MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'act'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:54:39 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181790&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FFSpBgAwfDVs%2F By Mary Grealy. When we talk about people who don’t have access to healthcare, there’s a natural assumption that it’s because they can’t afford it.  A new study shows that’s not necessarily the case. According to the study published in the journal Health Services Research, 21 percent of American adults said they had delayed care for non-financial reasons compared to 19 percent that cited cost as the primary reason for not seeking healthcare. Those non-financial reasons included not being able to get to a doctor’s office during working hours, long commutes to the medical office, or not being able to get an appointment soon enough.  As the study’s lead author said, “In reality, there are all kinds of reasons why people can’t get the care they need when they need it.” Th... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181790 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 13:16:36 +0100 5181790 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174599&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F1CUaz70JSQk%2F By Ilya ShapiroSCOTUSblog’s symposium on the constitutionality of Obamacare — to which I contributed, as did Bob Levy – provides a glimpse at the astonishing views of the law’s supporters.  It particularly shows how divorced the legal academy’s leading lights are not only from basic constitutional text and structure, but from jurisprudential reality. Most prominently, in responding to the Eleventh Circuit’s decision striking down the individual mandate (and to Richard Epstein’s symposium essay), storied Harvard professor Laurence H. Tribe criticizes the court for “reflecting what appears to be a widely held public sentiment” that Congress cannot “mandate that individuals enter into contracts with private insurance companies for the purchase o... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174599 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:45:41 +0100 5174599 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159840&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F0qGTbAcfmZ0%2F Six months after a federal appeals court decided a pair of GlaxoSmithKline sales reps are not eligible for overtime pay, they are now asking the US Supreme Court to review their case. And the implications for the pharmaceutical industry are likely to be far-reaching, given that drugmakers have been laying off thousands of sales reps as part of a massive wave of cost cutting in recent years. The petition, however, is not surprising, because there has been a split among appeals courts over this issue. Last year, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that Novartis reps are entitled to overtime (back story), and the Supreme Court earlier this year declined to review the decision (see here). That ruling came just two weeks after the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159840 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 12:07:40 +0100 5159840 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130748&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-pros-and-cons-of-ipab-and-why-it-shouldnt-be-repealed%2F2011.08.15 In recent weeks, several Democrats and some health reform advocates including the AMA have joined Republicans in calling for a repeal of provisions in the new health law that create the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). For these people, IPAB represents the worst aspects of the new law–an unelected, centralized planning authority empowered by government to make decisions about the peoples’ health care. Arbitrary cuts to providers, short-sighted decisions that stifle innovation and rationing of care are sure to follow, they claim. While it’s true that the rules governing IPAB are flawed and should be fixed, eliminating IPAB altogether would be a mistake. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Pizaazz* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130748 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 12:00:44 +0100 5130748 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5125967&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FLSYf4qbxl5I%2F In another instance in which a drugmaker appears to have bribed overseas officials, Pfizer has “voluntarily” provided the US Department of Justice and the US Securities and Exchange Commission with information concerning “potentially improper payments” made by Pfizer and Wyeth personnel in connection with certain unspecified sales activities outside the US. The move comes amid increased scrutiny by the feds into the pharmaceutical industry and its interactions with foreign health care systems. In late 2009, the head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division warned drugmakers that there will be more criminal enforcement against interactions with foreign officials as they seek violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (see here). In April, Johnson & J... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5125967 Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:36:53 +0100 5125967 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159029&cid=t_109502_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D4683%26utm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dprofessor-geoffrey-petts-of-the-university-of-westminster-says-they-are-not-teaching-pseudo-science-the-facts-show-this-is-not-true Jump to follow-up On 23rd May 2008 a letter was sent to the vice-chancellor of the University of Westminster, Professor Geoffrey Petts Dear Professor Petts   You may be aware an article by Zoe Corbyn, published in Times Higher Education 24 April 2008, with the title Experts criticise ‘pseudo-scientific’ complementary medicine degrees.   The subtitle of the article was Vice-chancellors should re-examine courses, say campaigners.  In the light of that, we wondered whether you had anything to add to the comments made by David Peters in todays THE.  We are preparing a response to that, and it seems fair to ask your view before we proceed. (In order to save you time, copies of the two articles are attached.)   As an expert on... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159029 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:37:57 +0100 5159029 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107616&cid=t_109502_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F09%2Fthe-situation-of-antitrust-law%2F Maurice E. Stucke recently posted his thoughtful paper, “Reconsidering Antitrust’s Goals” on SSRN.  Here’s the abstract. * * * Antitrust policy today is an anomaly. On the one hand, antitrust is thriving internationally. On the other hand, antitrust’s influence has diminished domestically. Over the past thirty years, there have been fewer antitrust investigations and private actions. Today the Supreme Court complains about antitrust suits, and places greater faith in the antitrust function being subsumed in a regulatory framework. So what happened to the antitrust movement in the United States? Two import factors contributed to antitrust policy’s domestic decline. The first is salience, especially the salience of the U.S. antitrust goals. In the past thirty yea... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107616 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 05:54:43 +0100 5107616 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107894&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F6cPkh7gqR6A%2F In yet another victory for sales reps seeking overtime pay, a federal judge has ruled that the administrative exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act does not apply to Schering-Plough reps. The ruling, though, is not surprising, given that the US Supreme Court recently chose not to hear an appeal of a lower-court finding of a similar ruling against Novartis (back story). The FLSA discusses two exemptions. The overtime compensation requirement does not apply to employees who work as outside salespeople, but the law does require employers to pay overtime for hours worked beyond 40 hours a week, unless an exemption applies. What are those exemptions? If an employee’s primary duty is to obtain orders or contracts (as defined by the statute) and regularly does so away from the employer�... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107894 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 20:12:55 +0100 5107894 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107509&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Fstevereads.com%2Fpapers_to_read%2Funcertainty_and_the_welfare_economics_of_medical_care.pdf The following is a post by Dr. Jessie Gruman from the Center for Advancing Health. This blog post was originally published at Prepared Patient Forum: What It Takes Blog. “There is a better way – structural reforms that empower patients with greater choices and increase the role of competition in the health-care marketplace.” Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)August 3, 2011 The highly charged political debates about reforming American health care have provided tempting opportunities to rename the people who receive health services.  But because the impetus for this change has been prompted by cost and quality concerns of health care payers, researchers and policy experts rather than emanating from us out of our own needs, some odd words have been called into service.  Two phrases commonly used ... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107509 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:28:10 +0100 5107509 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096163&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FAOgPxXQoppA%2F By Ilya ShapiroThat’s how I describe the individual mandate in my contribution to SCOTUSblog‘s online symposium on Obamacare, which Trevor Burrus has already highlighted.  Here’s an excerpt: All the Obamacare legal challenges boil down to Congress’s authority – or lack thereof – to require people to buy private insurance.  Although unfortunately not dispositive of modern judicial decisions, the text of the Constitution demands that the Supreme Court strike down the individual mandate as an unconstitutional exercise of Congress’s power to regulate interstate commerce.  Finding the mandate constitutional would be the first interpretation of the Commerce Clause to permit the regulation of inactivity – in effect requiring an individual to engage in an economi... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096163 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 16:00:47 +0100 5096163 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096193&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FN-g7Cqy56zw%2F By Robin Strongin. In the 1993 movie Dave, the temp agency owner posing as the President of the United States (if you haven’t seen the film, just trust me on this) is determined to come up with the funding to save a federal homeless shelter program.  Gathering all of the cabinet officials together with pencils, legal pads and calculators, they brainstorm different wasteful programs that can be cut, totaling numbers as they go, until they come up with the necessary $350 million. A bit of Hollywood silly escapism?  No doubt.  But, you can say this for President Dave and his fictional cabinet.  At least they approached the budget process with a constructive purpose and vision. We can only hope that the same holds true for the supercommittee, the panel of 12 Senators and Representatives ... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096193 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:36:23 +0100 5096193 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069442&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fce8sbIDKoeA%2F By Julian SanchezBack in May, during the debates over reauthorization of the Patriot Act, Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mark Udall (D-CO) began raising a fuss about a secret interpretation of the law’s so-called “business records” authority, known to wonks as Section 215, arguing that intelligence agencies had twisted the statute to give themselves domestic surveillance powers Congress had not anticipated or intended. At the time, I marshaled a fair amount of circumstantial evidence that, I thought, suggested that the “secret authority” involved location tracking of cell phones. Wyden backed off after being promised a secret hearing to address his concerns—but indicated he’d be returning to the issue if he remained unsatisfied. The hearing occurred early ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069442 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 21:36:26 +0100 5069442 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069477&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Finstitute-of-medicine-suggests-8-new-preventive-services-to-improve-womens-health%2F2011.07.26 Eight preventive health services for women should be added to the services that health plans will cover at no cost to patients under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, according to a report by the Institute of Medicine. The recommendations encompass diseases and conditions that are more common or more serious in women than in men. They are based on existing guidelines and an assessment of the evidence on the effectiveness of different preventive services. They include: 1) screening for gestational diabetes in pregnant women between 24 and 28 weeks and at the first prenatal visit for women at high risk for diabetes, 2) adding high-risk human papillomavirus DNA testing in addition to conventional cytology testing in women with normal cytology results starting at age 30, ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069477 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 18:00:00 +0100 5069477 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069448&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FL4v1dpVS2L8%2F By Tim LynchOver the weekend, the Wall Street Journal ran an excellent article about the problem of overcriminalization—the proliferation of criminal laws and how more and more people can find themselves on the wrong side the law without even realizing it. Here’s an excerpt: In 2009, Mr. Anderson loaned his son some tools to dig for arrowheads near a favorite campground of theirs. Unfortunately, they were on federal land. Authorities “notified me to get a lawyer and a damn good one,” Mr. Anderson recalls. There is no evidence the Andersons intended to break the law, or even knew the law existed, according to court records and interviews. But the law, the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979, doesn’t require criminal intent and makes it a felony punishab... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069448 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:39:14 +0100 5069448 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062497&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FeTMnwRl80K0%2F Last month, a federal court ruled that a drug or device maker remains liable under the False Claims Act even when a pharmacy or hospital was unaware that a kickback was made to a doctor to induce the sale of a product for which reimbursement was sought from Medicare and Medicaid. The decision was seen as a game changer, because dismissing whistleblower lawsuits would likely become more difficult. Until then, courts had ruled the False Claims Act could not have been violated if a pharmacy does not know that a prescription was only written because a drugmaker gave a kickback to a doctor. Whistleblowers have argued, however, that a violation occurs once reimbursement is sought from Medicaid or Medicare. But the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit disagreed. Not surprisingly, the same co... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062497 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 22:24:53 +0100 5062497 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062519&cid=t_109502_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F07%2F25%2Fusing-the-chronic-pain-acceptance-questionnaire%2F Over the past few months I’ve been using the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire (CPAQ-8) as part of a battery of questionnaires used at intake and outcome measures.  Along with the CPAQ-8, we use the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, the Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale, the Pain  Catastrophising Scale, Pain Self Efficacy Questionnaire, and Pain Disability Index. The CPAQ-8 consists of two subscales: Pain Willingness and Activity Engagement.  Together they measure “acceptance” or psychological flexibility associated with chronic pain. Let me pull this apart a bit.  Pain Willingness refers to how prepared a person might be to experience an increase in pain so they can get something important done.  For example, I love to dance and I&#82... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062519 Sun, 24 Jul 2011 19:15:16 +0100 5062519 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050742&cid=t_109502_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F07%2F20%2Fclarifying-judicial-understanding-of-stereotyping%2F Kerri Lynn Stone recently posted her article, “Clarifying Stereotyping”  (59 Kansas Law Review 2011) on SSRN. Here’s the abstract. * * * People make comments all the time that include or invoke stereotypes. Sometimes those comments are indicative of their belief systems or values. Sometimes they are feeble – or genuine – attempts at humor or wit. Sometimes people speak rashly and in anger. Many times, people are misunderstood, and their true feelings are belied by a clumsy choice of words. Much of the law of employment discrimination necessarily implicates a searching probe into the often undisclosed – sometimes even to oneself – motivations, beliefs, and intentions that underlie an impel acts alleged to have been discriminatorily premised on someone’s race, ge... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050742 Wed, 20 Jul 2011 04:01:51 +0100 5050742 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5036230&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhat-can-history-tell-us-about-healthcare-in-america%2F2011.07.17 Millions of our citizens do not now have a full measure of opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health. Millions do not now have protection or security against the economic effects of sickness. The time has arrived for action to help them attain that opportunity…The poor have more sickness, but they get less medical care. People who live in rural areas do not get the same amount or quality of medical attention as those who live in our cities. The above quote wasn’t taken from an Obama administration policy proposal. These words are from a 1945 speech by President Harry Truman. It is astonishing that over 60 years later, the health care crisis is not only still with us, but is slowly smothering us. How many years of oxygen do we have left until health care in America is entirely asphy... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5036230 Sun, 17 Jul 2011 14:00:00 +0100 5036230 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5029214&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FAAIOYoMxzQQ%2F In yet another victory for sales reps, a federal judge ruled that a Boehringer-Ingelheim rep is not exempt from overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and should be paid overtime. The ruling, which came in the form of a summary judgment and is now headed to trial to determine damages, is the latest in a highly contentious decision that has divided courts across the country For the past few years, a growing number of sales reps have argued they were unfairly denied overtime and nearly every drugmaker has been taken to court (look here and here). The US Department of Labor, however, has sided with the reps, arguing that many of the biggest drugmakers have misinterpreted the Fair Labor Standards Act. Here is the issue: the FLSA overtime compensation requirement does not apply to ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5029214 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 12:50:06 +0100 5029214 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028146&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FBoH_b2OMl0Y%2F By Jim HarperIn February 2004, privacy advocates were put off by a Supreme Court case called Doe v. Chao, in which the Court found that the Privacy Act requires a victim of a government privacy violation to show “actual damages” before receiving any compensation. The Act appeared to provide for $1,000 per violation in statutory damages, but the Court interpreted the legislation to require that actual damages be proven, after which the victim would be entitled to a minimum award of $1,000. (Statutory damages are appropriate in privacy cases against the government because government bureaucrats pay little price themselves when their agency gets fined. A penalty is required to draw oversight and political attention to violations of the law.) Doe v. Chao was a close call given the ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028146 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:40:02 +0100 5028146 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5019831&cid=t_109502_4_f&fid=38622&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffdatransparencyblog.fda.gov%2F2011%2F07%2F11%2Fthe-us-and-mexico-share-approaches-on-food-safety%2F In June, I had the opportunity to lead a delegation of food safety officials from the Food and Drug Administration to meet with our Mexican counterparts. The trip was part of a larger, proactive strategy to reach out to stakeholders, both domestic and foreign, to explain the background and implementation strategies for the new Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and importantly, to listen to issues raised by stakeholders. Following Canada, Mexico is the largest exporter of foods to the United States. It was an exciting opportunity to meet with Mexican officials, not only to provide outreach on our new law, but also to gain a better understanding of Mexican food safety interests and challenges, and to identify areas for collaboration to further ensure the safety of foods for our respective... FDA Transparency Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5019831 Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:25:19 +0100 5019831 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008131&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FKZ0H0PYiFrE%2F By Neal McCluskeyYesterday, Rep. John Kline (R-MN), chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, introduced the first new legislation aimed at breaking down the prescriptiveness of the No Child Left Behind Act. It’s a small step in the right direction, but there are two serious problems with it: It doesn’t come nearly close enough to the reform we need. Democratic reaction to it illustrates why it is so hard for politicians to obey the Constitution. First the insufficiency of the bill. The State and Local Funding Flexibility Act would, essentially, allow states and districts to take federal funding that comes through numerous streams and apply it to different streams. For instance, if a state wanted to take dollars slated for the 21st Century Communi... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008131 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 15:39:49 +0100 5008131 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008138&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FB2KdU9Tg7-o%2F By Daniel IkensonIn hailing this week’s ruling by a World Trade Organization dispute settlement panel that certain Chinese government restrictions on raw material exports violate China’s WTO commitments, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk made the point that such restrictions hurt U.S. manufacturers who rely on those imported raw materials. Today’s panel report represents a significant victory for manufacturers and workers in the United States and the rest of the world. The panel’s findings are also an important confirmation of fundamental principles underlying the global trading system. All WTO Members – whether developed or developing – need non-discriminatory access to raw material supplies in order to grow and thrive. And, simultaneously, by artificially increasing domestic... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008138 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 17:18:28 +0100 5008138 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008140&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FweK8xfT7oaw%2F By Neal McCluskeyOver at Jay Greene’s blog, Sandra Stotsky riffs off an Education Week report about educators around the country not seeing the difference between their old state standards and new, “Common Core” standards. Stotsky offers a theory for why this is: Common Core — as far as anyone can tell because the standards-drafting process was so opaque — was put together largely by the same people responsible for the bad old state standards. As a result, maybe they really aren’t all that different. The general ignorance about the standards brings up an important point. As Mike Petrilli at the Fordham Institute has pointed out, yes, the $4.35-billion federal Race to the Top pushed a lot of states to adopt the Common Core standards, but that doesn&#8... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008140 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:41:53 +0100 5008140 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008656&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=34889&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpharmamkting.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fmass-general-harvard-not-transparent.html (Source: Pharma Marketing Blog) Pharma Marketing Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008656 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 11:09:00 +0100 5008656 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975833&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FFJsb-MgrxMU%2F By Walter OlsonLast December the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) adopted new standards for crib design, a step mandated by the famously overreaching Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA). The commission decided to go well beyond a set of voluntary design standards that had been widely adopted the year before; it also chose to make the new rules retroactive, rendering unlawful the sale of many existing cribs whose overall safety record is otherwise acceptable—no one would think of subjecting them to a recall, for instance. Commissioner Nancy Nord: The day care industry did protest that the rule, as proposed, would result in approximately a $1/2 billion hit to a group that could not immediately absorb costs of such magnitude, especially on the heels of having ju... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975833 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:26:01 +0100 4975833 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4976207&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F-30La5fXibE%2F The US Supreme Court has agreed to review a complicated and controversial case that may alter the way brand-name drugmakers use patent law to delay generic competition (see this). At issue is the ability of generic drugmakers to seek FDA approval under a provision of the Hatch-Waxman Act to market a drug for uses not covered by patents held by brand-name drugmakers. The case has generated considerable interest and, in fact, the US Solicitor General urged the court to conduct a review. Wall Street, meanwhile, has signaled that, if the status quo continues, brand-name drugmakers will have a new means of fending off unwanted generic rivals. The Generic Pharmaceutical Association says the review is needed because a Federal Circuit ruling “threatens to eliminate a critical check on brand-name... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4976207 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 20:53:16 +0100 4976207 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975838&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FvJgnjNUGgPE%2F By Mark A. CalabriaI wasn’t in the mood Friday to celebrate the 73rd birthday of the federal minimum wage, created under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.  Looking at youth unemployment numbers can be a little depressing.   Those figures should, however, sober up anyone who is still drunk under the spell of thinking the minimum wage has no impact on unemployment. The chart above shows the increase in unemployment overall (right axis) and the unemployment rate for workers age 16 to 19 (left axis).  The difference between these two numbers usually runs about 10 percent, even in good times.  Notice that when the minimum wage was raised in July 2009, overall unemployment had started to level off, while youth unemployment sky-rocketed.  We also witnessed a big spike in youth un... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975838 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 16:12:13 +0100 4975838 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975839&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FjqIiiUmeSBM%2F By David BoazSince New York passed a law extending marriage to same-sex couples, Republican presidential candidates have been mostly silent. But not Rep. Michele Bachmann, who has had a long and strong interest in gay rights issues. In an interview on Fox News Sunday she endorsed both New York’s Tenth Amendment right to make marriage law and the federal government’s right to override such laws with a constitutional amendment, confusing host Chris Wallace: WALLACE: You are a strong opponent of same-marriage. What do you think of the law that was just passed in New York state—making it the biggest state to recognize same-sex marriage? BACHMANN: Well, I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. And I also believe—in Minnesota, for instance, this year, the legislature... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975839 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:50:06 +0100 4975839 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975869&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmore-employers-are-dropping-healthcare-insurance-coverage%2F2011.06.26 McKinsey Quarterly has reported its survey concluding there will be a radical restructuring of employer-sponsored health benefits (ESI) as a result of President Obama’s following the 2010 passage of the Affordable Care Act. Healthcare insurance rates have already skyrocketed as a result of anticipating the conditions of Obama care. President Obama has been powerless to do anything about the increases. Thirty percent (30%) of companies providing ESI to their employees will drop healthcare insurance coverage once Obama care takes effect in 2014. The survey included 1300 employers providing ESI across industries, geographies, and employer sizes. Other surveys have found that as we get closer to 2014, President Obama’s Healthcare Reform Act will provoke a much greater number of employers t... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975869 Sun, 26 Jun 2011 21:00:51 +0100 4975869 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968492&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmedical-students-deterred-from-primary-care%2F2011.06.25 Primary care physicians are getting paid more, two surveys agree, while hospital employment is rising. Internists earned $205,379 in median compensation in 2010, an increase of 4.21% over the previous year, reported the Medical Group Management Association’s (MGMA’s) Physician Compensation and Production Survey: 2011 Report Based on 2010 Data. Family practitioners (without obstetrics) reported median compensation of $189,402. Pediatric/adolescent medicine physicians earned $192,148 in median compensation, an increase of 0.39% since 2009. Among specialists, anesthesiologists reported decreased compensation, as did gastroenterologists and radiologists. Psychiatrists, dermatologists, neurologists and general surgeons reported an increase in median compensation since 2009. Regional... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968492 Sat, 25 Jun 2011 14:00:00 +0100 4968492 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960041&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQig9xWCpnss%2F By Neal McCluskeyOn Monday, we took the word right to Capitol Hill: The federal government has been an abject education failure, and the only acceptable solution to the problem is for Uncle Sam to leave our kids alone.   At the briefing in which the word was issued, Heritage’s Lindsey Burke and I also examined congressional proposals that could move us closer to the ultimate solution — especially the LEARN and A-PLUS acts — and explained why Washington, even if its interference were authorized by the Constitution, will never make education better by staying involved. Unfortunately, lots of people couldn’t make the briefing. That’s why we are so happy to be able to present the briefing right here, to view in the comfort of your own computer chair. Enjoy!... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960041 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:45:18 +0100 4960041 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952800&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FofDEWKTgXJc%2F By Walter OlsonIn today’s decision in Wal-Mart v. Dukes, the Supreme Court unanimously found that the Ninth Circuit had jumped the gun in certifying what would have been one of the largest class actions in history, a job-bias action against the giant retailer on behalf of female employees. A five-justice majority led by Justice Scalia found that the plaintiffs had clearly not met the requirements needed to have the case certified for class treatment; four dissenters led by Justice Ginsburg would have sent the case back for more consideration. While some press commentary simplistically treated this case as a “Which Side Are You On” parable of workplace sexism, both the majority and the dissent spend much time grappling with more lawyerly issues specific to class actions a... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952800 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:57:44 +0100 4952800 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952803&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FbC4DuEg6ftg%2F By Ilya ShapiroIn the important global warming case decided today, American Electric Power Co. v. Connecticut, the Supreme Court unanimously reached the correct result but one that still leaves room for plenty of mischievous litigation.  While it’s clearly true that, as the Court said, the Clean Air Act and the EPA exist to deal with the claims the plaintiffs made here—that the defendants’ carbon dioxide emissions are pollutants that cause global warming—the Court left open the possibility of claims on state common-law grounds such as nuisance.  And it unfortunately said nothing about whether any such disputes, whether challenging EPA action or suing under state law, are properly “cases and controversies” ripe for judicial resolution. The judiciary was not meant to be the sol... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952803 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:58:18 +0100 4952803 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952804&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F04p9GU35RGM%2F By Daniel J. MitchellOne of the tax increases buried in Obamacare was an onerous and intrusive “1099″ scheme that would have required businesses to collect tax identification numbers for just about any vendor and then send paperwork to the IRS whenever they did more than $600 of business. Send one of your sales people to New York for a couple of nights? They would have to get the tax ID for the hotel and submit a form to the IRS. Buy a printer for the office? The printer company would need to provide a tax ID and the purchaser would have to submit a form to the IRS. o Have a retirement dinner for somebody in the accounting department? Get the restaurant’s tax ID and submit another form to the IRS. This system was seen as a nightmare, even leading to rather amusing cartoons mocking ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952804 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:55:16 +0100 4952804 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934119&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FzYWU6uQ_uAY%2F This article chronicles the (first) year I spent opposing the constitutionality of Obamacare: Between debates, briefs, op-eds, blogging, testimony, and media, I have spent well over half of my time since the legislation’s enactment on attacking Congress’s breathtaking assertion of federal power in this context. Braving transportation snafus, snowstorms, and Eliot Spitzer, it’s been an interesting ride. And so, weaving legal arguments into first-person narrative, I hope to add a unique perspective to an important debate that goes to the heart of this nation’s founding principles. The individual mandate is Obamacare’s highest-profile and perhaps most egregious constitutional violation because the Supreme Court has never allowed – Congress has never claimed – the power to requir... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934119 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 19:06:01 +0100 4934119 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921749&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FG-5n30HMlGE%2F The Danish drugmaker has agreed to pay $25 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit to settle charges of off-label marketing its NovoSeven treatment to stop bleeding. As part of the settlement, Novo Nordisk has entered into a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement and will have to beef up its compliance procedures, according to a statement from the drugmaker. The lawsuit - which was filed jointly by a Oscar Montiel, a former Novo Nordisk medical liasion, and Ian Black, a former US Armed Forces physician in federal court in Maryland - alleges the medication was promoted improperly for treating unapproved uses such as blood trauma, intercranial hemorrhage and various surgeries, according to a source familiar with the case. The charges included improper payments made to Army personnel (here... