

UnitedHealth shareholders reject plan to weigh in on executive pay

A proposal to allow UnitedHealth Group shareholders to make suggestions about executive pay was voted down by the same shareholders it would have empowered at the firm's annual meeting Monday, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. The proposal failed with only forty-six percent of shareholders supporting it.

25 May 2010

Today's OpEds: States must take on public health challenges; Placing blame for high health costs

Britain's 'reform' will do little to improve access to life-extending drugs (5/25).

25 May 2010

Federal lawyers ask judge to dismiss Virginia overhaul lawsuit

Obama administration officials asked a judge to dismiss Virginia's lawsuit challenging the new health reform law because the state does not have standing to sue over the requirement that individuals will be required to buy health insurance, The Washington Post reports. "Federal attorneys argued that individuals, not the state, are affected by the requirement. … Further, they wrote that the mandate causes no injury to the state and will not take effect until 2014, making the legal challenge not yet timely."

25 May 2010

St. Jude Medical initiates enrollment in FAME II trial for coronary artery disease

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, announced today at EuroPCR that the first patient was enrolled in the FAME II (Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR)-Guided Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Plus Optimal Medical Treatment vs. Optimal Medical Treatment Alone in Patients with Stable Coronary Artery Disease) trial.

25 May 2010

Federal law to expand coverage to kids is off to slow start

USA Today: "A federal law that President Obama signed early last year to expand health insurance to 4 million more low-income children has gotten off to a slow start because of budget problems in the states. The law makes more than $10 billion in federal aid available each year through 2013 but requires state funds as well."

25 May 2010

HHS 'special mailing' on health law's immediate Medicare benefits sparks GOP grumbles

CQ HealthBeat: "Education or propaganda? Or 'beyond propaganda?' The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Monday that it will soon send Medicare beneficiaries a special mailing on 'the immediate benefits they may see' from the health care overhaul law. Getting accurate information about key provisions of the law will help Medicare enrollees 'to be on the alert for any scams asking for personal information,' explained acting CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner in an agency news release Monday.

25 May 2010

State regulators mull definition of medical loss ratio

News outlets report on efforts to define what will be considered "medical expenses" when it comes to the mandated medical loss ratios in the new health law.

25 May 2010

DOJ warns hospitals, insurers: Mergers will be scrutinized

The Obama administration warned the health care industry Monday that it "won't hesitate to block mergers that threaten to stifle competition," The Associated Press reports.

25 May 2010

MAQUET Cardiovascular commences enrollment in trial of FUSION and FUSION BIOLINE Vascular Grafts

MAQUET Cardiovascular LLC today announced enrollment of the first patient in FINEST (FUSION Vascular Graft, FUSION Vascular Graft with BIOLINE and EXXCEL SOFT ePTFE). This prospective, randomized, single-blind, three-arm, parallel group, multi-center study is evaluating the safety and efficacy of MAQUET's investigational FUSION Vascular Graft and FUSION BIOLINE Vascular Graft, compared with its commercially available EXXCEL Soft ePTFE Vascular Graft in peripheral artery bypass surgery.

25 May 2010

First Edition: May 25, 2010

Today's headlines reflect health policy action at the federal level as the Obama administration issues a warning to the insurance industry about mergers and urges the courts to dismiss Virginia's lawsuit against the health reform law.

25 May 2010

Hawaii Pacific Health, Saint Barnabas Health Care System and XCelience achieve CEO Cancer Gold Standard

Hawaii Pacific Health, Saint Barnabas Health Care System N.J., and XCelience LLC, have received CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ accreditation, recognizing the commitment of these organizations to reducing the risk of cancer for employees and their families by promoting healthy lifestyle choices, encouraging early detection through cancer screenings, and ensuring access to quality treatment.

25 May 2010

AlphaMed Press earns CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation

AlphaMed Press has received CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ accreditation, recognizing the organization's commitment to taking concrete actions to reduce the cancer risk of its employees and their families through screenings, early detection, and healthy changes in lifestyle and in the workplace.

