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HDCN News Archive -- Policy
A27	Webcam doctor visits take off in Hawaii
A22	Some evidence that Vytorin is, or maybe is not, associated with an increased cancer risk; FDA gets involved.
A22	Fresenius stays strong in tough economic times.
A21	DaVita establishes Florida hotline for dialysis patients to be used during hurricanes.
A20	79 million US adults have problems related to medical care induced debt.
A18	Wall Street Journal health blog debated ethics of organ donation, focusing on NKF opposition to the concept.
A18	Medicare finalizes its list of - no pay - preventable conditions in hospitalized patients.
A15	Infection control requirements from CDC incorporated into CMS conditions for coverage for dialysis units. MMWR, see p. 875.
A14	CMS issues draft interpretive guidelines for surveyors re new conditions for coverage; requests comments (pdf).
A08	FDA-mandated new labeling and medication guide for ESAs now activated.
A08	Dr. Stan Lindenfeld appointed as Chief Medical Officer of U.S. Renal Care
A07	Proposed legislation would protect physicians who volunteer to treat poor patients from medical liability.
A07	Some foreign-trained physicians working under the J-1 visa waiver program complain of abusive working conditions.
A07	U.K. National Health Service decides that 4 new drugs with some activity against kidney cancer are not cost-effective.
A05	Physician and nurse blogs not uncommonly intrude on patient privacy rights and have undeclared conflicts of interest.
A01	FDA forces new labeling changes for ESAs under new law.
J30	A year of quality-adjusted human life is worth 129,000 dollars?
J30	Incenter 3x/week nocturnal hemodialysis in the news.
J29	Difficult patient kicked out of local dialysis center forced to dialyze in local hospital emergency room.
J28	E-prescribers see Medicare bonus, but late adopters will face pay cut
J25	U.S. House approves delay of Medicare trigger measure.
J22	As travel costs rise, more meetings go virtual.
J22	The cold, cruel facts?: Disease prevention programs may not lower costs in the long run?
J21	Drug industry: No more free pens, pads, or mugs for docs.
J21	Singapore mulls legal kidney trading.
J16	Congress overrides Bush veto on Medicare bill that prevents physician payment cuts.
J15	GAO recommends prior authorization by Medicare of physican office-based diagnostic imaging tests.
J15	Bush to veto Medicare physician's pay patch bill today; Congress set to override.
J14	Nurses struggle with implications of new CMS policy re non-reimbursable adverse events.
J11	Dialysis patients in Scotland can access their lab results on-line.
J11	U.S. News issues its annual rankings of hospitals by specialty.
J11	White House threatens to veto bill rescinding physician Medicare payment cuts. Does the Senate have the votes to override?
J10	U.S. National Public Radio examines health care system in 5 European countries.
J09	Medicare bill that rescinds physician payment cuts passes in Senate with veto-proof majority.
J09	ESRD Network 14 (Texas) alert regarding contamination of at least one lot of Morton salt pellets by sodium ferrocyanide.
J09	Fresenius signs sublicensing agreement with Luitpold to use Venofer in United States patients.
J08	Transplant tourists running out of destinations.
J07	Medicare double delay: Senate fails to act and CMS holds physician claims.
J07	Fresenius Medical buys heparin-maker APP pharmaceuticals.
J03	Pfizer will no longer work directly with for-profit CME companies.
J03	CMS releases 2007 ESRD Clinical Performance Measures report (.pdf)
J01	Medicare proposes changes for dialysis reimbursement.
J01	More on the physician Medicare payment cut battle in the Congress.
J01	FDA may start focusing more on software reliability in medical devices.
J01	Bills pending in Congress would remove Supreme Court shield for medical device manufacturers.
J30	Doctors get temporary reprieve on Medicare cuts.
J30	AMA delegates oppose CMS no pay policy for "preventable" conditions that develop during hospital stay.
