MedWorm: Budgets

VIDEO: Lansley has PM's 'full support' on NHS

BBC News | Health | UK Edition — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:00:57 +0100

No 10 insists Andrew Lansley has David Cameron's "full support" over planned NHS changes, including giving GPs more control over budgets. (Source: BBC News | Health | UK Edition)

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Obama Plans To Combat Alzheimer's

Health News from Medical News Today — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:00:00 +0100

A statement released by The Obama Administration claims there are going to be new measures taken against battling Alzheimer's disease. One of these efforts includes a $50 million increase in the amount of money that will be used towards new, advanced research. Also, the administration says their Fiscal Year 2013 budget will increase by $80 million for Alzheimer's exploration. The announcement adds that a $26 million increase will be made in terms of provider education, public awareness, advances in data infrastructure, and care-giver support... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

House and Senate at Impasse on Medicare

NYT — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:36:22 +0100

Lawmakers in both parties say they want to give doctors a small increase in Medicare payments, but they cannot agree on how to pay for it. (Source: NYT)

House and Senate at Impasse on Medicare Payments to Doctors

NYT Health — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:37:18 +0100

Lawmakers in both parties say they want to give doctors a small increase in Medicare payments, but they cannot agree on how to pay for it. (Source: NYT Health)

Combined approach to global health has benefits

ScienceDaily Headlines — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:26:26 +0100

A new analysis demonstrates that confronting several diseases at once is a viable way to make the most of thinly stretched donor dollars and national health care budgets, and help save more lives. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)

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A Time for Unity

AIBS BioScience Editorials — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:27:54 +0100

Although the US public remains for the most part favorably disposed to scientists, politically inspired efforts to discredit some kinds of science continue and could gain traction during what is likely to be an angry election year. Researchers, especially those working in fields that do not seem to offer the near-term promise of profitable products, have good reason to be apprehensive about their funding. Budget anxieties are driving up pressure on legislators to enact substantial cuts, and the brinksmanship on Capitol Hill suggests that ill-considered measures could be enacted through political grandstanding. Researchers worried about the future of the research enterprise should make efforts to stay informed and be ready to argue for its importance whenever the opportunity arises. The Un...

White House Begins to Map Course toward Bio-Based Economy

Washington Watch — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:26:34 +0100

Politicians and pundits clogged the airwaves last year with rhetoric about the state of the nation's economy. Amid this noise, a few economic policy initiatives did begin to take shape. For instance, last fall, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued a request for comments on a draft policy to stimulate the bioeconomy. Scientists have long asserted that research is an investment that yields economic prosperity. A growing number of scientists and engineers have more recently advised that the biological sciences are poised to inspire transformative discoveries that can solve persistent problems while stimulating new economic opportunities. Indeed, in 2009, the National Research Council (NRC) released a 112-page report, A New Biology for the 21st Century: Ensuri...

Deaths higher in patients admitted at weekends

OnMedica Latest News — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Yet less patients die in hospital at the weekendRelated items from OnMedicaWaiting times peak as budgets are squeezedNHS finances in dire straits warn health leadersGPs say PCTs are slow to make decisionsNHS reliant on doctors working ‘goodwill’ hours'Ditch' private management consultants from the NHS (Source: OnMedica Latest News)

Combined approach to global health has benefits

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(University of California - San Francisco) A new analysis published this week in the open-access journal PLoS ONE demonstrates that confronting several diseases at once is a viable way to make the most of thinly stretched donor dollars and national health care budgets, and help save more lives. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

Despite Flat Budget, NIH’s TRND Program Tries to Spark Interest in Rare and Neglected Diseases

Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:59:50 +0100

With 14 approved programs in total, TRND has progressed two into clinical development. For the past two years NIH has been trying to double its funds for developing orphan drugs. But the FY 2012 budget offered more of the same, as in the same $24 million of annual funding set aside for NIH’s Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases (TRND) program since its creation in 2009. The institute had sought $50 million for TRND this year and last. (Source: Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy)

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Personal health budgets and NHS Continuing Healthcare

NeLM - News — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Source: Department of Health (DH) Area: News The Department has published a discussion paper which explores personal health budgets for people receiving NHS Continuing Healthcare. This is aimed at healthcare professionals who will have a specific role in this initiative or are considering the future implementation of personal health budgets. (Source: NeLM - News)

Judge blocks Medi-Cal rate cuts to providers

bizjournals.com Health Care:Physician Practices headlines — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:55:19 +0100

A federal judge has blocked California’s attempt to cut Medi-Cal rates to doctors, dentists, pharmacists and other Medi-Cal providers by 10 percent. U.S. District Court Judge Christina Snyder granted a preliminary injunction Tuesday that prohibits the state from implementing the cut, which is part of a budget fix adopted by the California Legislature last March. In twin rulings in December, the same judge tossed California’s 10 percent cuts in Medi-Cal fees to pharmacies and skilled nursing units inside hospitals... (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Physician Practices headlines)

Saving Medicaid: A Path to Comprehensive Medicaid Reform

The Heritage Foundation Papers: Health Care — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:47:00 +0100

The joint federal–state health program for the poor is fueling the federal entitlement crisis, bankrupting state budgets, and delivering substandard care to enrollees while crowding out private health insurance options for many (Source: The Heritage Foundation Papers: Health Care)

Why Meaningful Use and ICD-10 implementation projects aren’t working together

ICMCC: The International Council on Medical and Care Compunetics — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:35:13 +0100

Source: Carl Natale, ICD10 Watch Content: “There’s a way to soften the impact that ICD-10 implementation has on your budget. It involves working on ICD-10 and Meaningful Use compliance as the same project. That kind of packaging can save time and money. Plus the Meaningful Use incentives can help defer the costs.” Article Carl Natale, ICD10 Watch, 31 [...] (Source: ICMCC: The International Council on Medical and Care Compunetics)

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Phys Ed a 'Must' in Fighting Obesity [Op-Ed]

RWJF News Digest - Childhood Obesity — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:28:38 +0100

For budget cutting purposes, removing two full-time physical education teachers from the staff would save the school district approximately $140,000 next year, according to a front-page article in this newspaper by reporter Paul Schott last Friday. This is pennywise and pound foolish (no pun intended). As one physical education teacher, Joyce Evans of Coleytown Elementary School, put it at the meeting: "Physical education is a necessity, not a luxury, for the health and well-being of the whole child. It is an integral part of the educational process." (Source: RWJF News Digest - Childhood Obesity)

New Silica Rules Languish In Regulatory Black Hole

NPR Health and Science — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:01:00 +0100

Last year it looked like stricter controls would be put in place to limit workers' exposure to dangerous silica dust. But for almost a year, the proposed regulations have been stalled at the White House Office of Management and Budget. Worker safety advocates are growing frustrated, but industry stakeholders say current regulations are sufficient.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us (Source: NPR Health and Science)

Mental health services in the Arab world.

World Psychiatry — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Okasha A, Karam E, Okasha T Abstract This paper summarizes the current situation of mental health services in the Arab world. Out of 20 countries for which information is available, six do not have a mental health legislation and two do not have a mental health policy. Three countries (Lebanon, Kuwait and Bahrain) had in 2007 more than 30 psychiatric beds per 100,000 population, while two (Sudan and Somalia) had less than 5 per 100,000. The highest number of psychiatrists is found in Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait, while seven countries (Iraq, Libya, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen) have less than 0.5 psychiatrists for 100,000 population. The budget allowed for mental health as a percentage from the total health budget, in the few countries where information is availab...

'Doc Fix' Easily Covered by War Savings, Says CBO'Doc Fix' Easily Covered by War Savings, Says CBO

Medscape Today Headlines — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:18:18 +0100

Freezing Medicare rates through 2022 at current level would cost $316 billion, but military pullouts in Afghanistan and other countries will free up far more money, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)

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CBO Gives New Numbers on Health Spending

MedPage Today Public Health — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:02:56 +0100

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- Federal healthcare spending will more than double over the next decade, according to a projection released Tuesday by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). (Source: MedPage Today Public Health)

Futures Rise on EU Budget Pact; Pfizer and Exxon Mobil Earnings in Focus

Forbes.com Healthcare News — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:24:58 +0100

The Dow Jones industrial Average (DJIA) headed for a positive open this morning, as Wall Street cheers a euro-zone pact for tougher budget rules and progress on Greece's debt issues. Heading into the open, U.S. stock futures on the Dow Mini are trading about 53 points above fair value, while S&P 500 Index (SPX) futures are 5.5 points above fair value. Nasdaq Mini (NDX) futures are indicating a gain of about 8.4 points on the open. (Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News)

Military Proposes Budget Cuts, Protects Research Programs

Public Policy Reports — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:37:03 +0100

The Department of Defense has released a blueprint for how it would reduce its spending by $259 billion over the next five years. The reductions would bring the department’s budget in line with the spending caps mandated by last year’s deficit reduction agreement. At a press conference to announce the plan, the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff defended the proposal as a carefully crafted, balanced package. Secretary Panetta noted, “while some programs are eliminated or delayed, others are increased. The budget looks to re-shape the military to be more agile, quick and flexible that incorporates the lessons learned in 10 years of war.” The proposed budget for fiscal year (FY) 2013 would be one percent less than current spending; th...

