2010-02-18

FDA Safety Announcement on ESAs
The FDA is requiring all drugs called erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) to be prescribed and used under a risk management program, known as a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy, to ensure the safe use of these drugs. Read more.

President Obama Submits Details of FY 2011 Budget Proposal to Congress; Proposes 3.2 Percent Increase for NIH
President Obama has released the details of his FY 2011 budget proposal, proposing approximately $32.089 billion in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in FY 2011, a 3.2 percent increase over the final FY 2010 funding levels that were enacted in December of last year. ASH encourages all members to visit the ASH Advocacy Center to take action to help influence the budget process and support increased funding for NIH. Read more.

Physician Payment “Fix” in Limbo as March 1 Deadline Fast Approaches
Although a bipartisan proposal from the Senate Finance Committee emerged to prevent the 21 percent Medicare payment cut to physicians for seven months, now that that provision has been stripped from the jobs bill, it is unclear what legislation if any will get through Congress this month negating the cuts. Read more.

President Obama Renews Call for Health Reform
President Obama continues to prioritize the need for health reform legislation and has promised congressional leaders that he would offer his own bill to overhaul the health-care system prior to a February 25 congressional summit intended to set the overhaul back on course. Read more.

Register Today for the National Conference on Blood Disorders in Public Health
ASH, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Division of Blood Disorders, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, are hosting the first National Conference on Blood Disorders in Public Health on March 9-11, 2010, in Atlanta, Georgia. The purpose of this conference is to serve as the catalyst for developing a nationally recognized public health framework for promoting the health of and improving outcomes among people at risk for or affected by a non-malignant blood disorder. To learn more and register, visit the conference Web site.

Hematologists Can Now Earn CME Credits Through the Journal Blood
ASH now offers physicians who diagnose and treat blood disorders a new resource for earning continuing medical education (CME) credits while staying abreast of the latest clinical strategies in the rapidly changing field of hematology. Read more.

NIH Office of Extramural Research Releases February 2010 Newsletter
The NIH Office of Extramural Research has released its February 2010 newsletter, which includes information on the one-year anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the newly restructured application forms and instructions for all competing applications. Read more