J28	Mortality rates similar at for-profit and not-for-profit dialysis chain patients; former use more EPO and IV iron.
J28	Senate fails to take up legislation that would delay Medicare physician fee cut.
J26	Allen Nissenson hired as Chief Medical Officer of DaVita
J25	House Medicare bill and the politics of competitive bidding for medical equipment
J25	House votes to block cut in physician Medicare fees.
J25	Impending Medicare reimbursement cuts may affect delivery of care
J24	Take your meds and have a chance at winning the lottery.
J24	House reps Dingell and Barton plan bill pushing nationwide adoption of electronic medical record systems.
J23	Some academic sites offering on-line second opinion services.
J23	Brouhaha over inclusion of Social Security numbers on Medicare ID cards: Would take 8 years to change?
J19	FDA cautions about increased mortality in elderly patients with dementia who had been treated with antipsychotic drugs
J19	Investigation of deaths at Lufkin dialysis center: How alleged criminal activity was uncovered.
J18	Computer generated warfarin dosing as effective as dosing by expert prescribers.
J16	Transportation fees impact some Canadian diaysis patients.
J16	Patients only rarely use online ratings to pick physicians.
J13	Senate Republicans block debate on Baucus bill, that would have delayed Medicare payment cuts.
J13	FDA and EMEA to consider biomarkers of renal injury in animal studies evaluating renal safety of new drugs.
J12	Baxter avian flu vaccine shows promise in early testing.
J12	FDA approves generic form of ramipril made by Lupin pharmaceuticals.
J11	CMS gives researchers access to parts of the Medicare prescription drug benefit database.
J11	Doctor of nursing practice degree - will this grant clinical privileges similar to that of an MD?
J10	Would the proposed Baucus bill threaten smaller dialysis providers?
J10	Baucus unveils Medicare payment reform legislation that would impact on ESRD reimbursement.
J09	Study suggests benefits of a short nap for night-shift healthcare workers.
J05	HHS releases comprehensive plan to speed nationwide adoption of health information technology.
J05	Is your health record already on-line on your health insurer's website? If so, how tightly is this protected?
J03	Senate Bill would delay Medicare payment cuts to physicians.
M27	Louisiana Senate passes bill that would shield disaster responders from civil liability lawsuits.
M23	Automated CPR machine helps save lives.
M21	CMS launches hospital comparison website.
M21	President Bush signs genetic anti-discrimination act (GINA) into law.
M20	NEJM: Palevsky-VA/NIH study shows that daily HD or more intense CRRT of no benefit in acute kidney injury
M20	Google health now accepting patient information.
M17	FDA convenes to examine impact of direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical, and now, medical device, advertising.
M16	Heparin-coated thoracic drainage catheters being recalled because of OSCS contamination.
M16	MMWR: CDC recommends herpes zoster vaccine for all persons over age 60.
M15	AFP Pharma raises price of heparin. Cost of a typical dialysis treatment will go up by a half-dollar.
M12	U.S. Health Secretary: Chinese heparin now should be safe.
M08	Dr. Marmot honored as recipient of Baxter-funded health services research prize for his work describing links between heart failure and socioeconomic status.
M07	New hospital superbug to worry about: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia
M05	ASN Renal Week abstract archives 2003-2006 now available on-line in .pdf format.
M05	National Physician Identifier number must be used on insurance claim forms to get paid after May 23rd.
M04	Give young persons 50,000 dollars to donate a kidney? Skeptics fear abuse and exploitation.
A29	Families, CEOs, to testify before Congress on tainted heparin.
A28	AAMC taskforce frowns on free pizzas for medical school lunch gatherings, and faculty participation in pharma speaker bureaus.
A28	Am J Med supplement (May, free full text) focuses on computer-assisted diagnosis and errors in diagnosis by physicians.
A25	Lancet Inf Dis: Five percent of health care workers have MRSA.
A22	CMS releases standards for e-prescribing of drugs.
