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HPIC announces new project to build Afghan healthcare system

Health Partners International of Canada (HPIC) and the Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, unveil a 5-year project to build the capacity of the Afghan healthcare system in the area of pharmaceutical management and to provide people in Afghanistan with $25 million in life-saving pharmaceuticals and medical supplies.

30 Nov 2010

GAVI says pentavalent vaccine price to fall, but $3.7B still needed to vaccinate children in developing countries

The average price of a vaccine that protects children against five diseases is expected to "drop to $2.58 next year compared to the current average price of $2.97," the GAVI Alliance said Friday, Reuters reports. The group credits the expected price decline, which "represents a decrease of 30 percent over the last seven years," in part to an "increased demand for the pentavalent, or five-in-one vaccine," according to the news service (Kelland, 11/26).

30 Nov 2010

Haiti requires additional trained nurses, doctors to address cholera epidemic, U.N. official says

Haiti needs about 1,000 additional trained nurses and at least 100 more physicians to control the cholera epidemic, Valerie Amos, the U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said during a recent visit to the capital of Port-au-Prince, Reuters reports.

30 Nov 2010

Support elusive for debt panel as Wednesday deadline nears

The chairmen of a bipartisan panel appointed by President Barack Obama are altering an early draft of recommendations to reduce the nation's debt, in hopes of attracting broader support, The Wall Street Journal reports. Democrat Erskine Bowles and Republican (former) Sen. Alan Simpson "need 14 of the 18 members of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform to support their proposal in order to issue a formal recommendation, which could then be voted on by Congress before the end of the year.

30 Nov 2010

Medicare advantage enrollees will see more changes to plans

Medicare Advantage enrollees should make a habit of evaluating their options each year. Though experts say that beneficiaries won't be seeing a lot of changes this time and what changes there are will mostly be for the better it is a good idea for people to go through this annual drill before enrollment ends Dec. 31, just to make sure their plan choice remains a good one.

30 Nov 2010

Tricare may raise fees; VA Medical Center uses telemedicine to trim costs

"Of nearly 4.5 million military retirees and their families, about three-quarters are estimated to have access to health insurance through a civilian employer or group. But more than two million of them stay on Tricare," the military's lifetime health insurance program, The New York Times reports. Enrollment in Tricare, which costs less than what many private employers ask for in premiums, is expected to grow "as the costs of private health care continue to climb."

29 Nov 2010

Majority of African nations to miss MDG target on water, sanitation, UNEP says

The majority of African nations will fail to meet the U.N. Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets related to water and sanitation, the U.N. Environment Program (UNEP) said Friday, Agence France-Presse reports.

29 Nov 2010

Groups sharpen distinctions on health reform repeal as court cases continue

With Republicans set to take control of Ohio and the U.S. House of Representatives, patient advocates say they are worried about the future of health-care reform.

29 Nov 2010

GlobalNet Services awarded $6.2M contract to support Agency Wide Business Objects Support project

GlobalNet Services, Inc., a premier information technology provider for businesses and the Federal government, today announced that it was awarded a $6.2 million contract to support the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Agency Wide Business Objects Support (AWBOS). Under this five-year contract, which includes one base year and four option years, GlobalNet Services will support an Agency-wide SAP Business Objects implementation to report, manage and maintain public health information.

29 Nov 2010

State lawmakers consider Medicaid changes

The Houston Chronicle: "Some Republicans who talk about Texas potentially opting out of Medicaid are quick to say the changes wouldn't throw people out on the street — but not House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jim Pitts." Pitts didn't advocate the Medicaid change but "gave a stark answer when an audience member asked about an ill friend who is on Medicaid."

29 Nov 2010

MEDRAD launches VirtualCARE solution for Intego PET Infusion System

MEDRAD, Inc. a business of Bayer HealthCare, today announces the U.S. launch of VirtualCARE®, for the MEDRAD Intego™ PET Infusion System. VirtualCARE is a technology platform that allows MEDRAD to remotely support maintenance and system updates securely over the internet.

29 Nov 2010

ACO's raise hope but also questions

The Wall Street Journal: "Spurred by incentives in the federal health-overhaul law, hospitals and doctors around the country are beginning to create new entities that aim to provide more efficient health care," called ACO's. "But these efforts are already raising questions about whether they can truly save money, or if they might actually drive costs higher. In Arizona, Tucson Medical Center is forming a company that the hospital will own jointly with local physicians' practices.

29 Nov 2010

KHN column: Replace the tattered Medicaid long-term care safety net

In his latest Kaiser Health News column, Howard Gleckman writes: "Medicaid, the state-federal health program that also pays for nearly half of all long-term care services for the frail elderly and younger people with disabilities, is in big trouble" (11/29).

29 Nov 2010

Political cartoon: 'Attack Dog or Lapdog?'

Kaiser Health News provides a fresh take on health policy developments with "Attack Dog Or Lapdog?" by Monte Wolverton.

29 Nov 2010

IMRISneuro sold to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center

IMRIS Inc. today announced the sale of IMRISneuro to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center ("DHMC") in Lebanon, New Hampshire.

29 Nov 2010

DR Systems ranked leading PACS vendor for large hospitals

DR Systems, one of the most respected names in healthcare information systems, has been recognized by KLAS as the leading PACS vendor for large hospitals.

29 Nov 2010

Nuance releases PowerScribe 360 radiology reporting and communications platform

Nuance Communications, Inc. today announced PowerScribe 360, an advanced radiology reporting and communications platform that combines the best capabilities of PowerScribe and RadWhere into a unified solution. PowerScribe 360 was designed based on feedback and the extensive experience from Nuance's growing list of radiology customers, which today accounts for more than one third of all radiologists in the United States.

29 Nov 2010

DICOM Grid releases ImageCare scalable cloud computing platform for medical imaging management

DICOM Grid, provider of a cloud-based platform for medical imaging management, today announced the general availability of DICOM Grid™ ImageCare™, the first secure, scalable cloud computing platform that makes searching, sharing and exchanging medical images as easy as using consumer web applications such as Google, Facebook and iTunes.

29 Nov 2010

Common, overprescribed drugs lead to election dopiness and immaturity

As Bill Maher, New York Magazine, the Washington Post and countless cable news and Internet sources have pointed out, the 2010 midterm campaigns and elections seem to have brought to light an American electorate capable of shocking illogic, ignorance and even violence.

29 Nov 2010

Lilly selects Veeva CRM for global deployments

Veeva Systems announced today that its Veeva CRM® suite of applications has been chosen by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company for major global deployments.

29 Nov 2010