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New $20M fund to support Haitian small-, medium-sized businesses announced after first Interim Haiti Reconstruction Committee meeting

Former President Bill Clinton along with Mexican telecom executive Carlos Slim and Frank Guistra, a Canadian "mining magnet," on Thursday announced "a $20 million fund to help support the expansion and creation of small- and medium-size Haitian businesses," the Miami Herald reports.

22 Jun 2010

FDA to hold workshop on medical device innovation to address unmet public health needs

Each day, medical devices from renal dialysis machines to implantable defibrillators help prevent, diagnose, treat, and monitor serious and life-threatening diseases. After taking years to develop, these devices then undergo a regulatory review process before entering the marketplace. It then takes even more time for them to be adopted into clinical practice and for patients to realize the benefits.

22 Jun 2010

Research article sheds light on liability concerns and electronic health records systems

Electronic health record systems likely will soon become a fixture in medical settings. Advocates claim they will reduce health care costs and improve medical outcomes, which could be critical since the new health care reform law increases access for millions of Americans. Although benefits of bringing information technology to health records can be substantial, EHR systems also give rise to increased liability risks for health care providers due to possible software or hardware problems or user errors.

22 Jun 2010

Report says G8 countries short $10B on $50B commitment, reveals mixed progress on health goals

An accountability report, prepared by officials in G8 member countries' foreign affairs departments, acknowledges that G8 "countries are $10 billion behind the five-year, $50-billion commitment they made at their 2005 summit in Scotland," the Canadian Press/CTV News reports (6/20).

22 Jun 2010

Lack of tracking of medical devices' performance raises questions about safety and efficacy

"Amid the booming use of artificial joints in the United States, the breakup between Dr. Berger and Zimmer highlights what experts say is a troubling situation for patients and doctors: when disputes arise about orthopedic implant safety, there are no independent referees or sources of information because no one tracks the performance of the devices.

22 Jun 2010

Star Scientific seeks FDA approval of Stonewall-BDL as "modified risk tobacco product"

Star Scientific, Inc. announced that on Friday, June 18 the company filed an application with the Food & Drug Administration for approval to market Stonewall-BDL™ as a "modified risk tobacco product" under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009. This is Star's second such application to the Tobacco Products Center of the FDA, which has been established to oversee all aspects of tobacco regulation outlined in the 2009 Act.

22 Jun 2010

Extenders bill in limbo, placing COBRA subsidy and Medicaid enhanced funding in even deeper jeopardy

Efforts to renew the COBRA subsidy extension to help workers who have been recently laid off afford to keep their former employer's health insurance remains in limbo as lawmakers work at a measured pace to extend unemployment benefits and a tax package.

22 Jun 2010

WHO issues comprehensive recommendations on children's medicines

The WHO on Friday issued "its first-ever guidance on how to use more than 240 essential medicines for children under 13," the Associated Press reports. "The data provide information on use, dosage and side effects of medicines as well as warnings about which children should not take them" and possible complications from interactions from drugs taken together, according to the WHO, the news service reports (6/19).

22 Jun 2010

Health leaders formally launch new strategy for polio eradication

Health leaders from around the world gathered on Friday to formally launch a new strategy for eradicating polio, Newsweek's "The Human Condition" blog reports in a post examining the challenges and successes health advocates face in attempting to wipe the virus out completely (Carmichael, 6/18).

22 Jun 2010

Exposure to BPA in early life may affect testis function into adulthood

Exposure to environmental levels of the industrial chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, in the womb and early life may cause long-lasting harm to testicular function, according to a new study conducted in animals. The results are being presented Monday at The Endocrine Society's 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego.

22 Jun 2010

Tentative deal raises cigarette taxes in NY; Many Iowa hospitals close inpatient psychiatric units

Harvard Medical School, which has suffered financially due in part to a sharp decline in Harvard University's legendary endowment, has successfully negotiated a deal in which Boston's major teaching hospitals will contribute $36 million to the school over three years. The hospital money is a small portion of the medical school's $580 million annual budget, but it may represent a larger turning point in the unusual relationship between the country's top medical school and its prestigious hospital partners.

22 Jun 2010

Louisiana becomes first state with a Democrat legislature to oppose requirement to purchase health insurance

Last Friday, June 18, 2010, Louisiana became the first state with a Democrat-controlled legislature to oppose a requirement to purchase health insurance—the centerpiece of President Barack Obama's health reform agenda. Louisiana House Bill 1474, which passed the Louisiana Senate with strong bipartisan support, will soon head to Gov. Bobby Jindal's desk. The measure is modeled after the American Legislative Exchange Council's Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act now introduced or announced in 42 states.