A21	Massachusetts Senate unanimously passes a law banning all pharma gifts to doctors.
A17	NEJM sounding board article considers impact of patient controlled health records on medical research.
A16	Advanced practice nurses seek wider scope in 24 states.
A15	CMS adopts 26 new CPMs effective April 1, 2008
A12	Admissions clerk at New York hospital charged with identity theft; sold data on 50,000 patients.
A12	Cited Arizona dialysis clinic institutes corrective measures.
A12	Fourteen physicians not involved in Britney Spears' case peeked at her records.
A11	Drug companies and device makers to voluntarily reveal CME grants to physicians.
A10	Fresenius in talks to buy Italian group Sorin's renal care business.
A03	New conditions for CMS coverage (.pdf file)
A03	CMS releases new conditions for coverage of ESRD care.
A02	DaVita CMO Charles McAllister, MD, to retire.
M13	CMS: Medicare will continue to pay for CT cardiac scans for coronary artery calcification detection.
M12	Planned U.S. events for World Kidney Day, March 13th.
M11	FDA releases briefing document for Oncologic Drug Advisory Committee on ESAs in cancer.
M10	Hepatitis cluster prompts Nevada-wide inspection of outpatient surgery units.
M07	Bill to encourage e-prescribing for Medicare-reimbursed encounters likely to pass this year.
M06	Kidney Community Emergency Response Coalition website
M06	Massachusetts Blues health plan concludes that EMRs for physician offices may not be cost-effective.
M05	Las Vegas endoscopy clinic responsible for spreading hepatitis C after reusing syringes, allegedly to cut costs.
M05	Supreme court votes 4 vs. 4 regarding pharma immunity from product liability for FDA-approved prescription drugs.
M01	Screening test for CKD (SCORED) developed by Cornell and UNC Chapel Hill outperforms NKF KEEP approach.
F28	Google. reveals plans for its health database.
F26	Dr. Jones of Kidney Care Partners issues response to CMS proposal to bundle ESRD payments.
F23	Are medical records stored by Google or Microsoft subject to HIPAA?
F21	Commonwealth Fund prepares report detailing extent of e-health activities across the U.S.
F21	Google partners with the Cleveland Clinic to store patient health records on-line.
F20	Fresenius reports Q4 and 2007 financial results. Revenues grow for both products and services.
F20	Full CMS report to Congress on proposed bundled ESRD payment system (.pdf)
F20	CMS reports to Congress on a fully bundled payment system for ESRD.
F19	Baxter rival APP steps in quicklyl to supply heparin to dialysis clinics.
F14	Three Cornell NY dialysis units show markedly lower mortality after adopting MIQS electronic medical record system (.pdf)
F13	UK's National Health Service approves pancreatic islet cell transplants for type 1 DM.
F11	New website gives comparative prices of various care packages available in Minnesota
F09	Death of waitress after acute asthmatic attack on entering workplace full of cigarette smoke.
J29	Study suggests that overbooking is a good solution to patient no shows for office practice.
J28	Problem of lifetime health insurance caps (1 or 2 million dollars) in the news, because they now are being exceeded.
J28	Vytorin lowers cholesterol, but does not impact on endpoints; House asks FDA to reconsidering hard vs. soft endpoints in proving drug value.
J28	Overzealous Canadian nuclear regulator gets fired for shutting down reactor producing isotopes needed for medical practice.
J28	Need a kidney? Don't become a politician, or you'll run afoul with ethics rules about accepting donations.
J28	Indiana legislature to consider bill affecting insurance company payment for out-of-plan dialysis services.
J24	U.S. News and World Report ranks best hospitals for kidney care.
J19	Study finds significant differences among hospital protocols to determine brain death.
J16	National Renal Alliance files lawsuit against Blue Cross of Georgia
J15	AAKP awards its Medal of Excellence for 2008 to nephrologist Dr. Todd Ing.