Opportunity: Thank President Obama for Highlighting Science in the State of the Union

Public Policy Reports — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:37:03 +0100

On 24 January, President Obama delivered his third State of the Union address. In the speech, the President called on Congress to sustain investments in science: “Innovation also demands basic research. Today, the discoveries taking place in our federally-financed labs and universities could lead to new treatments that kill cancer cells but leave healthy ones untouched. New lightweight vests for cops and soldiers that can stop any bullet. Don’t gut these investments in our budget. Don’t let other countries win the race for the future. Support the same kind of research and innovation that led to the computer chip and the Internet; to new American jobs and new American industries.” Please write to President Obama today to thank him for highlighting the benefits of a...

Learn about the Political Highs and Lows for Science in 2011

Public Policy Reports — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:37:03 +0100

Now that 2011 is in the books, it is worth pausing briefly to consider some of the year’s notable science policy developments at the White House, in the Capitol, and across the nation. Among the highlights: Congress nearly shutdown the federal government in April by failing to reach a compromise on fiscal year 2011 spending. A last minute spending deal cut budgets for nearly all federal science programs. President Obama signed into law a reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act. Federal agencies developed policies to ensure scientific integrity. In July, a federal judge dismissed a case brought against the federal government that had previously halted federally funded research involving human embryonic stem cells. Dr. John C. Wingfield was named the new Assistant Director for N...

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Stem-cell agency faces budget dilemma

Nature — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Nature 482, 7383 (2012). http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/482015a Author: Erika Check Hayden The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine plans for a future without state support. (Source: Nature)

Cost-Saving Plan to Unify Military Medical Services on Hold

RWJF News Digest - Quality/Equality — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

An idea to unify the medical operations of the Army, Navy and Air Force that researchers say could save a half-billion dollars a year has been shelved at a time when the military is trying to cut nearly half a trillion dollars from its budget. (Source: RWJF News Digest - Quality/Equality)

Bariatric Surgery: Cost-Effectiveness and Budget Impact

Obesity Surgery — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:05:32 +0100

Abstract Bariatric surgery is to date the most effective treatment for morbid obesity and it has been proven to reduce obesity-related comorbidities and total mortality. As any medical treatment, bariatric surgery is costly and doubts about its affordability have been raised. On the other hand, bariatric surgery may reduce the direct and indirect costs of obesity and related comorbidities. The appreciation of the final balance between financial investments and savings is critical from a health economic perspective. In this paper, we try to provide a brief updated review of the most recent studies on the cost-efficacy of bariatric surgery, with particular emphasis on budget analysis. A brief overview of the economic costs of obesity will also be provided. The epidemic of ob...

The Florida Republican primary: a basket case of sick puppies | Carl Hiaasen

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:07:10 +0100

This article was first published by the Miami Herald, and is reproduced by permissionFloridaRepublican presidential nomination 2012RepublicansBarack ObamaNewt GingrichMitt RomneyUS politicsUnited StatesCubaFidel CastroNasaUS economyCarl Hiaasenguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)

'Unfair' funding will prompt CCGs to 'go it alone'

Management in Practice — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:33:00 +0100

Variations in commissioning budgets could prevent CCGs from working together to mediate risk (Source: Management in Practice)

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Research co-ordinator, Prostate Action

Society for Endocrinology — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0100

Prostate Action are seeking a research co-ordinator to manage the annual grant round and act as point of contact for all Prostate Action funded researchers. The main duties of the postholder will be to: plan and manage the annual grant round, including placing adverts, ensuring forms and the website are up to date and co-ordinating the scientific committee and peer review process; act as main point of contact for all Prostate Action grant holders, ensuring reports are received in a timely manner and payments are made accordingly; manage the training grants budget, including deciding with the CEO which small grants receive funding; work with the CEO on research conferences, including the Young Prostate Researchers group; and act as main scientific spokesperson for the charity with regard ...

Federal Budget 2012-2013: Supporting quality general practice for the future

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Media Releases — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:53:22 +0100

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is urging the Federal Government to provide more funding for general practice healthcare in the upcoming May Federal Budget to ensure communities receive the high quality care they deserve. (Source: Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Media Releases)

Earth's energy budget remained out of balance despite unusually low solar activity

EurekAlert! - Biology — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) A new NASA study underscores the fact that greenhouse gases generated by human activity -- not changes in solar activity -- are the primary force driving global warming. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)

Food stamp bills seek to restrict junk food

Los Angeles Times - Science — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:48:00 +0100

Florida legislation is the latest to prohibit shoppers from buying 'nonstaple, unhealthy foods' with federal aid. It's a trend driven by health concerns but also by tight budgets.Ronda Storms is a Republican state senator from Florida. She is also a mom who buys the groceries for her family of four. (Source: Los Angeles Times - Science)

The Business of Nurses Is Business

AORN Journal — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:56:37 +0100

In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), speaking to the Society of American Newspaper Editors, made the statement, “The business of America is business.”(p911) I have been reminded of that quotation numerous times over the years while sitting in the business meetings of AORN and other professional organizations. I am again reminded when thinking about the tremendous business and fiscal responsibilities of nurses in general and perioperative nurses in particular. These responsibilities relate not only to the multimillion dollar budget for staffing, supplies, and equipment in a perioperative nurse manager's department (or, increasingly, multiple departments) but also to individual staff nurse's responsibilities for the judicious use of resources (eg, suture, disposable devices, s...

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The Useless Class

Psychology Today Work Center — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:32:37 +0100

I like to ask alumni about their favorite "useless" class. Their responses never cease to amaze me, and confirm the truly unpredictable nature of careers and life. read more (Source: Psychology Today Work Center)

[Correspondence] Action to preserve WHO's core functions cannot wait for organisational reform

LANCET — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

While WHO undergoes a wide-ranging reform sparked by a US$300 million budget shortfall, the agency is facing an exodus of qualified staff that is affecting its ability to work. The Executive Board is due to meet on Jan 16 to agree long-term principles and priorities for the organisation; it must ensure, in particular, that core functions are accorded the priority they merit. Oxfam is especially concerned that inadequate funding will severely diminish the WHO Essential Medicines Department, which for more than three decades has had an indispensable role in enabling developing countries to access affordable medicines. (Source: LANCET)

Reforming Agricultural Nonpoint Pollution Policy in an Increasingly Budget-Constrained Environment

Environmental Science and Technology — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:20:34 +0100

Environmental Science & TechnologyDOI: 10.1021/es2020499 (Source: Environmental Science and Technology)

What Happens After CLASS?

Forbes.com Healthcare News — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:05:20 +0100

My best guess is that Congress will formally repeal the CLASS Act in 2012. Already abandoned by the Obama Administration, CLASS has no champion on Capitol Hill and is likely to fall victim to implacable Republican opposition and a lack of Democratic support. Thanks to technical budget rules, Congress can now kill the national, voluntary long-term care insurance program without adding to the deficit. (Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News)

Defense Secretary Panetta: FY 2013 Budget Request Protects Science and Technology Programs

Science Policy News - FYI - The American Institute of Physics — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:38:50 +0100

(Source: Science Policy News - FYI - The American Institute of Physics)

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[News & Analysis] Nuclear Physics: DOE Funding Crunch Threatens Future of Only U.S. Collider Still Running

Science: Current Issue — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:42:31 +0100

A $500 million upgrade planned for early next decade would enable the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider to answer a key puzzle about the proton itself—if RHIC doesn't fall victim to budget cuts.Author: Adrian Cho (Source: Science: Current Issue)

Watchdog seeks transparent budgets for NHS boards and bodies

BMA daily feed — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:49:00 +0100

Find out who is involved in the consultation on new standards (Source: BMA daily feed)

Branding academic publishers 'enemies of science' is offensive and wrong

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:26:40 +0100

Publishers have made more scientific research available to more readers at a lower unit cost than ever beforeWriting in these pages last week, Dr Mike Taylor used strong language to support his assertion that academic publishers have "drifted out of alignment" with science – language that demands a response.I won't comment on the multiple references to one significant publisher – which is just one of 2,000 active scholarly publishers, most of them learned societies – but it is unfair and wrong to characterise a progressive industry in these terms. These publishers are not anti-science, anti-publication, pouring scorn on new entrants to the industry, exploiting people with preventable diseases (are you serious?) or doing almost nothing to earn their "obscene profits".They are offended...

