2010-06-17

Senate to Vote on New Medicare Physician Payment Bill
The Senate continues to struggle to prevent a cut in Medicare physician payments. A provision that would stop a cut in payments through 2011 was included in a separate measure to extend popular tax breaks and safety net programs (HR 4213) and passed by the House of Representatives in May. But Senate leaders have been forced to rework that bill after it failed to gather the required 60 votes for passage earlier this week. A revised version of the bill unveiled June 16 seeks to address concerns among fiscal conservatives in both parties that the earlier version would have increased the deficit by $78.7 billion and did not include “offsets” or ways to pay for costly provisions like physician payment. The new version trims $16.4 billion by extending relief from the physician payment cut only until November 30, 2010. Senate leaders hope to vote on this measure soon. Read more.

NIH Director Testifies About Future of Institutes as Congress Struggles With FY 2011 Funding Process
Although the House and Senate have yet to finalize a fiscal year (FY) 2011 budget resolution (the budgetary blueprint for each appropriations subcommittee to use as a guideline in drafting their respective funding bills this year), congressional leaders are continuing to work toward ensuring that budgetary guidelines are in place in the near future in order to allow House and Senate appropriators to begin formal work on all 12 of the annual spending bills. Meanwhile, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Francis Collins testified before a House subcommittee on June 15 about NIH’s research activities and priorities. Read more.

Clinical Trials Coverage Provision Among Health Reform Benefits Deemed Not Applicable to "Grandfathered" Heath Plans
An ASH-supported provision of the health reform bill, which requires coverage of routine patient costs associated with clinical trial participation, has been included among the benefits deemed to be not applicable to certain health plans in existence prior to enactment of the health reform law. Read more.

ASH Comments on Hematology Priorities for the NIH Adherence Research Network
ASH recently submitted comments in response to the NIH’s Request for Information on the Priorities for the NIH Adherence Research Network. The Society’s comments focused on the need for adherence research in patients with sickle cell disease, research concerning adherence to iron chelation therapy in patients with thalassemia, and adherence research in childhood leukemia. Read more.

NIH Launches Expanded Website for Awardees Involved in Clinical Trials
The NIH Office of Extramural Research recently launched an expanded informational website to help NIH applicants and grantees better understand their roles and responsibilities related to the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007. Read more.

NHLBI Stroke Prevention Study in Children With Sickle Cell Anemia, Iron Overload Stopped Early
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has stopped a clinical trial evaluating a new approach to reduce the risk of recurrent stroke in children with sickle cell anemia and iron overload because of evidence that the new treatment was unlikely to prove better than the existing treatment. Read more.

NIH Office of Extramural Research Releases June 2010 Newsletter
The NIH Office of Extramural Research has released its June 2010 newsletter, which includes information on NIH’s Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer program, an update on the transition to an all-electronic grants process, and the upcoming quarterly reporting deadline for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act-funded grants. Read more.