Medicine & Health articles from April 2003

Medicine & Health archives from April 2003

AWP laws are latest chink in ERISA Armor ... (ERISA).
April 7, 2003... States may require health plans to include in their networks any provider who wishes to join and is willing to accept the insurer's rules and payment rates, the United States Supreme Court unanimously held April 2 in Kentucky Association of...

... And Court has new test for savings clause. (ERISA).(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... The Court used Miller to alter its analytical framework for interpreting ERISA's savings clause, jettisoning guidelines borrowed from cases construing the McCarran-Ferguson Act. Henceforth, Scalia wrote, state laws should be deemed to "regulate...

House nixes comp plan; heart problems spook states. (Smallpox).
April 7, 2003... The House March 31 rejected a compensation package for health workers and so-called first responders injured by smallpox immunization after Democrats complained that the bill was too stingy. The legislation would have given up to $262,000...

Court OKs Michigan Medicaid Rx program. (Medicaid, Rx Drugs).(Michigan may obtain deep discounts from prescription-drug manufacturers for Medicaid, state programs)
April 7, 2003... Michigan may go forward with its effort to obtain deep discounts from prescription-drug manufacturers for Medicaid and other state programs, a Washington, D.C. federal trial court judge ruled March 28. The Pharmaceutical Research and...

Panel approves $15 billion for Global AIDS effort. (HIV/AIDS).(House Committee on International Relations approves funding to fight HIV/AIDS)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... On April 2, the House Committee on International Relations approved HR 1298, authorizing $15 billion over five years to fight the international HIV/ AIDS epidemic. Under the bill, up to $1 billion in 2004 could go to the Global Fund to Fight...

Most popular M+C plans to get two percent raise. (Medicare+Choice).(Medicare+Choice )(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... In 2004, managed care plans serving the majority of Medicare+Choice beneficiaries will again see only the minimum two percent increase guaranteed by federal law, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced in preliminary estimates...

Local governments are persons, too. (False Claims Act).(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... A local government is a "person" subject to whistleblower suits for treble damages under the False Claims Act, the United States Supreme Court unanimously ruled March 10. The Court said Cook County, Illinois, could be sued for making false...

Surprise! It's not your birthday--it's JCAHO. (In Other News).(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations announces that accredittaion surveys will be unannounced)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... * Surprise! It's Not Your Birthday--It's JCAHO. Beginning in January 2006, all regular accreditation surveys conducted by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations will be unannounced to facilities. "The new...

W&M leaders agree on consumer protections' opt-out framework. (In Other News).(House Ways and Means Committee)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... * W&M Leaders Agree On Consumer Protections' Opt-Out Framework. Individuals eligible for refundable health-care tax credits under the trade adjustment assistance program could waive federal consumer protections, but only if they live in one of...

Med Schools argue there's compelling case for ethnic diversity. (In Other News).(several medical groups file briefs involving the Supreme Court cases on racial preferences in college admissions)
April 7, 2003... * Med Schools Argue There's Compelling Case For Ethnic Diversity. The Association of American Medical Colleges, along with 29 other groups including the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the American Dental Education Association, and...

Medicare regulatory reform moves forward, but not unanimously. (In Other News).(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... * Medicare Regulatory Reform Moves Forward, But Not Unanimously. It's nice to know that even in the House Ways and Means Committee, occasionally a bill comes along that unites both parties. For instance, for two years Republicans and Democrats...

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (People).(hires Henry Barry, MD)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Henry Barry, MD, has joined the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for a six-month stay as AHRQ's American Academy of Family Physicians senior scholar in residence. Barry, an associate professor of family practice at Michigan State...

House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee. (People).(Bill Vaughan is now the director of government relations for Families USA)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Capitol Hill veteran Bill Vaughan, who spent well over three decades as a congressional aide, has returned to the Washington scene after a two-year sabbatical. Vaughan, most recently the top Democratic staffer for the House Ways and Means...

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. (People).(Mark Merritt joins the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Mark Merritt, who jumped from the American Association of Health Plans to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America last October, has leaped again. This time, he departs his PhRMA spot--where he was expected to develop a new...

Council of Ethical Organizations. (People).(hires Gary Thompson as senior vice president for corporate governance and regulatory affairs)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Gary Thompson, formerly of the office of counsel to the Health and Human Services Inspector General, has joined the Council of Ethical Organizations as senior vice president for corporate governance and regulatory affairs. Thompson has...

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. (People).(hires Laura Whitton as manager of government relations)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Laura Whitton is manager of government relations at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Most recently deputy director of intergovernmental affairs in the Chicago mayor's office, she spent four years as an aide for the House...

Baker, Donelson, Bearman & Caldwell. (People).(hires Seth Radus)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Former Department of Health and Human Services policy analyst and House Ways and Means Committee Democratic professional-staff member Seth Radus has joined the public-policy group in the Washington office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman & Caldwell....

Baker, Donelson. (People).(Ed Bryant joins Baker, Donelson)(Brief Article)
April 7, 2003... Former Rep. Ed Bryant (R-TN), defeated by ex-governor Lamar Alexander last year in a primary race for the Senate, also has joined Baker, Donelson. A former U.S. Attorney, Bryant was elected to the House in 1994.