Regarding “Industry working with physicians through professional medical associations”

Journal of Vascular Surgery — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:25:16 +0100

We read with interest the excellent supplement on industry relations. Dalsing appropriately raises concerns about how professional medical associations, such as the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS), balance the benefits and risks of working with industry to provide member benefits. He suggests that 30% to 50% or more of most professional medical associations' operating budgets are supported by industry funding. (Source: Journal of Vascular Surgery)

Proposals for the design of the NHS Commissioning Board

NeLM - News — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Source: Department of Health (DH) Area: News This paper presents proposals for the organisational design of the NHS Commissioning Board (CB). The paper is due to be discussed at the NHS CB Board meeting on 2nd February 2012. The document sets out: . The context for the design process; . The recommended disposition of the Board's running costs budget; . Details of how the Board will operate through a matrix working approach . Detailed recommendations on the design of each of the Board's directorates, including the Sectors and Local Offices; . The key issues and risks associated with the design process; and . The next steps (Source: NeLM - News)

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NHS chief worries about savings 'short cuts'

FT.com - Drugs and Healthcare — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:42:12 +0100

Sir David stresses need to concentrate NHS services in fewer centres rather than hospitals cutting corners trying to deliver a full service on smaller budget (Source: FT.com - Drugs and Healthcare)

Saudi universities shrug off row over scientists' salaries

SciDev.Net — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:20:59 +0100

A 13 per cent hike in Saudi Arabia's higher education budget, has reignited a debate about university rankings. (Source: SciDev.Net)

Why Newt Gingrich's moon base will remain an impossible dream

Guardian Unlimited Science — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:19:15 +0100

This article was amended on 26th January. It originally stated that spending on NASA rose to 3.45% of America's GDP in the 1960s. This has been change to 3.45% of federal spending.The moonNasaSpaceNewt GingrichRepublican presidential nomination 2012RepublicansUS elections 2012US politicsFloridaAlok Jhaguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)

Nearly 95% Of Clinical Commissioning Groups Ready To Take On Commissioning Budgets In April, UK

Health News from Medical News Today — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0100

According to BMJ Careers, In April 2012, 94.2% of the emerging clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in England will be able to take on primary care trust commissioning budgets as they passed the strategic health authority (SHA) risk assessment of their configuration. Just 5.8% of groups were rated as "red" in a risk rating system that measures 4 areas relating to the size of the commissioning group, practice engagement, and shape, while 94.2% of groups were rated as "amber" or "green... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Flooding rated as worst climate change threat facing UK

Guardian Unlimited Science — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:01:00 +0100

This report says, for the first time, that not only are our homes and offices leaky, but that they will start to overheat in a warmer world," said Mallaburn. "We need a coherent strategy to sort out this mess. Let's hope that this report acts as a wake-up call."A website has been set up asking for the public's views on the national adaptation programme.Climate changeFloodingClimate changeEnvironmental sustainabilityWildlifeWaterForestsJuliette Jowitguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)

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Congress told to replace sequestration cuts with alternative to achieve responsible policies

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(American College of Physicians) Congress today was told to replace the $1.2 trillion in across-the-board sequestration-mandated budget cuts. The request was made by Virginia L. Hood, MBBS, MPH, FACP, president of the American College of Physicians, at today's annual State of the Nation's Health Care briefing. She declared that what is needed is an alternative framework to achieve fiscally and socially responsible policies to gain health care savings while preserving funding for critical programs. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

Minimizing Time to Market: Developing Consumer Health Products Under the US OTC Drug Monograph

Pharmaceutical Technology — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

With the tightening of R&D budgets and increased pressure from financial stakeholders, the pharmaceutical industry faces a great challenge in bringing profitable drug products to market both quickly and efficiently. By choosing to develop new and pat… (Source: Pharmaceutical Technology)

Funding for higher education in England for 2012-13: HEFCE grant letter from BIS

MEDEV News — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:50:00 +0100

The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Minister for Universities and Science have today confirmed funding allocations to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) for 2012-13 and the Government’s priorities for the Council for the coming year. The grant letter (note 1) confirms government funding and priorities for HEFCE and for higher education in a year when the new financial arrangements for higher education in England will be implemented. From 2012-13, universities and colleges will increasingly obtain their income for learning and teaching from publicly funded tuition fee loans. HEFCE's funding settlement reflects these new circumstances. The letter asks HEFCE to ensure a smooth transition to the new arrangements in the interests...

The Case For Investing in the IRS

Forbes.com Healthcare News — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:16:10 +0100

Most American taxpayers would not consider the IRS to be underfunded, let alone the IRS’s need for more resources to be the most serious problem they face. Given the growing “tax gap” (i.e., the amount of all unpaid tax liabilities), however, a persuasive case can be made that the government should invest more in the IRS’s budget. (Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News)

Heating of the Eye by a Retinal Prosthesis: Modeling, Cadaver and In Vivo Study

IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:46:08 +0100

In this study, temperatures were measured at multiple locations on the retina while the retina was heated in cadaver and in vivo preparations using a variety of prosthesis implantation sites. A finite element thermal model of the cat eye was also created and validated by the cadaver and in vivo tests, allowing for a much larger spectrum of thermal influences to be evaluated without additional animal experimentation. To ensure that retinal tissue temperatures are not increased by more than 2 °C, a 5 mm × 5 mm, suprachoroidally implanted heating element must not dissipate more than 135 mW (5.4 mW/mm $^2$). (Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering)

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Kids' Snacks Can Be Healthy and Inexpensive

MedlinePlus Health News — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0100

New study at YMCAs finds food combinations that satisfy budgets, nutrition guidelines Source: HealthDay Related MedlinePlus Page: Child Nutrition (Source: MedlinePlus Health News)

Almost 95% of CCGs passed SHA risk rating

Management in Practice — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:46:00 +0100

Almost all CCGs are ready to take over PCT commissioning budgets in April 2012 (Source: Management in Practice)

CBO: Medicare cost-savings demonstrations a bust

Modern Medicine — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Two decades of studies intended to reduce Medicare spending didn’t save much money, the Congressional Budget Office says. Learn more about the failed plans. (Source: Modern Medicine)

State Cuts to Anti-Smoking Programs Anger Health Groups

RWJF News Digest - Public Health — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Health groups are condemning the governorâs new budget plan for reducing efforts to control smoking, a move they claim will disproportionately hit low-income residents. (Source: RWJF News Digest - Public Health)

Business groups focus on saving DEQ budget

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:59:17 +0100

Business groups are rallying around the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality in advance of the legislative session, asking that lawmakers protect the department's budget from further cuts. Organizations, including the Oregon Environmental Council, Oregon Business Alliance, Northwest Environmental Business Council and Associated Oregon Industries and others, are rallying their members to tell legislators to leave the DEQ's budget alone in their wrangling. Read the complete story at Sustainable Business Oregon. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines)

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Pay for SGR repeal with war savings, say medical groups

theHeart.org — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:45:34 +0100

A letter to Rep Dave Camp from 110 medical societies admits that war savings from military pullbacks are a "budget gimmick" but says they could retire SGR debt, another budget gimmick. (Source: theHeart.org)

Pay for SGR Repeal With War Savings, Says Organized MedicinePay for SGR Repeal With War Savings, Says Organized Medicine

Medscape Today Headlines — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:16:52 +0100

A letter to from 110 medical societies admits that war savings from military pullbacks are a "budget gimmick," but says they could retire SGR debt, which they writers consider another budget gimmick. Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)

Doubts cast over size of topline public health budgets

HSJ — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:19:00 +0100

Warnings have already been sounded that the £2.2bn funding due to be ringfenced for councils to spend on public health will be insufficient for them to achieve better results than primary care trusts. (Source: HSJ)

Seasonal variation in time budgets and milk yield for Jersey, Friesland and crossbred cows raised in a pasture-based system

Tropical Animal Health and Production — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 07:26:56 +0100

Abstract The time budgets and daily milk yield of Jersey and Friesland cows and their crosses were compared in a pasture-based system by recording the time spent grazing, drinking, lying, standing and walking in four seasons of the year (cool–dry, hot–dry, hot–wet and post-rainy). Observations were made from 0800 to 1400 hours on seven cows per breed. Seven observers monitored the cows at 10-min intervals for 6 h using stop watches. Time spent standing was higher (P < 0.05) for Friesland compared to Jersey cows and the crossbred cows during the hot–wet season. Time spent walking differed among the three genotypes with the Jersey spending more time (P < 0.05) in both hot–wet and cool–dry seasons. No differences were noted on time spent lying dow...

