Health and Human Services News and Research

RSS

Senate health bill released, another step toward Democratic-backed reforms

"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid set the stage for a climactic debate in the Senate over health care by unveiling a 10-year, $848 billion bill that would extend insurance to 31 million Americans without coverage," The Wall Street Journal reports.

19 Nov 2009

Insurers say they won't alter mammogram coverage despite new guidelines

Insurance companies say mammogram coverage is unlikely to change despite the debate over the effectiveness of breast cancer screenings for women in their forties.

19 Nov 2009

Southern District of Florida Health Care Fraud Team receives the 2009 Excellence in Public Awareness Award

The National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association (NHCAA) is pleased to announce that the Southern District of Florida Health Care Fraud Team--comprised of individuals representing the United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida; the United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Division; and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Miami Regional Office--is the recipient of the 2009 Excellence in Public Awareness Award.

19 Nov 2009

'Model' tobacco cessation program reduces smoking rate by 26%

A "model" tobacco cessation benefit offered to Massachusetts' Medicaid participants has produced an astounding 26% drop in smoking rates in only two and a half years, and has already been linked to decreases in heart attacks, hospitalizations for asthma and COPD, and a significant decrease in birth complications.

19 Nov 2009

Medicare fraud: New Jersey hospital to pay over $3.02M to resolve allegations

The United States has entered into a settlement with a New Jersey hospital and filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit against a New York hospital involving allegations that the hospitals defrauded Medicare, the Justice Department announced today.

19 Nov 2009

Seniors struggle with drug costs while Congress debates Medicare 'doughnut hole'

Minnesota Public Radio reports: "Since 2006, senior citizens have been able to choose plans for Medicare prescription drug coverage, but that coverage contains a gap known as the 'doughnut hole,' a gap that health care reform plans being debated in Congress would address."

18 Nov 2009

White House reports billions lost in improper payments for Medicare, other government programs

The White House announced Tuesday that billions of federal dollars were spent in improper payments in 2009 and that spending in the Medicare and Medicaid programs accounted for more than half of that total. President Barack Obama will issue an executive order to crack down on the problem, officials said.

18 Nov 2009

CDC awards two separate Blanket Purchase Agreements to Emtec Federal

Emtec Federal, a systems integrator, today announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded the company two separate Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPA) for Information Technology (IT) products and services, each with an estimated value of $10 million per year.

18 Nov 2009

Quest Diagnostics' Simplexa Influenza A H1N1 (2009) test receives CE mark

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services, today announced that the Simplexa Influenza A H1N1 (2009) test developed by its Focus Diagnostics business has been CE marked and is now available as a test kit for distribution to approximately 35 countries in Europe.

From Quest Diagnostics 18 Nov 2009

CTSA institutions receive NIH grants to study drug safety and efficacy in children

Studying drugs in pediatric populations is challenging because drugs often affect children differently than they do adults. The scarcity of pediatric studies limits the ability of doctors and scientists to predict drug dosing, safety and efficacy in children. To address this gap, the National Institutes of Health announced today 18 grants to help determine outcome measures and increase the likelihood of success of future trials of treatments for children.

18 Nov 2009

China, WHO to collaborate on flu research center

Chinese and WHO officials last week agreed to open a flu research center in Beijing, Bloomberg reports. "The new collaborating center for reference and research on influenza will join a network of WHO-affiliated labs in Atlanta, London, Tokyo and Melbourne that monitor flu strains and make recommendations on vaccines to fight the virus," the news service writes

17 Nov 2009

Startling new mammogram guidelines incite debate about risk, cost

The Washington Post: "Women in their 40s should stop routinely having annual mammograms and older women should cut back to one scheduled exam every other year, an influential federal task force has concluded, challenging the use of one of the most common medical tests" (Stein, 11/17).

