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CHI submits comments to FDA CDRH 510(k) Working Group Preliminary Report and Recommendations

California Healthcare Institute today submitted formal comments to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the Center for Devices and Radiological Health 510(k) Working Group Preliminary Report and Recommendations, which could transform the 510(k) regulatory process for new medical devices, greatly affecting innovation and public health in California. CHI is a non-profit public policy research organization, representing leading California academic institutions, biotechnology, medical device, diagnostics and pharmaceutical firms.

5 Oct 2010

New bill aims to promote federal agency collaboration on foreign aid, national security

House lawmakers recently introduced the 2010 Interagency National Security Professional Education, Administration and Development System Act in an effort to promote better "collaboration among federal agencies supporting security missions and foreign aid operations overseas," Government Executive reports.

5 Oct 2010

Media examines PEPFAR hearing, calls for more HIV funding ahead of Global Fund replenishment meeting

Ahead of the replenishment meeting for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which kicks off today in New York, Inter Press Service examines the Obama administration's HIV/AIDS funding commitments.

5 Oct 2010

African leaders to meet in Zambia to discuss country responses to HIV/AIDS

Later this month, "[f]our former heads of state and other high-level African leaders who are the champions for a HIV/AIDS-free generation project" will travel to Zambia at the request of Zambian President Rupiah Banda for a meeting to discuss ways to strengthen the HIV/AIDS response in Africa, Times of Zambia/allAfrica.com reports.

5 Oct 2010

U.S. Social Security Administration selects Accenture to implement emerging technology applications

The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) has selected Accenture as a prime contractor under the Information Technology Support Services Contract (ITSSC) that will be used to acquire a wide range of IT systems development and modernization services. The ITSSC includes a one-year base period plus six additional one-year options with an aggregate ceiling valued at $2.8 billion.

5 Oct 2010

AmeriCares, AstraZeneca enter commitment to expand breast cancer treatment in Cambodia

AmeriCares and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals have made a three-year commitment to expand early breast cancer detection and treatment in Cambodia in hopes of increasing survival rates.

5 Oct 2010

American Anesthesiology acquires Southeast Anesthesiology Consultants

American Anesthesiology, a subsidiary of MEDNAX, Inc., today announced the acquisition of Southeast Anesthesiology Consultants, P.A., a physician group practice that provides anesthesia care and pain management services at nine hospitals, 12 ambulatory surgery centers and 10 pain management centers principally located in the Charlotte, NC, metropolitan area.

5 Oct 2010

Delta Health introduces ClinicalVirtuoso solution to optimize homecare therapist

In response to the growing homecare and therapy markets, and the importance of "aging-in-place" as an alternative solution to institutionalized care, Delta Health Technologies, LLC today announced the introduction of ClinicalVirtuoso the first clinical solution developed to optimize the homecare therapist.

5 Oct 2010

Opinions: MDGs; Obama's development policy; PEPFAR in Uganda

In a SciDev.Net editorial, David Dickson, director of SciDev.Net, examines progress towards the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets, highlighting their usefulness as well as their shortcomings. "The value of the MDGs lies in the way they have acted as both a carrot and a stick to focus the efforts of both development agencies and governments of developing countries," according to Dickson, who writes that "the curse of the MDGs is that they focus on relatively short-term, concrete objectives, and lack sufficient 'buy-in' from the very countries they are intended to help.

5 Oct 2010

Healthcare system does not take girls with autism or ADHD symptoms seriously

When girls with symptoms of autism or ADHD seek professional medical help, their problems are often played down or misinterpreted, and there is a real risk that they will not get the help or support they need. As such, more training is needed in this area, particularly in the public sector, reveals a thesis from the University of Gothenburg.

4 Oct 2010

NY Times: DEA crackdown means delays for some patients in need of pain meds

The New York Times: Increased scrutiny by the Drug Enforcement Administration may be causing painful delays for patients who need narcotic drugs. "Roland Lorenz has surgical screws in his back and neck and a pin in his upper leg, and when his pain reared up one recent weekend, he knew he needed something strong.

4 Oct 2010

Health law's insurance plans for pre-existing conditions are slow to enroll; 3M to drop early retiree coverage

The Associated Press: "It's a centerpiece of President Barack Obama's health care remake, a lifeline available right now to vulnerable people whose medical problems have made them uninsurable. But the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan started this summer isn't living up to expectations. Enrollment lags in many parts of the country. People who could benefit may not be able to afford the premiums. Some state officials who run their own "high-risk pools" have pointed out potential problems" (Alonso-Zaldivar, 10/3).

