HEALTH
REFORM UPDATE: Senate, House Release Health Reform Proposals The
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
(HELP) today will begin to mark up its health care reform
legislation, the Affordable Health Choices Act, released last
week. The bill encourages adoption and use of health IT; promotes
evidence-based medicine; facilitates health literacy; and
includes strategies for tackling preventable medical errors
and hospital readmissions, as well as better managing chronic
conditions through care coordination, medical homes and community
health teams. The ACC submitted a letter to the committee
commending it for “tak[ing] the necessary steps towards
improving the coordination and quality of care.” View
the letter.
In related
news, three committees in the House have released a draft
outline for health care reform, although it is not yet in
bill form. The proposal of the committees, which include the
House Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Education and
Labor, includes a repeal of the current sustainable growth
rate and removes Medicare Part B drugs from the calculation
of physician services spending. However, more details are
needed to assess the extent and impact of these suggestions.
More coverage is available at ACC’s The
Lewin Report. ACC staff is working with leaders in
the Senate and House as they continue to flesh out these and
other proposals. For the latest information on health reform,
visit http://qualityfirst.acc.org.
Senate
Approves Tobacco Bill The
Senate on June 12 passed the “Family Smoking Prevention
& Tobacco Control Act” (S.
982) in a 79-17 vote. The bill would amend the Federal
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to grant the FDA the
authority to restrict tobacco marketing and sales to youth;
require detailed disclosure of ingredients; allow FDA to require
changes to tobacco products; and require larger, more specific
health warnings. The FDA activity would be funded by a user
fee on cigarette manufacturers, allocated by market share.
The House on April 2 approved a similar version of the bill.
The bill is awaiting the signature of President Obama, who
is expected to sign it into law.
“After
many years of trying to pass this legislation, today Congress
has taken a stand and this goes a long way in keeping tobacco
products out of the hands of children. At long last Congress
has chosen to end the special protections for the tobacco
industry and protect our children and our nation's health
instead” said ACC CEO Jack Lewin, M.D. The ACC’s
full statement on the Family
Smoking Prevention & Tobacco Control Act is available
online.
REGULATORY
FDA
Issues Class I Recall for Medtronic Pacemakers
The Food & Drug Administration on June 12 classified Medtronic’s
Kappa and Sigma pacemakers as a Class I recall, following
a “Dear Physician” warning late last month. The
Class I recall, related to about 21,300 Kappa and Sigma pacemakers,
indicates these pacemakers have a wiring defect that causes
the battery to stop responding or run out of battery. The
company recommends replacing the pacemaker in patients who
are pacemaker-dependent and have been implanted with one of
the affected devices. More information is available from MedPage
Today.
FDA
to Hold Meeting on Transparency The
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 24 will hold a
public meeting in Washington, D.C., to solicit recommendations
on how the agency can make more available useful and understandable
information on its activities and decisions. The FDA in early
June announced the formation of a taskforce to develop recommendations
for enhancing the transparency of the agency’s operations
and decision-making processes. The taskforce will identify
information that the FDA should provide about its operations
and activities, including enforcement actions and product
approvals, and recommend ways in which the agency can better
explain its operations with the appropriate concern for confidential
information. Registration for the June 24 meeting must occur
by June 17. Written or electronic comments are due by August
7. More
information is available from the FDA.
QUALITY
Obama
Addresses Health Care Reform at AMA President
Obama on June 15 addressed the economic imperative for health
care reform in a speech to attendees of the American Medical
Association’s annual meeting in Chicago. He discussed
costs, workforce issues, and medical malpractice, among other
issues. Obama said that although the cost of health care reform
is high, the “cost of inaction is greater” because
they are an “escalating burden on our families and businesses”
and a “ticking time bomb for the federal budget.”
Read more about the speech in the New
York Times.
The ACC
responded in a statement: “What really matters is how
we can drive down costs for our patients and for our country,
while ensuring patients have quality care. One of the ways
we do that is by looking at the way doctors are compensated
and reforming the system so that it’s based on the quality
of care provided – not the quantity.” View
the statement in full.