22 Jun 2010

Number of uninsured grew by 3 million in 2009; Health safety net continues to fray

Help from the new health law may not come soon enough for many Americans, according to a report.

22 Jun 2010

DeCare Dental introduces International Emergency Dental Program

DeCare Dental, a global dental benefit management company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri's parent company, is pleased to introduce the International Emergency Dental Program – a service that gives dental members and their covered dependents access to emergency dental care from credentialed dentists around the world.

22 Jun 2010

Cernostics, Geisinger announce personalized healthcare collaboration

Cernostics Inc., a biotechnology firm specializing in advanced cancer diagnostics, and Geisinger Health System, a $2.1 billion integrated health services organization, today announced a partnership in personalized healthcare. They will focus on developing diagnostic technologies to detect subtle differences in the cellular and molecular makeup of patient tissue samples. These technologies promise to more effectively predict disease progression and identify patients who are most likely to be receptive to specific cancer treatments.

22 Jun 2010

Hospitals shift business plans for waning economy, changing government policies

A sluggish economy, changing government regulation and court cases have prompted new business strategies at hospitals, according to news reports.

22 Jun 2010

People who purchase insurance on their own faced premium hike rates around 20 percent, survey finds

People who purchase health insurance on their own were faced with premium increases averaging 20 percent when they last sought to renew their coverage, according to a survey released Monday by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

22 Jun 2010

Diabetes disease management program helps Medicare patients reduce cost of medical care: Study

Medicare patients with diabetes and cardiovascular disease can significantly reduce both the cost of their medical care and rates of hospitalization by participating in a telephone-based diabetes disease management program, a new study finds. The authors will present their results Monday at The Endocrine Society's 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego.

22 Jun 2010

Walgreens will stay in Caremark's prescription network

Los Angeles Times: Walgreens and Caremark announced Friday "they had settled a dispute that threatened to prevent thousands of people from filling their prescriptions at Walgreens stores." Caremark runs CVS stores and pharmacies. "At issue: the way Caremark, one of the nation's biggest prescription-plan operators, prices discounts for prescriptions filled at Walgreens pharmacies, which often compete fiercely with nearby CVS stores nationwide.

22 Jun 2010

Health reform implementation: Risk pool nears enrollment date; Seniors anxious about Medicare changes; Benefits reportable

As high-risk insurance pools are preparing to enroll the chronically ill July 1, officials should heed the Florida experience. "Plagued by exorbitant medical costs and skimpy revenue, the Florida Comprehensive Health Association, by order of the Legislature, stopped accepting new enrollees in 1991, eight years after it was created." The pool once covered about 7,000 Florida residents; now only a few hundred remain as premiums are double the standard rate.

22 Jun 2010

Healthcare News

New $20M fund to support Haitian small-, medium-sized businesses announced after first Interim Haiti Reconstruction Committee meeting

FDA to hold workshop on medical device innovation to address unmet public health needs

Research article sheds light on liability concerns and electronic health records systems

Report says G8 countries short $10B on $50B commitment, reveals mixed progress on health goals

Lack of tracking of medical devices' performance raises questions about safety and efficacy

Star Scientific seeks FDA approval of Stonewall-BDL as "modified risk tobacco product"

Extenders bill in limbo, placing COBRA subsidy and Medicaid enhanced funding in even deeper jeopardy

WHO issues comprehensive recommendations on children's medicines

Health leaders formally launch new strategy for polio eradication

Exposure to BPA in early life may affect testis function into adulthood

Tentative deal raises cigarette taxes in NY; Many Iowa hospitals close inpatient psychiatric units

Louisiana becomes first state with a Democrat legislature to oppose requirement to purchase health insurance

Number of uninsured grew by 3 million in 2009; Health safety net continues to fray

DeCare Dental introduces International Emergency Dental Program

Cernostics, Geisinger announce personalized healthcare collaboration

Hospitals shift business plans for waning economy, changing government policies

People who purchase insurance on their own faced premium hike rates around 20 percent, survey finds

Diabetes disease management program helps Medicare patients reduce cost of medical care: Study

Walgreens will stay in Caremark's prescription network

Health reform implementation: Risk pool nears enrollment date; Seniors anxious about Medicare changes; Benefits reportable

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

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