J14	Kidney Care Partners lobbying Congress to raise payments for dialysis.
J13	UK considers proposal to remove organs from patients after death without their explicit consent.
J04	DaVita and Phoenix-based Southwest Kidney Institute form broad partnership
J04	U.S doctors prescribe placebos on occasion - now this is in the news.
J02	Doctors express empathy in only 15% of visits where empathy would be expected.
J02	Labeling on adrenaline vials in terms of concentration are confusing, lead to errors.
D28	Widow sues Air France, claiming that bumping led to death of her husband, who was on dialysis.
D18	California House passes bill that would cover 70% of uninsured.
D15	U.S. dialysis center revenue grows by 11%, in 2006 vs. 2005, from 11.63 to 12.95 billion dollars per year.
D15	Dialysis patient dies after being denied boarding on flight from Paris to San Francisco due to overbooking.
D14	Medical transport driver named in lawsuit in dialysis patient death due to fall from wheelchair.
D12	New NIDDK director Rogers shares vision for kidney research.
D11	MedPac debate pay changes for doctors, dialysis, home health care.
D05	Dennis Quaid sues Baxter over label similarities between low- and high-dose heparin vials.
N29	CMS publishes final Medicare physician fee schedule changes for 2008.
N29	Fresenius Medical Care acquires Renal Solutions for up to 190 million dollars.
N26	CMS asks for feedback on its (non)payment policy on hospital-acquired conditions.
N26	Illinois judge voids legislative cap on medical liability awards for pain and suffering.
N16	CMS pushing e-prescribing for Medicare beneficiaries.
N15	FDA approves Roche ESA anemia drug Mircera
N12	Baxter receives 510k clearance for FDA to test a silver-coated IV line luer-lock connector.
N08	Link to new FDA boxed labels for ESAs. Their target Hb range is 10-12 g/dL.
N08	FDA modified boxed warnings, indications, for ESA drugs.
N07	Survival doubles with adoption of new AHA resuscitation guidelines.
N01	Legislation introduced in the House to fight spread of drug-resistant bacteria.
O31	Fresenius Medical 3rd quarter profits up 30%
O31	AAKP helps defeat legislation to extend period of Medicare Secondary Payer coverage for ESRD
O26	Legislation aims to require disclosure of implantable medical device prices paid by hospitals.
O25	AAMI to issue TIR34 - a new guidance document for water quality for reprocessed devices.
O23	AJKD article, editorial, question relevance of Dialysis Compare quality measurements.
O19	Baxter reports strong 3rd quarter sales and earnings
O19	For cancer patients, Aetna will no longer reimburse for epogen unless Hb falls below 10 unless patient is symptomatic.
O17	MRSA-infected high school student dies. Twenty-one schools closed for cleaning.
O10	FDA seeks nominations for new foundation to focus on unmet needs in innovation.
O10	National Provider Identifier must be on Medicare claims as of Jan 1, 2008.
O04	Battle erupts over Medicare coverage of dialysis
S25	Benefits of influenza vaccination in older adults questioned.
S18	New CMS rules changes constraints on dialysis unit medical director salaries.
S18	Representative Pete Stark writes about Epogen reimbursement policy on his blog.
S18	Medicare starting to reject claims with NPI number discrepancies.
S17	Brits will be mandating that doctors wear short-sleeved shirts/coats only, to help reduce spread of infection.
S12	FDA advisory panel rejects idea of setting 11 g/dL as the upper limit of target Hb with ESAs.
S11	FDA advisory panel meeting today in the news
S03	Sheet Metal Workers health plan sues DaVita, Amgen, and Fresenius in a civil action claiming overuse of EPO.
A31	RPA letter to CMS regarding lack of an increase in work value units for dialysis.
A27	Economic issues relating to EPO usage - 5 full text articles from AJKD, September, 2007
A22	59% of DaVita patients have fistulas (52% national average), and 4 have their fistula for 35 years.