Integrated care moves to center of Medicare debate.(lawmakers are showing interest in retooling Medicare to focus on integrating care for patients with chronic comobidities)
April 7, 2003... With analysts and advocates of many stripes hammering away at Congress on the problem of chronic ills in Medicare, lawmakers express growing interest in retooling the program to focus on integrating care for patients with several chronic...

Deal reached on smallpox vaccine payments. (Smallpox).(health workers who are permanently disabled by the smallpox vaccine could receive $50,000 a year in wage replacement, with no lifetime cap)
April 14, 2003... Health workers who are permanently disabled by the smallpox vaccine could receive $50,000 a year in wage replacement, with no lifetime cap, under a compensation framework agreed to April 10 by White House and congressional negotiators. The...

Congress desperately seeking ways to retool drug bills. (Medicare Drug Benefit).(prescription-drug legislation)
April 14, 2003... With the White House's 2003 Medicare prescription-drug proposal now in the mix, members of Congress are looking for ways to revise legislation they've developed over the last few years to incorporate more administration priorities. Five...

NGA medicaid panel mulling more than White House plan. (Medicaid).(the National Governors Association)
April 14, 2003... The ten-member governors' task force convened earlier this year by the National Governors Association hopes to come up with recommendations "in the next couple of months" and is considering a wide range of options, NGA Executive Director Ray...

Research reveals primate cloning obstacle. (Human Cloning).(scientists report that current techniques may make it impossible to produce a cloned human baby or any primate species)
April 14, 2003... With current techniques, it may be impossible to produce a cloned human baby, or indeed a cloned baby of any primate species, according to research by University of Pittsburgh scientists published April 10 in the journal Science. The results...

OIG cites concerns about FDA Rx review. (FDA).(the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General finds that FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research averaged only 19 months in 2001 to review new drug applications)
April 14, 2003... In response to the goals set forth by Congress in the Prescription Drug User Fee Act and its reauthorization, PDUFA II, the Food and Drug Administration has done a good job of shortening the time it takes to review new drug applications. But...

Mark-up cancellation surprises dems. (Vaccines).(Senator Judd Gregg cancels a mark-up of vaccine legislation)
April 14, 2003... Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH), chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, cancelled an April 9 mark-up of vaccine legislation just after it was scheduled to begin. Gregg's move surprised Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and other Democrats,...

Could state concerns be key to fate of Medicare Rx? (Dual Eligibles).(states want Medicare-elligible people with Medicaid to be moved to wholly to the federal government)
April 14, 2003... High on states' wish list for Congress is legislation to shift Medicaid costs for beneficiaries who also are eligible for Medicare wholly to the federal government and away from states, National Governors Association Executive Director Ray...

Budget negotiators reject Medicaid cuts. (In Other News).(Brief Article)
April 14, 2003... The fiscal year 2004 budget conferees did not adopt the $265 billion over ten years in entitlement cuts, including an estimated $92 billion cut in Medicaid, contained in the House budget. The House approved the conference report in the wee...

High court sends part of doc class action to arbitration. (In Other News).(the U.S. Supreme Court rules on a case involving physicians, PacifiCare, and United Health)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2003... Agreements many doctors signed with PacifiCare and United Health compel those physicians to pursue billing disputes with the companies through arbitration rather than in court, including the ongoing class-action suit that doctors have brought...

AHP legislation advances in House. (In Other News).(associated health plans)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2003... A House panel has approved legislation that would allow small businesses to band together to purchase health insurance through so-called association health plans. H.R. 660, which the Education and the Workforce Employer-Employee Relations...

Gallup sues Scully over alleged bullying. (In Other News).(Tom Scully)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2003... The Gallup Organization polling firm has filed suit against Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Tom Scully, alleging that Scully tried to bully one of its partners out of pursuing a complaint about CMS's handling of the...

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Deputy Administrator Ruben King-Shaw has left the agency. (People).(Brief Article)
April 14, 2003... Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Deputy Administrator Ruben King-Shaw has left the agency. King-Shaw, who recently has been detailed four days a week to the Department of the Treasury to help develop a health-insurance tax credit for...

Competitive Medicare has merits, won't save much, analysts say.
April 14, 2003... This is the first in a series of Perspectives examining the potential role of market competition in the Medicare program. The whys, hows, and what ifs of introducing to Medicare competition among health plans--and potentially among...

Drugmakers' fraud settlements biggest ever for Medicaid. (Medicaid Fraud).(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... Pharmaceutical manufacturers Bayer AG and GlaxoSmithKline will pay the federal government, all states except Arizona, and the District of Columbia the largest amount ever negotiated in a Medicaid fraud settlement. Bayer will pay well over $250...

Legislative office urges Florida to dump Pfizer Medicaid program. (Medicaid Drugs).
April 28, 2003... Saying it hasn't seen solid evidence of significant savings produced by disease-management and other services being provided to Florida Medicaid by pharmaceutical makers in lieu of deep drug discounts, the state legislature's Office of Program...