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Structuring economic incentives to reduce emissions from deforestation within Indonesia [Sustainability Science]

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

We estimate and map the impacts that alternative national and subnational economic incentive structures for reducing emissions from deforestation (REDD+) in Indonesia would have had on greenhouse gas emissions and national and local revenue if they had been in place from 2000 to 2005. The impact of carbon payments on deforestation is calibrated econometrically from the pattern of observed deforestation and spatial variation in the benefits and costs of converting land to agriculture over that time period. We estimate that at an international carbon price of $10/tCO2e, a “mandatory incentive structure,” such as a cap-and-trade or symmetric tax-and-subsidy program, would have reduced emissions by 163–247 MtCO2e/y (20–31% below the without-REDD+ reference scenario), while generating a...

Kronos adds to its offerings with OptiLink

Healthcare IT News — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:09:21 +0100

Workforce management firm Kronos has acquired the assets of OptiLink from The Advisory Board Company in a cash transaction, Kronos announced on Friday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Tigard, Ore.-based OptiLink specializes in working with healthcare organizations to align staffing levels with patient needs rather than predetermined budgets. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News)

Diabetes has not been defeated | Barbara Young

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:12:38 +0100

Ninety years after the first use of insulin to treat diabetes, preventable complications and early deaths are a scandalImagine a medical condition with no known cause that mostly affects children and young adults. The only treatment is a starvation diet, but the disease will eventually kill everyone it touches, often within weeks or months of diagnosis.This was the situation for people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the early part of the 20th century. Today we celebrate the 90th anniversary of the scientific breakthrough that changed all that: on this day in 1922, insulin was first used to treat a patient with type 1 diabetes. This medical landmark has helped lift the death sentence that type 1 diabetes used to mean. Most people with the condition now live long and healthy lives.On this...

CCG budget allocations delayed until February

HSJ — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:07:00 +0100

The release of the first set of “shadow budgets” for clinical commissioning groups has been put back to February, HSJ has learnt. (Source: HSJ)

How CCGs can make savings in their prescription budget

HSJ — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0100

Providing GPs with the right support on prescribing can realistically deliver savings for CCGs in their prescription budgets that could make a significant dent in an annual NHS spend of £8bn a year, says Claire Forde. (Source: HSJ)

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Mental Health Weekly — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

AbstractN.Y. Budget Prompts MH Field to Focus on Community ReinvestmentSpecific Plans for Life After Vermont State Hospital Taking ShapeWellness Program for SMI Population Seeks Positive OutcomesSAMHSA: One in Five Experienced MI in the Past YearPhiladelphia Creative Initiative Pairs Peers With Homeless GroupsBriefly NotedState NewsResourcesComing up (Source: Mental Health Weekly)

Creation of a therapeutic digestive endoscopy suite in Senegal: renovation, training and university certification. Results of a Belgian–Senegalese inter-university project

Endoscopy — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Endoscopy 2012; 44: 177-185DOI: 10.1055/s-0031-1291584Therapeutic digestive endoscopy did not exist in sub-Saharan Africa before 2005. However, the prevalence of digestive diseases that could potentially benefit from basic endoscopic treatment is very high in this region. Portal hypertension with variceal bleeding and severe dysphagia associated with benign or malignant upper gastrointestinal tract diseases are prominent in these countries. The aim of the Project described in this report was to create a digestive endoscopy facility in Dakar (Senegal, West Africa), that would also provide local training in therapeutic endoscopy to doctors and nurses and facilitate regional autonomy with the opening of a University Certification in Gastroenterology. It took about 10 years to achieve these ...

Medicare Demo Projects Saved Little Money

MedPage Today State Required CME — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 03:13:11 +0100

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- Several demonstration projects aimed at saving the Medicare program money have yielded few positive results, according to a report from the Congressional Budget Office. (Source: MedPage Today State Required CME)

Mode tuning of photonic crystal nanocavities by photoinduced non-thermal oxidation

Applied Physics Letters — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 01:21:17 +0100

Francesca Intonti, Niccolo Caselli, Silvia Vignolini, Francesco Riboli, Santosh Kumar et al. A method to achieve photoinduced tuning of PhC nanocavity modes is discussed and implemented. It is based on light induced oxidation in air atmosphere with very low thermal budget which produces a local reduction of the GaAs membrane effective thickness and a large blueshift of the nanocavity modes. ... [Appl. Phys. Lett. 100, 033116 (2012)] published Fri Jan 20, 2012. (Source: Applied Physics Letters)

Capitol Hill Report: Budget Offsets Could Fix SGR for One Year—or Permanently

American Academy of Neurology — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 00:06:07 +0100

Fixing the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula remains a top issue as we inch closer to the March 1 deadline for congressional action to prevent a 27.4 percent cut in Medicare physician reimbursement. (Source: American Academy of Neurology)

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Trauma Systems at Risk: Funding Cuts Fray Strained Safety Net

Annals of Emergency Medicine — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:16:32 +0100

State legislators trying desperately to balance their budgets are targeting the nation's trauma system, already under severe financial pressure. In California, emergency services advocates managed to stave off a legislative budget committee's plan to divert the Maddy Fund, which has been providing millions of dollars in uncompensated care funding to trauma centers for the past 30 years. The budget panel wanted to move the dollars to the cash-strapped Medi-Cal program. (Source: Annals of Emergency Medicine)

Providers see value of HIEs, but most lack resources to deploy them

Healthcare IT News — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:03:27 +0100

A new study from healthcare management consulting firm Beacon Partners finds that many healthcare executives recognize the benefits of participating in a health information exchange, but lack an HIE budget. Nonetheless, nearly 70 percent of survey respondents are currently planning for an HIE, despite their perceptions of high start-up costs and other governance issues. [See also: HIEs offer ‘astronomical benefits’.] read more (Source: Healthcare IT News)

CCGs 'must be in control of 50% of budget by mid-2012'

Management in Practice — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:21:00 +0100

CCGs will need to take over at least 50% of the commissioning budget by mid-summer 2012 to achieve full authorisation (Source: Management in Practice)

Managers encouraged to blow whistle on colleagues in draft plans to regulate NHS leaders

HSJ — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:22:00 +0100

NHS leaders must blow the whistle on colleagues if necessary, understand the “limitations” of their roles and openly explain budget decisions, under draft standards to regulate the profession. (Source: HSJ)

Funding in 2012: “Great Recession” Starts to Bite

Cell — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Colin Macilwain. Biomedical research budgets are frozen or falling in developed countries. Can expansion in developing nations continue as economic contagion spreads? (Source: Cell)

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Most Medicare Demo Projects Fail to Raise Quality, Cut CostsMost Medicare Demo Projects Fail to Raise Quality, Cut Costs

Medscape Today Headlines — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:59:01 +0100

A new study from the Congressional Budget Office found that, for one thing, you cannot phone in quality. Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)

Arkansas Legislators to Examine Health, Human Services

Arkansas Business - Health Care — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:26:14 +0100

Arkansas lawmakers are expected to focus on a proposed $114 million increase in funding for Medicaid as they continue budget hearings for the legislative session. (Source: Arkansas Business - Health Care)

Globally Optimized Power Allocation in Multiple Sensor Fusion for Linear and Nonlinear Networks

IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:01:44 +0100

The present paper is concerned with a sensor network, where each sensor is modeled by either a linear or nonlinear sensing system. These sensors team up in observing either static or dynamic random targets and transmit their observations through noisy communication channels to a fusion center (FC) for locating/tracking the targets. Physically, the network is limited by energy resource. According to the available sum power budget, we develop a novel technique for power allocation to the sensor nodes that enables the FC produce the best linear estimate in terms of the mean square error (MSE). Regardless of whether the sensor measurements are linear or nonlinear, the targets are scalar or vectors, static or dynamic, the corresponding optimization problems are shown to be semidefinite programs...

