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NHLBI Urged to Spill Coca-Cola
The Center for Science in the Public Interest is urging the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to reverse its partnership with Coca-Cola in an effort to raise awareness of heart disease among women. In a letter to the institute, the nonprofit organization noted that Coca-Cola is the biggest manufacturer of “obesogenic” soft drinks. That means the sponsorship “is as inappropriate as it would be to allow Philip Morris to sponsor NHLBI's antismoking efforts,” the CSPI said in a letter to the institute. In a statement, CSPI Executive Director Michael F. Jacobson noted that although Diet Coke is the ostensible sponsor of the awareness campaign, “it is the entire Coca-Cola product line that is basking in the credibility conferred by a government heart-health agency … when in fact Coca-Cola promotes heart disease by marketing drinks that contribute to obesity. Coke has long sought to affiliate with or co-opt health groups, and associate its brand with athletes and models. I fervently hope that NHLBI officials understand that letting Coke bask in their agency's good reputation does American hearts far more harm than good.”
Access to Specialists a Problem
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reports that 1 in 13 American adults who needed to see a specialist in 2007 said that getting access was a “big problem.” The data come from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. The agency said that respondents were not asked why they had access problems. But the survey report added that access problems can be due to lack of health insurance, specialists' nonparticipation in a patient's health plan, and long waits for appointments. The survey found that 16% of adults without primary care physicians had problems accessing specialists, compared with 6% of those who had a usual source of primary care. Nonelderly uninsured adults had the most difficulty getting in to see a specialist, followed by nonelderly adults with public health coverage and those with private insurance. More data are available in the agency's report, “Variations in Perceived Need and Access to Specialty Care Among Adults in the U.S. Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population, 2007,” available at
www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_files/publications/st274/stat274.pdf
PhRMA Chief Resigning
Billy Tauzin, president and chief executive officer of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, announced in February that he will leave the trade association at the end of June. Mr. Tauzin noted in a statement that he took on the PhRMA role in 2005 shortly after a battle with cancer. “As the first-ever cancer patient to lead PhRMA as its CEO, I now believe it is time I move on and hand the mantle of leadership of this great organization to others as passionate as myself, and to explore the many other interests I would like to pursue in this special second-chance life that I have been given,” Mr. Tauzin said. He also denied speculation that he was pushed out by PhRMA member companies unhappy with the deal that he made last year to support the Obama administration's health reform plan.
A Vote for Information Exchanges
Several state and regional health information exchanges are having positive effects on care, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office. The GAO studied 4 out of 60 health information exchanges currently operating and found that 2 of them link hospitals to their states' public health departments in ways that prompt early detection of disease outbreaks. For instance, one state used the link to obtain information about H1N1 influenza cases more quickly than other states were able to do. In another example of an exchange's usefulness, a hospital reported that an emergency department physician was able to discover that a patient requesting pain medication had done the same in five area hospitals over the preceding seven nights.
HHS Extends Medicaid Relief
The Department of Health and Human Services is giving states a $4.3-billion break on prescription drugs for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. That's how much less the federal government will charge states through this year for Medicare coverage of drugs for the “dual eligibles.” “We believe [this] action will help states as they struggle to maintain Medicaid and other budget priorities in these difficult economic times,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement. The relief comes from last year's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which granted a temporary increase in the amount states receive from the federal government for Medicaid. The new action applies the funding adjustment for the period Oct. 1, 2008, through Dec. 31, 2010. California's estimated savings are the largest in the country, at $675 million, while Wyoming will probably receive the least, at about $4 million. In his proposed budget for 2011, President Obama called for again extending the funding break, through June 30, 2011.
MedPAC Calls for Pay Increases
Most Medicare beneficiaries are able to get timely appointments when they need them, according to an annual survey conducted by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. In fact, Medicare beneficiaries report better physician access than the privately insured population, according to the findings, which were based on a poll of 4,000 Medicare beneficiaries and 4,000 privately insured individuals aged 50–64 years. Of note, both groups reported that finding a new primary care physician was more difficult than finding a new specialist. In related news, MedPAC voted last month to request that Congress approve a 1% increase in the Medicare physician payment rate for 2011. In addition, the commission pushed for a budget-neutral payment increase specifically for primary care services.