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921749 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:52:08 +0100 4921749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921754&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FkjRXkJtSLLo%2F Yet another drugmaker has been tagged for illegal marketing. This time, the US subsidiary of Belgium’s UCB has agreed to pay more than $34 million to resolve civil and criminal charges surrounding off-label promotion of its Keppra epilepsy drug, the US Department of Justice disclosed. Under the terms of the plea agreement in the US Court for the District of Columbia, UCB pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in connection with misbranding of Keppra, which was approved for treating seizures in adults and children. But Keppra is not approved for the treatment of migraine, headache, psychiatric conditions or pain conditions. And guess what UCB promoted Keppra for treating? That’s right. The feds alleged that UCB promoted off label by creating and distributing posters indicating the drug... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921754 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 17:57:19 +0100 4921754 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921413&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FQeyJQ0P52KI%2F Anna Gawlinski The following is a guest post by: Anna Gawlinski, RN, DNSc, FAAN, Director, Research and Evidence-Based Practice and Adjunct Professor at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and UCLA School of Nursing and Elizabeth Henneman, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor at The School of Nursing at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. It’s easy to criticize the current state of our health care system. All over the place, even outside of Washington DC, people are talking left and right (politically, that is) when they should be talking right and wrong (care, that is). But, one important talking point that’s almost always left out of the equation is our role, the role of the nurse. Or more specifically, the critical care nurse whose job it is to save you or your family members’ lives... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921413 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:02:44 +0100 4921413 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902691&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fq9blxr54E9o%2F The US Supreme Court ruled today that Stanford University is unable to win a patent infringement case against a Roche unit because the subsidiary held co-ownership interests in the patents. The case was being closely watched for clues to clarifying the implications of a 1980 law that allocates patent rights among the government, investors and institutions that receive federal funding. Here’s the background: Stanford sued Roche in 2005 for patent infringement over technology to detect HIV levels blood using PCR, or polymerase chain reaction. The underlying discovery was made years earlier by a Stanford researcher, Mark Holodniy, who also worked with a company called Cetus that was later bought by Roche. However, the initial funding came from the federal government. The dispute centered on... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902691 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:58:19 +0100 4902691 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893555&cid=t_109502_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F03%2Fmy-therapist-wont-stop-yawning-in-session%2F Psychotherapy is often described as an art as much as it is a science. The professional relationship between a therapist and their client can be a tricky one. Especially when it comes to bad habits of either the therapist or the client. One of these bad habits is especially frustrating to clients — a therapist’s constant yawns during session. People often read into a yawn far more than what is usually meant — or not meant — by the behavior. Part of the problem is yawning itself — we don’t really know why people yawn in the first place. So a person often will assume the worst — “I’m boring him with what I’m talking about.” But that’s often not the case. The only thing we know for certain about why humans yawn is that t... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893555 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 16:14:56 +0100 4893555 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893419&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FnXbjPkLiTjY%2F By Ilya ShapiroCINCINNATI — Now for something completely different, and not just because the spirited Sixth Circuit judges were much more skeptical of the government’s position than the Fourth Circuit was last month. Unlike the panel in Richmond — Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli probably started outlining his cert petition as soon as court adjourned — here there will be at least one vote to strike down the individual mandate, and maybe even all three. And this panel should produce one or more opinions in which there will be much for the Supreme Court to grapple with. The appellate argument didn’t even begin until after a skirmish over standing provoked by the motion to dismiss the government filed last week. That mini-argument — what Judge Marti... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893419 Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:19:32 +0100 4893419 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4883554&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fsi7L_NQ6gjc%2F By David RittgersI have an article in today’s Los Angeles Times pointing out that waterboarding is dead as a tool for U.S. interrogators. So get over it. I also make the point that it died under Bush’s watch, so the next time Dick Cheney trots out a proposal to bring back waterboarding, he’s quarreling mostly with his old boss and not the current commander-in-chief. Over at the Washington Post, Allen McDuffee thinks this is unfair: It may well be the case that Cheney has unfinished business with Bush over dropping the so-called enhanced interrogation techniques, but it is at least a selective reading for Rittgers to suggest that Cheney’s words are not directed at Obama with the hope that they carry political consequences for the administration. It is unlikely that even Cheney himse... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4883554 Tue, 31 May 2011 20:39:35 +0100 4883554 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4883559&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQKoKs62b_gE%2F By Daniel IkensonThe Cato Institute today published its 13th policy paper on the topic of antidumping. “Economic Self-Flagellation: How U.S. Antidumping Policy Subverts the National Export Initiative” describes with compelling anecdotes and data how the outdated assumptions of a 90-year-old law—one purported to “level the playing field” and protect U.S. companies from “unfair” foreign competition—conspire with its overzealous application to erode the competitiveness of U.S. firms. During the decade from January 2000 through December 2009, the U.S. government imposed 164 antidumping measures on a variety of products from dozens of countries. A total of 130 of those 164 measures restricted (and in most cases, still restrict) imports of intermediate goo... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4883559 Tue, 31 May 2011 15:29:28 +0100 4883559 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872059&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FWnb5aAt27lM%2F By Jim HarperThe Patriot Act extension passed by Congress this week did not become the law of the land. It is void and without effect. So may argue some future defendant whose conviction rests on evidence gotten under Patriot Act powers during the extended period Congress sought to establish in the bill it passed this week. President Obama is at a meeting in Europe, so he had the bill signed by auto-pen. Representative Tom Graves (R-GA) has written a letter inquiring of the president whether he was presented the bill and truly intended to sign it. Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution says: Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States; If he approve he shall sign it, but ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872059 Fri, 27 May 2011 19:50:12 +0100 4872059 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872060&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FT5PxUyB1Bis%2F By Julian SanchezBarack Obama’s AutoPen has signed another four-year extension of three Patriot Act powers, but one silver lining of this week’s lopsided battle over the law is that mainstream papers like The New York Times have finally started to take note of the growing number of senators who have raised an alarm over a “secret interpretation” of Patriot’s “business records” authority (aka Section 215). It would appear to be linked to a “sensitive collection program” referenced by a Justice Department official at hearings during the previous reauthorization debate—one that would be disrupted if 215 orders were restricted to the records of suspected terrorists, their associates, or their “activities” (e.g., large purchase... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872060 Fri, 27 May 2011 17:25:23 +0100 4872060 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872061&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FwCuf0Hmp-sI%2F By Neal McCluskeyIt’s hard to pin down what’s more frustrating about Michael Petrilli’s response to my recent NRO op-ed on national standards: the rhetorical obfuscation about what Fordham and other national-standardizers really want, or the grade-school effort to escape discipline by saying that, hey, some kids are even worse! Let’s start with the source of aggravation that by now must seem very old to regular Cato@Liberty readers, but that  has to be constantly revisited because national standardizers are so darned disciplined about their message: The national-standards drive is absolutely not “state led and voluntary,” and by all indications this is totally intentional. Federal arm-twisting hasn’t just been the result of ”unfo... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872061 Fri, 27 May 2011 15:25:52 +0100 4872061 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872472&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FadgmeRx2WXw%2F The Obama administration is urging the US Supreme Court to review a complicated and controversial case that may alter the way brand-name drugmakers use patent law to delay generic competition. At issue is the ability of generic drugmakers to seek FDA approval under a provision of the Hatch-Waxman Act to market a drug for uses not covered by patents held by brand-name drugmakers. Not surprisingly, the case has generated considerable interest in the generic industry, as a quick peek at the Supreme Court docket makes clear (see here to see who has filed a brief). Wall Street, for instance, has signaled that, if the status quo continues, brand-name drugmakers will have found a new means of fending off unwanted generic rivals. In a statement, the Generic Pharmaceutical Association says the Supr... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872472 Fri, 27 May 2011 13:08:59 +0100 4872472 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872062&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUybl8BQy8rI%2F By Caleb O. Brown If Senate leaders believed that expiring portions of the Patriot Act constituted an immediate increase in the risk of terrorism, it’s amazing that they waited until now to even nod toward debating the law’s renewal. A few thoughts from Cato Research Fellow Julian Sanchez on the current Patriot Act debate ripped from today’s podcast: … Democrats have had no interest in pointing out how closely President Obama has followed the playbook written by George (W.) Bush. And of course Republicans are the ones who helped write that playbook, so they don’t have much interest in revisiting it. On Section 215 of the Patriot Act: It seems extremely likely from what we know so far that this business records authority has been transformed into a large-scale ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872062 Thu, 26 May 2011 21:32:50 +0100 4872062 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872084&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2F-PNnvtaDT_A%2F By Mary Grealy. It wasn’t a head-to-head battle, as such, but Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) squared off against the USA Today editorial board yesterday on the subject of the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), and I believe the lawmaker clearly made the better arguments. USA Today’s editorial made the point that the IPAB, created as part of the Affordable Care Act to curb Medicare costs, is essential to do the job that Congress won’t in cutting program spending.  The newspaper compared the new board to the base closing commission that successfully shuttered unneeded military installations. That’s a dubious argument, though, at best.  The base closing commission carefully studied the value and usefulness of military bases before choosing which ones could be closed w... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872084 Thu, 26 May 2011 13:00:30 +0100 4872084 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862506&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FkOrWUGoBEMU%2F By Julian SanchezBack in February, Democratic leader Harry Reid promised fellow senator Rand Paul that—after years of kicking the can down the road—there would be at least a week reserved for full and open debate over three controversial provisions of the Patriot Act slated to expire this weekend, with an opportunity to propose reforms and offer amendments to any reauthorization bill.  And since, as we know, politicians always keep their promises, we can look forward to a robust and enlightening discussion of how to modify the Patriot Act to better safeguard civil liberties without sacrificing our counterterror capabilities. Ha! No, I’m joking, of course. Having already cut the legs out from under his own party’s reformers by making a deal with GOP leaders for a four-year ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862506 Wed, 25 May 2011 18:41:19 +0100 4862506 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862924&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FPY8LOK5kv_0%2F Once again, the US Federal Trade Commission is trying to thwart pay-to-delays deals and its latest effort is a brief in which the agency has asked an appeals court to reverse a lower court ruling that sanctioned a settlement between Schering-Plough and two generic drugmakers - Upsher Smith and ESI, which was a division of Pfizer’s Wyeth - over the K-Dur blood pressure med. The background: In 1995, the two generic drugmakers sought FDA approval to sell versions of K-Dur, but Schering-Plough, now owned by Merck, filed suit for patent infringement. Just before the trial, Schering-Plough agreed to pay Upsher $60 million not to sell a generic until 2001, and the FTC filed suit (read here). Separately, Schering-Plough agreed to pay ESI up to $15 million to agree not to sell a generic until... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862924 Wed, 25 May 2011 12:02:39 +0100 4862924 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862547&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fsupporting-primary-care-has-become-a-partisan-issue%2F2011.05.25 You’d think that ensuring that there will be enough primary care doctors would not become a partisan issue. If you are a Republican congressman from Texas, or a Democratic Senator from California, you’d want your constituents to have access to a primary care doctor, right? Apparently not: in the hyper-polarized and ideological world in which we now live, even modest steps to support primary care have been caught up in the worst kind of partisanship. The Washington Post reported recently that funding for a new expert commission authorized by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which was to examine barriers to careers in primary care, has been blocked by Republicans: “When the government set out to help 32 million more Americans gain health insurance, Congress and the Obama administration... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862547 Wed, 25 May 2011 10:00:00 +0100 4862547 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862550&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Forganized-medicine-is-out-of-touch-with-how-practicing-physicians-feel-about-obamacare%2F2011.05.24 There is a widespread discrepancy between the opinions of organized medical group leaders in the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the American College of Physicians (ACP), and  practicing physicians.  AMA, AAFP, and ACP are part of organized medicine. These organizations supported the healthcare reform law in 2010 and continue to support the legislation. I believe they have taken this position because they want a seat at the table as implementation of the legislation moves forward. President Obama has not paid attention to them so far and there is little evidence that he will in the future. In March of 2010, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi famously said, “We have to pass the [health care] bill so that you can find out what is i... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862550 Tue, 24 May 2011 16:00:17 +0100 4862550 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841445&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQ7Si-UIh_C4%2F By George Scoville Why are we still in Iraq? Despite the world’s greatest nation-building efforts, things in Bosnia are still getting worse. Vouchers offer parents more choice in education than they currently have, but education tax credits are still better at helping the poor. Although federal courts have already held parts of current National Security Letter statutes unconstitutional, we still have a way to go in restoring civil liberties in the post-9/11 era. While Osama bin Laden has been dispatched, we still have many issues to navigate in our national security strategy. Please join us on Facebook at 12:30 p.m. Eastern today, where Cato legal policy analyst David Rittgers, who served three tours in Afghanistan with Army Special Forces, receiving an Army Commendation Medal with &... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841445 Tue, 17 May 2011 14:32:32 +0100 4841445 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4828847&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FMRNpqSh8qcs%2F By Julian SanchezIf you’re a telecommunications firm that helped the National Security Agency illegally spy on your customers without a court order, Sen. Barack Obama will happily vote for legislation he once promised to filibuster in order to secure retroactive immunity. If you’re implicated in the use of torture as an interrogation tactic, you can breathe easy knowing President Barack Obama thinks it’s in the country’s best interests to “look forward, not back.”  