Managers to fly in to run straggling CCGs' budgets

HSJ — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

The NHS Commissioning Board will not take on the budget responsibilities of clinical commissioning groups which fail to win full authorisation by April next year, HSJ has been told. (Source: HSJ)

Global news highlights

Injury Prevention — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Indians still waiting for anticollision devices on trains Twelve years ago, a railway in India developed an anticollision device (ACD) to help prevent train crashes. These devices have still not been installed in all trains in spite of successful trials. An ACD is designed to prevent head-on, side and rear-end collisions. It is believed that ‘more than 50% of railway collisions are caused by driver lapses’ who require this technical aid to preventing collisions. In the Railway Budget 2010, the then railway minister Mamata Banerjee announced these measures. ‘To make railways safer, anti-collision devices (ACD) and Train Protection Warning Systems (TPWS) are ... to be installed. Also, automatic fire and smoke detection systems were to be placed in long-distance trains.&rsqu...

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Pro/con debate: Are barrier precautions cost-effective in improving patient outcomes in the intensive care unit?

Critical Care — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

You are responsible for a large medical surgical ICU. Your hospital administration has been very focused on reducing rates of hospital-acquired infections particularly in the wake of increasing public attention. However, it is time for budget preparation and your financial officer is concerned about the escalating costs associated with patient isolation and barrier precautions/personal protective equipment. Having become aware of the high costs associated with these interventions, you start to wonder about the wisdom of spending so much in this area. Your hospital administration wants your direction on next year's expenditures. You are debating whether the expense is worthwhile and advise your hospital administration accordingly. (Source: Critical Care)

Crowd funding provides new source of research revenue

Physics Today News Picks — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Nature: As traditional funding sources, such as universities and research funding agencies, face budget cuts, some scientists are turning to “crowd funding,” raising money for research directly from the public. A number of websites, such as Kickstarter and FundaGeek, have already launched. The basic procedure is that researchers submit their project idea and its estimated cost. If accepted, the proposal is placed online and donors have a set amount of time to make a donation. Some sites provide services free of charge, while others take a cut of the money raised. Although questions have come up concerning the lack of a formal review process and the fact that some projects will be more popular than others and will therefore attract more funding, many scientists have said they we...

You Have The Money. Now What? Successful Strategies for Moving From Funding to Implementation (331) Research SIG

Journal of Pain and Symptom Management — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:24:50 +0100

Describe the challenges faced in moving from a grant application to funded project in terms of site coordination, budgets, personnel, and administration. (Source: Journal of Pain and Symptom Management)

Reynolds number effects on scale energy balance in wall turbulence

Physics of Fluids — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:04:40 +0100

Neelakantan Saikrishnan, Elisabetta De Angelis, Ellen K. Longmire, Ivan Marusic, Carlo M. Casciola et al. The scale energy budget utilizes a modified version of the classical Kolmogorov equation of wall turbulence to develop an evolution equation for the second order structure function [R. J. Hill, Exact second-order structure-function relationships, J. Fluid Mech. 468, 317 (2002)]. This methodology all ... [Phys. Fluids 24, 015101 (2012)] published Tue Jan 17, 2012. (Source: Physics of Fluids)

Head of NSF BIO Shares His Vision for the Directorate's Future

Public Policy Reports — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:12:42 +0100

The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) new assistant director of the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO), Dr. John Wingfield, recently shared his vision for BIO with the AIBS journal, BioScience. The interview, which appears in the January issue, explores future directions in biological research, the budget for the directorate, and public access to data. “[T]he organism in its environment is the ultimate frontier,” said Dr. Wingfield. “How we are going to understand the organism-environment interaction in a changing world is a huge challenge. Going from genomes to phenomes is one way; also, the other way, top-down, from phenome back to genome, is a useful way to look at it.” With respect to the recent change to an annual grant cycle in the Divisions o...

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Plan to Participate in the 2012 BESC Congressional Visits Day

Public Policy Reports — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:12:42 +0100

Each year, the Biological and Ecological Sciences Coalition (BESC), a group co-chaired by AIBS, hosts a Congressional Visits Day in Washington, DC. This event is an opportunity for scientists to meet with their members of Congress about the importance of federal support for biological research and education. Event participants advocate for federal investments in biological sciences at federal agencies, such as the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of Agriculture, among other federal agencies. This year’s event will be held on 28-29 March 2012 in Washington, DC. The first day of the event includes presentations on the federal budget and a communicating with policymakers tra...

Exercise on a Budget

About.com Eating Disorders — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

You don't have to spend a lot of money on fancy fitness equipment to lose weight and get in shape. Get some ideas for how to save money and exercise on a budget. (Source: About.com Eating Disorders)

Expansion in pre-K programs curtailed in recession

USATODAY.com Health — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:21:46 +0100

The expansion in public pre-K programs has slowed and even been reversed in some states as school districts cope with shrinking budgets. (Source: USATODAY.com Health)

Exploring the Temporal Aspects of Direct Payments

British Journal of Social Work — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

This article reports new empirical research which takes a longitudinal perspective about the use of direct payments. Study participants were interviewed three times between 2007 and 2009. The findings are organised into six themes: journeys in and out of direct payments; on-going contact with social services; changing service user circumstances; self-development and learning through time; impact of direct payments on families; and changing relationships. The findings show that direct payments recipients need support in understanding the long-term issues that might arise, as well as on-going monitoring and advice from knowledgeable practitioners as their situations, needs and capabilities change through time. On the basis of the evidence, suggestions are made to help boost take-up rates and...

VPM Job Opportunity.

Support for International Change : HIV AIDS — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:58:25 +0100

Volunteer Program Manager Job Description SIC seeks a dynamic and organized individual to take leadership of Tanzania-based volunteer programs in rural villages. This is an eight month position with possibility to extend. The position in based in Arusha, Tanzania, but may require a long term stay (eight to ten weeks) in Babati town. Responsibilities: The Responsibilities of the position are to: • Take overall responsibility for all Tanzania-based aspects of the development, planning, execution and evaluation of volunteer programs for International Volunteers and Tanzanians, including to • develop relationships with local leaders, teachers, and other nongovernmental organizations; • identify appropriate homestays; • ...

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VPM Job Opportunity

Support for International Change : HIV AIDS — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:58:25 +0100

Volunteer Program Manager Job Description: SIC seeks a dynamic and organized individual to take leadership of Tanzania-based volunteer programs in rural villages. This is an eight month position with possibility to extend. The position in based in Arusha, Tanzania, but may require a long term stay (eight to ten weeks) in Babati town. Responsibilities: • take overall responsibility for all Tanzania-based aspects of the development, planning, execution and evaluation of volunteer programs for international volunteers and Tanzanians, including to • develop relationships with local leaders, teachers, and other nongovernmental organizations • identify appropriate homestays • organize a ten day orientation seminar • ...

Academic publishers have become the enemies of science | Dr Mike Taylor

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:13:49 +0100

The US Research Works Act would allow publishers to line their pockets by locking publicly funded research behind paywallsThis is the moment academic publishers gave up all pretence of being on the side of scientists. Their rhetoric has traditionally been of partnering with scientists, but the truth is that for some time now scientific publishers have been anti-science and anti-publication. The Research Works Act, introduced in the US Congress on 16 December, amounts to a declaration of war by the publishers.The USA's main funding agency for health-related research is the National Institutes of Health, with a $30bn annual budget. The NIH has a public access policy that says taxpayer-funded research must be freely accessible online. This means that members of the public, having paid once to...