A17	Patients who develop kidney failure after use of phosphate-based laxatives initiate lawsuits.
A09	2006 ESRD CPM (Clinical Performance Measures) report now available on CMS website.
A07	ASN: August issue of Renal Policy Express
J25	Genzyme doing well - raises 2007 outlook
J20	CMS: Line item billing requirement for ESAs in program manual update.
J19	FDA meeting planned in September to scrutinize ESA use in ESRD patients.
J19	Kidney patients more likely to reach - doughnut hole gap - in Medicare Part D coverage.
J18	Dutch organ donor numbers soar after - win a kidney - show hoax
J18	Renal Care Group faces lawsuit for false medical care billing.
J16	Older, cheaper pills just fine to treat diabetes.
J14	Robot telerounds reduce length of stay after bariatric surgery.
J09	MMWR: Prevention and Control of Influenza: 2007 update
J07	Waging war on C. difficile - the deadliest superbug.
J06	Medical tourism a growing industry.
J29	Fresenius presents new award for excellence in nephrology nursing.
J29	New ideas re ESRD funding presented at House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee hearing.
J28	Robot fleet for high-tech hospital.
J22	Hospital Compare website link - see where your hospital ranks on the list.
J22	Federal government gets back into rating hospitals - this time lists those where patients most likely to die after heart surgery.
J20	For profit dialysis center proposal in state of New York draws opposition
J05	NxStage announces agreement to acquire Medisystems
M23	Medicare issues proposed coverage decision to limit payment for ESAs in patients with cancer.
M23	FDA orders black box warnings for gadolinium-based MRI contrast agents regarding NSF.
M21	VA rolls out MRSA control strategy to all of it medical centers
M11	Report on FDA panel meeting looking into safety of ESA drugs in cancer treatment.
M07	Bridgepoint to buy Gambro Healthcare.
M03	NEJM: Drug risks and free speech - can Congress ban direct-to-consumer ads?
M02	Early start? How about very late start in patients over 70 with very low protein diet?
A20	Baxter doing well, 1st quarter profits up.
A20	Congressman Stark favoring new ESA reimbursement policy in letter to colleagues.
A20	Wall Street Journal video interview with Fresenius CEO Ben Lipps about ESAs.
A19	Fewer heart patients need antibiotics prior to dental procedures.
A18	Wallenberg family may sell Gambro Health Care.
A18	JAMA: EPO utilization higher in certain for-profit dialysis chains.
A12	NKF releases preliminary anemia guideline update
M20	Medicare contractors owe huge amount of taxes, GAO says.
M20	Lawsuit forces state of Arizona to pay for dialysis for legal and illegal immigrants.
M16	Medicare to review payment policies for ESAs in view of FDA black box warning
M16	Debate about proposed new rules for organ allocation in the news.
M13	Copper in doorhandles and hospital fixtures may fight MRSA
M09	Fresenius gets license to use HITS medical software for its nephrology patients
M09	FDA to require black box warnings on ESAs regarding complications associated with higher Hbs.
M08	UK National Health Service launches tool to help prevent infections in dialysis units.
M02	FDA warns about potential impact of change in calendar onset of daylight savings time on medical devices.
M02	ASN Renal Policy Express. February, 2007.
M01	Medicare financing for dialysis vs. transplant in the news: One patient's story
F27	BBC documentary highlights dangers to hospital and dialysis staff from violence-prone patients
F20	Sick teens in crisis: Organ transplant patients may die when insurance for medicine runs out.
F14	Robot-assisted telemedicine rounds growing in popularity
F08	Stricter standards for dialysis workers proposed by Georgia State Senate.
F06	Allied against kidney disease on World Kidney Day
F04	Annual Dialysis Conference 2007 abstracts (Denver, Feb 18-20, 2007)
F04	International Center / Website for nephrogenic fibrosing dermopathy.
