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Inadequate payments prompt insurance companies to raise premiums, avoid low-income market

Millions of Medicare recipients have been forcibly reassigned to different prescription drug plans because Part D reimbursements to insurance companies covering low-income patients are lower than the actual costs incurred, according to a study released online today by Health Affairs. The report describes how a system designed to encourage competition and to subsidize care for low-income Medicare patients instead has led companies to raise their premiums in an effort to price themselves out of the low-income segment of the Part D market.

29 Oct 2010

Coadministration of INTUNIV tablets with stimulant reduces ADHD symptoms

Shire plc the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today presented research results of once-daily INTUNIV (guanfacine) Extended-Release Tablets, coadministered with stimulants in children and adolescents diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) who had suboptimal response to treatment with a long-acting stimulant alone.

29 Oct 2010

Hospital group and physicians looking at ACOs; Harvard to open primary care education center

In an Oct. 27 letter to the CMS, the Federal Trade Commission and HHS inspector general's office, the Federation of American Hospitals offered comments on accountable care organizations.

29 Oct 2010

ResMed third quarter revenue increases 17% to $282.0 million

ResMed Inc. today announced record revenue and income for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. Revenue for the quarter ended September 30, 2010 was $282.0 million, a 14% increase (a 17% increase on a constant currency basis) over the quarter ended September 30, 2009.

From ResMed Corp 29 Oct 2010

Hemophiliacs, hepatitis and HIV: A magic cure gone wrong

The dark side of capitalism’s effect on the medical and pharmaceutical industries is chillingly exposed in Doctor Guilt? Benefits of Medical Treatment Compared with Hazards – A tradeoff (published by iUniverse), the provocative new nonfiction by Everett Winslow Lovrien, M.D.

28 Oct 2010

First Edition: October 28, 2010

Today's news includes headlines about the reasons behind rising health premiums.

28 Oct 2010

New computer program shows how brain's complex fiber tracks mature as we grow up

The brain's inner network becomes increasingly more efficient as humans mature. Now, for the first time without invasive measures, a joint study from the Ecole Polytechnique F-d-rale de Lausanne (EPFL) and the University of Lausanne (UNIL), in collaboration with Harvard Medical School, has verified these gains with a powerful new computer program. Reported in the PNAS early online edition last week, the soon-to-be-released software allows for individualized maps of vital brain connectivity that could aide in epilepsy and schizophrenia research.

28 Oct 2010

PCP credits dedicated primary care community for formation of Harvard's new Center

Harvard Medical School's (HMS) establishment of its $30 million Center for Primary Care is a powerful statement of the importance of primary care and the role major medical institutions must play in its transformation, according to Boston-based nonprofit Primary Care Progress (PCP). PCP credits a dedicated and engaged primary care community, partnering with a visionary dean, for the formation of Harvard's new Center.

28 Oct 2010

Pfizer announces publication of crizotinib data for NSCLC patients in New England Journal of Medicine

Pfizer Inc. announced today the publication of data showing that 57 percent of ALK-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with crizotinib (PF-02341066), an investigational oral anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor, had either a complete (one patient) or partial (46 patients) response to treatment. Data from 82 patients in this Part 2 expansion cohort of the Phase 1 study were published in the October 28 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

28 Oct 2010

Experts urge clinicians to discuss sperm banking with male cancer patients

Many men whose fertility may be at risk from cancer treatment are not being offered the chance to store their sperm according to new research published today in the Annals of Oncology (Thursday).

28 Oct 2010

NIH awards $12M over 3 years to promote diversity in scientific workforce

The National Institutes of Health has awarded six grants totaling approximately $12 million over three years through a new initiative aimed at fostering a diverse scientific workforce. The initiative, called the NIH Director's ARRA Funded Pathfinder Award to Promote Diversity in the Scientific Workforce, is funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and administered by NIH's National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

27 Oct 2010

New intervention strategies help manage depression

In the 15 minutes a primary care doctor typically has with a patient, she's expected to diagnose the current ailment, help manage ongoing health issues and provide preventive care. In this setting, confronting all but the most obvious and immediate mental health needs of patients is an ongoing challenge.

