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First Pig Stem Cells Made In China
Achieving a world first, scientists in China have induced cells from pigs to become pluripotent stem cells, which like embryonic stem cells are
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Mass. Panel Recommends Scrapping Doctors, Hospitals Payment System
The Boston Globe: "A state commission recommended yesterday that Massachusetts dramatically change how doctors and hospitals are paid, essentially putting providers on a budget as a way to control exploding healthcare costs and improve the quality of care. The 10-member commission, which includes key legislators and members of Governor Deval Patrick"s administration, voted unanimously to largely scrap the current system, in which insurers typically pay doctors and hospitals a negotiated fee for each individual procedure or visit. That arrangement is widely seen as leading to unneeded tests and procedures. Instead, the group wants private insurers and the state and federal Medicaid program to pay providers a set payment for each patient that covers all that person"s care for an entire year and to make the radical shift within five years" (Kowalczyk, 7/17).
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'Homework Assignment' Could Mean Success, Failure For Health Reform Legislation
How well health care industry groups follow through on their "homework assignment" from President Obama to submit specific plans by early June on how they intend to reduce health care spending growth by $2 trillion over the next decade could determine whether current attempts to develop health care overhaul legislation are successful, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports (Alonso-Zaldivar, AP/Contra Costa Times, 5/25).In a letter that was sent to Obama on May 10, a coalition of health care industry groups wrote, "We will do our part to achieve your administration"s goal of decreasing by 1.5 percentage points the annual health care spending growth rate. ... This represents more than a 20% reduction in the projected rate of growth." The letter -- which was signed by the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the Advanced Medical Technology Association, America"s Health Insurance Plans and the Service Employees International Union -- did not elaborate on what specific measures the groups would take to achieve such reductions. The Obama administration requested specifics on the coalition"s cost-cutting plans by June 1 (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 5/18).Each group has been looking into its own ways it can reduce spending growth, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports. Insurers currently are examining strategies to cut the administrative costs of filing claims. AMA President-elect James Rohack said his organization will look at how to implement comparative effectiveness research and ways to prevent harmful and costly drug interactions, which he said "can save money ... by preventing unnecessary readmissions to hospitals," adding, "The most costly site where patients get care is the hospital." In addition, hospitals have begun looking into how to reduce readmissions.If the industry groups are able to convince lawmakers that their plans can significantly reduce spending growth, Obama "could be well on his way to closing a deal with Congress" on universal health coverage, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports. However, if the plans are rejected, the groups risk their reputations and Obama could be "seen as naive for entertaining such promises," according to the AP/Contra Costa Times. Some experts have said that the groups" pledge to cut health care spending is possible "in theory." According to the AP/Contra Costa Times, the challenge will be to persuade medical providers "to change years of ingrained habits that lead to much of the wasteful spending" in the health care system (AP/Contra Costa Times, 5/25). AHIP"s Ignagni Profiled
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Colorado Stem Cell Awareness Rally To Take Place In Denver, Colorado On June 13th, 2009

Building on the momentum of their previous events, The Stem Cell Awareness Association will hold a Stem Cell Awareness Rally in Denver, Colorado on June 13th, 2009. The group"s last event, in Punta Gorda, Florida, drew past patients, prospective patients, news media, U.S. physicians and specialists, as well as members of the public interested in learning more about stem cell treatment. Since their first Stem Cell Awareness Rally on July 24th, 2007, the association has steadily increased its following as more and more patients have returned from abroad after receiving stem cell treatment for diseases deemed untreatable by their US doctors. Carol Peterson (See http://www.cameronsmiracleofsight.com), who launched the association at the first event, summarizes the mission of the association in four simple words, "Educated Freedom of Choice." "Our group is mainly made up of patients who have experienced what is really available in other countries and while we don"t want to exert influence over other patients" decisions, we do want to make sure they are aware that what is available in the US is not representative of what is available throughout the world." A key component of the rallies is for patients who have returned from treatment abroad to share their stories, both good and bad, with those in attendance. One such patient is David Aldrich from Florida who is a spinal cord injury survivor and was legally blind before his treatment abroad. (http://stemcellschina.com/blog/david/) "I am pretty worn out from dealing with a medical establishment that does not provide me with the best treatment available and even at times tries to stop people like me from seeking treatment abroad under the guise of protecting me," said Aldrich. "My short term goal is to let people know that there is help available, no matter what your physician says. But my real goal is focused on bringing people together to figure out what can be done so I don"t have to go abroad for my next treatment." The group"s mission incorporates David"s "real goal" and is focused on increasing the U.S. medical community"s knowledge and acceptance of stem cell therapy by encouraging patients who go abroad to do evaluations with their local doctors before and after the treatment and by inviting the doctors to engage in dialogue about what is happening abroad. Shel Morse spoke at the 5th rally about the association"s mission and what it meant to her to see her sixteen year old daughter, Macie, get her driver"s permit after returning from treatment in China. Macie was treated in July 2008 and has ONH, a leading cause of blindness in children. The following is an excerpt of Shel"s speech: "Macie"s journey to stem cells started when she turned 15 and asked for a driving permit. It wasn"t even an option with her current vision, not to mention the fact a vision teacher of hers had stated it was never going to be possible and we should just face reality. At that point I knew that it was my mission to let people know that they don"t necessarily have to live with the diagnosis their locals doctors give them. "Macie"s doctors not only criticized the companies we told them about but actively discouraged us from help overseas - help that they could not offer. The reason why I got behind this organization and decided to set up this event in Denver is because the patients need to join together to have a voice." said Shel Morse. "Our medical society needs to get serious about real health care, we cannot rely on our current system - it is broken. US doctors and scientists need to focus on doing what is necessary to help patients instead of their reputations and how they can make money." The rally this June will continue to create a community as stem cell patients from across the U.S. and Canada are provided the opportunity to share their experiences with prospective patients. It will also provide an opportunity for doctors and medical specialists to not only connect with patients but also consider how stem cell technology can be successfully implemented in North American medical systems. Complimenting their Stem Cell Awareness events, the Stem Cell Awareness Association web site (http://www.stemcellaware.com) serves as a community forum where people can discuss stem cell therapies, policies, options and treatment experiences. All patients who are considering stem cell treatments or have already had stem cell treatments are welcome to join the next Stem Cell Awareness Rally: Location: Denver, Colorado Place: Stella"s Coffee House Date: June 13th, 2009 Time: 2pm Stem Cell Awareness Association


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