Securing the Supply Chain: Third-Party Contingency Planning for Clinical Trial Transport

Pharmaceutical Technology — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Are you certain that your logistics provider can effectively respond to the many unexpected occurrences that threaten to disrupt your carefully conceived budget and timetable? (Source: Pharmaceutical Technology)

The Default of Faultlines: The US Debt Ceiling, Creativity, and Performance

Psychology Today Work Center — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 22:02:34 +0100

The big news story all year has been about lack of agreement- our government appears paralyzed by a dysfunctional congress (as President Obama has called it) to come up with any solution to solve the US budget problem. We saw the drama play out earlier this year with the debt ceiling showdown and now with the payroll tax dilemma.read more (Source: Psychology Today Work Center)

Conserving Biodiversity Could Benefit the World's Poor

BioScience Press Releases — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 08:32:21 +0100

Land areas that are a priority for wildlife conservation provide relatively high levels of ecosystem services such as pollination, water purification, food production, and climate regulation, so safeguarding them is expected to benefit people. Assessing these benefits to populations in ways that are useful to decisionmakers who guide conservation efforts has, however, proved difficult. A global analysis published in the January 2012 issue of BioScience by Will R. Turner of Conservation International and his colleagues breaks new ground by analyzing the flow of benefits from ecosystem services under a variety of socioeconomic assumptions and in greater spatial detail than previous studies. The analysis, which divides the globe into more than 58,000 hexagons, finds that over half the global...

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Incorporating financial protection into decision rules for publicly financed healthcare treatments

Health Economics — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 04:08:50 +0100

ABSTRACTAlmost all health systems seek to offer some form of publicly financed healthcare insurance, and governments must therefore choose the size of the benefit package and the types of treatments to cover. Conventionally, the usual approach of economists has been to recommend choices on the basis of cost effectiveness of treatments, using metrics such as the ‘cost per quality adjusted life year’. However, this approach is based on the assumption of health maximization subject to a budget constraint and ignores the potential impact of any additional concern with protecting individuals from the financial consequences of a health shock. Furthermore, it does not take account of the possible availability of complementary privately funded health care. This paper develops a model in which ...

Budget Impact Analysis of Evidence Based Thyroidectomy

Journal of Surgical Research — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 22:28:54 +0100

(Source: Journal of Surgical Research)

[Viewpoint] What are the lessons from the USA for clinical commissioning groups in the English National Health Service?

LANCET — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

The UK coalition Government's plans to make groups of general practices responsible for commissioning health services have attracted much attention. Investigation of the experiences of other countries in which doctors control budgets could help the UK to understand how these plans might work. We visited the USA in March 2011 to learn how medical groups manage the budgets that they negotiate with health insurers and how they work with hospitals to control costs and improve outcomes. Our report describes what we learnt and identifies several lessons for the National Health Service (NHS), as the government's plans to establish clinical commissioning groups are taken forward. (Source: LANCET)

Brownback budget includes cuts for area institutions

bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:56:59 +0100

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback wants to cut the University of Kansas Medical Center’s appropriation and hopes to use increased casino revenue to help pay off state debt, according to the 429-page fiscal 2013 budget proposal he released Thursday. The proposed $14.14 billion budget would end with the required 7.5 percent balance. In his State of the State address, Brownback also proposed moving toward a flatter income tax, advocating cutting individual income tax rates and eliminating income tax credits, deductions and exemptions... (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines)

Uganda: Arua in Shs30 Million Shortfall for Health Centre Workers

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:01:19 +0100

Monitor (Kampala)-The health department in Arua Municipality is facing a budget shortfall of Shs30 million wage bill for the next financial year. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Beebe Budget: Extra $100 Million for Medicaid, $55 Million for Schools

Arkansas Business - Health Care — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:02:07 +0100

Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe said Thursday he will call for more than $100 million in additional funding for Medicaid and $55 million for public schools when he presents his balanced budget proposal next week. (Source: Arkansas Business - Health Care)

Website Designer Woes

Psychology Today Work Center — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:51:03 +0100

If I were the type of person who named my weeks, this past one would have been declared "Web Designer Week." I've been juggling the redesign of my own website, working with a web designer on the creation of a client's new small business website, and engaging in an ongoing debate with another client about the effectiveness (or lack thereof, in my humble opinion) of their web developer's abiread more (Source: Psychology Today Work Center)

Obstacle Emergence Risk and Road Patrol Policy

Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:11:41 +0100

The authors model the emergence processes of road obstacles, such as fallen objects on roads, the deformation and destruction of pavements, and the damage and destruction of road facilities, as counting processes. Especially, in order to take into account the heterogeneity of the emergence risk of a variety of road obstacles, the authors model a mixture Poisson process in which the arrival rate of road obstacles is subject to a probability distribution. In detail, the authors formulate a Poisson-Gamma model expressing the heterogeneity of the arrival rate as a Gamma distribution and formulate the management indicator of the emergence risk of road obstacles. Then, a methodology is developed in order to design a road patrol policy that can minimize the road obstacle risk with a limited amoun...

CBO Estimates Savings from Raising Medicare Eligibility Age

News stories via the Rural Assistance Center — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:00:00 +0100

AHA News Now article reports that raising the ages at which people can collect Medicare and Social Security would reduce federal spending and increase federal revenues by inducing some people to work longer, according to an analysisreleased yesterday by the Congressional Budget Office. (Source: News stories via the Rural Assistance Center)

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Exclusive: only half of CCGs will be ready - GP commissioning champion

HSJ — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0100

Only half of clinical commissioning groups will be given full permission to take on budgets by April 2013 – creating a two-tier NHS – one of the most senior leaders of the movement has predicted. (Source: HSJ)

Criticism as under pressure CQC reveals 14 per cent underspend

HSJ — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:55:00 +0100

The Care Quality Commission is set to underspend its 2011-12 budget by 14 per cent, the troubled regulator has revealed to HSJ. (Source: HSJ)

Training boards must 'resolve' financial conflicts of interest

HSJ — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:38:00 +0100

NHS organisations charged with both allocating and spending the NHS’s £5bn education budget will be “mostly” trusted to manage any “competing interests” themselves. (Source: HSJ)

In the United Kingdom, Pathology and Medical Laboratory Testing Face Tough Challenges as the NHS Implements Reforms and Budget Cuts

Dark Daily — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:00:24 +0100

Innovative pathology laboratory organizations in the UK and Europe will come together at the Frontiers in Laboratory Medicine (FiLM) conference on January 31-February 1, 2012 For decades, the pathology and medical laboratory service in the United Kingdom has been the envy of many developed nations. But times change and the National Health Service (NHS) finds [...] (Source: Dark Daily)

The impact of social policy on changes in professional practice within learning disability services: different standards for children and adults? A two-part examination: Part 2. professional services under the coalition: the trends continue apace

Journal of Intellectual Disabilities — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

This article, written one year into the Coalition government, argues that its policies – especially the large-scale reduction in public expenditure, but also the decline in support for inclusion of children in mainstream education, the rapid growth of academies, and proposals for the reorganization of the NHS – have exacerbated the trends identified earlier. In addition, local authorities, though outwardly compliant, have variously interpreted their responsibilities under the personalization agenda, in particular in relation to individual budgets, and this has resulted in assessments of need being based on ‘service hours’ rather than service quality and staff qualifications. (Source: Journal of Intellectual Disabilities)

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DH considers multi-year commissioning budgets

Management in Practice — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:15:00 +0100

Future Forum report claims "difficult" annual cycles may not reflect true value of plans (Source: Management in Practice)

USDA Closings Won’t Affect Food Safety, Vilsack Says

RWJF News Digest - Public Health — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

A U.S. Department of Agriculture plan to close 259 domestic offices as part of a $150 million budget-cutting measure will have “no impact whatsoever” on food safety, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. (Source: RWJF News Digest - Public Health)

Canadian province cuts university research money

Physics Today News Picks — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Toronto Star: The Ontario government has cut Can$42 million in university research grants from its budget in order to meet “current fiscal challenges.” The money would have been used to support research in such areas as clean technologies and the bio-economy. In addition, soon after winning the 6 October election, Premier Dalton McGuinty downsized his cabinet and folded the ministry of research and innovation into the ministry of economic development. “We are in an era now of prioritization and rationalization,” said Economic Development Minister Brad Duguid. Ironically, McGuinty has also launched a 30% tuition rebate, totaling Can$423 million, for community college and undergraduate university students. (Source: Physics Today News Picks)

Trusts rewarded with 'quality premium' under Future Forum plan

HSJ — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Trusts’ budgets will be top-sliced to fund a “quality premium” for organisations providing high quality training for NHS staff, under a proposal in a government-commissioned report. (Source: HSJ)

Future Forum: all commissioners should consider NHS and social care shared budgets

HSJ — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Commissioners should be able to override current payment rules and share budgets with local authorities in order to accelerate service integration, according to the NHS Future Forum. (Source: HSJ)

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Map the Meal Gap 2011: Highlights of Findings

