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First Edition: February 24, 2012

Today's headlines include reports detailing what becomes of the deficit -- particularly at this time of rising Medicare costs for the aging population -- under the plans being advanced by the GOP presidential candidates.

24 Feb 2012

Biofund, Quintiles to expand clinical development services in Russia

Russian Venture Company Biofund, a Russian-based investment firm, and Quintiles, the world's leading biopharmaceutical services company, today announced a definitive agreement to support expansion of clinical development services within the Russian Federation, the world's ninth most populous country.

24 Feb 2012

Western Dental Services celebrates expansion into Northern California

Western Dental Services, Inc., celebrates its continuing expansion into Northern California with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, February 28th, at its newest office in Livermore.

24 Feb 2012

Calorie listings on fast-food chain restaurant menus do not benefit consumers

Calorie listings on fast-food chain restaurant menus might meet federal labeling requirements but don't do a good job of helping consumers trying to make healthy meal choices, a new Columbia University School of Nursing (CUSON) study reports.

24 Feb 2012

Bathtub refinishers may cause work-related death

The deaths of at least 13 workers who were refinishing bathtubs have been linked to a chemical used in products to strip surfaces of paint and other finishes.

24 Feb 2012

Saving Lives at Birth partnership launches second round grants

"Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development on Wednesday launched its second call for innovative prevention and treatment approaches for pregnant women and newborns in poor, hard-to-reach communities around the world," a USAID press release states.

24 Feb 2012

Supreme Court sends Calif. Medicaid case back to lower court

At issue was a federal appeals court ruling allowing patients and health care providers to sue over California's cuts in Medicaid payment rates. The high court sent the case back to the court in San Francisco to consider whether private parties or only the federal government can object to Medicaid reductions.

24 Feb 2012

Study looks at link between family members' behaviours and hoarders

People collect things all the time: books, newspapers, stamps. But when a casual hobby turns into an incessant need to hoard, it becomes a disorder that requires intervention. But how much of hoarders' behaviours are influenced by their loved ones? Ryerson researchers are investigating these relationships in a new study looking at the link between family members' behaviours and individuals who hoard.

24 Feb 2012

Curbing consequences of obesity takes personal responsibility

A recently released OECD report "spells out the toll obesity can take on one's health and on health care costs," Indianapolis Star reporter Barb Berggoetz writes in this Star opinion piece, adding, "Obese people die on average eight to 10 years sooner than people at normal weight."

24 Feb 2012

Vt., Okla. lawmakers mull creating health insurance exchanges

Lawmakers in Vermont and Oklahoma are the latest to grapple with creating a state health insurance exchange. In Vermont, the governor is defending his proposal for an exchange for small businesses while Oklahoma lawmakers are mulling creating their own so the federal government doesn't do it for them.

24 Feb 2012

Federal rules for HIT 'meaningful use' expected today

Federal health IT officials said Wednesday that the proposed rules for the second stage of the federal program to fund electronic health records will be released Thursday. Office of the National Coordinator Director Farzad Mostashari and other top officials made the announcement at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conference in Las Vegas to two ballrooms packed full of people who had hoped to see the details earlier this week.

24 Feb 2012

MGH Pathology Service selects Corista's Digital Image Management Platform

The Massachusetts General Hospital Pathology Service has chosen Corista's Digital Image Management Platform (DP3) to support its goal of providing clinical review of pathology cases with a digital platform. This new capability will allow MGH clinical experts to extend their reach to remote patients and their physicians for second opinions in real time.

24 Feb 2012

India lags in efforts to meet Millennium Development Goals

"India is lagging in its effort to reach United Nations goals to reduce poverty and improve health and sanitation, but has shown significant progress boosting education, treating AIDS and addressing environmental concerns," Noeleen Heyzer, executive secretary of the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, said last week, the New York Times' "India Ink" blog reports.

24 Feb 2012

New insurance coverage option may have negative effects on veteran's health care

While the Affordable Care Act will expand health insurance coverage for low-income persons through Medicaid and state health-insurance exchanges, including much-needed care for 1.8 million uninsured veterans in the U.S., the new insurance coverage option also may have a number of unintended negative effects on health care for veterans, said Kenneth W. Kizer, director of the Institute for Population Health Improvement at UC Davis Health System.

24 Feb 2012

CHAI official discusses Affordable Medicines Facility for Malaria

In this post in the Results for Development Institute's "Center for Global Health R&D Policy Assessment" blog, Project Director Jean Arkedis and Program Associate Edith Han interview Megumi Gordon, deputy director for malaria at the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), "to take an exclusive look into the Affordable Medicines Facility for Malaria (AMFm) and its innovative mechanism to increase access to antimalarials."

24 Feb 2012

BWH researchers publish findings that question reliability of new CMS quality measure

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have published findings that question the reliability of a new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) quality measure.

24 Feb 2012

Research!America shares findings about global health R&D in New Jersey

In this post in the Global Health Technologies Coalition's (GHTC) "Breakthroughs" blog, Mandy Goldberg, global health research and development (R&D) advocacy intern at Research!America, shares the organization's findings about the state of New Jersey from an analysis conducted in target states to measure the health and economic impact of global health R&D in the U.S.

24 Feb 2012

Draft national plan to fight Alzheimer's released

A framework for the plan was unveiled in January. This more fleshed-out version builds on that outline, makes treatment a top priority and focuses on the burden the disease places on families and caregivers.

24 Feb 2012

Feds award health exchange grants to 10 states

The Department of Health and Human Services is sending $229 million in exchange establishment grants to 10 states -- half of which are receiving this funding for a second time around. However, an Associated Press analysis found that progress among states in setting up these health insurance marketplaces remains uneven.

24 Feb 2012

Castlight Health named among Fast Company's annual Most Innovative Companies

Castlight Health, developer of a personalized health care shopping portal offering unbiased information about health care cost and quality, announced that it has been named one of the world's most innovative companies in 2012 by Fast Company. Fast Company listed Castlight Health fourth on its list of the top ten most innovative companies in the health care industry.

24 Feb 2012