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By protecting doctors' Medicare pay, lawmakers look to keep health reform tab low

The Los Angeles Times reports on a Democratic plan to cancel scheduled cuts to physician pay under the Medicare program with a bill separate from their sweeping health reform proposal. It would allow lawmakers to "reconcile a nearly $250-billion difference between the House and Senate" while at the same time keeping the American Medical Association on board with their plans.

20 Oct 2009

Eclipsys supports healthcare providers to meet the goal of ARRA

To support healthcare organizations in making the appropriate technology decisions to maximize federal stimulus dollar opportunity, Eclipsys Corporation®, The Outcomes Company®, today announced the multiple superior outcomes its client organizations are achieving today.

20 Oct 2009

Pfizer announces fiscal 2009 third-quarter results

Pfizer Inc. today reported financial results for third-quarter 2009. Revenues were $11.6 billion, a decrease of 3% compared with $12.0 billion in the year-ago quarter.

20 Oct 2009

Meeting to discuss latest information on anti-aging medicine and euthanasia

America's foremost authorities on aging will share the latest information on "death panels," anti-aging medicine, health care reform, and other current topics at The Gerontological Society of America's upcoming 62nd Annual Scientific Meeting. This four day event - the country's largest interdisciplinary conference in the field of aging - will take place from November 18 to 22 in Atlanta, GA. Media representatives can register free of charge.

20 Oct 2009

First Edition: October 20, 2009

A new poll finds increased support for a public insurance plan in health reform just as Senate leaders discuss and debate in closed door meetings the various versions of this approach that might still draw enough votes to gain passage.

20 Oct 2009

Unitedhealth announces third quarter results; reports growth in revenues and net earnings

UnitedHealth Group reported third quarter results today, including growth in revenues and net earnings and a continued strong financial position.

20 Oct 2009

Conference to discuss the pent-up demand for home based eldercare personal robots

GeckoSystems Intl. Corp. announced today that during their first annual "Mobile Robots in Motion" conference November 4-5, 2009, attendees will be able to learn and discuss the basis for GeckoSystems' belief that pent-up demand exists for their cost effective, home based eldercare personal robots.

20 Oct 2009

Pharmacy services still in demand despite recession

Despite the onset of an economic recession during 2008, pharmacy services were still in demand due to their value in the health care delivery system. The average community pharmacy saw its total sales increase by 7.6% to $3.9 million.

20 Oct 2009

Aspect Medical Systems to present a complete family of BIS monitoring technologies at ASA meeting

The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Annual Meeting will feature 62 scientific presentations that reference BIS® monitoring when it convenes on October 17-21, 2009 in New Orleans. BIS-related research will cover a broad range of applications for BIS monitoring, including initial results from studies conducted as part of a comparative effectiveness research collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic as well as findings from a study evaluating use of a Composite Variability Index (CVI) that is based on BIS parameters.

20 Oct 2009

Two high blood pressure medicines effective in treating stable ischemic heart disease

Two medications commonly used to treat high blood pressure appear to be effective in treating a common type of heart disease known as stable ischemic heart disease, according to a new comparative effectiveness review funded by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

20 Oct 2009

CMS requested for coverage of two FDG PET scans during the initial treatment

Seven medical imaging groups wrote a joint letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to formally request coverage of two fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) scans for a patient during the initial treatment evaluation. Currently, CMS covers only one FDG-PET study during initial treatment-a limitation that the groups believe is contrary to good clinical practice under certain circumstances.

20 Oct 2009

Unemployment for people with disabilities has reached its highest rate since January, says study

Unemployment for people with disabilities has reached its highest rate since January, according to a quarterly study by Allsup, a nationwide provider of Social Security disability representation and Medicare services.

20 Oct 2009

Congress should spell out how to pay for the changes if physician reimbursement rates in Medicare are raised

The Concord Coalition said today that if Congress raises physician reimbursement rates in Medicare, it should spell out how to pay for the changes.

20 Oct 2009

Senate postpones vote on Medicare 'doc fix'

Senate Democrats have postponed a scheduled cloture vote today on a bill that would make permanent changes to scheduled rate cuts to Medicare reimbursement for doctors and hospitals. Meanwhile, doctors worry about the cuts and lawmakers worry that the fix could break budget goals.

20 Oct 2009

The CBO's educated guesses make or break reform bills

The senior Congressional Budget Office analyst whose job is calculating the costs of overhaul the health system -- an overworked, "amiable father of three" named Phil Ellis -- "is the first to admit that his painstaking numbers are almost certainly wrong," the Washington Post reports. His estimates "essentially condemned two" bills by pricing them at over a trillion, while boosting another by estimating much lower costs, illustrating the huge political stakes generated by Ellis' guesswork.

20 Oct 2009

Medicare officials back away from hard line stance on insurers' warning letters

The New York Times reports: "The Obama administration on Friday backed away from an order that had prohibited insurance companies from warning Medicare recipients about the possible loss of benefits under pending legislation to overhaul the health care system." A political storm storm was triggered last month when they tried to stop such communications.

20 Oct 2009

Lawmakers struggle to balance interests as sweeping health legislation negotiations proceed

Lawmakers continue to try to shape health bills as they move closer to floor votes.

20 Oct 2009

Baucus: Public insurance option 'alive' in Senate negotiations

USA Today: During a conference call with reporters today, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., said the public option is "alive." Baucus, "one of a handful of senators engaged in behind-the-scenes health care negotiations, said Democratic lawmakers are continuing to debate whether to include a government-run health insurance program -- also known as the public option -- and what shape that program might take."

19 Oct 2009

Even with budget concerns, lawmakers fight for rural hospitals

Kaiser Health News' staff writers Eric Pianin and Mary Agnes Carey report in a story produced in collaboration with Politico on rural hospitals' stake in the ongoing efforts to overhaul the nation's health system.

19 Oct 2009

More details emerging on health reform's proposed changes to Medicare

The Dallas Morning News reports on some of health reform's proposed changes to Medicare and local consumer reactions. "The 10.4 million beneficiaries with private insurers' Medicare Advantage plans will still get coverage at least comparable to regular Medicare, but some will see fewer extra benefits or higher out-of-pocket costs. For most of Medicare's 45 million beneficiaries, an overhaul will improve coverage by beefing up drug benefits, preserving access to physicians, paying for more preventive care and putting Medicare on firmer financial footing."

19 Oct 2009

Medicare News and Research

By protecting doctors' Medicare pay, lawmakers look to keep health reform tab low

Eclipsys supports healthcare providers to meet the goal of ARRA

Pfizer announces fiscal 2009 third-quarter results

Meeting to discuss latest information on anti-aging medicine and euthanasia

First Edition: October 20, 2009

Unitedhealth announces third quarter results; reports growth in revenues and net earnings

Conference to discuss the pent-up demand for home based eldercare personal robots

Pharmacy services still in demand despite recession

Aspect Medical Systems to present a complete family of BIS monitoring technologies at ASA meeting

Two high blood pressure medicines effective in treating stable ischemic heart disease

CMS requested for coverage of two FDG PET scans during the initial treatment

Unemployment for people with disabilities has reached its highest rate since January, says study

Congress should spell out how to pay for the changes if physician reimbursement rates in Medicare are raised

Senate postpones vote on Medicare 'doc fix'

The CBO's educated guesses make or break reform bills

Medicare officials back away from hard line stance on insurers' warning letters

Lawmakers struggle to balance interests as sweeping health legislation negotiations proceed

Baucus: Public insurance option 'alive' in Senate negotiations

Even with budget concerns, lawmakers fight for rural hospitals

More details emerging on health reform's proposed changes to Medicare

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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