NHLBI Urged to Spill Coca-Cola
The Center for Science in the Public Interest is urging the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to reverse its partnership with Coca-Cola in an effort to raise awareness of heart disease among women. In a letter to the institute, the nonprofit organization noted that Coca-Cola is the biggest manufacturer of “obesogenic” soft drinks. That means the sponsorship “is as inappropriate as it would be to allow Philip Morris to sponsor NHLBI's antismoking efforts,” the CSPI said in a letter to the institute. In a statement, CSPI Executive Director Michael F. Jacobson noted that although Diet Coke is the ostensible sponsor of the awareness campaign, “it is the entire Coca-Cola product line that is basking in the credibility conferred by a government heart-health agency … when in fact Coca-Cola promotes heart disease by marketing drinks that contribute to obesity. Coke has long sought to affiliate with or co-opt health groups, and associate its brand with athletes and models. I fervently hope that NHLBI officials understand that letting Coke bask in their agency's good reputation does American hearts far more harm than good.”
Access to Specialists a Problem
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reports that 1 in 13 American adults who needed to see a specialist in 2007 said that getting access was a “big problem.” The data come from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. The agency said that respondents were not asked why they had access problems. But the survey report added that access problems can be due to lack of health insurance, specialists' nonparticipation in a patient's health plan, and long waits for appointments. The survey found that 16% of adults without primary care physicians had problems accessing specialists, compared with 6% of those who had a usual source of primary care. Nonelderly uninsured adults had the most difficulty getting in to see a specialist, followed by nonelderly adults with public health coverage and those with private insurance. More data are available in the agency's report, “Variations in Perceived Need and Access to Specialty Care Among Adults in the U.S. Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population, 2007,” available at
www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_files/publications/st274/stat274.pdf
PhRMA Chief Resigning
Billy Tauzin, president and chief executive officer of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, announced in February that he will leave the trade association at the end of June. Mr. Tauzin noted in a statement that he took on the PhRMA role in 2005 shortly after a battle with cancer. “As the first-ever cancer patient to lead PhRMA as its CEO, I now believe it is time I move on and hand the mantle of leadership of this great organization to others as passionate as myself, and to explore the many other interests I would like to pursue in this special second-chance life that I have been given,” Mr. Tauzin said. He also denied speculation that he was pushed out by PhRMA member companies unhappy with the deal that he made last year to support the Obama administration's health reform plan.
A Vote for Information Exchanges
Several state and regional health information exchanges are having positive effects on care, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office. The GAO studied 4 out of 60 health information exchanges currently operating and found that 2 of them link hospitals to their states' public health departments in ways that prompt early detection of disease outbreaks. For instance, one state used the link to obtain information about H1N1 influenza cases more quickly than other states were able to do. In another example of an exchange's usefulness, a hospital reported that an emergency department physician was able to discover that a patient requesting pain medication had done the same in five area hospitals over the preceding seven nights.
HHS Extends Medicaid Relief
The Department of Health and Human Services is giving states a $4.3-billion break on prescription drugs for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. That's how much less the federal government will charge states through this year for Medicare coverage of drugs for the “dual eligibles.” “We believe [this] action will help states as they struggle to maintain Medicaid and other budget priorities in these difficult economic times,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement. The relief comes from last year's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which granted a temporary increase in the amount states receive from the federal government for Medicaid. The new action applies the funding adjustment for the period Oct. 1, 2008, through Dec. 31, 2010. California's estimated savings are the largest in the country, at $675 million, while Wyoming will probably receive the least, at about $4 million. In his proposed budget for 2011, President Obama called for again extending the funding break, through June 30, 2011.
MedPAC Calls for Pay Increases
Most Medicare beneficiaries are able to get timely appointments when they need them, according to an annual survey conducted by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. In fact, Medicare beneficiaries report better physician access than the privately insured population, according to the findings, which were based on a poll of 4,000 Medicare beneficiaries and 4,000 privately insured individuals aged 50–64 years. Of note, both groups reported that finding a new primary care physician was more difficult than finding a new specialist. In related news, MedPAC voted last month to request that Congress approve a 1% increase in the Medicare physician payment rate for 2011. In addition, the commission pushed for a budget-neutral payment increase specifically for primary care services.
