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Important Modulator Of Immune Cell Entry Into The Brain Discovered
Researchers in Berlin, Germany have ameliorated inflammation of the brain in mice caused by immune cells.

Medtronic Demonstrates Positive Results On First Pacemaker Designed For Use With MRI
New data announced at Heart Rhythm 2009, the annual congress of the Heart Rhythm Society, demonstrate that patients implanted with the investigational EnRhythm MRI™ SureScan™ pacing system experienced no complications related to the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Sponsored by Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), the study confirms that the pacing system can help cardiac device patients benefit from the use of MRI, a critical imaging technique commonly used in disease diagnosis. Currently, due to safety considerations, there are no implantable pacemakers or defibrillators approved for use with MRI in the United States. Commercially released in Europe last fall, the EnRhythm MRI SureScan system is the world"s first and only pacing system designed and approved for use with MRI.
News of the day
Blogs Comment On Tiller's Death, Sotomayor, Other Topics
The following summarizes selected women"s health-related blog entries.~ "Dr. Tiller -- A Gynecological Superhero," Frances Irwin, Below the Waist: Kansas abortion provider George Tiller, who was shot to death on Sunday, was "a superhero" who "never failed to serve his patients regardless of the level of property damage, physical injury and intimidation he was subjected to as a result of his service," Irwin, who works for a Wisconsin-based family planning agency, writes. Irwin notes that, for nearly a year, the clinic she works at has been targeted by "pro-life" demonstrators. At various points they"ve carried signs reading, "Family planners promote child promiscuity," "Stop ALL Abortion," "Birth Control Leads to Abortion," and that new signs mention her by name. In the wake of Tiller"s death, Irwin writes that she "realize[s] that I could be intentionally injured by someone who opposes my work." She concludes, "To some extent allowing myself to worry about this feels like cowardice because Dr. Tiller was a superhero. And that"s a lot to aspire to" (Irwin, Below the Waist, 6/4).~ "Let"s Make an Abortion Deal," William Saletan, Slate"s "Human Nature": Some participants in the White House meetings to discuss abortion in the U.S. "aren"t trying hard enough" to find "common ground" and are "refusing the simplest concessions," Saletan writes. Saletan offers four recommendations to advocates on both side of the debate, including removing the distinction between reducing the number of abortions versus reducing the need for abortions. He writes, "No ordinary person sees a difference" between the two,"[s]o let"s focus on reduction through voluntary means and stop quibbling over how it"s described." His other recommendations include antiabortion-rights advocates conceding to increased access to contraception and both sides giving up "extremism." Saletan"s final recommendation is that abortion-rights opponents allow federal funding for reproductive health groups that offer abortion information or services. He writes that a ban on direct funding for abortions is "fine, " but the "indirect funding Obama restored is hardly radical," adding, "You might even discover that the most efficient way to prevent abortions in the long term is to fund the family planning organizations you keep trying to defund" (Saletan, "Human Nature," Slate, 6/4).~ "The ABCs of Antiabortion Activism," Tracy Clark-Flory, Salon"s "Broadsheet": Tiller"s murder "has opened up a Pandora"s box for pro-lifers, giving rise to all sorts of troublesome questions about the culpability of lenient law enforcement and the movement itself," Clark-Flory writes. She continues, "They certainly won"t find salvation from Pandagon"s Amanda Marcotte, who got her mitts on a disturbing antiabortion activist handbook" now online from Justice for All "that lays bare some of the lies, deception and cynical manipulation that might have led to Tiller"s assassination." According to Clark-Flory, "The single justifiable situation for an abortion is ectopic pregnancy, the manual explains," adding, "Deception of that sort is found throughout the handbook." She writes, "Activists are instructed that when confronting targets they are to pretend that they"re A-OK with contraception" so that "their mark will let his or her guard down and think that, you know, there"s actually a rational, fact-based discussion to be had." Clark-Flory continues, "The truth, of course, is that the manual goes on to arm activists with medical misinformation that they can spread about birth control." She concludes that Marcotte "puts this tactical deceit in perfect context: "It shows one face to the initiated and another to the public, especially on the topic of contraception. Once you realize this, the movement"s half-hearted denunciations of Dr. Tiller"s murder, coupled with the enthusiastic return to calling Dr. Tiller a monster, become all the more chilling"" (Clark-Flory, "Broadsheet," Salon, 6/4).~ "Late-Term Abortions: Facts
Diagnostics

Medicaid Health Plans Provide Cost Savings To States And High Quality And Value To Beneficiaries, New Analysis Shows