But if you were a government official spurred by conscience to blow the whistle on government malfeasance or ineptitude in the war on terror?  As Jane Mayer details in a must-read New Yorker article, you’d better watch out! This administration is shattering records for highly selective... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4828847 Mon, 16 May 2011 22:17:42 +0100 4828847 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4828855&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FlopNtY9ZBac%2F By Daniel GriswoldCarrying on an annual tradition dating back to President Franklin Roosevelt, President Obama issued a proclamation on Friday declaring this third week in May “World Trade Week.” Of course, every week is world trade week at the Cato Institute’s Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, but in order to do our part as good citizens, we’ve organized a book forum this Tuesday, May 17, at 4 p.m. on a new book by Dartmouth College economist Douglas Irwin, titled, Peddling Protectionism: Smoot-Hawley and the Great Depression. The Smoot-Hawley tariff bill is a fitting subject for any World Trade Week. As we note in the invitation: More than 80 years after its passage, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 still resonates in today’s debate over trade policy. A... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4828855 Mon, 16 May 2011 15:39:29 +0100 4828855 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4821153&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FttGLcZVmqVw%2F Has a new UK law aimed at snuffing out bribes forced AstraZeneca to change some practices? Kai Richter, medical director for AstraZeneca Deutschland, told the Financial Times Deutschland that, as of this summer, the drugmaker will not cover the cost of hotels and travel or conference fees for doctors attending medical science events. Although he did not say specifically the decision was due to the new Bribery Act, he did indicate the policy change was an internal decision. Nonetheless, the German paper quoted an industry insider as saying the new law was a “catalyst moment” (read here). An AstraZeneca spokesperson, meanwhile, acknowledges to BMJ that changes are afoot in global sales and marketing practices. “To that end, we are discontinuing certain activities, even though the... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4821153 Thu, 12 May 2011 13:34:14 +0100 4821153 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813292&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=39261&url=http%3A%2F%2Fvactruth.com%2F2011%2F05%2F11%2Fbig-pharmas-sugar-daddy-the-u-s-congress%2F Tuesday, May 10, 2011, I had the distinct pleasure of viewing a live feed of the press conference held on the steps of the U.S. Vaccine Court in Washington, DC, where attorneys representing clients and families damaged by vaccines, particularly autism disorder spectrum disabilities, challenged the U.S. Congress to investigate what’s really going on with the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, the U.S. Vaccine Court set up under the statute creating that law, and its unfair compensation tactics. While reading a companion article, “Unanswered Questions From The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program: A Review of Compensated Cases of Vaccine-Induced Brain Injury” by Mary Holland, Louis Conte, Robert Krakow and Lisa Colin, published in the Pace Environmental Law Review at http://dig... vactruth.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813292 Wed, 11 May 2011 14:52:21 +0100 4813292 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789208&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FWBu8A6aiGns%2F By Justin LoganAP Photo/David Guttenfelder There are not going to be many better opportunities to change course in Afghanistan than the one presented by the killing of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad. It may be worth highlighting how ripe an opportunity this is: The politics on the Hill are changing. It probably comes as no surprise that Reps. Walter Jones (R-NC) and Jim McGovern (D-MA) would like to end the Afghanistan war, but their “Afghanistan Exit and Accountability Act” has brought on co-sponsors like Tea Party stalwarts Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Justin Amash (R-MI). This means that in the days and weeks to come, there will be Republicans on television and radio making the case for withdrawal. That could have a profound effect on where the debate goes from here. On t... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789208 Thu, 05 May 2011 18:12:45 +0100 4789208 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4775406&cid=t_109502_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2Fmaterial-world-part2-220307.mp3 One of my first posts about nonsense taught in universities was about the University of Westminster (April 2008): Westminster University BSc: “amethysts emit high yin energy”. since then, there have been several more revelations. Jump to follow-up Professor Petts The vice-cnancellor of Westminster, Professor Geoffrey Petts, with whom the buck stops, did have an internal review but its report was all hot air and no action resulted (see A letter to the Times, and Progress at Westminster). That earned Professor Petts an appearence in Private Eye Crystal balls. Professor Petts in Private Eye (and it earned me an invitation to a Private Eye lunch, along with Francis Wheen, Charlie Booker, Ken Livingstone . . ). It also earned Petts an appearence in the Guardian (The opposite of... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4775406 Tue, 03 May 2011 08:10:00 +0100 4775406 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4775431&cid=t_109502_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F02%2Ftwo-important-lessons-from-my-much-procrastinated-trip-to-the-dentist%2F The other day, I finally went to the dentist. I was due for a check-up in July, and for the last eight months, I’ve been moving the reminder card around my office and coming up with new excuses about why I couldn’t make an appointment. I made the Thursday, went in, and the whole process took thirty-eight minutes from the time I picked up a magazine in the waiting room to the time I walked out the door holding my bag with freebie toothbrush and floss. I walked the twenty-five blocks to get there, too, on this beautiful spring afternoon, so even half of my travel time was well-spent. From this experience, I draw two lessons for myself — both of which were quite apparent to me, although I neglected to act on them… 1. Procrastination is itself draining. That reminder c... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4775431 Mon, 02 May 2011 19:08:24 +0100 4775431 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4747598&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FmI-WS98fJEs%2F By Ilya ShapiroThat the Supreme Court declined to take up the Obamacare litigation before even a single appellate court had ruled on it is neither surprising nor game-changing. Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s cert petition, whatever its merits (which were several), was a long-shot to begin with as a matter of practice and procedure.  Cato, like all other interested parties, has continued filing briefs in and commenting on the various cases on appeal around the country.  The only noteworthy point here is that Justice Elena Kagan apparently participated in the consideration of the petition, which indicates that she won’t be recused when one of these cases does hit the Court.  This too isn’t terribly surprising: I’m still digging through the documents reg... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4747598 Mon, 25 Apr 2011 15:55:47 +0100 4747598 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734058&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FOTvW8AKCpvs%2F By George Scoville “Collective bargaining gives unions the exclusive right to speak for covered workers, many of whom may disagree with the views of the monopoly union.” “Which two have done more to improve your life — Thomas Edison and Steve Jobs, or Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi?” “A temporarily frozen debt limit could instead signal U.S. lawmakers’ resolve to get our fiscal house in order. It may even reassure investors about long-term U.S. economic prospects.” “What makes Americans exceptional is our ornery resistance to being bossed around.” Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) spoke recently at a Cato forum on fiscal policy about the CAP Act–here’s an excerpt of his remarks: Wednesday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty -... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734058 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 15:16:36 +0100 4734058 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4723758&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Ffda-decides-regulating-implantable.html Well, not exactly, but they have decided regulation of another medical device is a political hot potato, and demurred on enforcing regulation:Health IT.Health IT are medical devices. FDA's Chair of the Center for Device and Radiological Health, Jeffrey Shuren, MD JD, stated this explicitly on Feb. 25, 2010 (see testimony to the HHS Health Information Technology HIT Policy Committee at this PDF) that: ... Under the Federal, Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, [that regulates all drug, medical devices, etc. in the United States - ed.] HIT software is a medical device. Currently, the FDA mandates that manufacturers of other types of software devices comply with the laws and regulations that apply to more traditional medical device firms. These products include devices that contain one or more soft... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4723758 Sat, 16 Apr 2011 16:43:00 +0100 4723758 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4715023&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F3EmIsWhgxuY%2F Late last month, the US Supreme Court asked the Obama administration for its views on a complicated and controversial spat that has the potential to alter the way brand-name drugmakers use patent law to delay generic competition (look here). Whether the Supremes choose to review the case is unclear, but by asking the US Solicitor General to comment, the court has signaled a hearing is, indeed, a possibility. The case, meanwhile, is being closely watched, as one might imagine. A growing number of generic drugmakers have begun filing briefs with the Supreme Court, explaining why a review is warranted. And Wall Street has signaled that, if the status quo continues, brand-name drugmakers will have hit on a new means of fending off unwanted generic rivals. Here is the background: In 2005, Novo... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4715023 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 12:00:05 +0100 4715023 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704960&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FIe-9hJBgDxE%2F Over the past fewl months, several patients suffering from Fabry disease – a rare, inherited disorder that causes kidney and heart problems – have tried different ways to get a needed medication called Fabrazyme. The drug, which is made by Genzyme, has been rationed due to severe manufacturing problems that led to a consent decree for the biotech, which is now part of Sanofi-Aventis. Twice, the patients have petitioned the National Institutes of Health to allow them to break a patent; they have also petitioned the FDA to insist that overseas stock of the med is first made available to US citizens, and they are suing Genzyme and Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York, which licensed Fabrazyme to Genzyme (back story). The outcome of their efforts is unclear, although they say Fabry patient... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704960 Mon, 11 Apr 2011 16:07:44 +0100 4704960 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4693503&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F4qYFmFlSQzk%2F The healthcare giant was charged by the US Securities and Exchange Commission with violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by bribing public doctors in several European countries - and paying kickbacks to Iraq - to illegally obtain business. The FCPA forbids US companies from bribing foreign government officials (read here). Specifically, various Johnson & Johnson units paid bribes to public doctors in Greece who chose J&J surgical implants; public doctors and hospital administrators in Poland who awarded contracts to J&J, and public doctors in Romania to prescribe J&J meds. The subsidiaries - including DePuy and Janssen Pharmaceutica - also paid kickbacks to Iraq to obtain 19 contracts under the United Nations Oil for Food Program, according to the SEC complaint. T... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4693503 Fri, 08 Apr 2011 20:03:33 +0100 4693503 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4693268&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F6wmiI_d5htU%2F By George Scoville “Now the United States is a party to a civil war.” The United States v. Comstock decision didn’t really change the course of Necessary and Proper Clause doctrine. Collectivism fails the test of human reality. “For post-Cold War America, military adventures forever beckon — and their lessons are quickly forgotten.” Cato Daily Podcast host Caleb Brown spoke with the junior Senator from Tennessee yesterday about his CAP Act legislation: Friday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4693268 Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:45:02 +0100 4693268 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684755&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fd10VVkKY8lg%2F In yet another twist in the ongoing battle over sales reps and overtime pay, the US Department of Labor has filed an amicus curiae brief in support of two GlaxoSmithKline reps, who recently lost a case in which a federal appeals court ruled they are not eligible for overtime pay. The Labor Department, however, wants the entire appeals court to rehear the case if the appeals panel declines to do so. Two months ago, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reached its decision after determining that pharmaceutical sales reps are exempt from relevant provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and, therefore, should not be paid overtime (see this and this). That decision affirmed a lower court ruling issued in November 2009 (which you can read here) and, significantly, contradicted a Labo... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684755 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:14:12 +0100 4684755 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684431&cid=t_109502_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2F06%2Fshould-you-tell-your-employer-you-have-autism%2F April is Autism Awareness Month, and in helping to promote awareness of autism, I’m pleased to provide an excerpt from the book, Living Well on the Spectrum by author Valerie L. Gaus, Ph.D. The book is a self-help book that helps a person with an autism spectrum disorder identify life goals and the steps needed to achieve them. One of the concerns I often hear from people with an autism spectrum disorder is about work and their career. In fact, just last evening while hosting our weekly Q&A on mental health issues here at Psych Central, the question came up whether a person should tell a potential employer about their Asperger’s (the mildest form of autism). While I am not a lawyer, my suggestion was that it probably wasn’t relevant for many jobs and not something tha... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684431 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 13:16:41 +0100 4684431 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684280&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F2ZwaAvJwdcU%2F By Ilya ShapiroAs I described yesterday in the context of Cato's latest brief, Virginia’s challenge to the constitutionality of the individual mandate is now on appeal before the Fourth Circuit (the federal appellate court that covers Maryland, Virgnia, and the Carolinas).   Before the court even considers the constitutional merits, however, it must confirm that the state has standing to bring the lawsuit in the first place.  Indeed, two amicus briefs filed by some law professors argue that the state does not have the legal power to challenge the constitutionality of Obamacare.  But Pacific Legal Foundation attorney and Cato adjunct scholar Timothy Sandefur filed a brief responding to those briefs and arguing that Virginia does have standing to bring the case. Here's the issue:  A... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684280 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 13:13:50 +0100 4684280 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4677137&cid=t_109502_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F04%2F05%2Fwhat-is-coping%2F When we use the word ‘coping’, what do we mean? Recently, I’ve been reviewing the whole concept of coping in chronic pain.  I’m trying to establish how people with chronic pain view this term, and what they include in their repertoire of ways to cope.  My research is looking at the ways that people who cope well with their pain, and never need input from a chronic pain management team, do so.  And in doing this research, I’m hitting some conceptual snags. The thing is, coping as a concept isn’t defined all that well.  Some definitions refer to the outcome of coping: “he coped well with that” meaning “he managed that stressor in a positive way and the outcome was good”; some definitions refer to the process of coping and don&#8... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4677137 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 06:55:06 +0100 4677137 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676758&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FAw33lCK0gZo%2F By Julian SanchezThe Electronic Frontier Foundation has unearthed an interesting case of an improper use of surveillance in an investigation where the FBI had obtained "roving wiretap" authority. In a bizarre turn, the Bureau ended up eavesdropping on young children rather than their adult suspects for five days. The case is generating some attention because that same "roving wiretap" authority is one of the three surveillance powers set to expire in late May. The thing is, on the basis of what I can glean from the heavily redacted document EFF obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request, it's not a case involving misuse of the roving authority. But it is a good concrete example of why the roving authority needs to be modified. First, a bit of background: Roving wiretaps in criminal ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676758 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:54:39 +0100 4676758 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676763&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FTUO4cBW_7tQ%2F By Daniel J. MitchellThis Thursday, April 7, Senator Corker of Tennessee will be the opening speaker at the Cato Institute's conference on "The Economic Impact of Government Spending" (an event that is free and open to the public, so register here if you want to attend). The Senator will be discussing his proposal to cap and then gradually reduce the burden of government spending, measured as a share of gross domestic product. With federal outlays currently consuming about 25 percent of economic output, excessive federal spending is America's main fiscal problem. Corker's proposal would put federal spending on a 10-year glide path so that it eventually shrinks to 20.6 percent of GDP. This chart, from the Senator's upcoming presentation, shows that government will grow at a much slower pace... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676763 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:37:10 +0100 4676763 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4670336&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FCtZxAGEWEqs%2F You read it here first. Despite the decision today by KV Pharma to lower the price of its Makena drug for premature births by 55 percent - to $690 (see this), the March of Dimes has ended a decade-long corporate relationship in which the drugmaker contributed some $1 million to help support various activities, such as a neo-natal family intensive care program. The move comes after the organization met earlier this week with the embattled drugmaker, which has faced a storm of protest after initially charging $1,500 for Makena, a form of progesterone that, for many years, was offered by compounding pharmacies. KV was granted marketing exclusivity because approval was made under the Orphan Drug Act and the drugmaker threatened to take compounding pharmacies to court. To mollify critics, KV su... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4670336 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 21:10:12 +0100 4670336 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4664471&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FBooQH9h2fi8%2F Under enormous political pressure and undercut by an unexpected FDA decision earlier this week, KV Pharmaceuticals has lowered the price of its Makena injectable drug for premature births by nearly 55 percent, to $690 per injection. Previously, KV hoped to charge $1,500. Despite the decrease, this is still considerably more than the $10 to $20 that compounding pharmacies typically charge. Nonetheless, KV maintains the price drop, supplemental rebates and the standard 23.1 percent Medicaid rebate “will result in a substantially reduced cost per injection for state Medicaid agencies compared to list price. This will help ensure that every woman who is prescribed Makena – regardless of her ability to pay – has the comfort of knowing a medication that has been rigorously reviewed by ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4664471 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:18:27 +0100 4664471 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4664479&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FgXjtOBKbmts%2F Yesterday, the FDA took the unusual step of inserting itself into the controversy over the KV Pharmaceutical drug known as Makena, which the agency approved last month for premature births under the Orphan Drug Act. After KV disclosed plans to charge $1,500, compared with $10 to $20 a week for compunded versions of a med that has been used for decades, the drugmaker and the FDA came under fire by politicians, patient groups and some doctors (see this and this). In response, the FDA says it will not prevent compounders from compounding (see this), adding unexpected to competition to KV, which has a 7-year exclusivity period. We spoke with Cole Werble (pictured left) and Ramsey Baghdadi who track pharma for Prevision Policy, a healthcare analysis firm, and who are also editors at The RPM Rep... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4664479 Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:15:26 +0100 4664479 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4658360&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fd3JtMxT5Pu8%2F By Tad DeHavenThe federal government has been meddling with sugar production since 1934. Today’s convoluted system of supply controls, price supports, and trade restrictions benefits domestic sugar producers at the expense of consumers and utilizing industries. In other words, sugar producers “win” and the rest of the country “loses.” Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) just introduced the “Free Sugar Act of 2011,” which would abolish the federal sugar racket. In a Washington Times op-ed on his bill, Lugar doesn’t pull any punches: The collapse of communism brought an end to many of the world’s command-and-control economic systems and central planning by government bureaucrats. But a notable exception is the United States government’s sugar program. A complicated system of market... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4658360 Wed, 30 Mar 2011 21:08:16 +0100 4658360 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4664499&cid=t_109502_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F03%2F31%2Fmoodjuice%2F I had a nice email from James Hardie from Moodjuice website, an NHS Scotland site developed for both health professionals and individuals to access self help resources. For patients, the site starts by saying “Emotional problems are often the mind and body’s way of saying that something needs to be changed in our life” - I like that!  I like the way the patient area is based on practical problems like housing, childcare, hobbies and interests, meeting people, relationships and so on. For professionals, the feature that really appeals to me is the “build your own resource” area.  This enables you to put together the most relevant handouts for the person you’re seeing – a lovely feature! Then you can print the whole lot off, and it’s a pulled-tog... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4664499 Wed, 30 Mar 2011 20:12:26 +0100 4664499 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4658366&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FFXcuFE3ki1g%2F By Neal McCluskeyLast month I wrote a post on President Obama's selective citation of evidence when debating which education programs to kill and which to keep. Well yesterday the administration struck again, issuing the following statement opposing a bill that would revive DC's bleeding-out voucher program: STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY H.R. 471 – Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act (Rep. Boehner, R-Ohio, and 50 cosponsors) While the Administration appreciates that H.R. 471 would provide Federal support for improving public schools in the District of Columbia (D.C.), including expanding and improving high-quality D.C. public charter schools, the Administration opposes the creation or expansion of private school voucher programs that are authorized by this bill.  The Fede... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4658366 Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:56:12 +0100 4658366 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4653605&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Figh8X5xxjNM%2F A provision of the False Claims Act that prevents whistleblower lawsuits from being unsealed does not violate the First Amendment and, therefore, the public’s right to access the documents, a federal appeals court has ruled. In a 2-to-1 vote, the US Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit upheld an earlier decision that shot down the argument whistleblower lawsuits should be unsealed after a 60-day period because this would allow the public to learn as soon as possible about corporate wrongdoing. The rationale for requiring these lawsuits to remain sealed for at least 60 days is to allow the feds, who are permitted to seek extensions beyond that initial period, to investigate the allegations. During the seal period, the whistleblower is not supposed to discuss the suit or its contents. ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4653605 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 11:55:34 +0100 4653605 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642995&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FuZGC-ukK-wc%2F Should generic drugmakers be required to strengthen product labeling if alerted to side effects, even when the same change has not been made to the labeling for the branded med? This question goes to the heart of a pair of state lawsuits filed by two women, who claim generic drugmakers should be held liable for failing to warn of serious side effects. However, the drugmakers, which include Actavis and Pliva, claim federal law preempts the lawsuits, because they would be required to offer labeling that is different from what appears on the label of the brand-name drug. The generic drugmakers further maintain that permitting such lawsuits to proceed in state courts would raise their costs, which would, ultimately, be passed on to consumers. This complicated issue will be heard this coming We... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642995 Mon, 28 Mar 2011 13:12:39 +0100 4642995 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159038&cid=t_109502_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D4239%26utm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Da-thoroughly-dangerous-charity-yestolife-promotes-nonsense-cancer-treatments Conclusion The information supplied by YesToLife is more likely to kill you than to cure you. The next time you see somebody collecting for a "cancer charity" be very careful before you give them money. Follow-up (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159038 Mon, 28 Mar 2011 00:42:45 +0100 5159038 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4636523&cid=t_109502_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthit.hhs.gov%2Fportal%2Fserver.pt%2Fdocument%2F954074%2Ffederal_hit_strategic_plan_public_comment_period The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology today opened a four-week comment period on proposed revisions to the Federal Health IT Strategic Plan (pdf). Last updated in 2008, the plan spells out ONC’s strategy for meeting national health IT goals for the five-year period beginning in 2011. The HITECH Act requires this revision. According to a blog post by national coordinator Dr. David Blumenthal: Some components of the Plan may already be familiar, including the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive Programs and the grant programs created by the HITECH Act, which are creating an infrastructure to support meaningful use. However, the Plan also charts new ground for the federal health IT agenda: In Goal I, the health information exchang... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4636523 Fri, 25 Mar 2011 20:29:28 +0100 4636523 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4631569&cid=t_109502_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fdisabled-parking-about-to-take-a-hit-in-seattle%2F In a move parking officials in Seattle see as a way to “free up hundreds of [parking] spaces,” our city council is looking to limit free parking for people with legitimate disabling issues… in the neighborhoods around hospitals! According to flyers posted around the proposed “test” area, the city wants to impose a 4-hour limit on people who need extra time to get around because, “[Disabled parking] placards represent golden tickets to free parking, especially in downtown Seattle where monthly parking is so expensive.” Mr Mayor, City Council of Seattle: I am offended! So my disability – the medical condition that slows everything from my thinking to my ability to move around my city – is a Golden Ticket in your eyes?!?!?! Are You Kidding Me? Don’t get me wrong. I... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4631569 Thu, 24 Mar 2011 15:29:22 +0100 4631569 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4631477&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdocs.house.gov%2Fenergycommerce%2Fppacacon.pdf The following is a guest post by Nicole Sweeny, originally posted on Policy Mic on March 22nd. By Nicole Sweeny. In October 2010, seven months after the passage of health reform, hundreds of health care industry stakeholders gathered in an overcrowded conference room at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. They were all eagerly waiting to give their input on one of the most buzzworthy provisions of health reform: the Accountable Care Organization. Implemented by Section 3022 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Accountable Care Organizations, or “ACOs,” are vaguely defined as groups of providers that will manage all aspects of care for the Medicare beneficiaries assigned to them (seniors over the age of 65 are eligible for Medicare). ACOs will have to meet q... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4631477 Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:45:51 +0100 4631477 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4626872&cid=t_109502_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F03%2F24%2Fif-its-evitable-i-dont-like-it%2F Situationist Contributor Aaron Kay as well as Peter A. Ubel and Gavan Fitzsimons wrote the following editorial for the Detroit Free Press.: This week it will be one year since President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law. Despite all the controversy that preceded the bill’s passage, most health policy experts confidently predicted that the public would soon embrace the legislation. To back up these predictions, they pointed out that Medicare was quite controversial when it was established in the 1960s, but rapidly grew in popularity. Much the same happened more recently with Medicare Part D, the law championed by President George W. Bush to extend Medicare coverage to medications. Recent polls belie these predictions, however, as support for health care reform has... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4626872 Thu, 24 Mar 2011 04:01:42 +0100 4626872 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4626788&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FKmqqbWkICMo%2F By George ScovillePlease join us this coming Monday, March 28 at 1pm Eastern on our Facebook page for a live video presentation, powered by Livestream, from Cato research fellow Julian Sanchez on the current state of online privacy policy. Here is a brief list of topics he'll cover: An update on current challenges to overturn FISA, and what it means for you and me if those challenges succeed or fail How this relates to current and recent efforts to reauthorize the Patriot Act, including a recap of testimony Sanchez recently delivered to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security What's on the FBI's surveillance wish list Reflections on the idea of an "online privacy bill of rights" We hope you can join us next Monday at 1pm Eastern for this event. Be sure to ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4626788 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 18:47:49 +0100 4626788 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4627020&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F0IjRn8so-AU%2F Earlier this month, controversy erupted after KV Pharmaceuticals disclosed plans to charge $1,500 for an injection of its Makena drug for preventing premature births. Why? Makena is actually a form of progesterone that has been available for decades from compounding pharmacies at roughly $10 to $20 a week (read this and this). Now, though, KV Pharma has a lock on the market, because Makena is the only drug approved by the FDA for this purpose. And the agency did so under the auspices of the Orphan Drug Act, which means KV Pharma was granted seven years of market exclusivity. In response, two senators asked the US Federal Trade Commission to investigate (see here), but Jamie Love of Knowledge Ecology International, a non-profit advocacy group that focuses on intellectual property issues tha... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4627020 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 12:37:04 +0100 4627020 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4615377&cid=t_109502_136_f&fid=39025&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Feverythingchangesbook%2F%7E3%2F0IrLIYCjmKw%2Faffordable-care-act-on-year-anniversary Everything Changes is throwing a 1-year-old birthday party for the Affordable Care Act. Don’t be embarrassed if you don’t know what’s in the bill – you’re not alone. Our big, broken health care system needed a fabulous new makeover; the changes are welcome, yet complex. I’ve made a cliff notes version of the main parts of the bill, broken into four bite-sized categories. I’ll be posting new categories all this week. Today’s is Freedom to Access Care. Please read, check back, and share the info with your friends and families so we can all better understand and celebrate our new healthcare freedoms and rights. PART 1:  FREEDOM TO ACCESS CARE! Caps No more caps. Insurers can’t set dollar limits on your lifetime benefits coverage, no exceptions. Annual benefits caps ... Everything Changes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4615377 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 18:44:06 +0100 4615377 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4615222&cid=t_109502_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2FPH-LM6dEKO4%2F On Jan. 28, Ron Pollack, executive director of the liberal advocacy group Families USA, introduced President Obama at a Families USA event by saying, “Numerous presidents over many decades tried to secure health reform legislation that would move us toward high-quality, affordable healthcare for all Americans. You, Mr. President, actually achieved it.” The crowd ate it up. During the contentious debate over health reform in 2009 and 2010, countless lobbyists, pundits and politicians touted “quality healthcare” as a reason to pass the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Some called for the same “Cadillac” health plans that members of Congress provided for themselves. Many opponents of the legislation countered by saying the U.S. already has the &#... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4615222 Sun, 20 Mar 2011 19:10:14 +0100 4615222 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4605873&cid=t_109502_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F03%2F17%2F6-signs-its-time-to-dump-your-therapist%2F Sometimes a therapist just isn’t that into you. After all, a psychotherapy relationship isn’t just about teaching cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques, or analyzing dreams. It’s about a human connection between two people — one person in need, and the other person who is there to act as a wise guide, teacher, and supporter through a process of change. Most therapists are pretty good at what they do. But even a good therapist may not always be the right fit for you. It’s similar to when you interview for a job where you feel like your resume is a perfect fit for the company, yet you don’t get the job. Perhaps the interview didn’t go as well as you thought, because the employer isn’t just looking for the best candidate — they’re ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4605873 Thu, 17 Mar 2011 18:00:03 +0100 4605873 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592359&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FZxnzQBPDcpY%2F By Tad DeHavenThe American Action Forum will host a conference on Capitol Hill this afternoon to discuss budget reform (details here). Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) will discuss his “Commitment to American Prosperity Act,” which would cap federal spending at a declining percentage of GDP over ten years. Spending as a percentage of GDP would eventually be reduced to 20.6 percent, which is equal to the average from 1970 to 2008. Corker’s plan properly places the focus of deficit reduction on the source of the problem: too much spending. A concern with Corker’s plan is that it is somewhat complicated, which could make it difficult to explain to the public. Chris Edwards, who will be speaking at today’s event, recently showed that the government can get its finances under control by imposin... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592359 Tue, 15 Mar 2011 18:23:33 +0100 4592359 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592689&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FUdLb4vh7Hrs%2F What if a pharma exec was supposed to be sentenced for a misdemeanor but, due to a change in sentencing guidelines, was instead going to receive a harsher sentence usually meted out for felonies? Depending upon your station in life, this may be a good thing or a bad thing. If you happen to be the exec, however, this is probably not a good thing. But if a recent proposal goes into effect, well… tough luck. What are we talking about? Two months ago, the US Sentencing Commission issued a proposal to amend the sentencing guidelines that would impose tougher punishments for anyone convicted of so-called strict liability offenses under the Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act (look here). In legal lingo, the difference is between between following the 2B guidelines for fraud instead of the curre... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592689 Tue, 15 Mar 2011 12:15:58 +0100 4592689 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592369&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F6l3b7Oy1uew%2F By George Scoville How can we have an "adult conversation" on the budget if the White House won't release its budget and deficit projections to the public? A new guide to India's uneven spread of economic freedom could help state-level policymakers there improve the welfare of citizens there. "When the Cato guy tells you someone is corrupting the idea of HSAs, pay attention." Despite having the bully pulpit, and despite touting opinion polls in favor of reform, the Obama administration finds it necessary to use taxpayer funds to tell Googlers what's best for them. Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has doubled down on the social issues truce--Cato's John Samples talked about this on Friday on the Cato Daily Podcast: Monday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: C... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592369 Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:17:19 +0100 4592369 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4575250&cid=t_109502_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fsexual-dysfunction-causes-and-effects%2F Definition of Sexual problemsSexual problems are defined as difficulty during any stage (desire, arousal, orgasm, and resolution) of the sexual act, which prevents the individual or couple from enjoying sexual activity. These apply equally to heterosexual, gay, lesbian and bisexual people.Development of sexual disorders:Sexual difficulties may begin early in a person’s life, or they may develop after an individual has previously experienced enjoyable and satisfying sex.A problem may develop gradually over time, or may occur suddenly as a total or partial inability to participate in one or more stages of the sexual act. The causes of sexual difficulties can be physical, psychological, or both.Emotional factors affecting sex include both interpersonal problems and psychological problem... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4575250 Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:22:05 +0100 4575250 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4570525&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F1RFFzv-zctM%2F By Jim HarperRep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL) is the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. That's the subcommittee that makes spending decisions for the Department of Homeland Security and the programs within it, including the REAL ID Act. Earlier this month, a constituent of his from Fyffe, Alabama posted a question on Mr. Aderholt's Facebook page: Rep. Aderholt, I've seen reports that the "REAL ID ACT" will be implemented in May of this year, giving the govt the ability to track every person who has a drivers license via encoded GPS. Is this actually the case and if so, what is the House going to do to stop this Orwellian infringement of our Liberty. Also, HOW could this have happened in the first place! Mr. Aderholt has not replied. But Right Side News recen... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4570525 Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:03:28 +0100 4570525 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4565887&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F18vOaTm2NKA%2F By Tim LynchThis week Obama announced that he intends to prosecute prisoners before military tribunals.  The administration is taking pains to point out that Obama is not embracing the Bush policy.  These will be Obama's tribunals, not Bush's.  But since Mr. Obama's executive order can be revised or withdrawn at any time, the new and improved procedures do not amount to much.   The tribunals were wrongheaded under Bush and the critique applies equally well to Obama's "new" policy. As others have noted, Obama has now embraced tribunals, Gitmo, and the Patriot Act.    Bad news, but at least Obama kept his promises to end the wars and get us on a sound financial footing. For additional Cato work related to military tribunals, go here and here. Obama’s Military Tribunals is a ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4565887 Wed, 09 Mar 2011 18:03:12 +0100 4565887 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4560410&cid=t_109502_113_f&fid=39278&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogsite.mdbuyline.com%2F%3Fp%3D204 Ask any hospital to name the top challenges they face in the next couple of years; if the non-payment of avoidable hospital readmissions is not on the list, then someone has not been paying attention.  Studies have shown that telemedicine technology can reduce readmission rates by 60%.  This is great news because in 2012, CMS will start reducing payments to hospitals with high preventable readmissions rates.  Telemedicine is one of those technologies that you know is a great idea but has been slow to develop because of high costs, limited technology, and limited reimbursement.  But as costs come down, reimbursement becomes available, and technology improves, implementing telehealth programs has become more viable.  Most analysts predict the market will grow from $3 billion in 2009 to ... MD Buyline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560410 Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:48:03 +0100 4560410 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4560246&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FcHutqMPA_KY%2F By Sallie JamesMy colleagues and I see many questionable quotes and policy pronouncements from members of Congress, but one crossed my desk recently that really pushes the envelope. Senator Jeff Sessions (R -AL) -- he who caused some important trade policies to expire in December -- is attempting to "right" that wrong by introducing new legislation (S. 433) to reinstate the policies. Essentially, he is trying to succeed where others (thankfully) failed, i.e., to carve-out legislatively certain products (sleeping bags) made in his state. In so doing, however, he filled his March 2 press release with a retinue of half-truths, disingenuous mis-interpretations and damaging dog-whistles.  Let's examine them one at a time, shall we? (All emphases are mine.) WASHINGTON¬—U.S. Senator Je... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560246 Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:14:02 +0100 4560246 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4552057&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ffirst-monetary-hipaa-fine-issued%2F2011.03.05 Via the Threatpost article “HIPAA Bares Its Teeth: $4.3m Fine For Privacy Violation“: The health care industry’s toothless tiger finally bared its teeth, as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a $4.3 m fine to a Maryland health care provider for violations of the HIPAA Privacy Rule. The action is the first monetary fine issued since the Act was passed in 1996. … A copy of a penalty notice against Cignet depicts a two-year effort in which HHS struggled with what appears to be a dysfunctional Maryland provider unaware of the potential impact of HIPAA non-compliance, and unwilling or unable to cooperate with HHS in any way. When first reading the title I was willing to rail against HIPAA, as I’m tired of it. Then I read the post. Wow. It’s like ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4552057 Sat, 05 Mar 2011 18:00:37 +0100 4552057 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4549754&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmedicaid-will-the-cost-of-expanding-eligibility-be-overwhelming%2F2011.03.04 Medicaid has been front and center this week as President Obama addressed the National Governors Association, and several governors testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Obama told the governors that he supports the Wyden-Brown bill, which would accelerate the availability of waivers under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), so that states would not have to first create health insurance exchanges under the law, and then have the right to dismantle them and replace them with other mechanisms to achieve coverage goals of the law without additional cost to the federales. (See Wyden-Brown fact sheet.) The sponsors’ home states, Oregon and Massachusetts would otherwise have to dismantle parts of their own health reform efforts in order to align with the federal mandates... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4549754 Fri, 04 Mar 2011 14:00:45 +0100 4549754 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4544944&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FgWQnovK_N-E%2F By Jim HarperUntil now, Florida has not been one of the states to buck the federal government's national ID mandate, established in the REAL ID Act of 2005. A pair of grand jury reports in 2002 had moved the state to tighten its driver licensing processes prior to any federal action, so it was already doing many of the things that the Department of Homeland Security is now seeking to require of states in the name of REAL ID. Full compliance with REAL ID remains a distant hope, so DHS has set out a list of 18 "milestones," progress toward which it is treating as REAL ID compliance. Full compliance with REAL ID includes putting driver information into a network for nationwide information sharing---including scanned copies of basic identity documents. It includes giving all licensees and ID h... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4544944 Thu, 03 Mar 2011 19:53:26 +0100 4544944 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4540739&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fy-ozTQgTevA%2F Five former Amgen execs have ‘taken the Fifth’ in depositions that were conducted as part of a False Claims Act lawsuit scheduled to go to trial in federal court in Boston later this year. And the former Amgen sales rep and product manager who brought the lawsuit is fighting to have the depositions filed in court and made public. At issue are allegations that Amgen provided free ‘overfills’ of its Aranesp anemia medication and encouraged doctors to bill Medicare and Medicaid for the extra amounts. The lawsuit, which was filed by Kassie Westmoreland, also charges the biotech offered kickbacks to doctors in the form of fictitious consulting arrangements and weekend getaways in order to steal market share from Johnson & Johnson, which sells the rival Procrit treat... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4540739 Thu, 03 Mar 2011 03:02:31 +0100 4540739 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4536452&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FVJ9GxGN_-Fg%2F Ohio may become the next state to require drugmakers to report gifts they give to doctors. However, the bill, which was recently introduced in the state Senate, effectively mirrors a provision of health care reform that is scheduled to go into effect in 2013, although the Ohio legislation does not pertain to device makers. The legislation, which you can read here, would require drugmakers to submit annual reports showing the “value, nature and purpose” of any gift given to a doctor or other healthcare provider in connection with promoting or marketing a drug. There is, however, a $25 cutoff, while violations would cost up to $10,000 in fines. The Ohio State Medical Association “supports transparency in this area as long as the responsibility for providing this transparen... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4536452 Tue, 01 Mar 2011 20:53:08 +0100 4536452 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4532571&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F3ON0OinTH9Q%2F In what is being hailed as a victory for sales reps, the US Supreme Court has decided not to review lawsuits in which a lower court decided that Novartis and Schering-Plough should have paid overtime to its sales teams. The move means that still other lawsuits filed against several other drugmakers are likely to yield the same outcome, possibly prompting changes in the way sales reps are compensated (see the court denials here and here). Here’s the background: a federal appeals court last July ruled Novartis reps are not exempt from overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and, therefore, should be paid overtime. The same court also upheld a similar decision reached two years ago against Schering-Plough by a federal court, which denied a motion to dismiss a case brought ag... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4532571 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 17:17:56 +0100 4532571 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4522289&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FgDRs3Vo3RaA%2F A former Johnson & Johnson sales manager accused the health care giant of concocting various schemes to defraud federal and state Medicaid programs in a lawsuit that was filed in 2005, but only recently unsealed amid a transfer of the litigation from a federal court in Pennsylvania to another in Massachusetts. The lawsuit was filed by Scott Bartz, a New Jersey resident who worked as a sales compensation manager from 1999 until 2007, when he alleges he was terminated in retaliation for repeatedly complaining about illegal marketing practices. His lawsuit also names the Omnicare nursing home operator and McKesson, the pharmaceutical wholesaler. In his complaint, Bartz charged J&J manipulated sales data; reported false prices to various government health programs, and paid kickback... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4522289 Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:13:03 +0100 4522289 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4517350&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fh1PK0AihVGc%2F On Monday, the US Supreme Court will hear this debate, which involves a dispute between Roche and Stanford University over the rights to HIV test kits (see here). The case is expected to clarify the implications of a 1980 law that allocates patent rights among the government, investors and institutions that receive federal funding. Here’s the background: Stanford sued Roche in 2005 for patent infringement over technology to detect HIV levels blood using PCR, or polymerase chain reaction. The underlying discovery was made years earlier by a Stanford researcher, Mark Holodniy, who also worked with a company called Cetus that was later bought by Roche. However, the initial funding came from the federal government. At issue is whether Holodniy had the right to assign his interest to Cetus or... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4517350 Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:41:53 +0100 4517350 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4517170&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhen-dietary-supplements-are-used-as-medicines%2F2011.02.24 I was surprised to get this e-mail from a reader: Surely, Dr. Hall, the public mania for nutritional supplements is baseless. All the alleged nutrients in supplements are contained in the food we eat. And what governmental agency has oversight responsibility regarding the production of these so-call nutritional supplements? Even if one believes that such pills have value, how can the consumer be assured that the product actually contains what the label signifies? I have yet to find a comment on this subject on your otherwise informative website. My co-bloggers and I have addressed these issues repeatedly.Peter Lipson covered DSHEA (The Diet Supplement Health and Education Act) nicely. It’s all been said before, but perhaps it needs to be said again — and maybe by writing this post... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4517170 Thu, 24 Feb 2011 14:00:56 +0100 4517170 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4512393&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fnew-doctor-considering-primary-care-show-me-the-money%2F2011.02.23 There are plenty of reasons why medical students aren’t choosing primary care as careers. Lack of role models. Perception of professional dissatisfaction. High burnout rate among generalist doctors. Long, uncontrollable hours. But what about salary? Until now, the wage disparity between primary care doctors and specialists has only been an assumed reason; the evidence was largely circumstantial. After all, the average medical school debt exceeds $160,000, so why not go into a specialty that pays several times more, with better hours? Thanks to Robert Centor, there’s a study published in Medscape that shows how money affects career choice among medical students. Here’s what they found: Sixty-six percent of students did not apply for a primary care residency. Of these, 30 percent woul... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4512393 Wed, 23 Feb 2011 18:00:09 +0100 4512393 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4512613&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fc--MjGyqugU%2F Earlier this month, a Medicaid managed care provider in Ohio agreed to pay $26 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit brought by former employees, who alleged that assessments of adults and children with special needs were never conducted, but data was submitted anyway to the state Medicaid program for reimbursement. What has this episode to do with drugmakers? Well, the state of Ohio collected $10 million of the total $26 million paid by CareSource, the managed care provider. And Ohio attorney general Mike DeWine then bemoaned publicly that the state would have received more money if there was a False Claims Act statute on its books (look here). In general, such a law would allow Ohio to collect a bigger payday each time it participates in a whistleblower settlement. And in an era of i... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4512613 Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:28:43 +0100 4512613 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489637&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FNLLJlgI4aWw%2F By Julian SanchezThere was an interesting exchange during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing yesterday concerning the use of the Patriot Act's §215 orders for business records and other tangible things. FBI Director Robert Mueller hinted that the orders may have been used to track purchases of hydrogen peroxide purchases in the investigation of aspiring bomber Najibullah Zazi, while Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oreg.) asserted that there is "a huge gap today between how you all are interpreting the PATRIOT Act and what the American people think the PATRIOT Act is all about and it’s going to need to be resolved." Let's leave our curiosity about that by the wayside for the moment, though. I'm curious about one simple empirical claim Mueller made in his testimony: That the provision has been use... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489637 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 20:27:38 +0100 4489637 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489647&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUV6GqrlwtkU%2F By Julian SanchezLast night, By an overwhelming 86-to-12 margin, the Senate approved a temporary 90-day extension of three controversial provisions of the Patriot Act scheduled to sunset at the end of the month. The House just voted to move forward on a parallel extension bill, which will presumably pass easily. Because I'm seeing some civil libertarian folks online reacting with dismay to this development, I think it's worth clarifying that this is relatively good news when you reflect on the outlook from just a couple of weeks ago. The House has already approved a one-year extension that would plant the next reauthorization vote on the right eve of primary season in a Presidential election cycle, all but guaranteeing a round of empty demagoguery followed by another punt. As of last week,... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489647 Wed, 16 Feb 2011 21:27:46 +0100 4489647 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4482743&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FsSzbK8YDm8U%2F By John SamplesSenator Rand Paul is moving beyond economic issues. His critique of the Patriot Act may be found here. Sen. Paul lauds James Otis, Jr, the most important opponent of the writs of assistance imposed by the British prior to the American Revolution.  By invoking the name of this great patriot, Sen. Paul is trying to recall for Americans the original meaning of our Revolution and Constitution. He is practicing a politics of the original public meaning of America. An astonishing performance. Sen. Paul and the Writs of Assistance is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4482743 Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:46:27 +0100 4482743 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4482744&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F0xyyNavTAKM%2F By Sallie JamesA bill that would have set a troubling precedent indeed was killed in the Senate last week. I've written previously about the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, and its fate has been tied up with the Generalized System of Preferences, a scheme by which certain developing countries gain duty-free access to the U.S. market for many of their goods. Congress was trying -- and failed -- to pass an extension of the programs together, along with the Andean Trade Preference Act. Well, in an effort to extend for eighteen months the stimulus-enhanced TAA program (they were less fulsome in their enthusiasm for the other part of the bill; the barrier-reducing ATPA), Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced what they deemed to be a legislative "fix" to the thorny... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4482744 Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:21:56 +0100 4482744 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4478154&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FsV05nxGEdwk%2F In the latest twist in the ongoing battle over sales reps and overtime pay, a federal appeals court yesterday ruled that two Glaxo reps are exempt from relevant provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and, therefore, should not be paid overtime. The decision affirms a lower court ruling issued in November 2009 (which you can read here) and, significantly, contradicts a US Labor Department brief filed in this and other cases supporting overtime pay for sales reps (read the brief here). The latest decision suggests, once again, that the issue could eventually reach the US Supreme Court, since courts across the country have been so divided. Last summer, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that Novartis reps are entitled to overtime (back story). Here is a primer: The FLSA�... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4478154 Tue, 15 Feb 2011 13:22:14 +0100 4478154 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4464485&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FcvPPsHgnixw%2F By Julian SanchezIf you wonder why House Republicans were so keen on ramming through an extension of the Patriot Act without hearings or debate, take a gander at the Heritage Foundation's blog post and Web memo on the topic. I want to run through the latter in some detail, because I think it's telling just how poorly the case against reform stands up to scrutiny in the rare instances when the law's defenders feel obliged to make an argument more sustained than "Boo! Terrorists!"  Here's how they begin: With at least 36 known plots foiled since 9/11, the United States continues to face a serious threat of terrorism. As such, national security investigators continue to need these authorities to track down terror leads and dismantle plots before the public is in any danger. These three amend... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4464485 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 13:14:14 +0100 4464485 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4455251&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FR6X94r2j9hw%2F By Julian SanchezFirst, the good news: Last night, civil libertarians had a rare excuse to pop champagne when an effort to fast-track a one-year reauthorization of three controversial Patriot Act provisions--set to expire at the end of the month--failed in the House of Representatives. As Slate's Dave Weigel notes, the vote had been seen as such a sure thing that Politico headlined its story on the pending vote "Congress set to pass Patriot Act extension." Around this time last year, a similar extension won House approval by a lopsided 315-97 vote. Now the reality check: The large majority of representatives also voted for reauthorization last night: 277 for, 148 against. The vote failed only because GOP leadership had sought to ram the bill through under a "suspension of the rules"--a str... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4455251 Wed, 09 Feb 2011 20:07:00 +0100 4455251 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4455253&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F-7Qp5QEoT3o%2F By Sallie JamesIn the face of a likely loss, the House Republican leadership pulled a trade bill from consideration late yesterday afternoon rather than face yet another embarrassing defeat. CQ has the details [$]. The bill would have reauthorized the Andean Trade Preference Act, which gives specific tariff reductions on certain products from Andean countries, for a further six months. Hardly the sort of significant trade liberalization that would justify passing the other part of the bill -- a $2.4 billion per year extention of the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, about which I blogged on Friday. Stay tuned, because unfortunately I doubt we've heard the last of this program. Trade Adjustment Assistance Bill Pulled is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4455253 Wed, 09 Feb 2011 14:52:07 +0100 4455253 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4455261&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FYAbzkXwG0_0%2F By Hope Ditto. It has been almost a year since Congress passed the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but it seems that the questions and concerns surrounding it and its implementation are increasing rather than decreasing with time. From its legality to its funding, threats of repeal to promises to replace, buzz about the ACA from Wall Street to Main Street and up and down Pennsylvania Avenue has reached a fever pitch since the 112th Congress convened last month. We have accepted that things are currently in limbo with regards to health care reform and the provisions born from the ACA, but that does not mean that those in the health care industry can call a recess until Congress can come to some sort of consensus/final decision on health care reform. Instead, it is up to health care industry to s... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4455261 Wed, 09 Feb 2011 14:23:49 +0100 4455261 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4450278&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F4LMFaCq0MuI%2F By Jim HarperReports the Los Angeles Times: A House GOP push to permanently extend expiring provisions of the Patriot Act is running into opposition from conservative and "tea party"-inspired lawmakers wary of the law's reach into private affairs. Congress has made a practice of kicking the Patriot Act can down the road, but it could be that the new crop of legislators isn't inclined to go along. Julian Sanchez has blogged here about the complexities of this government surveillance law. His podcast on the topic, released yesterday, is titled "The Patriot Act Sneaks to Renewal." Maybe it can't sneak through after all... Patriot Act Extension Runs Into Conservative Opposition is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4450278 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 15:26:59 +0100 4450278 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4450367&cid=t_109502_113_f&fid=39278&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogsite.mdbuyline.com%2F%3Fp%3D169 If hospitals meet the “meaningful use” requirements of The HITECH Act, they will receive payments estimated to range from $9.7 billion to $27.4 billion (over eight years).  The goal of the bill is to help offset EHR technology startup costs that can begin at $2 million (based on a 200 bed facility).  Payments will start as early as May 2011, so understanding and delivering on meaningful use is time sensitive.  With so much at stake, users have asked CMS to expand on the definition of meaningful use. I asked Farrokh Alemi, PhD, professor of Health Systems Administration, Georgetown University, College of Nursing and Health Studies, in Washington DC and a well-published, peer-reviewed author on healthcare quality and IT, about the impact of meaningful use.  Alemi said, “The adoptio... MD Buyline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4450367 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 14:04:48 +0100 4450367 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4450288&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2FfY2q28 By Mary Grealy. There’s no question that, if we’re ever to have effective health reform in this country, improving our healthcare delivery system has to come through a public-private partnership. One of the key elements of the Affordable Care Act is the creation of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), an entity that will be charged with evaluating concepts for healthcare delivery reform and then putting into action demonstration projects that have the potential to improve healthcare quality and increase cost-efficiency. Fortunately, much of this ground is already being broken in the private sector.  Throughout the country, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, group purchasing organizations, insurers, distributors and other health sector... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4450288 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 13:24:20 +0100 4450288 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4445780&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FSpmeOr_vLw0%2F By Chris EdwardsRep. Richard Hanna is one of the many new members of Congress with a no-nonsense business background. He is determined to move the GOP in the direction of major tax and spending reforms. When I chatted to the congressman, he told me that he had already read my Global Tax Revolution, so he will be well-armed in tackling business tax reform! Hanna is off to a good start with his "American Competitiveness Act," which would chop the federal corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent. He notes that "the average rate in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries is just over 25 percent, meaning the effective U.S. corporate tax burden, when state and local taxes are considered, can be 50 percent higher than some of our developed competitors, renderin... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4445780 Mon, 07 Feb 2011 19:39:30 +0100 4445780 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4438886&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fis-the-er-really-the-best-place-to-get-primary-care-quicker%2F2011.02.05 In 1986, when Congress passed the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), hospitals and ambulance services were mandated by law to stabilize anyone needing emergency healthcare services regardless of citizenship, legal status, and/or insurance status. This was instituted at the time to prevent the prevalent practice of “dumping” — refusing to treat patients because of insufficient insurance or transferring or discharging patients on the basis of anticipating high diagnosis and treatment costs. While the implications of this law are indeed very noble in providing undifferentiated care to all patients based solely on healthcare needs and not financial status, it has unfortunately led to many patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) for primary care is... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4438886 Sat, 05 Feb 2011 17:00:34 +0100 4438886 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4433081&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FZIWYLZfvNkc%2F By Julian SanchezA few developments from a business meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee held this morning. As I noted last month the new House Intelligence Chair, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) has already introduced another one-year straight renewal without modification. Since then, Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) has introduced a bill that would renew the expiring Patriot Act surveillance provisions through 2013, but with some very basic additional safeguards and oversight requirements—many of which the Justice Department has already agreed to implement voluntarily—including most crucially added constraints and a new sunset for expanded National Security Letter powers, which have already been held at least partly unconstitutional in their current form by federal courts, and which the govern... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4433081 Thu, 03 Feb 2011 21:14:50 +0100 4433081 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4433102&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Faccountable-care-act-unconstitutional-the-fate-of-americans-health%2F2011.02.03 A Florida’s judge’s ruling that the Accountable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional doesn’t resolve the underlying constitutional issue (which will ultimately have to be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court) but it has introduced new uncertainty for the $2.3 trillion health care industry, and emboldened the law’s critics to push even harder for repeal (not that they weren’t trying already). The Wall Street Journal’s (WSJ) health blog reports that “states and companies that are supposed to be implementing the law trying to figure out what to do next. The WSJ reports that the 26 states that are parties to the suit are considering whether to ask the Supreme Court to take up the case now, before it has fully wended its way through the legal system. The New York Times (NYT) quotes the... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4433102 Thu, 03 Feb 2011 20:00:00 +0100 4433102 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4429241&cid=t_109502_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F03%2Fcbt-approach-in-the-real-world%2F While there are many papers published about the outcomes from using a cognitive behavioural approach, there are very few describing the process ‘in the real world’. This leaves a gap for many clinicians who may read about it, maybe have training in delivering this type of intervention, or work in a team where it’s an integral part of practice – but who may not know how it ‘works’ except as it’s delivered in a pen-and-paper, sitting-in-a-clinic-room kind of way. Today I’m describing one way I go about integrating a CBT approach into my work.    This case study is a compilation of several people I’ve worked with, in order to protect patient privacy. Simone has neuropathic pain in her dominant hand. She’s a tough cookie who worked... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4429241 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 19:33:39 +0100 4429241 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4429011&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2Fevo4a9kNq-U%2F By Hope Ditto. It’s still too early to tell what exactly will come of the repeal vote on the Hill this week, and what it will mean for health care coverage. Whether the law is repealed altogether, or whether supplemental bills changing different parts of the original legislation are passed, only time will tell. Whether Obama will veto the repeal act, should a repeal make it to his desk (okay, that’s pretty certain, but stranger things have happened), or whether the Republicans would be able to whip enough votes for an override, we can only venture guesses. Only one thing is for certain – there has never been a more confusing time to buy health insurance. That’s where health care benefits consultants – like Disruptive Women blogger and Golden & Cohen benefits consulting firm c... