How IPAB (independent panels) will hurt Medicare patients
Posted on July 12th, 2011
In his testimony to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health (embargoed until delivery Wednesday, July 13, 2011, 9:00 a.m.), Scott Gottlieb, MD focuses on the 15-member Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) created by the 2010 health reform law to oversee Medicare payment rates and recommend spending reductions in the program as of 2014.
In particular, Gottlieb highlights:
IPABs lack of transparency and openness to public notice and comment;
The future use of widespread reimbursement cuts and lower price schedules to solve Medicares fiscal crisis all of which will undoubtedly result in hindering medical innovation;and
The likelihood that IPAB will give the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) more authority in choosing which medical products and services CMS will cover, when the agency has little competency to make such judgments
As a solution, Gottlieb suggests premium support, modernizing benefits in traditional Medicare, and paying for better health outcomes.
You may also be interested in recent remarks by AEI Resident Fellow Tom Miller explaining how IPAB will eliminate innovation and remove incentives to save money and increase efficiency.
Gottlieb and Miller are available for interviews and can be contacted at or or through their research assistant / 202.862.7183.
For other media inquiries, or to reserve AEIs ISDN facilities for radio interviews, please e-mail Veronique Rodman at or Jesse Blumenthal at .
First Edition: July 14, 2011
Posted on July 11th, 2011
Today’s headlines include reports about how tempers are flaring in the midst of debt-ceiling negotiations, and how failure to reach an agreement could lead to tough choices about which of the nation’sobligations will be left unpaid.
Gilead, Mylan expand license deal for HIV/AIDS medicines
Posted on July 9th, 2011
Mylan Inc. today announced an expanded licensing agreement between Gilead Sciences Inc. and Mylan’s Matrix Laboratories Limited. Matrix has licensed the rights to produce and market generic versions of three Gilead HIV/AIDS therapies, if and when they receive regulatory approval. The Gilead products, which are currently in late-stage clinical development, include: Elvitegravir, an investigational integrase inhibitor; Cobicistat, an investigational antiretroviral boosting agent; and the “Quad,” a once-daily, single-tablet combination of four separate Gilead medicines.
Mylan President Heather Bresch commented: “Every patient living with HIV/AIDS has a right to treatment.
Tags: License, License Deal
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Researchers to evaluate long-term health effects of oil spills
Posted on July 7th, 2011
An NIH-funded network of researchers will evaluate potential harmful effects of the Deepwater Horizon disaster on reproduction and birth outcomes, the cardiorespiratory system, and behavior and mental health. The network of community and university partnerships, under the leadership of NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences , will conduct research to evaluate the level of potentially harmful contaminants in air, water, and seafood, and assess their relationship to health outcomes.
The five-year, $25.2 million program will support population-based and laboratory research at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans; Tulane University, New Orleans; the University of Florida, Gainesville; and The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
Tags: Effects, Health Effects
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XLR paediatric-optimized MRI workflow to address unmet need in imaging
Posted on July 6th, 2011
HTX announced today it provided $475,385 in financing to XLR lmaging Inc. through their Technology Acceleration Program. The company is developing a complete paediatric-optimized MRI workflow solution designed to directly address the unique challenges in paediatric imaging while developing high resolution images and reducing scan times.
An essential component of the project is XLR’s collaboration with leading luminary sites, such as Boston Children’s Hospital and Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children , in the design, development, and testing of XLR’s pediatric coils.
Tags: Mri Workflow, Workflow
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Simple blood test for melanoma-inhibitory activity could detect neurofibromas
Posted on July 4th, 2011
When researchers compared the levels of MIA from blood of patients with NF1 and unaffected controls they discovered that the patients with NF1 had much higher serum levels of MIA and that the level of MIA depended on the number and size of neurofibromas and plexiform neurofibromas the patient had. Tumor biopsies also showed an increase in MIA at the cellular level.
Dr Kolanczyk said, “Using the biomarker MIA to test for the presence and growth of plexiform neurofibromas would be an easier and cheaper way of monitoring clinical course of the patients and would allow the early detection of tumors so improving the treatment, management and outcome.
Tags: Blood, Blood Test
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Concept advances for more accountable care to elderly patients
Posted on July 3rd, 2011
The Chicago Tribune reports on how the health law — via Medicare — is pushing accountable care organizations, a new model that emphasizes coordination. And,the Minneapolis Star Tribune details some of the hesitancy that seems to surround the health law’s wellness screenings.
Tags: Accountable Care, Care
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