Rural publications via the Rural Assistance Center — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:54:10 +0100

Serves as an executive summary of the Map the Meal Gap project. Outlines 2009 county-level food insecurity estimates by income categories and offers an estimate of the food budget shortfall that food insecure individuals report experiencing. Includes data comparisons by geographic region and by metropolitan, micropolitan, and nonmetropolitan areas. -- Feeding America (Source: Rural publications via the Rural Assistance Center)

2012 R&D Budget Down Slightly

AAAS — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:20:34 +0100

AAAS Analysis: 2012 R&D Gains for Basic Research, Energy, and Environment; Overall Investment Down Basic and applied research, plus energy and environmental research, get big gains in the 2012 U.S. budget, but overall R&D will decline by 1.3%, says a new AAAS analysis. (Source: AAAS)

Eating healthy on a budget

NaturalNews.com — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:00:00 +0100

Not everyone is able or ready to grow their own food yet. With food prices rising and the dollar shrinking, it's a good idea to know what to buy and where. The first thing to realize is eating solely for taste and eating out often are the wrong approaches. Allocating... (Source: NaturalNews.com)

The Affordable Care Act Lays The Groundwork For A National Diabetes Prevention And Treatment Strategy [Lifestyle Interventions]

Health Affairs — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

This article presents a three-part proposal: expand the Diabetes Prevention Program nationally; build care coordination through health teams into the traditional Medicare program; and use these teams to connect public health, prevention, and treatment. Enrollment in evidence-based lifestyle modification programs—specifically, those focused on excess weight—should be added as a covered benefit under Medicare with no cost sharing. Funding for the Medicare component could be provided through the budget of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. The proposal in its totality has the potential for improving health outcomes and reducing costs. (Source: Health Affairs)

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Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Weekly — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 00:53:04 +0100

AbstractHHS Gives States Flexibility in Implementing Health Care ReformCenter Sees Affiliation Responding to Managed Care, Client NeedsThe 10 Benefit CategoriesMore Reflections from Readers: Hopes and Fears for 2012The ‘Last’ House on the Block: Higher Power or Personal Power?SAMHSA's New Recovery Definition Applies to MI and SUDFY 2012 Budget Bill Includes Increases to SAPT Block GrantBriefly NotedComing up (Source: Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Weekly)

Plan to Participate in the 2012 BESC Congressional Visits Day

Public Policy Reports — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 01:39:32 +0100

[News & Analysis] U.S. Science: Research Remains a Favored Child in Budget Decisions

Science: This Week — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 23:51:54 +0100

One year after Republicans won control of the House of Representatives by promising to slash federal spending, the budgets of most research agencies have been left largely intact.Author: Jeffrey Mervis (Source: Science: This Week)

Massachusetts Health Plan Extended to Immigrants

NYT — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:27:20 +0100

A ruling by the state’s highest court said that a 2009 budget that dropped about 29,000 legal immigrants from Commonwealth Care violated the state Constitution. (Source: NYT)

Robust Allocation of a Defensive Budget Considering an Attacker's Private Information. - Nikoofal ME, Zhuang J.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:21:09 +0100

Attackers' private information is one of the main issues in defensive resource allocation games in homeland security. The outcome of a defense resource allocation decision critically depends on the accuracy of estimations about the attacker's attributes. H... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

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Maine faces $220 million Medicaid budget deficit

American Medical News - GOVERNMENT — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:00:39 +0100

The governor's proposal to reduce eligibility by 75,000 people requires federal approval. (Source: American Medical News - GOVERNMENT)

Sexual assault nurse examiners’ perceptions of funding challenges faced by SANE programs: “It stinks”

Journal of Forensic Nursing — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

AbstractEven though Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) programs began over 30 years ago, and there is currently greater awareness of sexual violence, the question regarding the financial security of SANE prgrams remains a contemporary concern. Data from interviews with 40 SANEs', many of whom were also directors, from programs located in four states indicated that lack of funding continues to present challenges. Most (72%) directors revealed that there are problems with funding. Directors voiced concerns about program sustainability, as well as the ability to provide education in the community and training and continuing education opportunities for SANEs. Even though funding of programs is not the responsibility of SANEs not serving as directors, approximately one‐third of regular SANE...

Massachusetts Health Plan Extended to Immigrants

NYT Health — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 02:49:27 +0100

A ruling by the state’s highest court said that a 2009 budget that dropped about 29,000 legal immigrants from Commonwealth Care violated the state Constitution. (Source: NYT Health)

High-prestige research has trumped applied science in US budgets

Physics Today News Picks — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Nature: Although it has long been assumed that the US favors applied over basic science, the opposite turns out to be true, writes Daniel Sarewitz for Nature. Over the past 15 years, agencies that serve public goals rather than advance science—the US Geological Survey, for example—have experienced minimal budgetary growth. Yet, over the same period, government funding for research doubled, with most of that money going to the National Institutes of Health and NSF. Sarewitz claims the funding allocation may be because advocacy for research funding comes mostly from the high-prestige frontiers of science and the institutions associated with such research. Nevertheless, addressing social problems, such as preventing and preparing for natural disasters, is just as important. To ens...

The Battle over California's Adult Day Programs

Forbes.com Healthcare News — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:31:58 +0100

Want to see the future of adult day programs for the frail elderly and adults with disabilities? Just watch what is happening in California, where 26,000 participants and the centers that care for them are struggling to manage state budget cuts and huge uncertainty. (Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Please support the Doctors In Chains campaign for the medics tortured and sentenced for up to 15 years in Bahrain. #FreeDoctors

Health IT top of mind for state lawmakers

Healthcare IT News — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:14:35 +0100

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) on Tuesday published its annual listing of top priorities for the coming year, and healthcare and health IT issues were chief concerns. Medicaid efficiency and quality is important area of focus. NCSL explains that the current economic turbulence is troubling Medicaid budgets and, as such, nearly every state has engaged in cost-containment in one form or another. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News)

Recession hitting nation's emergency preparedness abilities

American Medical News - HEALTH — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:59:59 +0100

Reductions in public health budgets at the federal, state and local levels threaten to further weaken disaster response, a report says. (Source: American Medical News - HEALTH)

Methyl chloride emissions from halophyte leaf litter: Dependence on temperature and chloride content.

Chemosphere — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

This study investigated CH(3)Cl emissions from leaf litter of twelve halophyte species. The emissions were not due to biological activity, and emission rates varied between halophyte species up to two orders of magnitude. For all species, the CH(3)Cl emission rates increased with temperature following the Arrhenius relation. Activation energies were similar for all investigated plant species, indicating that even though emissions vary largely between plant species, their response to changing temperatures is similar. The chloride and methoxyl group contents of the leaf litter samples were determined, but those parameters were not significantly correlated to the CH(3)Cl emission rate. PMID: 22225707 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Chemosphere)

Watching lives crash in slow motion: a pediatrician’s perspective on youth arrests

Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:45:41 +0100

A study came out recently in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, saying that by age 23, 1 in 3 youth in the United States has been arrested for a non-traffic offense. Yes, you read that right. 1 in 3. Because getting arrested is not good for a person’s health (the study pointed out that it increases the risk of “an unhealthy lifestyle”) and because pediatricians have regular and continuous contact with kids as they grow up, the authors called out to pediatricians to be aware of the risk factors for being arrested, and do something to help. “Timely intervention by pediatricians in the lives of these youth,” says the last sentence, “may be an opportunity to move young people onto a path toward safer, healthy, productive, and successful lives.” That s...

Reform of the coroners' service in England and Wales: policy-making and politics [Editorials]

Psychiatric Bulletin — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

This article describes the intended benefits of the reforms for bereaved relatives, coroners’ staff, public sector budgets, and the public health, and explores the reasons behind the delays. (Source: Psychiatric Bulletin)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.

Redesign of an Elective Course to Accommodate BudgetRedesign of an Elective Course to Accommodate Budget

Medscape Today Headlines — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 04:00:00 +0100

Read how this pharmacy college adjusted to decreased state funding. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)

Cheap healthy food scheme begins

BBC News | Health | UK Edition — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 09:16:26 +0100

A new effort to convince families in England that they can eat healthily on a budget is beginning. (Source: BBC News | Health | UK Edition)

Drive promotes cheap healthy food

BBC News | Health | UK Edition — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:09:41 +0100

A new effort to convince families in England that they can eat healthily on a budget is beginning. (Source: BBC News | Health | UK Edition)

[Editorial] Budget cuts in the USA: a short-term win?