F04	Limit Hb to 12 g/dL in dialysis patients? Not so fast! (New study from Europe suggest that 13-15 g/dL may be OK if not better)
F02	National Renal Alliance expands into Indiana
F02	The politics and cost issues relating to EPO in the news
F01	Biotrends report of Dec 2006 survey on use of ESAs and phosphate binders.
J30	DaVita says that government has closed the investigation into its business practices.
J28	New necrotizing toxin identified in dangerous, community acquired strain of multidrug-resistant Staph. aureus
J16	Doctor's sloppy handwriting alleged to kill 7,000 people annually.
J15	House passes Medicare drug bill.
J09	Fresenius buys 51% stake in major dialysis service provider in Taiwan.
J08	California considers widespread changes in its healthcare delivery system
J03	Renal Advantage completes acquisition of Renalab.
D28	NY Times article questions whether blocking for-profit dialysis chains in New York is a good idea.
D27	FDA: Dr. Kessler to Chair Global Task Force for Harmonization of Medical Device Practices
D21	President Bush signs bill that stops reimbursement rate reduction for docs and that ups dialysis payment amount by 1.6%.
D21	Patient sent home from ER complaining of bleeding from access site dies; family files and wins lawsuit.
D19	Last minute Medicare pay package freezes rates, postpones 5% pay cut.
D14	AJKD: Some chains adjust EPO doses more diligently than others when Hb values are high.
D13	Budget increase for VA health care unlikely for 2007.
D13	Kidney Care Partners applauds U.S. Congress legislation incorporating inflation adjustment for dialysis services.
D12	FDA campaigns against use of quinine for conditions other than malaria; cautions against use of quinine for leg cramps.
D12	CMS policy update: Implementation of changes in ESRD payment for calendar year 2007.
D11	FDA proposes rules overhaul to expand access to experimental drugs.
D11	Congress votes to increases the dialysate composite rate by 1.6%.
D10	Three cases of vCJD (mad cow) disease transmitted by blood transfusion in the UK.
D06	GAO report on bundling Medicare's payment for drugs with all ESRD services (pdf).
D04	NIH researcher who received money from pharma and failed to disclose it facing criminal chargers.
N30	MRSA infection becomes the basis for malpractice suits against hospitals in Britain.
N30	House Ways and Means committee schedules hearing (viewable on the internet) on anemia drug safety for December 6th.
N26	HDCN: Search index updated for audiofiles, slide/audio talks, articles, and abstracts
N22	Tail coverage a problem for docs wanting to move to another state,
N10	ASN Renal Policy Express; November, 2006.
N09	US FDA will be strenghtening its postmarket program to monitor medical device safety.
N01	Flat computer keyboard could reduce risk of MRSA spread in hospitals
O30	CMS to fine tune its policy on covering costs of procedures performed in the course of clinical trials
O30	Pharma supported patient education sites under the microscope.
O24	CMS proposes limits on billing for diagnostic tests orders through self-referral.
S29	Utah offers Fresenius tax rebates to expand its operations in state.
S29	US OIG (Office of the Inspector General) upcoming audits to focus on EPO (p. 26, PDF)
S27	U.S. House and Senate pass bill allowing purchase of drugs from Canada
S14	Multidrug-resistant TB spreading in South Africa.
S11	Canadian home dialysis patients seek rebate for water, electricity costs.
S03	Medicare chief McClellan is resigning.
A31	Security, privacy risk from information retrievable from discarded cell phones
A28	DaVita amends supply agreement with Gambro because of import ban.
A10	CMS proposes payment changes for docs and drug add-on adjustment for dialysis centers in 2007.
A10	Record fine expected against Kaiser Permanente for transplant debacle.
A05	Rapist jailed for attacks on dialysis unit staff
J31	Primary care doctors failing to diagnose and refer chronic kidney disease
J15	NEJM: Transmission of tuberculosis from health care workers.
J15	Does the electronic medical record threaten patient confidentiality?
J11