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| April 22, 2010 | |
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New in this Issue
MedicareThe Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) changed its website address from www.cms.hhs.gov to www.cms.gov. Existing bookmarks and links from other websites will continue to work following this address change New CMS Web Site Allows Comparison Of Hospital Utilization Rates AHRQCMSSources: Berwick To Be Nominated For Top CMS Post Hospitals Brace For 0.1 Percent Cut, LTCHs Could See 0.8 Percent Bump FDAF.D.A. Toughens Process for Radiation Equipment FDA Launches Medical Device and Radiation-Emitting Product Transparency Web site White Paper: Initiative to Reduce Unnecessary Radiation Exposure from Medical Imaging Health ReformHealth Reform Law Comes With Mandates Galore For CMS HHSSecretary Sebelius Announces Five New HHS Regional Directors IAEAMeeting of the Smart Card/SmartRadTrack project IAEA to establish a network of Gastroenterologists in Radiation Protection LegislationReid To Seek Vote On Longer Medicare Pay ’Patch’ NRCNRC Publishes New Open Government Plan; Now Seeking Public Input |
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MedicareNew CMS Web Site Allows Comparison Of Hospital Utilization RatesA new Web site unveiled Tuesday (April 6) by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius lets researchers, Medicare patients and other interested users pore through a vast menu of Medicare payment data, including zeroing in on hospitals’ utilization rates... [see full article] AHRQAmerican Society of Clinical Oncology 2008 clinical practice guideline update: use of chemotherapy and radiation therapy protectantsSince 2002, a new protectant has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Palifermin, a recombinant keratinocyte growth factor, was approved for prophylaxis against severe mucositis associated with hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation in hematologic malignancies... [see full article] CMSSources: Berwick To Be Nominated For Top CMS PostThe White House has picked Harvard professor and pediatrician Donald Berwick to serve as CMS Administrator, several Washington sources told Inside Health Policy on Thursday. A K Street source said that Berwick agreed to take the job "some time ago" but only on the condition that health reform pass first. Although administration officials did not confirm the chatter, sources said that the announcement could come as soon as next week... [see full article] Hospitals Brace For 0.1 Percent Cut, LTCHs Could See 0.8 Percent BumpAcute care hospitals paid under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System would see a 0.1 percent cut in payment under CMS’ 2011 proposed rule to recoup half of the "coding creep" overpayments it is owed, which equates to $142 million cut taking into account all of the payment provisions included in the rule, the agency said Monday (April 19)... [see full article] FDAF.D.A. Toughens Process for Radiation EquipmentThe Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that it was taking steps to reduce overdoses, underdoses and other errors in radiation therapy by strengthening the agency’s approval process for new radiotherapy equipment... [see full article] FDA Launches Medical Device and Radiation-Emitting Product Transparency Web siteThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration launched the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) Transparency Web site today as part of the agency’s transparency initiative. The site will provide information about medical device and radiation-emitting product regulatory processes and decisions, and summaries of data that provide the rationale for agency actions... [see full article] White Paper: Initiative to Reduce Unnecessary Radiation Exposure from Medical ImagingLike all medical procedures, computed tomography (CT), fluoroscopy, and nuclear medicine imaging exams present both benefits and risks... [see full article] Health ReformHealth Reform Law Comes With Mandates Galore For CMSThe to-do list for CMS grew exponentially with President Barack Obama’s March 23 signature on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, given the reform law’s dozens of hard deadlines the agency is now statutorily obligated to follow... [see full article] Group Practice Association Urges Compliance With Health Reform Disclosure Provision Despite Effective Date QuestionThe Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) is advising its members to make a good faith effort to comply with a section of the new health reform law that requires physicians with certain in-office imaging services to provide patients with a list of other facilities where the services could be obtained, even though it is unclear if the provision is actually in effect... [see full article] IAEAIAEA to establish a network of Gastroenterologists in Radiation ProtectionGastroenterologists use ionizing radiation in ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography), luminal stents, dilation and to assist in other procedures such as sphincterotomy, stone extraction and biopsy or cytology... [see full article] GastroenterologyThe use of ionizing radiation in gastroenterology is somewhat in transition. In the past, gastroenterologists performed a variety of interventions involving radiation exposure, including performing gastrointestinal X-ray studies, placement of small bowel biopsy tubes, oesophageal dilation, and assistance with colonoscopy, as well as diagnostic and therapeutic procedures on the pancreatico-biliary system during ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography)... [see full article] LegislationReid To Seek Vote On Longer Medicare Pay ’Patch’Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D‑NV) will seek unanimous consent to block a 21.3 percent Medicare payment cut to physician payments through May 31, according to a physician specialty society lobbyist, after lawmakers Monday approved a procedural measure that clears the way for further action Wednesday on a bill (HR 4851) that would only block the cut until the end of April... [see full article] NRCNRC PUBLISHES NEW OPEN GOVERNMENT PLAN; NOW SEEKING PUBLIC INPUTThe Nuclear Regulatory Commission unveiled today its new Open Government Plan, which reiterates the agency’s longstanding commitment to openness and outlines plans for new transparency, participation and collaboration initiatives. The NRC also re-opened IdeaScale, a user-friendly citizen engagement tool originally piloted in February and March. The pilot will continue through June, at which time it will be evaluated and the results of the ideas posted online... [see full article] |
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Imaging for Treatment Assessment in Radiation Therapy (ITART) Meeting
AAPM CT Dose Summit: Scan Parameter Optimization