27 Oct 2010

PCT technology improves DNA extraction method in forensic evidentiary samples

Pressure BioSciences, Inc. today announced that two scientific presentations at the 21st International Symposium on Human Identification have provided further evidence that pressure cycling technology offers an improved method for the extraction of DNA in the analysis of forensic evidentiary samples.

27 Oct 2010

Study finds prevalence of cognitive impairment in older adults with severe sepsis

Older adults who survived severe sepsis were more likely to develop substantial cognitive impairment and functional disability, according to a study in the October 27 issue of JAMA.

27 Oct 2010

Human haptoglobin gene mutation increases risk of diabetic complications

Type 1 diabetes (T1D), formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is a multifactorial disease of complex etiology characterized by the autoimmune destruction of pancreatic beta cells. In addition to genetic susceptibility, it is generally accepted that environmental factors play important roles in triggering disease, with virus infection having perhaps the strongest association.

27 Oct 2010

Study demonstrates changing levels of nitrite and nitrate in breast milk

Ask someone in the know to list the substances in breast milk that make it the ideal food for newborns and you may hear about proteins that guard against infection, fats that aid in the development of the nervous system and carbohydrates that promote the growth of healthy bacteria. But, you may not hear too much about the nitrite and nitrate in breast milk and their contributions to developing gastrointestinal, immune and cardiovascular systems.

27 Oct 2010

University of Padua Professor wins Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize

Frankfurt am Main. The chemist and biologist Professor Cesare Montecucco, 62, of the Department of Biomedical Research at the University of Padua, Italy, has won the 100,000 euro Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize 2011 for his contribution to research in the field of bacterial diseases, including tetanus, botulism, anthrax and Helicobacter pylori associated diseases.

27 Oct 2010

CYP2C19 gene variant can increase risk of cardiovascular events in patients treated with clopidogrel

An analysis of data from previously published studies indicates that use of the antiplatelet drug clopidogrel for patients who have common genetic variants of a certain gene and are undergoing a procedure such as coronary stent placement have an associated increased risk for major adverse cardiovascular events, particularly development of blood clots in stents, according to a study in the October 27 issue of JAMA.

27 Oct 2010

Racial disparities among children with frequent ear infections can influence access to health care resources

Ear infections are one of the most common health problems for children, with most kids experiencing at least one by their third birthday. Annual costs in the United States alone are in the billions of dollars.

26 Oct 2010

Innovative program for new graduate doctors to ensure safety prescription

A new software based program has recently been created for new graduate doctors to ensure they prescribe safely from day one on the wards.

26 Oct 2010

Medical School News and Research

Inadequate payments prompt insurance companies to raise premiums, avoid low-income market

Coadministration of INTUNIV tablets with stimulant reduces ADHD symptoms

Hospital group and physicians looking at ACOs; Harvard to open primary care education center

ResMed third quarter revenue increases 17% to $282.0 million

Hemophiliacs, hepatitis and HIV: A magic cure gone wrong

First Edition: October 28, 2010

New computer program shows how brain's complex fiber tracks mature as we grow up

PCP credits dedicated primary care community for formation of Harvard's new Center

Pfizer announces publication of crizotinib data for NSCLC patients in New England Journal of Medicine

Experts urge clinicians to discuss sperm banking with male cancer patients

NIH awards $12M over 3 years to promote diversity in scientific workforce

New intervention strategies help manage depression

PCT technology improves DNA extraction method in forensic evidentiary samples

Study finds prevalence of cognitive impairment in older adults with severe sepsis

Human haptoglobin gene mutation increases risk of diabetic complications

Study demonstrates changing levels of nitrite and nitrate in breast milk

University of Padua Professor wins Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize

CYP2C19 gene variant can increase risk of cardiovascular events in patients treated with clopidogrel

Racial disparities among children with frequent ear infections can influence access to health care resources

Innovative program for new graduate doctors to ensure safety prescription

Achieving and maintaining ISO 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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