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Washington Update
* “Creative incentives” could speed the progress of nationwide
health information technology systems, former House Speaker and Center
for Health Transformation founder Newt Gingrich told the House Committee
on Government Reform on July 14. In his testimony, Gingrich suggested
that Congress press for national data standards, reduced malpractice
insurance, financial incentives for patients and providers to adopt electronic
health records and prescribing and low-interest federal loans to make
the necessary technology changes. To read the Center for Health Transformation’s
white paper on the subject, go here. *The House Appropriations committee approved the FY 2005 Labor/HHS/Education appropriations bill on July 14. The bill increases NIH’s budget by $28.5 billion, almost a 2.5 percent increase over FY 2004. HHS’ Community Health Centers Program and abstinence education programs both received budget increases. To track the progress of the bill as it goes before the full House, go here. *Rep. James Greenwood, R-Pa., says he is considering a bill to address NIH’s potential conflict of interest problems (see HABIT, April 27, 2004) that would include a way to make top researcher salaries at NIH more competitive with private industry. He concedes, however, that it would be hard to work such a bill into this year’s legislative calendar. Greenwood announced on July 22 that he would retire at the end of his term to take over as head of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) at the end of next year *More than 4,000 scientists have now signed the Union of Concerned Scientists letter that accuses the Bush administration of “misrepresenting and suppressing scientific knowledge for political purposes. (See HABIT, April 27, 2004). To read the letter and see an updated version of the UCS’s original report on the topic, go here. *Obesity is now a disease, at least for the purposes of Medicare. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced July 16 that they would begin considering weight-loss interventions for coverage under the federal program. CMS head Mark McClellan said his agency is planning a fall review to determine which interventions might qualify for Medicare payment. *The General Services Administration has canceled a contract with the weapons and technology company Titan to provide mental health and counseling services to American troops, according to a June 24 report in the newsletter Government Executive. Mental health services experts criticized the contract, saying that Titan and the Ceridian Corporation, the company that it subcontracted to provide the services, have little experience in mental health counseling. *The Institute of Medicine has named seven mid-career behavioral scientists and health professionals as 2004-2005 Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellows. The new fellows are: Kira Bacal, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., of NASA Johnson Space and Center and the University of Texas Medical Branch, Leona Cuttler, M.D., of Case Western Reserve University, Chris Erickson, Ph.D., of George Washington University, Danny McCormick, M.D., M.P.H., of Harvard Medical School, John C. Ring, M.D., of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine, Nancy Short, Dr.P.H., M.B.A., R.N., of Duke University School of Nursing and Marlene F. Watson, Ph.D., of Drexel University. For more information on the fellows program, go here. |
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