Walgreen Agrees To Pay 35M To Settle Allegations Of Improper Medication Switches For Medicaid Beneficiaries
Walgreen has agreed to pay $35 million to settle allegations that the company improperly switched the form of generic medications prescribed to Medicaid beneficiaries to receive higher reimbursements from the program, the Hartford Courant reports (Levick, Hartford Courant, 6/5).
Senate Finance Committee Republicans Outline Plans To Delay Medicare Physician Payment Cut
Senate Finance Committee Republicans, led by ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), on Wednesday released an outline of legislation that would halt a 10.6% reduction in Medicare physician fees scheduled to go into effect July 1, among other provisions, CQ Today reports.
Allos Therapeutics Announces Interim Data From Phase 1 Study Of PDX In Patients With Relapsed Or Refractory Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma
Allos Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALTH) announced the presentation of interim data from its Phase 1 study of PDX (pralatrexate) with vitamin B12 and folic acid supplementation in patients with relapsed or refractory cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), at the 10th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma in Lugano, Switzerland, June 4-7, 2008.
Colorado Gov. Ritter Signs 11 Health Care Bills To Increase Access, Expand Coverage
Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (D) on Tuesday signed into law 11 health care bills, including measures to expand coverage requirements and increase children's access to care, the AP/Denver Post reports.
Uganda MP Calls For Increased Antiretroviral Access At Rural Health Clinics
Uganda's Ministry of Health and other stakeholders should provide rural health clinics with antiretroviral drugs to prevent HIV-positive people from having to travel long distances to obtain the treatment, Member of Parliament Betty Aol Ocan said recently, the New Vision/AllAfrica.
DHS Immigration Bureau To Start Reporting On Detainee Deaths In Detention Centers
The Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau will begin reporting more information to the Department of Justice regarding the deaths of inmates at federal detention centers, the Washington Post reports.
New Technology Enhances And Expands Homing and Therapeutic Potential Of Cord Blood Stem Cells In Bone Marrow Transplants
A CD26 Inhibitor increases the efficiency and responsiveness of umbilical cord blood for bone marrow transplants and may improve care for blood cancer patients according to research from Rush University Medical Center being presented at the 6th Annual International Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation Symposium, June 6-7 in Los Angeles.
House Panel Hearing Focuses On Health IT Privacy, Cost Concerns
Lawmakers, patient-privacy and health care advocates, and information technology experts on Tuesday "debated ... how Congress can strike a balance between accelerating the adoption of a nationwide system of electronic medical records while protecting patient privacy, " CongressDaily reports (Noyes, CongressDaily, 6/4).
Connecticut Lawmaker Asks Gov. Rell To Delay Implementation Of Charter Oak Health Plan
Connecticut House Majority Leader Christopher Donovan (D) on Tuesday asked Gov. Jodie Rell (R) to delay implementing a new health plan for uninsured adults because of concerns that it could disrupt care for children in low-income families, the Hartford Courant reports.
Female Hormone Oestrogen Could Help Prevent HIV Transmission In Men, Study Finds
The female hormone oestrogen when applied to the penis boosts a defensive protein that acts as a "living condom" and could reduce a man's risk of contracting HIV, according to a study published online Wednesday in PLoS One, the AAP/New Zealand Herald reports.