senate majority leader

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) told reporters that it is unlikely that Medicaid cuts pursued by the administration will go through this year as a direct result of the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. Meanwhile, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Max Baucus (D-Mont.) are expected to announce legislation which would guarantee Medicaid payments for program recipients who were displaced by Katrina and relax eligibility requirements so that more people qualify for the …

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) reversed his position on funding for research on embryonic stem cell research in a speech to lawmakers today. The news that Frist is now saying he supports legislation which would end on a moratorium on funding passed in 2001 is a front page story in newspapers across the country. Analysts say the Senate majority leader's support is likely to make a "crucial difference" in the political battle over the bill, creating political cover for …

The debate over electronic medical records promises to get interesting this week after the announcement from CMS that the government will provide small to midsized practices with free access to the VistA EMR system. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), in an Op-Ed in the San Francisco Chronicle, writes that the move is necessary to overcome physician hesitation. "Quite simply, the entire country should have the highest quality care we can afford." Frist goes on to tout …

> Merck is asking for a postponement in the first Vioxx trial. Story

> The University of Maryland is taking an innovative new approach to the treatment of heart disease, offering patients the option of having an angioplasty and a bypass in the same operation. …

The Kaiser Family Foundation will webcast an "ask the experts panel" on the future of Health IT on Thursday, June 30, featuring National Health IT coordinator David Brailer, National Medical Association President William Price, MD, and Dean Rosen, Director of Health Policy Office of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. E-mail questions to ask@kaisernetwork.org. Website

There appears to be growing bipartisan support for the medical records bill recently introduced in Washington. Senators Hilary Clinton (D-NY) and Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) talked about the need for the legislation in a joint appearance on NBC's Today Show this morning. Clinton said the law will help get hospitals out of "the dark ages."

Frist, a licensed physician, said Washington must give hospitals the tools they need to cut down on the number of preventable medical errors. …