Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles

H1N1 Influenza Pandemic Modelling For Public Health Action
Mathematical modelling can help inform public health policy in outbreaks such as the H1N1 pandemic, write members of the Pandemic Influenza Outbreak Research Modelling Team in Canada in a CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) article http://www.cmaj.ca/press/cmaj090885.pdf. These models are useful tools for simulating plausible scenarios, developing control strategies and identifying important areas for immediate research.

Senate Finance Committee To Discuss Public Plan Options; House Energy And Commerce Committee Discusses State, Regional Plans
The Senate Finance Committee on Thursday will meet to discuss the inclusion of a public insurance plan in its health care reform legislation, the Des Moines Register reports (Beaumont, Des Moines Register, 5/14). Supporters of the public plan say it would allow middle-income workers a choice between their employer coverage and coverage offered by the government. The insurance industry and Republican lawmakers oppose such a plan.The Finance Committee will consider a plan similar to Medicare but that would feature slightly higher reimbursement rates for providers. The plan would either be operated by the government or government-contracted private firms. Another option would allow each state to develop and oversee its own public coverage plan. The committee also will consider a proposal from Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) that would allow a new public plan to compete with private insurers by requiring that the public plan be financed by premiums rather than tax dollars, that it follow the same solvency rules that apply to private firms and that it keep a reserve fund to cover liabilities. Schumer"s plan also would allow doctors and hospitals the choice of participating. The public plan also would be required to follow the same consumer protection rules as private firms (Alonso-Zaldivar/Werner, AP/Contra Costa Times, 5/14). The panel also is expected to discuss employer or individual mandates (Edney, CongressDaily, 5/14).Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who has said he believes a public plan would eventually eliminate private insurance and force U.S. residents out of their employer-sponsored plans, said the committee meeting will reveal the likelihood of Republicans uniting against a public option. "We will have an idea how controversial it is and how strong people feel about it on both sides," Grassley said. He added, "I think before I would write it off completely, I would want to look at what those possible compromises are" (Des Moines Register, 5/14). House Energy and Commerce Committee
News of the day
First High-Definition Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) Technology Enhances Diagnostic Procedures
Physicians can now provide potentially safer and more accurate diagnostic procedures with the first and only high-definition endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) needle technology. Cook Medical, the only full-line supplier of endoscopic medical devices, has designed a complete line of high-definition EUS biopsy needles that are up to three-times brighter than others on the market. With the addition of the 19 and 25 gage EchoTip® Ultra with High Definition Fine Needle Aspiration (HDFNA™) needles, the EchoTip Ultra HDFNA represents the next level of precision in EUS, an essential diagnostic tool that yields more accurate images of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract than traditional ultrasound and provides minimally invasive access to areas that are traditionally difficult to reach.
Nutrition

Hatwig Receives American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Award Of Excellence

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) today honored Christopher A. Hatwig, M.S., FASHP, with the ASHP Board of Directors Award of Excellence for his work to help safety net hospitals provide safe and cost-effective drug therapy to low-income and uninsured patients. Hatwig, vice president of Apexus in Irving, Texas, received the award during ASHP"s Summer Meeting in Rosemont, Ill. Apexus is responsible for managing the Health Res and Services Administration"s (HRSA) 340B Prime Vendor Program. Mr. Hatwig works closely with HRSA"s Office of Pharmacy Affairs and the Pharmacy Services Support Center in Washington, D.C. to educate all stakeholders, and to improve the integrity and value of the 340B Drug Pricing Program for the nation"s safety-net providers. Under his leadership, the program generated savings of over $24 million or an average savings of 16 percent below the federal 340B ceiling price on its contracted products in 2008. Apexus is a wholly owned non-profit subsidiary of Provista Inc. Before joining Apexus, Hatwig was the director of ambulatory pharmacy services and value analysis programs at Parkland Health & Hospital System in Dallas where he practiced for 13 years. At Parkland he managed one of the nation"s largest and more progressive ambulatory pharmacy programs serving the low-income and uninsured. He was responsible for managing Parkland"s network of ambulatory pharmacies, which processed over two million prescriptions annually and operated with a drug expense budget of $65 million. "Mr. Hatwig"s work with the 340B program ensures that the most vulnerable patients in our country have access to the critical medications that they need and the expertise of pharmacists to guide their use," said Kevin J. Colgan, M.A., FASHP. "We are pleased to recognize his efforts with the Award of Excellence." Hatwig has made numerous presentations on the 340B drug pricing program, innovative ambulatory pharmacy services, and drug cost containment strategies. He has served as chair of the ASHP Council on Administrative Affairs and is a reviewer for the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy. He is also a member of the Texas Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy. Mr. Hatwig received his bachelor"s degree in pharmacy from the University of Arkansas and completed residencies in hospital pharmacy and hospital pharmacy administration at the University of Wisconsin, where he also received a master"s degree in hospital pharmacy. American Society of Health-System Pharmacists


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009