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Senators prepare for upcoming health reform battles

The Wall Street Journal reports that, in a party-line vote Saturday night, "Democratic leaders finally moved their sweeping health bill to the Senate floor, where wheeling and dealing over major unresolved and divisive issues likely will shape the legislation before its next big test." Some centrists are busy saying they won't support a bill with a government-run public option in it. They are also divided over abortion.

23 Nov 2009

GOP strikes back on Senate health vote

Republican senators turned out to criticize the Democratic health overhaul on Sunday talk shows, saying it is "something Bernie Madoff would really envy," would expand a "medical ghetto," and may "collapse of its own weight," The Hill reports. Supporting the bill, which cleared an initial Senate vote to bring the legislation to the floor Saturday night, is tantamount to ignoring "the wishes of the American people," the Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Sunday (Johnson, 11/22).

23 Nov 2009

Digital divide appears between hospitals that treat the rich and poor

"Hospitals that disproportionately care for poor patients are less likely than other hospitals to have adopted health information technology," according to an October study published in Health Affairs, American Medical News reports. The economic stimulus legislation in February directed $19 billion in federal investments to help all types of hospitals adopt electronic records, but some researchers are concerned the money may not close that divide.

23 Nov 2009

Eclipsys reaches milestone: 50 millionth order entered into its EHR system

Eclipsys Corporation®, The Outcomes Company®, continues to strengthen its position as a leader in computerized physician order entry (CPOE) with the announcement today that long-standing client Sarasota Memorial Health Care System (Sarasota Memorial), located in Sarasota, FL, recently entered its 50 millionth order into its electronic health record (EHR) system. The notable physician order was entered by emergency medicine specialist Bill Colgate, MD.

23 Nov 2009

AMCP awards Health Net Federal Services for its education and communication materials

Health Net Federal Services, LLC, the government operations division of Health Net, Inc., today announced it recently received multiple MarCom Awards for its education and communication materials from the Association of Marketing & Communication Professionals (AMCP). AMCP is an international organization of thousands of creative professionals, recognizing the best materials and resources in the business through its MarCom Awards.

23 Nov 2009

Texas Court dismisses all claims against Merck in VIOXX-related lawsuit

Merck said today that Travis County, Texas District Court Judge Scott H. Jenkins granted Merck's motion for summary judgment, dismissing all claims in a VIOXX-related lawsuit filed on behalf of the State of Texas.

23 Nov 2009

Verizon launches telehealth services

Time, distance and cost often hamper efforts to link patients with the right health care expert, causing further concern for those needing to consult with faraway doctors. Verizon is answering this need with new services for physicians, hospitals, clinics and insurers that enable providers to "see" patients through video consultations, as well as other collaboration services.

23 Nov 2009

First Edition: November 23, 2009

Today's headlines indicate that even after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid found victory Saturday night with the first health bill test vote, his measure is likely to be the subject of an even more intense debate as the measure moves forward.

23 Nov 2009

Renal transplant nurses can play a key role in enhancing patients' quality of life

People who have kidney transplants need longer-term support than most friends, relatives or even healthcare professionals realise, according to a study of 160 patients published in the December issue of the UK-based Journal of Advanced Nursing.

23 Nov 2009

UT Southwestern Medical Center receives NIH funds for asthma research

UT Southwestern Medical Center is among 10 institutions selected by the National Institutes of Health to share $56 million over five years as part of the Inner City Asthma Consortium (ICAC).

23 Nov 2009

Congressman Chaka Fattah's statement on the Affordable Health Care legislation vote

Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA) issues the following statement upon the United States Senate's vote tonight to proceed to debate on Affordable Health Care legislation:

23 Nov 2009

DNC Chairman applauds Senators for commencing debate on health insurance reform bill

"Today, the Senate took another historic step on the road to enacting health insurance reform. By clearing this first procedural hurdle, senators will now have an opportunity to debate the health reform bill on the Senate floor and continue to make progress on delivering health insurance reform to the American people.

23 Nov 2009

HIV infected scope for TEE procedure, patient sues St. Vincent's Hospital

Milvia Lopez, by her attorney MICHAEL STEWART FRANKEL, of New York City, recently filed suit, in Supreme Court, New York County, bearing Index # 112888/2009. The complaint alleges that while Ms. Lopez underwent a routine transesophageal echocardiogram ("TEE") at ST. VINCENT'S HOSPITAL, doctors used an HIV infected scope exposing her to HIV.

23 Nov 2009

OMA praises health care workers for their hard work and dedication during flu season

At its annual fall meeting, the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) recognized front line health care workers for their hard work and dedication to patient during this unprecedented flu season. The OMA Council, which represents doctors from across the province, overwhelmingly passed a motion to express its thanks to Medical Officers of Health, physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals for their leadership.

23 Nov 2009

UK survey reveals the importance of cancer information services

People looking for detailed information about cancer outside of hospitals need a range of different information sources, reveals a Cancer Research UK survey published in the November issue of Cancer Nursing Practice.

23 Nov 2009

AUL Action opposes anti-life health care bill

At 8:00 p.m. tonight, the Senate is expected to vote on cloture on the Motion to Proceed to debate on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's pro-abortion health care bill. Sixty Senators' votes are needed for the bill to move forward. While this vote has been touted by pro-abortion lawmakers as merely "procedural" in nature, according to the Congressional Research Service, over 97% of bills that require a cloture vote to begin debate ultimately pass the Senate.

23 Nov 2009

ASTMH symposium illustrates the need to generate new medicines for infectious diseases

An urgent need for new medicines to treat neglected infectious diseases in the developing world has prompted a growing number of collaborations among academic researchers, non-profit product development partnerships (PDPs), and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

23 Nov 2009

AARP hosts educational forum to address nation's health care system

With the U.S. House of Representatives passing the landmark Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962), and the Senate moving key health reform legislation forward, Congress has taken decisive steps to fix our nation's broken health care system.

23 Nov 2009

Americans United for Life Action responds to pro-abortion vote in Senate health care bill

"This was a pro-abortion vote tonight because this bill provides for an unprecedented expansion of federally-funded abortion. Supporters argued that the debate needed to move forward - but life should be at the heart of any health care reform. There was no more important time for legislators to show their support for life than by leveraging their power now to demand that any health care reform bill genuinely respects life. What is health care about if it is not for preserving and protecting human life?

23 Nov 2009

Senators vote to advance elective abortion bill

Tonight, in a partisan vote, the U.S. Senate voted to proceed to Senator Reid's version of the government takeover of health care. Among the several objectionable items included in this bill; like the public option, employer and individual mandates, is the government funding for elective abortion, which is the most onerous and morally objectionable.

23 Nov 2009