Bill Sets DXA, VFA Payment Floor
Endocrinologists, ob.gyns., and other physicians support new federal legislation that would establish a payment floor for dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and vertebral fracture assessment (VFA). The Medicare Fracture Prevention and Osteoporosis Testing Act of 2009 (S. 769, H.R. 1894), would set a national minimum payment amount for DXA (CPT code 77080) and VFA (77082) that could not be less than the 2006 Medicare payment rates for these services. If enacted, the payment rates would go into effect Jan. 1, 2010. The legislation also directs the Institute of Medicine to study the impact of Medicare payment reductions for DXA and VFA on beneficiary access to bone mass measurement and quality of care. The legislation would counteract deep Medicare payment cuts that began in 2007 under the Deficit Reduction Act. The new bill is supported by the DXA Task Force, which includes the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Rheumatology, and other physician groups.
Americans Fear Chronic Disease
More than half of Americans say that developing a chronic illness would be worse than amassing considerable financial debt, getting divorced or living alone, or losing one's job, according to an online survey of more than 2,500 people conducted by Harris Interactive. About half of respondents had not spoken with their physicians about common chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, or Alzheimer's, the survey found. Although 83% of respondents knew that being overweight or obese was a risk factor for diabetes, 67% said they had a poor diet and 62% said they maintained an unhealthy weight. “These people are gambling daily by ignoring risk factors for a life-altering disease like diabetes and doing nothing about it,” said Dr. Richard M. Bergenstal, president-elect for medicine and science at the American Diabetes Association, which jointly funded the study with the WellPoint Foundation.
EHR Applications Rise
By a March 31 deadline, 64 companies applied for certification of their electronic health record (EHR) products, one-third more than the number that applied by the same time last year, the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology reported. Nearly 40% of the applications were for new EHR products, according to the federally recognized commission. The biggest category of applications was for EMR products concerning health records for children.
FDA Warns on Internet Ads
The Food and Drug Administration has warned 14 drug makers against using brief Internet ads that are misleading because they fail to provide full information about risks and indications. The ads typically appear on search engines as “sponsored links” when patients search for information on medical conditions. The ads cited by the FDA include promotions for diabetes treatment Avandia (rosiglitazone), multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri (natalizumab), and the cardiovascular drug Plavix (clopidogrel). The sponsored links generally contain about a dozen words—not enough to convey detailed treatment or risk information, the FDA said. The Pew Prescription Project, a nonprofit drug-safety group, has asked the FDA to articulate the rules regulating online advertising and to advise manufacturers on where risk disclosures may appear in Internet ads.
New Ethics Rules at Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins University has joined the growing ranks of medical schools that are restricting interactions with pharmaceutical companies. The new Johns Hopkins Medicine Policy on Interaction With Industry, which takes effect July 1, prohibits acceptance of gifts or entertainment, regardless of value, from pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Consulting contracts that include no actual duties also will be prohibited. Starting in 2010, Johns Hopkins will no longer accept free pharmaceutical samples, but in some limited cases, deidentified samples may be used for patient education. “This policy will help us promote a culture in which Hopkins faculty and other personnel can exercise independent, unbiased judgment in all their activities while interacting with industry in appropriate ways that support our missions of delivering excellent care to patients, and integrity in teaching and research,” said Edward D. Miller, dean of the medical faculty and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Administration Posts Filling Up
The Obama administration has named officials to several top health care-related positions that do not require Senate confirmation, including the director of the White House Office of Health Reform, administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the new National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Nancy-Ann DeParle, who ran Medicaid and Medicare under President Clinton, will lead the White House office. Rural health expert Mary Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N., was selected to head HRSA, joining the agency from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks. Internist David Blumenthal, former director of the Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, will take the lead on creating a nationwide health information technology infrastructure. Three new members will join the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Susan Curry, Ph.D., of Iowa City, an expert on tobacco use; Dr. Joy Melnikow of Sacramento, a family physician; and Dr. Wanda Nicholson of Baltimore, a board-certified ob.gyn. and a perinatal epidemiologist.