4 Oct 2010

Seniors face new choices with approach of first open enrollment since health overhaul

Provisions of the health overhaul will reshape many aspects of the Medicare program, but in the meantime, have left consumers in a state of confusion.

4 Oct 2010

Reports find disparities of care based on insurance coverage, race

HealthDay/Yahoo: Coverage and race can mean better or worse care for cancer patients, a series of studies has found. "The reports, documenting financial and racial factors that impact diagnosis, treatment and survival, were scheduled for presentation this weekend at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Miami.

4 Oct 2010

Brothers lead charge for electronic medical records push, but find barriers

The New York Times reports on the Doerr brothers, one a venture capitalist and the other a physicianr and software designer, who are leading the charge to push doctors to use electronic medical records. "It seems straightforward. Just combine technology skills with investment money, and then develop innovative products. But to date, the push for a digital revolution in doctors' offices has brought mostly frustration for the many companies big and small that are trying to conquer the field.

4 Oct 2010

Drug companies accused of skirting requirement to submit prices

Drug makers frequently ignore a federal requirement that they submit "pricing data needed to calculate discounts on medications prescribed for poor people under Medicaid, federal investigators say in a new report," The New York Times reports.

4 Oct 2010

Today's OpEds: Orszag's latest health column, the MLR and parables

Improving the quality of health care and reducing its cost will require that doctors make many changes — but working weekends and consenting to quality management are two clear ones (Peter Orszag, 10/3).

4 Oct 2010

FDA announces dates for public hearing on Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has scheduled a two-day public hearing on Nov. 2-3, 2010, on the implementation of the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation (BPCI) Act of 2009. The hearing will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the FDA's White Oak Campus, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Building 31, room 1503, in Silver Spring, Md.

4 Oct 2010

GlobalNet Services awarded $14M contract to support FDA Unified Registration and Listing System

GlobalNet Services, Inc., a premier information technology provider for businesses and the Federal government, today announced that it had been awarded a $14 million contract to support the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Unified Registration and Listing System (FURLS). This five-year contract, which includes one base year and four option years, supports federal initiatives that require all facilities, which manufacture, process or hold FDA-regulated products to be registered with the Agency.

4 Oct 2010

GSA awards Vision-Sciences FSS Contract for flexible endoscopy solutions

Vision-Sciences, Inc. announced today that it has been awarded a Federal Supply Schedule ("FSS") Contract from the General Services Administration ("GSA") for its flexible endoscopy product lines. The contract period is from October 15, 2010 – October 14, 2015. This GSA contract enables access to the company's technology for all federal healthcare facilities, including the Veterans Administration, Indian Health Service, and Department of Defense facilities.

4 Oct 2010

Healthcare News

CHI submits comments to FDA CDRH 510(k) Working Group Preliminary Report and Recommendations

New bill aims to promote federal agency collaboration on foreign aid, national security

Media examines PEPFAR hearing, calls for more HIV funding ahead of Global Fund replenishment meeting

African leaders to meet in Zambia to discuss country responses to HIV/AIDS

U.S. Social Security Administration selects Accenture to implement emerging technology applications

AmeriCares, AstraZeneca enter commitment to expand breast cancer treatment in Cambodia

American Anesthesiology acquires Southeast Anesthesiology Consultants

Delta Health introduces ClinicalVirtuoso solution to optimize homecare therapist

Opinions: MDGs; Obama's development policy; PEPFAR in Uganda

Healthcare system does not take girls with autism or ADHD symptoms seriously

NY Times: DEA crackdown means delays for some patients in need of pain meds

Health law's insurance plans for pre-existing conditions are slow to enroll; 3M to drop early retiree coverage

Seniors face new choices with approach of first open enrollment since health overhaul

Reports find disparities of care based on insurance coverage, race

Brothers lead charge for electronic medical records push, but find barriers

Drug companies accused of skirting requirement to submit prices

Today's OpEds: Orszag's latest health column, the MLR and parables

FDA announces dates for public hearing on Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009

GlobalNet Services awarded $14M contract to support FDA Unified Registration and Listing System

GSA awards Vision-Sciences FSS Contract for flexible endoscopy solutions

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

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