17 Nov 2009

DNA banking: A step toward preserving history and improving the health of future generations

This Thanksgiving Day marks the sixth annual National Family History Day, a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services initiative to encourage families to discuss their health history. Holiday gatherings are excellent opportunities for discussing and documenting family disease backgrounds which can save the lives of loved ones through early detection and preventive measures.

17 Nov 2009

Healthy adults may have better immunity to 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, says study

A new study shows that molecular similarities exist between the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus and other strains of seasonal H1N1 virus that have been circulating in the population since 1988. These results suggest that healthy adults may have a level of protective immune memory that can blunt the severity of infection caused by the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus.

17 Nov 2009

FDA approves CSL's seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccines for children

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of the CSL Limited's seasonal and 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccines to include children ages 6 months and older. These vaccine were previously approved for use in adults, ages 18 years and older

17 Nov 2009

NIH awards $3 million grant to ASU professors for research on rapid DNA sequencing technology

Arizona State University has been awarded nearly $3 million in federal stimulus funds from the National Institutes of Health. ASU professors Stuart Lindsay and Paul Westerhoff will lead a pair of two-year, innovative projects designed to tackle challenges in the fields of rapid DNA sequencing and the potential health risks of nanotechnology.

17 Nov 2009

Additional vaccine for 2009 H1N1 flu approved by FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it has approved a fifth vaccine for protection against the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. The vaccine is manufactured by ID Biomedical Corp. of Quebec, Canada, owned by GlaxoSmithKline PLC.

16 Nov 2009

Sequella broadens the licensed therapeutic indications of its SQ109 lead drug candidate

Sequella, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on commercializing products to treat life-threatening infectious diseases, today announced that it amended an existing agreement with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to significantly broaden the licensed therapeutic indications, or "field of use," for Sequella's lead drug candidate, SQ109.

16 Nov 2009

Electronic health records not yet making impact, patients turn to web for advice

As the United States launches "an ambitious program, backed by $19 billion in government incentives, to accelerate the adoption of computerized patient records in doctors' offices and hospitals," a new study of 3,000 hospitals "has found little difference in the cost and quality of care," The New York Times reports.

16 Nov 2009

FDA issues a Complete Response Letter for Human Genome Sciences' raxibacumab BLA

Human Genome Sciences, Inc. today announced that it has received a Complete Response Letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) relating to the Company’s Biologics License Application (BLA) requesting the approval of raxibacumab for use in the treatment of inhalational anthrax. The FDA issues Complete Response Letters to request additional information needed to complete the review of a BLA.

16 Nov 2009

Health and Human Services News and Research

Senate health bill released, another step toward Democratic-backed reforms

Insurers say they won't alter mammogram coverage despite new guidelines

Southern District of Florida Health Care Fraud Team receives the 2009 Excellence in Public Awareness Award

'Model' tobacco cessation program reduces smoking rate by 26%

Medicare fraud: New Jersey hospital to pay over $3.02M to resolve allegations

Seniors struggle with drug costs while Congress debates Medicare 'doughnut hole'

White House reports billions lost in improper payments for Medicare, other government programs

CDC awards two separate Blanket Purchase Agreements to Emtec Federal

Quest Diagnostics' Simplexa Influenza A H1N1 (2009) test receives CE mark

CTSA institutions receive NIH grants to study drug safety and efficacy in children

China, WHO to collaborate on flu research center

Startling new mammogram guidelines incite debate about risk, cost

DNA banking: A step toward preserving history and improving the health of future generations

Healthy adults may have better immunity to 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, says study

FDA approves CSL's seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccines for children

NIH awards $3 million grant to ASU professors for research on rapid DNA sequencing technology

Additional vaccine for 2009 H1N1 flu approved by FDA

Sequella broadens the licensed therapeutic indications of its SQ109 lead drug candidate

Electronic health records not yet making impact, patients turn to web for advice

FDA issues a Complete Response Letter for Human Genome Sciences' raxibacumab BLA

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

Latest News