health policy report
AL study questions need for CON process
A new study by an Alabama policy research group questions whether the state needs to have a certificate of need process in place to limit the growth of healthcare facilities in the state. The study,... Read more...
NJ begins sorting hospitals
While it stopped short of creating an actual list of hospitals that aren't worth saving, a New Jersey healthcare commission has created criteria for sorting out financially-troubled hospitals that... Read more...
Vytorin, Avandia raise doubt on FDA approvals
With recent studies raising questions about the safety of Avandia, and the benefits of costly cholesterol combo drug Vytorin, public debate has begun again as to whether the FDA's approval process... Read more...
IOM backs national clinical-effectiveness effort
In a new report, the Institute of Medicine is recommending that Congress establish a national program to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of products and services, in an effort to give providers a... Read more...
Study: Blacks avoid clinical trials
It seems that many black U.S. residents are less likely to participate in clinical studies, possibly due to distrust of physicians and fears that they might be harmed by participation, according to a... Read more...
HHS: Medicare pharmacy pay lower than Medicaid
A new report from the HHS Office of Inspector General has given pharmacies ammunition in their fight for better reimbursement under the Medicare prescription drug benefit. According to the report,... Read more...
Patients afraid to challenge surgeons
In theory, patients should ask surgeons some probing questions prior to getting their procedure done, including what success rate they have and how many procedures they've performed, most safety... Read more...
PA works to shift patients to community care
Moving in a direction which has widely been encouraged in national policy circles, the state of Pennsylvania has begun shifting its funding in a manner intended to keep people out of nursing homes... Read more...
Study: Older blacks less likely to get cancer treatments
Black patients older than 65 are "consistently less likely" than comparable white patients to receive recommended cancer treatments, according to a new study published in the journal Cancer. The... Read more...
FDA to further investigate anemia drug risks
The FDA has announced that it plans to review data on key anemia drugs Aranesp, Epogen and Procrit which suggests that they can increase risks of death and tumor growth in women with breast or... Read more...