The Lancet Oncology — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

On Nov 18, 2011, President Barack Obama signed a bill into law that will affect the funding for several science agencies. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, which advices the executive office about the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs, has had its funding cut by more than 30%, leaving just $4·5 million. The USA's budget cuts to quell the national deficit of $1·2 trillion by 2021 mean that several key agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation had below-inflation increases to their funding. (Source: The Lancet Oncology)

[News] Cancer services insulated from Irish austerity

The Lancet Oncology — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

“I know this is an exceptional event. But we live in exceptional times. And we face an exceptional challenge.” The words of Taoiseach Enda Kenny during the first televised address by an Irish leader in almost 30 years, as he sought to prepare the ground for an austerity budget that would, he said, pave the way for a “4-year path to recovery”. Just over a year since the previous administration, which imposed its own round of deeply unpopular austerity measures, was forced to accept an €85 billion rescue package from the European Union, the first day of an extraordinary 2-day budget saw Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin announce €543 million in cuts to the health service in an effort to claw Ireland's budget deficit back to the 3% limit set by the European Union's Maastr...

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Please support the Doctors In Chains campaign for the medics tortured and sentenced for up to 15 years in Bahrain. #FreeDoctors

Assigning continuing education credit to enduring materials.

Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Desilets LD Abstract Accreditation and approval criteria require that provider units calculate credit for enduring materials in a logical and defensible manner. Many nurses use enduring materials to stay up-to-date in their areas of practice. Most professional nursing journals include at least one article that is available for continuing education credit. Face-to-face activities do not fit into the budgets or schedules of many nurses. PMID: 22214411 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing)

The rise of the regulatory state in health care: a comparative analysis of the Netherlands, England and Italy.

Health Economics, Policy, and Law — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Helderman JK, Bevan G, France G Abstract In a relatively short time, regulation has become a significant and distinct feature of how modern states wish to govern and steer their economy and society. Whereas the former 'dirigiste' state used to be closely related to public ownership (e.g. hospitals), planning (volume and capacity planning) and centralised administration (e.g. fixed prices and budgets), the new regulatory state relies mainly on the instrument of regulation to achieve its objectives. In this paper, we wish to relate the rise of the 'regulatory state' to the path-dependent trajectories and institutional legacies of discrete European health-care systems. For this purpose, we compared the Dutch corporatist social health insurance system, the strongly centralised...

Paying for hospital care: the experience with implementing activity-based funding in five European countries.

Health Economics, Policy, and Law — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: O'Reilly J, Busse R, Häkkinen U, Or Z, Street A, Wiley M Abstract Following the US experience, activity-based funding has become the most common mechanism for reimbursing hospitals in Europe. Focusing on five European countries (England, Finland, France, Germany and Ireland), this paper reviews the motivation for introducing activity-based funding, together with the empirical evidence available to assess the impact of implementation. Despite differences in the prevailing approaches to reimbursement, the five countries shared several common objectives, albeit with different emphasis, in moving to activity-based funding during the 1990s and 2000s. These include increasing efficiency, improving quality of care and enhancing transparency. There is substantial cross-country va...

Federal Register: Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review; Comment Request; Medical Devices: Humanitarian Use Devices

Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA): CDRHNew — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

The FDA is announcing that a proposed collection of information has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. (Source: Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA): CDRHNew)

MedWorm: Budgets

VIDEO: Lansley has PM's 'full support' on NHS

Obama Plans To Combat Alzheimer's

House and Senate at Impasse on Medicare

House and Senate at Impasse on Medicare Payments to Doctors

Combined approach to global health has benefits

A Time for Unity

White House Begins to Map Course toward Bio-Based Economy

Deaths higher in patients admitted at weekends

Combined approach to global health has benefits

Despite Flat Budget, NIH’s TRND Program Tries to Spark Interest in Rare and Neglected Diseases

Personal health budgets and NHS Continuing Healthcare

Judge blocks Medi-Cal rate cuts to providers

Saving Medicaid: A Path to Comprehensive Medicaid Reform

Why Meaningful Use and ICD-10 implementation projects aren’t working together

Phys Ed a 'Must' in Fighting Obesity [Op-Ed]

New Silica Rules Languish In Regulatory Black Hole

Mental health services in the Arab world.

'Doc Fix' Easily Covered by War Savings, Says CBO'Doc Fix' Easily Covered by War Savings, Says CBO

CBO Gives New Numbers on Health Spending

Futures Rise on EU Budget Pact; Pfizer and Exxon Mobil Earnings in Focus

Military Proposes Budget Cuts, Protects Research Programs

Opportunity: Thank President Obama for Highlighting Science in the State of the Union

Learn about the Political Highs and Lows for Science in 2011

Stem-cell agency faces budget dilemma

Cost-Saving Plan to Unify Military Medical Services on Hold

Bariatric Surgery: Cost-Effectiveness and Budget Impact

The Florida Republican primary: a basket case of sick puppies | Carl Hiaasen

'Unfair' funding will prompt CCGs to 'go it alone'

Research co-ordinator, Prostate Action

Federal Budget 2012-2013: Supporting quality general practice for the future

Earth's energy budget remained out of balance despite unusually low solar activity

Food stamp bills seek to restrict junk food

The Business of Nurses Is Business

The Useless Class

[Correspondence] Action to preserve WHO's core functions cannot wait for organisational reform

Reforming Agricultural Nonpoint Pollution Policy in an Increasingly Budget-Constrained Environment

What Happens After CLASS?

Defense Secretary Panetta: FY 2013 Budget Request Protects Science and Technology Programs

[News & Analysis] Nuclear Physics: DOE Funding Crunch Threatens Future of Only U.S. Collider Still Running

Watchdog seeks transparent budgets for NHS boards and bodies

Branding academic publishers 'enemies of science' is offensive and wrong

Regarding “Industry working with physicians through professional medical associations”

Proposals for the design of the NHS Commissioning Board

NHS chief worries about savings 'short cuts'

Saudi universities shrug off row over scientists' salaries

Why Newt Gingrich's moon base will remain an impossible dream

Nearly 95% Of Clinical Commissioning Groups Ready To Take On Commissioning Budgets In April, UK

Flooding rated as worst climate change threat facing UK

Congress told to replace sequestration cuts with alternative to achieve responsible policies

Minimizing Time to Market: Developing Consumer Health Products Under the US OTC Drug Monograph

Funding for higher education in England for 2012-13: HEFCE grant letter from BIS

The Case For Investing in the IRS

Heating of the Eye by a Retinal Prosthesis: Modeling, Cadaver and In Vivo Study

Kids' Snacks Can Be Healthy and Inexpensive

Almost 95% of CCGs passed SHA risk rating

CBO: Medicare cost-savings demonstrations a bust

State Cuts to Anti-Smoking Programs Anger Health Groups

Business groups focus on saving DEQ budget

Pay for SGR repeal with war savings, say medical groups

Pay for SGR Repeal With War Savings, Says Organized MedicinePay for SGR Repeal With War Savings, Says Organized Medicine

Doubts cast over size of topline public health budgets

Seasonal variation in time budgets and milk yield for Jersey, Friesland and crossbred cows raised in a pasture-based system

Structuring economic incentives to reduce emissions from deforestation within Indonesia [Sustainability Science]

Kronos adds to its offerings with OptiLink

Diabetes has not been defeated | Barbara Young

CCG budget allocations delayed until February

How CCGs can make savings in their prescription budget

Table of Contents

Creation of a therapeutic digestive endoscopy suite in Senegal: renovation, training and university certification. Results of a Belgian–Senegalese inter-university project

Medicare Demo Projects Saved Little Money

Mode tuning of photonic crystal nanocavities by photoinduced non-thermal oxidation

Capitol Hill Report: Budget Offsets Could Fix SGR for One Year—or Permanently

Trauma Systems at Risk: Funding Cuts Fray Strained Safety Net

Providers see value of HIEs, but most lack resources to deploy them

CCGs 'must be in control of 50% of budget by mid-2012'

Managers encouraged to blow whistle on colleagues in draft plans to regulate NHS leaders

Funding in 2012: “Great Recession” Starts to Bite

Most Medicare Demo Projects Fail to Raise Quality, Cut CostsMost Medicare Demo Projects Fail to Raise Quality, Cut Costs

Arkansas Legislators to Examine Health, Human Services