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First Edition: October 22, 2010

Today's headlines detail the National Association of Insurance Commissioners vote on recommendations regarding a key provision of the health law.

22 Oct 2010

BIOCOM selects partneringONE platform for Global Life Science Partnering Conference

EBD Group, the leading partnering firm for the global life science industry, today announced that BIOCOM has selected partneringONE as the partnering platform for its inaugural Global Life Science Partnering Conference to be held February 22–24, 2011 at the Estancia Hotel and Spa in La Jolla, California. This conference is an exclusive global partnering and networking forum for senior executives and business development professionals of the life science industry.

22 Oct 2010

New technology could prove effective in mentoring general surgeons in remote locations

Telementoring may be an effective way for subspecialist surgeons to assist remotely located general surgeons in the care of patients in need of emergency subspecialty surgical procedures, according to new research findings published in the September issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

22 Oct 2010

Justice dept. pushes for services to move patients out of mental hospitals

A sweeping agreement this week between the Justice Department and the state of Georgia highlights an aggressive new campaign by the Obama administration to ensure that people with mental illness and developmental disabilities can get services in their communities and not be forced to live in institutions.

22 Oct 2010

PSST training helps mothers to cope with stress associated with child's disease

Mothers who have children diagnosed with cancer now have a better approach to address and cope with stresses associated with their child's disease. A new certified intervention has proven to be more effective long term compared to other psychological methods, as reported today at the 42nd Congress of the International Society of Pediatric Oncology.

22 Oct 2010

Health care fraud roundup: 30-year sentence for doctor upheld; KY. cracks down

An appeals court has upheld a 30-year prison term for a Medicare fraudster in Florida. Dr. Ana Alvarez-Jacinto, a Miami endocrinologist, was convicted of health care fraud and sentenced to 30 years behind bars.

22 Oct 2010

Nurses in health care facilities may perform better through harm reduction strategies: Researchers

University of Maryland School of Nursing researchers say nurses in hospitals and other health care facilities may perform better by following the lead of airlines, trucking, and nuclear plants, by limiting hours of service, ensuring prompt and definite breaks during shifts, and other scheduling strategies.

22 Oct 2010

Patients are under-informed about treatments; Home-based care gains popularity

A survey of more than 3,000 patients age 40 and older reveals that physicians often leave information out when they present treatment plans to patients, who "hear far more from doctors about the pros than cons of medications, tests and surgeries." Often, "physicians tend to offer opinions, not options, the researchers found, and rarely mention to patients that they can decide not to do anything," according to the study, which was funded by the Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making.

22 Oct 2010

Participants explore role of pediatric oncology nurses at APHON 34th Annual Convention

"While this is a topic most people - even nurses - avoid, it was a most informative presentation for me," said a participant in the session on "The Art of Pediatric Palliative Care Nursing" at the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses 34th Annual Convention, October 14-16, 2010, in Minneapolis, MN.

22 Oct 2010

American Academy takes measures to attract women to become orthopaedic surgeons

Only 3.9 percent of orthopaedic surgeons and 13.8 percent of orthopaedic residents are women, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. The academy is working to attract more women to the specialty by placing advertisements in medical student publications and sponsoring booths at medical student meetings.

22 Oct 2010

KHN column: Yeah, those emergency rooms are crowded

"Almost everyone understands that our emergency medical care system has real problems. Yet a surprising number of people, on many sides of the policy debate, wrongly view reducing emergency department use as a key measure of health reform's success" (10/21).

22 Oct 2010

Mount Sinai School of Medicine launches inner-city mental health program for children

Research has shown that nearly 40 percent of youth in low-income communities exhibit significant mental health needs - needs which remain largely unaddressed due to a myriad of barriers, including system-level obstacles, such as waiting lists, stigma related to seeking mental health care, poverty, family stress and competing priorities.

22 Oct 2010

Drug payment database spurs local reports

A database put together by ProPublica of drugmakers' payments to physicians for promoting their products is now spurring local inquiries and garnering some response from physicians.

22 Oct 2010

Stanford Hospital opens Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Clinic

The Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Clinic opening this month at Stanford Hospital will help advance a new generation of diagnostic techniques for earlier detection and improved management of cancer, heart disease and neurological disorders.

22 Oct 2010

New guidelines feature various key updates for stroke or TIA survivors

Treating metabolic syndrome and undergoing carotid angioplasty may prevent recurrent stroke or transient ischemic attack, according to revised American Heart Association/American Stroke Association guidelines.

22 Oct 2010

HFMA reviews 3M DRG Assurance Program using Peer Review Process

The Healthcare Financial Management Association recently reviewed the 3M DRG Assurance Program using the Peer Review Process. After undergoing the rigorous review, 3M DRG Assurance Program from 3M Health Information Systems has been granted the "Peer Reviewed by HFMA" designation.

22 Oct 2010

Canadian hospitals' contracts with consultants scrutinized

Cerberus Capital Management is poised to purchase Caritas Christi Health Care. This morning, at a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court hearing, Caritas and Cerberus face the final hurdle in an approval process that began in the spring.

22 Oct 2010

Electronic Medicaid data goes missing; New report says med-tech companies 'under siege'

"A computer flash drive containing the names, addresses, and personal health information of 280,000 people," primarily Medicaid recipients, "is missing - one of the largest recent security breaches of personal health data in the nation." The "security failure" involved nearly two-thirds of subscribers to the Philadelphia-based companies Keystone Mercy Health Plan and AmeriHealth Mercy Health Plan, and as of Tuesday, "there had been no reports of anyone trying to use the information stored on the drive."

22 Oct 2010

Health Plan One introduces web-based Medicare Quick Quotes Tool

Health Plan One, a general agent in the online health insurance market, has launched a new online product called the Medicare Quick Quotes Tool. This web-based tool helps insurance agents compare Medicare Supplement or Medicare Advantage plans more efficiently and effectively than in the past.

22 Oct 2010

Dems and GOP each find something to cheer about in health care polls; Justice Thomas' wife against law

An AP-GfK poll has found that the GOP is now leading Democrats on virtually every measure except health care and social security, which is split nearly evenly.

22 Oct 2010