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New Merck set to begin global health care operations

Merck & Co., Inc. today outlined its global plans following the completion of Merck's merger with Schering-Plough Corporation announced yesterday. The new Merck is a global health care leader aimed at providing innovative, distinctive products and services that save and improve lives, while satisfying customer needs and creating long term shareholder value.

5 Nov 2009

House legislation seeks 5 days of sick leave for workers

In an effort to rein in the spread of the H1N1 Flu, Representative George Miller, the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, introduced legislation on Tuesday that would guarantee five paid sick days for workers sent home by their employers with a contagious illness. Mr. Miller, Democrat of California, voiced concern that more than 40 million workers did not have paid sick days and that many workers coming into contact with public — like restaurant or school cafeteria employees — would go to work with H1N1 and spread the virus if they could not afford to stay home.

5 Nov 2009

House Dems unveil 'managers amendment,' setting stage for health bill votes

"House Democrats have cleared the way for a pivotal floor vote on health care overhaul as early as the weekend, after tweaking their 1,990-page bill to crack down harder on insurance companies," The Associated Press reports.

5 Nov 2009

Health reform timeline appears to be slipping

ABC News: "Senior Congressional Democrats told ABC News today it is highly unlikely that a health care reform bill will be completed this year, just a week after President Barack Obama declared he was 'absolutely confident' he'll be able to sign one by then reports that senior Congressional Democrats said it's unlikely Obama will get a bill this year."

5 Nov 2009

Symposium on H1N1 and seasonal flu

With the looming threat of both the H1N1 flu (also known as "swine flu") and the regular seasonal flu, area health officials fear that the worst may be in store this coming flu season.

5 Nov 2009

Studies find U.S. children face health quality issues

U.S. News & World Report/HealthDay News reports: "Uninsured children in the United States are three times more likely to die from trauma injuries than children with private insurance, according to a new study.

5 Nov 2009

Study examines campaign to increase use of zinc to prevent childhood diarrhea

Scientific American reports on a multiyear PLoS Medicine study, published on Monday, which "followed a nationwide public health campaign to increase zinc use for childhood diarrhea in Bangladesh."

5 Nov 2009

Insurers' pricing practices targeted by Senate health committee

Senate health committee Chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, asked four of the nations largest health insurers - Aetna, Humana, Wellpoint and UnitedHealth - to explain their pricing policies after small-business owners testified Tuesday that insurance premiums were crushing their businesses, the Des Moines Register reports.

4 Nov 2009

Key moderates influence the shape of health overhaul bills

The Washington Post: "Moderates have raised numerous concerns about aspects of the bill, including the public insurance option that liberals persuaded Reid to add last week. Although (Senate Majority Leader Harry) Reid included an 'opt out' provision for states that don't want to participate, many moderate Democrats prefer a "trigger" mechanism, proposed by their lone Republican ally, Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (Maine)." Resolving differences could take weeks some say (Murray and Montgomery, 11/4).

4 Nov 2009

House Republicans offer health overhaul plan

Their alternative health care bill "would reward states for reducing the number of uninsured, limit damages in medical malpractice lawsuits and allow small businesses to band together and buy insurance exempt from most state regulation," The New York Times reports.

4 Nov 2009

Health care jobs plentiful but tough to get

While health care jobs are plentiful, "getting one is hard work," The Associated Press/The News-Sentinel reports. "Many people who have lost jobs to the recession may find a cure for unemployment in the health care field," and the demand for nurses, specialists and technicians is strong

4 Nov 2009

SCMG and Graybill Medical to develop PM and EHRs implementation strategies

Sharp Community Medical Group (SCMG) and Graybill Medical Group have signed an Enhanced Partnership Agreement to jointly develop practice management and electronic health records implementation strategies.

4 Nov 2009

Small business group lobbies for reform while trade groups see cuts in business

Small business owners lobby Congress while trade associations and a seniors' group worry about what lawmaker's efforts to overhaul the nation's health care system could mean for them.

4 Nov 2009

Cancer patients want strong relationship with their radiation oncologist

What do patients want from their radiation oncologists? The most significant preference is that more than one-third of female cancer patients (37 percent) prefer to have their hands held by their radiation oncologists during important office visits, compared to 12 percent of men, according to a randomized study presented November 4, 2009, at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

4 Nov 2009

Abortion not the only sticky issue in health care debate - news outlets examine others

News coverage focuses on some of the sticky issues in health reform, including immigrants' coverage, long term care for the disabled, CHIP and insurance discounts for healthy habits.

4 Nov 2009

GOP frames election outcome as rebuff of Dems' health overhaul, but Pelosi paints a rosier picture

"Republican victories in two gubernatorial elections are casting a shadow on House Democratic efforts to secure support from wavering members for health-care legislation," Dow Jones Newswires/The Wall Street Journal reports. "The GOP is framing the outcome as a rejection of Democratic proposals including the health-care bill, and some conservative and vulnerable Democrats seem inclined to agree, as they keep an eye on 2010 elections" (Vaughan, 11/4).

4 Nov 2009

Abortion continues to snag health reform legislation, divide lawmakers

The divisive issue of abortions, a lingering hurdle to health reform legislation, is plaguing both House and Senate Democratic leaders, the Los Angeles Times reports. "The delays in both houses reflect the fact that even though Democrats hold solid majorities, significant divisions exist below the surface.

4 Nov 2009

Veterans Administration leads in e-health exchange, too

The Veterans Health Administration was at the avant-garde of electronic medical records in the 1980s, and more recently, it's blazed the trail for exchanging health information between providers, the Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World reports in the third of a 3-part series on EMRs.

4 Nov 2009

Health bills don't go far enough in cutting costs, experts say

"Democrats in Congress are embracing the spirit of President Obama's call to slow the runaway rise of health-care costs but are shying away from some of the most aggressive techniques for achieving that," The Washington Post reports. "Instead of revolutionizing how care is delivered and paid for, experts say, the legislation being shaped takes a cautious approach to reining in costs."

4 Nov 2009

Conflicts of interest examined between doctors and medical industry, AARP and reform

Health care reform bills include provisions to examine the financial relationships between doctors and the medical industry while some are questioning the AARP's role in reform.

4 Nov 2009