Hurricane Katrina

> The Bush administration says it will veto a budget bill if Congress goes through with cuts that would impact funding for managed care providers. Article

> A pilot program at Lakeland Regional Medical Center gives doctors wireless PDA access to patient records. Article

> Could blogs be the next big …

The Center for Health Transformation, the Washington think-tank founded by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, held a meeting yesterday to talk about all of the good things electronic medical records can do. The "CHT Connectivity Conference: Accelerating Transformation Through Health IT" was sponsored by IDX systems. The conference showcased successful connectivity initiatives, including the Nebraska Statewide Telehealth Network, the Indiana Network for Patient Care, the PeaceHealth …

A CNN report on possible mercy killings at New Orleans' Memorial hospital in the week following Hurricane Katrina has led the state's attorney general to announce a new investigation. The network is reporting new allegations that at the height of the crisis several doctors and a hospital administrator discussed the option. According to the CNN version, the administrator closed the conversation with the parting admonition that the doctors "should pray about it." Some experts interpret …

In the event of a major avian flu pandemic, the US military could be used to quarantine parts of the country hard hit by the disease. In his press conference this morning, President Bush said that the lessons of Hurricane Katrina support giving the armed forces the legal authority to respond quickly to emerging healthcare threats to avoid a repeat of past disasters. The president also said his administration has made establishing a stockpile of drugs to fight a possible outbreak a top priority. Transcript

> New health plans designed specifically for part-time workers are being provided by large employers. Article

> The National Cancer Institute announced $144 million in grants for the study of ways in which nanotechnology could be used to prevent and fight cancer. Article

> In San Diego, Sun Microsystems is …

A new study by a professor at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill looks at the impact of Hurricane Katrina on physicians in the southeast. About 6,000 doctors in 10 counties and parishes in Mississippi and Louisiana have been displaced as a consequence of Hurricane Katrina. That, as far as anybody can guess, makes the storm responsible for the largest mass displacement of physicians ever in the US. Study author Dr. Thomas Ricketts of the UNC School of Public Health said he thinks …

The argument over Medicare Part D appeared to gain strength on Wednesday in Washington, as House Republicans continued the push to defer the program for a year, arguing that doing so would save at least $32 billion. The group says that the government simply cannot afford to implement the program at a time when an estimated $200 billion--and possibly more--is needed to cover the costs of damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. 

Many analysts have argued that it is unlikely that the …

A group of mostly deficit-hawk Senators wants to delay the launch of Medicare Part D, as a way to help control government spending following Hurricane Katrina. Supporters of the Republican-led move include Sen. John McCain of Arizona, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma. On Monday, White House spokesman Scott McClellan ruled out administration support for the plan, telling reporters, "That is an important benefit for our seniors that will save them …

Universal Health Systems is drawing heavy fire for its plan to shut three hospitals in the New Orleans area and lay off workers. Health care workers at Chalmette Medical Centers stayed with patients for nearly a week during Hurricane Katrina. They've now been told by administrators that they will receive pay for two weeks and will receive health benefits through the end of the month. Nearly 3,000 health care workers at three hospitals in the area are affected. Dr Lee Domangue, the …

With Washington now officially convinced that electronic medical records could have helped alleviate much of the confusion following Hurricane Katrina, look for more attention to be paid to the topic. The New York Times looks at the Taconic Health Information Network and Community, one effort to link small physician practices in upstate New York, which was funded by grants from the eHealth Initiative and the Agency for Health Care Quality. Proponents suggest that the Taconic …