September Practice Update
Electronic Medical Record Legislation to Be Introduced in House of Representatives
Pete Stark (D-CA), chairman of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, plans to introduce a new bill that would encourage health-care
providers to move to a system of electronic medical records (EMRs). Read More.
ACCP Seeks Nominations for Antithrombotic and Thrombolytic Therapy Clinical Guideline Panel
ASH is currently taking nominations to represent the Society on the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) writing panel for Antithrombotic and Thrombolytic Therapy: ACCP Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines (9th Edition). Read More.
Comments Due Next Month on Draft Local Coverage Determination Regarding Irradiated Blood Products
National Government Services, Inc. (NGS), the Medicare administrative contractor (MAC), released a draft policy for irradiated blood products. Read More.
ASH Practice Forum: The Patient, the Hematologist, and the Unexpected
Saturday, December 6, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m., Marriot, Yerba Buena, Salons 4-6
Be sure to attend the ASH Practice Forum at the Annual Meeting in San Francisco. This year's forum will focus on two areas of unexpected results encountered commonly in hematology practice and how the hematologist should respond. It will also include a legislative update of practice-related policies and what to expect from the new Congress and president. Speakers include:
- Philip R. Greipp, MD, Mayo Clinic
- Incidental Findings and Monoclonal Proteins
- Malik Juweid, MD, University of Iowa
- One PET Too Many
- Mila Becker, ASH Director of Government Relations and Practice, and Ellen Riker, MARC Associates
- 2009 Practice Policy Companion
Reception Follows – ASH will host a special reception for practitioners. Network with colleagues and speak with the Practice Forum Panelists.
AMA Releases PQRI Survey
The American Medical Association (AMA) is asking physicians who participated in the 2007 Physicians Quality Reporting Intitative (PQRI) program to participate in a short (10-15 minute) survey to assist in PQRI-related advocacy efforts.
AHRQ Highlights Report Now Available
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released its 2007 Annual Highlights, presenting key findings from its 2007 research portfolio. The document covers issues of comparative effectiveness, evidence-based medicine, health information technology as well as many other issues of interest to health practitioners. The report is available on the CMS Web site.
Blood Moves to Weekly Publication in 2009
Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology, will change from a semimonthly to weekly schedule effective with the January 1, 2009, issue. The shift of the journal to weekly publication was stimulated by a number of factors, including advertising sales and the move to weekly publication schedule by comparable sub-specialty journals. The schedule change will provide several key benefits for members and subscribers, including increased portability of the print journal due to more convenient size, greater visibility for ongoing and new content features, and increased traffic to the journal's Web site based on distribution of a weekly e-Table of Contents.
For more information, please contact publishing@hematology.org.