Medicaid health plans are producing cost savings for states, increasing access to services for individuals covered by Medicaid, improving quality of care, and earning high satisfaction ratings from enrollees, according to a Lewin Group report released today by America"s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). Twenty-four existing studies were analyzed by the Lewin Group to determine the savings achieved when states have implemented private Medicaid health plans. "This study provides validation that Medicaid health plans are improving quality and access while also containing costs," said Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of AHIP. "During these difficult economic times, Medicaid health plans provide states with tools that work and on which they can depend." Since the early 1990s, state Medicaid programs have turned increasingly to private health plans because of their potential to provide high-quality, cost-effective care. According to Lewin, health plans offer an opportunity for Medicaid programs to stretch their dollars and achieve cost savings without cutting eligibility, benefits, or already-low provider payment levels as states look at ways to alleviate the economic pressure faced by their budgets. Some highlights of the Lewin analysis of 24 studies include: -- The studies strongly suggest that Medicaid health plans typically yields cost savings -- savings across the studies range from half of 1 percent to 20 percent. -- The studies provide some evidence that Medicaid health plan savings are significant for the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and SSI-related population while improving quality and value for beneficiaries. For example, Arizona saw that 60 percent of the $102.8 million savings achieved from 1983 to 1991 is from the SSI population. -- Various studies demonstrated that states" Medicaid health plan cost savings are largely attributable to changing patterns in unnecessary inpatient utilization such as those in a study of preventable hospitalizations in California, which found that the rates of preventable hospitalization were 38 and 25 percent lower in health plans than in fee-for-service (FFS) programs for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and SSI populations, respectively. -- Pharmacy was also an area where Medicaid health plans yielded noteworthy savings -- a comparison of drug costs under FFS programs vs. Medicaid health plans in multiple states found that the costs per-member per-month (PMPM) were 10 to 15 percent lower for health plans than for FFS programs. -- The studies also suggest that health plans with responsibility for certain populations or services are especially likely to generate savings in a health plan delivery system while providing and coordinating comprehensive care for beneficiaries. -- The Lewin analysis found that Medicaid health plans were found to have improved Medicaid beneficiaries" access to services and earned high satisfaction ratings from enrollees in addition to containing costs. "As stewards of public funds, quality accreditation ensures our state administrators that one of America"s most financially vulnerable populations is receiving the quality care and service it needs and deserves," said J. Mario Molina, M.D., President and CEO of Molina Healthcare, Inc. "At Molina, we demonstrate this by ensuring all of our eligible health plans are quality accredited by NCQA." "Medicaid managed care works -- it"s that simple," said Daniel J. Hilferty, President and Chief Executive Officer of the AmeriHealth Mercy Family of Companies. "Medicaid recipients are among the most sick and vulnerable people in the United States. Using an integrated, proactive approach to health care, AmeriHealth Mercy has improved outcomes for our members and saved taxpayers millions of dollars. As the nation searches for high-quality, cost-effective health reform options, we offer a model that is proven to increase access to care and control costs." "This study demonstrates what we see every day: that Medicaid managed care helps our most vulnerable citizens get the healthcare they need and, at the same time, saves money for State governments," said James G. Carlson, Chairman and CEO of AMERIGROUP Corporation. "At AMERIGROUP, our unique programs for people with disabilities and long-term illnesses help our members lead more independent lives by receiving proactive care to prevent unnecessary hospital stays or institutionalization. This approach helps them lead healthier and fuller lives and in the long run lowers the cost of Medicaid." The study also noted that the FFS setting model makes coordination of care and cost-containment difficult, while health plans create savings opportunities without reducing eligibility and benefits. America"s Health Insurance Plans - Providing Health Benefits to More Than 200 Million Americans About AMERIGROUP Corporation AMERIGROUP Corporation, headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia, improves healthcare access and quality for the financially vulnerable, seniors and people with disabilities by developing innovative managed health services for the public sector. Through its subsidiaries, AMERIGROUP Corporation serves approximately 1.7 million people in Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. About the AmeriHealth Mercy Family of Companies The AmeriHealth Mercy Family of Companies is the industry leader in the delivery of quality health care to low-income populations covered by publicly funded programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, and State Children"s Health Insurance Programs. The company"s five lines of business -- health plans, management and administrative services, pharmacy management, care management, and behavioral health -- touch the lives of 6.7 million people in 14 states. About Molina Healthcare Molina Healthcare, Inc. is a multi-state managed care organization that arranges for the delivery of health care services to persons eligible for Medicaid, Medicare, and other government-sponsored programs for low-income families and individuals. Altogether, Molina Healthcare"s 10 licensed health plan subsidiaries in California, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Texas, Utah, and Washington currently serve approximately 1.2 million members. America"s Health Insurance Plans


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