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AST urges Senate Finance Committee to adopt a health care provision for transplant drug extension

As the Senate Finance Committee prepares to vote on the amended health care reform package, members of the American Society of Transplantation (AST) arrived on Capitol Hill armed with a letter encouraging the Senate to adopt a health care provision that will extend Medicare's coverage of post-transplant drugs, which are critical to maintaining the health of the transplant patient. Immunosuppressive drugs are currently covered for a period of 36 months.

9 Oct 2009

Uvopalatopharyngoplasty surgery is effective for treating sleep apnea disorder

According to research recently published by an Oregon Health & Science University scientist, a form of surgery called uvopalatopharyngoplasty is effective for treating certain patients who suffer from sleep apnea, one of the most common sleep disorders.

9 Oct 2009

Continuing education virtual lecture to help prevent fungal infections in HSCT recipients

Systemic fungal infections are a serious complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and are associated with significant mortality in HSCT recipients. It is critical for healthcare professionals to be aware of the risk factors for fungal infections in HSCT patients and apply optimal strategies for prevention and treatment in this population.

9 Oct 2009

Millions of people with HIV/AIDS lack access to lifesaving treatment, says AHF

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) today hailed the news that four million people from low and middle income countries living with HIV/AIDS were on lifesaving antiretroviral treatment in 2008, a 36% increase over 2007.

9 Oct 2009

CytoDyn to conduct a study on Cytolin at Massachusetts General Hospital

In response to new economic and regulatory realities, CytoDyn, Inc. has made a sea change in its strategy for developing Cytolin®, the Company’s unique immune therapy for treating HIV/AIDS.

9 Oct 2009

Speaker Pelosi issues statement on veterans' bills

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement this afternoon after House passage of two key veterans' bills: the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act and Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act.

9 Oct 2009

HealthHelp to provide radiation oncology management on national scale

With cancer’s incidence and treatment costs rising, HealthHelp has become the first company to provide radiation oncology management on a national scale. Approximately 4 million Humana patients in 46 states will benefit from this innovative new program.

9 Oct 2009

U.S. Chamber urges Congress to include medical liability reform in health care legislation

The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) this week launched a new national public awareness campaign calling on Congress to take notice of the majority of voters who support the inclusion of medical liability reform in health care legislation.

9 Oct 2009

CBO: Finance bill price tag estimated at $829 billion over 10 years; will reduce deficit by $81 billion

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey details the Congressional Budget Office's new cost estimate of the Senate Finance bill.

9 Oct 2009

Number of doses, delivery system and setting impact radiation price tag

When cancer spreads to the bone, radiation treatments can help relieve the pain caused by the tumor. But how best to deliver the radiation may vary widely from one oncologist to the next.

9 Oct 2009

New York Governor participates in roundtable discussion on stem cell research

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University hosted a roundtable discussion on stem cell research with New York Governor David A. Paterson today. Allen M. Spiegel, M.D., the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean of Einstein, and eight stem cell researchers discussed advances in medical therapies and treatments that Einstein scientists have been investigating since receiving more than $14 million in State funding for stem cell research.

9 Oct 2009

Physician shortage affects older Americans' access to basic care

As members of Congress debate what form a national health care plan should take, older Americans continue to suffer the consequences of a physician shortage that makes accessing basic care a struggle. Barriers to care could be greatly eased, however, by legislation that lifts restrictions preventing physician assistants (PAs) from treating Medicare patients.

9 Oct 2009

SCAN members in Maricopa County now have access to three local hospitals

SCAN Health Plan Arizona announced today that Scottsdale Healthcare joined the health plan's provider network, effective immediately.

9 Oct 2009

TargetEx to be the coordinator for CancerGrid consortium

TargetEx llc, Budapest announced today that the Research Directorate General of the Commission of the European Communities approved the transfer of the coordinator responsibilities of the European Cancer Research Consortium (CancerGrid) to TargetEx.

9 Oct 2009

Three minutes a day to improve posture and spinal health

Straighten Up Alberta, a free, public service program launched today by Alberta's chiropractors, is a quick, simple stretching program aimed at helping Albertans' improve their posture and spinal health in just three minutes a day.

9 Oct 2009

Generic medicines and mail-service pharmacies are viable options for reducing health care costs

Many consumers looking for ways to reduce their health care costs are taking potentially dangerous steps such as foregoing prescription drug medications altogether or skipping necessary refills, according to a new survey from Consumer Reports.

9 Oct 2009

Fight against obesity and heart disease gets new boost from public sector and industry

The battle against obesity, heart disease and other diet related health problems received a -4 Million boost today with the announcement of seven new research projects. The projects, taking place in universities and research institutes across the UK, are part of a partnership between two publicly-funded Research Councils and 15 companies.

9 Oct 2009

NIAID awards $60M for research contracts to discover new adjuvants

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded six new research contracts to discover and characterize novel adjuvants, substances that can be added to vaccines to enhance the protective immune response they induce.

9 Oct 2009

Senate Finance Committee could vote within days, still looking for White House guidance

The Senate Finance Committee could vote within days on the proposed health care reform bill, but members are still seeking to influence how the measure will be merged with version approved by the Senate Health Committee.

9 Oct 2009

New technique developed to assess individual's risk for type 1 diabetes

A sophisticated computational algorithm, applied to a large set of gene markers, has achieved greater accuracy than conventional methods in assessing individual risk for type 1 diabetes.

9 Oct 2009