25 May 2010

Excessive amounts of HSP10 inside mitochondria can halt body's ageing process: Researchers

HSP10 (Heat Shock Protein), helps monitor and organise protein interactions in the body, and responds to environmental stresses, such as exercise and infection, by increasing its production inside cells. Researchers at Liverpool, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of California, found that excessive amounts of HSP10 inside mitochondria - 'organs' that act as energy generators in cells - can halt the body's ageing process by preserving muscle strength.

25 May 2010

KHN column: London fog

In his latest Kaiser Health News column, done in collaboration with The New Republic, Jonathan Cohn writes: "He's a socialist! He'll redistribute wealth! He wants to pull the plug on grandma! That's what Republicans said about President Obama back in 2009, while he was trying to make health care reform bill law.

25 May 2010

Bayer's Adalat XL product and Mylan's nifedipine extended release 60 mg not bioequivalent: Study

Bayer Inc. today responded to Professor Marvin Meyer's letter to the editor, entitled: "Critical questions concerning the validity of the Bayer study report of differences in bioavailability between 60 mg of nifedipine osmotic push-pull systems after fasted and fed administration" and published in the online edition of the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Bayer responded to the clinical relevance of the differences in formulation and dissolution behaviour and the delayed absorption of Mylan's extended release nifedipine.

25 May 2010

WHA endorses interim targets to eradicate measles as WHO warns disease on the rise

"Measles is making a rapid comeback in African, Asian and even some European countries despite being easily avoided through vaccination, the World Health Organization said Friday as countries pledged to sharply cut infections and deaths worldwide by 2015," the Associated Press reports (Jordans, 5/22). On the final day of the 63rd Annual World Health Assembly, the assembly endorsed a series of interim targets towards the global eradication of measles, VOA News reports.

25 May 2010

States struggle with poor dental care

Reports show that California and Wisconsin have poor dental care, while various communities try to improve lagging dental care indicators.

25 May 2010

AAPA, ACP release policy monograph on critical health care issue

The American Academy of Physician Assistants and the American College of Physicians today released a policy monograph that supports the critical roles physician assistants and physicians play in improving access to high-quality primary care. The paper, "Internists and Physician Assistants: Team-based Primary Care," results from a months-long collaborative project.

25 May 2010

Round-up: Mississippi struggles with mental health services funding cuts; A drug discount bill advances in Mass.

"Lawmakers earlier this year vigorously fought Gov. Haley Barbour's proposal to close four state mental health hospitals and six crisis centers as a budget-saving measure. Now, nonprofit-run centers that offer front-line services for the mentally ill in some of the poorest communities across Mississippi could face closure."

25 May 2010

Health Care News and Research

State Roundup: Oklahoma, S.C. and Ill. facing tough choices on health costs

UnitedHealth shareholders reject plan to weigh in on executive pay

Today's OpEds: States must take on public health challenges; Placing blame for high health costs

Federal lawyers ask judge to dismiss Virginia overhaul lawsuit

St. Jude Medical initiates enrollment in FAME II trial for coronary artery disease

Federal law to expand coverage to kids is off to slow start

HHS 'special mailing' on health law's immediate Medicare benefits sparks GOP grumbles

State regulators mull definition of medical loss ratio

DOJ warns hospitals, insurers: Mergers will be scrutinized

MAQUET Cardiovascular commences enrollment in trial of FUSION and FUSION BIOLINE Vascular Grafts

First Edition: May 25, 2010

Hawaii Pacific Health, Saint Barnabas Health Care System and XCelience achieve CEO Cancer Gold Standard

AlphaMed Press earns CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation

Excessive amounts of HSP10 inside mitochondria can halt body's ageing process: Researchers

KHN column: London fog

Bayer's Adalat XL product and Mylan's nifedipine extended release 60 mg not bioequivalent: Study

WHA endorses interim targets to eradicate measles as WHO warns disease on the rise

States struggle with poor dental care

AAPA, ACP release policy monograph on critical health care issue

Round-up: Mississippi struggles with mental health services funding cuts; A drug discount bill advances in Mass.

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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