CDC proposes HIV-infected individuals as new focus ... (HIV/AIDS).(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... Some advocacy groups for HIV/AIDS patients say they applaud the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new effort to increase HIV testing but worry that the initiative will starve other needs, such as community-based prevention and...

... But advocates see threat to community-based programs. (HIV/AIDS).(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... The program's other components are these: increasing access to a new rapid HIV test in communities with high rates of infection; focusing prevention programs more on HIV-infected people rather than on the uninfected people who were the main...

Judge eases Philip Morris appeal; states pleased. (Tobacco Litigation).(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... Relieved state officials are $2.6 billion richer, thanks to Philip Morris USA and Illinois trial court judge Nichols Byron. Last month, Byron found that the company has deceived consumers about the dangers of "light" cigarettes and imposed...

Anemia drug dispute fills CMS mailbag. (Medicare Pass-Through).(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... Both Republicans and Democrats are criticizing the way the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services determines which outpatient drugs are eligible for extra payments designed to encourage the use of new technologies while their costs are...

New FDA-Red Cross agreement backed by fines. (Blood Safety).(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... Substantial fines await the American Red Cross if it does not live up to its latest promises to improve safety procedures in blood collection and handling. In the first year of an agreement with the Food and Drug Administration announced April...

Supplemental provides money for first responders, smallpox vaccination. (In Other News).(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... Supplemental Provides Money For First Responders, Smallpox Vaccination. The $79 billion fiscal year 2003 supplemental spending bill passed by Congress April 12 contains $2.23 billion in grants for first responders such as police, fire, and...

Is favoring older workers age discrimination? (In Other News).(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... Is Favoring Older Workers Age Discrimination? The U.S. Supreme Court said April 21 that it will decide whether workers who are at least 40 years of age, and thus among those Congress explicitly protected in the Age Discrimination in Employment...

Pharmacies lobby hill, PBMs respond. (In Other News).(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... Pharmacies Lobby Hill, PBMs Respond. What Medicare beneficiaries need is a comprehensive pharmaceutical benefit that includes not just drugs but also counseling by pharmacists on how to use those drugs effectively. What beneficiaries do not...

FDA approves better but more expensive stents. (In Other News).(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... FDA Approves Better But More Expensive Stents. The Food and Drug Administration April 24 gave its long-awaited approval to the first drug-eluting variety of stent, a device inserted in arteries to keep them unclogged after angioplasties. ...

"You open it, Tom." "No, you open it, John." (In Other News).
April 28, 2003... "You Open It, Tom." "No, You Open It, John." Senate Finance Committee chair Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has written a fourth letter regarding the government's tentative $880 million settlement with hospital chain HCA Inc., which he says "has been...

Bipartisan trio unites in effort for kids' mental health care. (In Other News).(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... Bipartisan Trio Unites In Effort For Kids' Mental Health Care. In a joint April 21 statement, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA), and Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) expressed outrage at General Accounting Office findings that, over...

Administration takes new step in reliance on private employers in health arena. (In Other News).(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... Administration Takes New Step In Reliance On Private Employers In Health Arena. The good news: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently got $4 million to quickly equip its new emergency operations center with high technology gear...

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (People).(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... The new deputy chief medical officer for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is William Sullivan, MD. Most recently, he was vice president for medical affairs for the Eastern Maine Medical Center.

National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. (People).(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... Donna Dean is the first deputy director of the new National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. She's been acting director since the institute's inception last year. She's a National Institutes of Health veteran, who's served as...

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. (People).(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... Randy Burkholder has left AdvaMed to join the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America as senior director of policy. He was AdvaMed's associate vice president for public affairs.

Southern Governors Association. (People).
April 28, 2003... Lee Stevens is legislative director for health and human services at the Southern Governors Association. Previously an analyst of federal health and human services matters for North Carolina Gov. Michael Easley (D) and former governor James...

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. (People).(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... Elizabeth Adams has been named national press secretary of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. She was executive director of NAMI's Kansas affiliate.

American Association of Health Plans. (People).(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... Joel Slackman is the new executive director for private-market issues at the American Association of Health Plans. His most recent post was as director of managed-care and government business for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

California HealthCare Foundation. (People).(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... Bob Rosenblatt, longtime Washington-based health-care correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, who retired from that job last year, now reports on health care and health policy for the Web site of the California HealthCare Foundation.

Food and Drug Administration Associate Commissioner for external relations Linda Skladany has left the agency due to an illness in her family. (People).(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... Food and Drug Administration Associate Commissioner for external relations Linda Skladany has left the agency due to an illness in her family. An official in both the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations, she worked for the lobbying...

Margaret Chesney is the first deputy director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. (People).(Brief Article)
April 28, 2003... Margaret Chesney is the first deputy director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. A researcher on the relationship between behavior and chronic illnesses, she was professor of...

Competitive Medicare: different models serve different goals. (Perspectives).
April 28, 2003... This is the second in a series of Perspectives examining the potential role of market competition in the Medicare program. The first was published April 14. Even among those who agree it's a good idea to base an overhauled Medicare on a...