Highlights of the important and interesting in the world of healthcare:
Gifts to doctors = return on investment? It is not a secret that large sums of money have passed from the pharmaceutical and device manufacturers into physicians’ hands. What has been less clear over the years is whether small, almost inconsequential gifts, might also be influential in changing practices, writes Dr. Marya Zilberberg in the KevinMD.com blog.
Ask not; want. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius this week sent a letter to America’s governors telling them that if they want to continue receiving the enhanced Medicaid funds that Congress approved last week, they would have to ask for the money, according to Kaiser Health News.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
Cymbalta recommended for pain. A federal advisory panel on Thursday voted narrowly to recommend allowing Indianapolis, Indiana, drug maker Eli Lilly & Co. to market its blockbuster antidepressant, Cymbalta, for some chronic pain conditions affecting millions of Americans, particularly lower back pain, the New York Times reported.
Hospital layoffs abound. Hospitals around the country have been forced to announce mass layoffs to cut costs, according to Becker’s Hospital Review.
2011 or bust. Market Center Management Co. still hopes to break ground on the highly anticipated Nashville Medical Trade Center project this fall and keep pace with a competing project in Cleveland, but company spokesman Cole Daugherty told the Nashville Business Journal that a 2011 start date is increasingly likely.
Large state, large network. California has launched the country’s largest telehealth system, which organizers say will one day connect patients to hundreds of hospitals and clinics statewide using broadband technology, according to the Los Angeles Times.
BioLabs Pegasus Park Cultivates Life Science Ecosystem
Gabby Everett, the site director for BioLabs Pegasus Park, offered a tour of the space and shared some examples of why early-stage life science companies should choose North Texas.
Quiet, electronic health records in use. While Washington regulators were hammering out final rules for meaningful use of electronic health records — which will enable doctors and hospitals to get big economic stimulus money — insurers were quietly launching programs to help doctors adopt electronic record systems, Insurance & Technology reports.
Good as gold. Gold nanoparticles and CT scans may be able to show vulnerable plaques in heart arteries with a low volume of contrast and only one scan, according to The Heart.