NHLBI Urged to Spill Coca-Cola
The Center for Science in the Public Interest is urging the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to reverse its partnership with Coca-Cola in an effort to raise awareness of heart disease among women. In a letter to the institute, the nonprofit organization noted that Coca-Cola is the biggest manufacturer of “obesogenic” soft drinks. That means the sponsorship “is as inappropriate as it would be to allow Philip Morris to sponsor NHLBI's antismoking efforts,” the CSPI said in a letter to the institute. In a statement, CSPI Executive Director Michael F. Jacobson noted that although Diet Coke is the ostensible sponsor of the awareness campaign, “it is the entire Coca-Cola product line that is basking in the credibility conferred by a government heart-health agency … when in fact Coca-Cola promotes heart disease by marketing drinks that contribute to obesity. Coke has long sought to affiliate with or co-opt health groups, and associate its brand with athletes and models. I fervently hope that NHLBI officials understand that letting Coke bask in their agency's good reputation does American hearts far more harm than good.”
Access to Specialists a Problem
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reports that 1 in 13 American adults who needed to see a specialist in 2007 said that getting access was a “big problem.” The data come from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. The agency said that respondents were not asked why they had access problems. But the survey report added that access problems can be due to lack of health insurance, specialists' nonparticipation in a patient's health plan, and long waits for appointments. The survey found that 16% of adults without primary care physicians had problems accessing specialists, compared with 6% of those who had a usual source of primary care. Nonelderly uninsured adults had the most difficulty getting in to see a specialist, followed by nonelderly adults with public health coverage and those with private insurance. More data are available in the agency's report, “Variations in Perceived Need and Access to Specialty Care Among Adults in the U.S. Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population, 2007,” available at
www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_files/publications/st274/stat274.pdf
PhRMA Chief Resigning
Billy Tauzin, president and chief executive officer of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, announced in February that he will leave the trade association at the end of June. Mr. Tauzin noted in a statement that he took on the PhRMA role in 2005 shortly after a battle with cancer. “As the first-ever cancer patient to lead PhRMA as its CEO, I now believe it is time I move on and hand the mantle of leadership of this great organization to others as passionate as myself, and to explore the many other interests I would like to pursue in this special second-chance life that I have been given,” Mr. Tauzin said. He also denied speculation that he was pushed out by PhRMA member companies unhappy with the deal that he made last year to support the Obama administration's health reform plan.
A Vote for Information Exchanges
Several state and regional health information exchanges are having positive effects on care, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office. The GAO studied 4 out of 60 health information exchanges currently operating and found that 2 of them link hospitals to their states' public health departments in ways that prompt early detection of disease outbreaks. For instance, one state used the link to obtain information about H1N1 influenza cases more quickly than other states were able to do. In another example of an exchange's usefulness, a hospital reported that an emergency department physician was able to discover that a patient requesting pain medication had done the same in five area hospitals over the preceding seven nights.
HHS Extends Medicaid Relief
The Department of Health and Human Services is giving states a $4.3-billion break on prescription drugs for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. That's how much less the federal government will charge states through this year for Medicare coverage of drugs for the “dual eligibles.” “We believe [this] action will help states as they struggle to maintain Medicaid and other budget priorities in these difficult economic times,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement. The relief comes from last year's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which granted a temporary increase in the amount states receive from the federal government for Medicaid. The new action applies the funding adjustment for the period Oct. 1, 2008, through Dec. 31, 2010. California's estimated savings are the largest in the country, at $675 million, while Wyoming will probably receive the least, at about $4 million. In his proposed budget for 2011, President Obama called for again extending the funding break, through June 30, 2011.
MedPAC Calls for Pay Increases
Most Medicare beneficiaries are able to get timely appointments when they need them, according to an annual survey conducted by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. In fact, Medicare beneficiaries report better physician access than the privately insured population, according to the findings, which were based on a poll of 4,000 Medicare beneficiaries and 4,000 privately insured individuals aged 50–64 years. Of note, both groups reported that finding a new primary care physician was more difficult than finding a new specialist. In related news, MedPAC voted last month to request that Congress approve a 1% increase in the Medicare physician payment rate for 2011. In addition, the commission pushed for a budget-neutral payment increase specifically for primary care services.