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4429011 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:04:47 +0100 4429011 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419468&cid=t_109502_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F01%2F30%2Foccupational-therapy-the-cognitive-behavioural-approach-for-pain-management%2F I have always resisted being labelled. I am much more than my gender, my marital status, my diagnosis, my professional background.  I also feel quite uncomfortable about being told what I may or may not do (maybe that’s where my kids get it from?!). I don’t like being told what is and isn’t ‘my role’ or someone else’s role.  I’m interested in what works and doing it well and at the right time for the right reason.  Today’s post is the first of a two-part commentary on a paper by Robinson, Kennedy and Harmon published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy this month in which it is argued that occupational therapists who offer cognitive behavioural therapy ‘without sufficient attention to occupational therapy’s professi... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419468 Sat, 29 Jan 2011 19:00:53 +0100 4419468 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4411723&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FCJkmCAQ7CCQ%2F Earlier this week, the US Department of Health & Human Services trumpted its track record in recovering $4 billion from investigations of healthcare fraud, some of which was made possible thanks to qui tam, or whistleblower lawsuits alleging violations of the False Claims Act (you can read the report here). Many drugmakers were targets and paid big fines, (back story) and the implication offered was that more such settlements are in the offing. But how many investigations are actually under way? The answer came just a couple of days later courtesy of US Senator Chuck Grassley, who referenced some data the HHS provided him in a Jan. 24 letter that was written in response to a request he made last month for a breakdown of the fraud probes. And so we now learn that, as of Jan. 4, there w... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4411723 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 13:20:11 +0100 4411723 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4399841&cid=t_109502_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F01%2F26%2Fpulling-it-all-together-biopsychosocial-assessment%2F Over the past little while I’ve been writing about how a comprehensive pain assessment can be carried out.  Today it’s time to pull that information together to develop a formulation, or set of possible explanations for why this person presents in this way at this time – at least for one or two aspects of his presentation. For example, if the person’s pain is low back pain, where surgery has failed to improve the person’s pain, but he has maintained working in a teaching job where physical demands are reasonably light, but is having trouble with sleep, feels irritable, can’t manage things like mowing lawns, and is very careful not to bend because he was advised after surgery to avoid bending because it may affect healing.   Limited forward flexion, si... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4399841 Wed, 26 Jan 2011 01:00:45 +0100 4399841 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4394748&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FpXbefPvyX2U%2F As drugmakers look to do more business in more foreign markets, corruption is always an issue, yes? That’s particularly true now that the US Justice Department - along with the US Securities and Exchange Commission - is paying closer attention to interactions between the pharmaceutical industry and foreign governments. Over the past year, several big drugmakers have received letters as the federal government seeks to uncover any violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which forbids US companies from bribing foreign government officials. One aspect of the probe reportedly involves exploring whether drugmakers and clinical trial organizations pay off third-party investigators to finesse research data. A report by the HHS Office of Inspector General noted that eight percent of... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4394748 Mon, 24 Jan 2011 16:01:22 +0100 4394748 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4382760&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FOUPOtNnEyC0%2F By Audrey Sheppard. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, if the Affordable Care Act is repealed, as the Republican House has voted to do, it would have negative consequences on the economy, and on the tens of millions of citizens who would remain uninsured. While communicating the measure’s good points left Democrats and advocates with a heavy lift in 2010, national polling is beginning to show Americans understanding and better appreciating the law.  Prospects are for increased popularity in 2011 and beyond.  This is understandable, as provisions that benefit our friends, family, neighbors – ourselves – begin to kick in, and forthcoming provisions are better understood. Are you a parent who has worried that your son or daughters, a young adult, stay well b... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4382760 Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:00:38 +0100 4382760 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4377557&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FM6ZRGjdMFXQ%2F By Ilya ShapiroIt’s now official: 28 states are challenging the constitutionality of Obamacare in the courts. For those of you keeping score, the following six joined the Florida-led lawsuit: Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Wyoming and Maine. Then of course Virginia is pursuing its own suit, and now Oklahoma is about to file its own separate lawsuit based on its voters’ approval in November of a Health Care Freedom Act similar to Virginia’s. Sadly — if I’m allowed to stop being hard-headed and just shake my head in an “o tempore o mores” sort of way — the government opposed Florida’s motion to add the six states to its lawsuit. There was no basis for this opposition: the newcomers are for these purposes similarly situated to the existing... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4377557 Thu, 20 Jan 2011 16:29:49 +0100 4377557 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4377565&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FOeqIxj_FQ1s%2F The following was originally posted by Disruptive Women Mary Grealy on the Prognosis Blog last Friday. Even though it was written prior to yesterday’s vote to repeal health care reform by the House the message is still relevant, if not more so. By Mary Grealy. Next Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on legislation repealing the Affordable Care Act that the 111th Congress passed just last year.  Presuming that the U.S. Senate will not follow the House’s lead, next week’s vote begins what could be a very difficult and contentious process to determine the future of health reform. As lawmakers, as well as those of us who advocate various policies and points of view, start down this road, we would all do well to take David Brooks’ column in today’s... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4377565 Thu, 20 Jan 2011 14:50:55 +0100 4377565 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4360970&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FYYhudWN36kI%2F By Hope Ditto. Well hello again and my apologies for the recent hibernation! Between our Innovation series, the holidays and everything else that has been going on, the weekly roundups took a not-quite-so-brief hiatus. Though I was sorry to leave you without your one-stop dose of all the health care news you can use, I do hope you had the opportunity to check out what ran in its place, especially our December series on Innovation (if you missed it, you can check out the series here). Enough of the housekeeping, now to get down to business. Not even the deepest hibernation in the most remote cave – or even the most recent bout of ice and snow — could keep me from hearing the news – the GOP is going to try and repeal health care reform (or what they refer to as Obamacare). And with... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4360970 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 21:09:20 +0100 4360970 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4349497&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F17GnwaVHKRE%2F By Jim HarperIf the Army is educating recruits about “geolocation,” maybe you should know about it too. In fact, the U.S. Army primer entitled “Geotags and Location-Based Social Networking” is a pretty good basic resource. Check it out. Understand this: Your mobile phone sends out signals to cell towers, creating records of where you go throughout your day. If it is enabled with GPS, it can produce even more precise location information. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies are rushing to exploit the potential of geolocation data, acquiring details of people’s movements and activities that once required costly, 24/7 surveillance. Uses of these data range from tracking fugitives, to reconstructing suspects’ travels, to analyzing the movements of w... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4349497 Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:44:33 +0100 4349497 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4343114&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F0ud79KYaN3E%2F By Tad DeHavenRep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) has introduced the Cut Unsustainable and Top-heavy Spending Act, which would cut spending by $44 billion annually.  Brady’s effort moves in the right direction but it is a very modest fiscal reform effort. The legislation, which Brady calls a “down payment on getting America’s financial books in order,” chooses targets that have already been proposed by the Obama administration or the president’s Fiscal Commission. Therefore, the proposal should have bipartisan appeal. For example, Brady’s bill would cut Pentagon spending and eliminate subsidies to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Many of the targets represent “house cleaning cuts” that would reduce spending on bureaucratic activities such as printing and federal travel. Th... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4343114 Thu, 13 Jan 2011 14:59:32 +0100 4343114 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4337906&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FzekcpJh84Ks%2F By Julian SanchezA year ago, the protracted wrangling in Congress over the re-authorization of several expiring provisions of the PATRIOT ACT made plenty of headlines. Most observers expected the sunsetting powers to be extended, but civil libertarians hoped serious and sorely needed reforms might be part of the package. The House and Senate Judiciary Committees held multiple hearings on the topic, and an array of competing reform and reauthorization bills (PDF) were proposed, adding extra safeguards (of varying stringency) to the greatly expanded surveillance powers Congress had approved in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. But Congress had a full plate, and so it punted—approving a straight one-year reauthorization without any modifications at the last minute. (You’d be forgiven... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4337906 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 21:11:21 +0100 4337906 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4337932&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FuQjaE73HQkY%2F This article discusses the various names the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has taken in the last couple of months. The insights are enlightening, take a look and let us know…What name do you think best encapsulates health care reform?   Related posts:Does Innovation in Health Care Matter? Disruptive Women in Health Care Answers this Question in a New eBook Landmark: The Inside Story of America’s New Health Care Law Missed Opportunities and the Mandate Dilemma (Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care) Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4337932 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 13:50:23 +0100 4337932 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4337939&cid=t_109502_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhealthcare-repeal-how-would-it-affect-coverage-and-cost%2F2011.01.11 [Soon] the new GOP-controlled House of Representatives will be voting on and is expected to pass a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – lock, stock, and barrel. There is virtually no chance the repeal bill will get through the Senate, though, which maintains a narrow Democratic majority, and President Obama would veto it if it did. But let’s say that the seemingly impossible happened, and the ACA was repealed. What would the impact be on healthcare coverage, costs, and the federal deficit? In a letter to Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its preliminary estimates of the impact of repeal on the deficit, uninsured, and costs of care, and found that it would make the deficit worse, result in more uninsured persons, and higher premiu... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4337939 Tue, 11 Jan 2011 22:00:00 +0100 4337939 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4331236&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FED0DYDEIm1U%2F The controversy over so-called pay-to-delay settlements between brand-name and generic drugmakers has prompted attorneys general from 32 states to file an amicus, or friend-of-the-court brief urging the US Supreme Court to review the deals, which the states say thwart competition and block needed access to lower-cost medications. The move comes less than a month after three pharmacy chains and a wholesaler petitioned the court to rule on the issue, which has divided other federal courts (see this) and spurred the Federal Trade Commission into a Quixotic quest to urge Congress to pass a law to restrict these deals (back story). The case that precipitated these filings involved a deal in which Bayer paid Barr Pharmaceuticals, which is now owned by Teva Pharmaceuticals, to drop its patent cha... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4331236 Tue, 11 Jan 2011 13:26:37 +0100 4331236 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4331240&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Ffs_tQgfFVm0%2F Nothing like a trade off between generations. A new study suggests that extending data exclusivity for small molecule brand-name drugs will lead to higher drug costs in the short term, but down the road, more than 200 additional drugs would be approved as a result of the increased revenue generated, offering increased industry incentives. And this would also boost life expetancy for future generations. In other words, today’s patients pay more, but tomorrow’s patients can get a better deal. Data exclusivity, you may recall, refers to the exclusive access to clinical trial data and, right now, brand-name drugmakers are granted five years for data submitted during the FDA approval process. There’s also an extra three years for supplemental applications and six months more f... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4331240 Mon, 10 Jan 2011 14:55:34 +0100 4331240 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4331241&cid=t_109502_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F8xGmflYIDG4%2F An unusual sideshow to the ongoing controversy over the Provenge prostate cancer vaccine has ended - for now - as a federal appeals court has rebuffed a long-running attempt by a group of investors and patients to force the FDA to turn over documents pertaining to the agency’s decision in 2007 to delay approval of the prostate cancer vaccine. The group, which calls itself Care To Live, hoped to overturn a federal court decision denying them access to FDA documents, which they believe may reveal the agency improperly handled the 2007 episode. At the time, the agency ignored the recommendation of its own advisory committee after two committee members privately wrote FDA officials not to approve the vaccine, which is made by Dendreon. Allegations subsequently emerged that the two panelists... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4331241 Mon, 10 Jan 2011 13:57:00 +0100 4331241 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4322577&cid=t_109502_113_f&fid=39278&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogsite.mdbuyline.com%2F%3Fp%3D140 When you have invested $1 million for a new piece of technology, you have to use it to make it pay.  I asked Paula Hennie-Roed, capital administrator at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC (an area known for leading-edge medicine), how they select a new piece of technology.  She explained, “The criteria that we use to rank each piece include need, safety, and patient care.  Part of the need portion involves projected utilization since this plays a major factor in revenue.” But, what is reasonable a patient flow?  Five patients a day?  20 patients a day?  A Radiology Business Management Association (RBMA) study that found the national average utilization rate for high-end imaging equipment is 54%.  With The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Congress proposed in... MD Buyline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4322577 Fri, 07 Jan 2011 15:41:25 +0100 4322577 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4302274&cid=t_109502_137_f&fid=39091&url=http%3A%2F%2Falzheimmers.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fhappy-new-year-national-alzheimers.html Well a Wish for a Healthy, Blessed and Happy and Safe New Year. God Bless All of you, Even the cool intellectual atheists, agnostics and everyone else that would have a hard time accepting the blessing.  I go to mass nearly every Sunday, I won't begin to tell you my Christmas Eve Mass Experience at Holy Rosary Cathedral In Duluth, MN. My God it makes me almost feel embarrasseabout being Catholic, the way some of these middle aged narcissisits and their offspring and their offspring's offspring, behave in church on the one day a year they actually go to mass. Makes it very miserable and difficult if you just want to pray in peace. Shameful and despicable, and I promise you I am not being vindictive. And we wonder why our children and each subsequent generation ... Caregiver Survival: I Hate Alzheimers blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4302274 Fri, 31 Dec 2010 22:29:00 +0100 4302274