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Op-Eds: Pharma In Africa; U.S. Global TB Funding; ITN Distribution Strategies Examined
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New Pre-Clinical Data On OmniGuide's BeamPath NEURO(TM) Demonstrates Precise Cutting In Brain Tissue
OmniGuide, Inc., the developer of the first and only flexible CO2 laser fiber based on breakthrough photonic bandgap technology, announced the results of a pre-clinical study comparing the Company"s fiber scalpels to conventional incision methods in neurosurgery. In the study, surgeons from the Barrow Neurological Institute reported that careful studies of incisions produced in live brain tissue with fiber delivered CO2 laser radiation produced precise cuts while minimally effecting adjacent brain tissue when compared with a widely used reference technique. The study, led by Drs. Mark Preul, Robert W. Ryan, and Robert Spetzler of the Neurosurgery Research Laboratory, Barrow Neurological Institute, in Phoenix, Arizona, was presented at the annual conference of the American Academy of Neurological Surgeons in San Diego, California.
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Senate GOP Escalates Criticism Of Supreme Court Nominee Sotomayor In Speeches
Senate Republicans on Tuesday in the first in a series of floor addresses launched more strongly worded criticism of Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor"s judicial record and previous speeches, Politico reports. Although the floor speeches are not likely to undermine the Democratic majority"s support for Sotomayor or block her confirmation, they indicate a shift in strategy for the GOP as it tries to generate more opposition to the nomination, according to Politico. As senators approach the weeklong July 4 recess, Republicans are attempting to show that they have "no intention of lying down in the face of what appears to be an increasingly inevitable confirmation," Politico reports. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Judiciary Committee ranking Republican Jeff Sessions (Ala.) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) used their time on the Senate floor to attempt to portray Sotomayor as a "judicial activist" and to attack President Obama"s previous statements that he would like to appoint a judge who displays "empathy" (Isenstadt, Politico, 6/24). Republicans also reiterated they will attempt to delay Sotomayor"s confirmation hearing, scheduled to begin July 13, if they do not feel they have enough time to review her judicial record, Roll Call reports. They also questioned Sotomayor"s involvement with the civil rights group LatinoJustice PRLDEF, which they labeled "far left," taking up a line of criticism that other conservatives have pushed. Sotomayor served as a board member for the group from 1980 to 1992. Democrats and White House officials are aggressively defending Sotomayor"s record, arguing that her lengthy judicial career supersedes any public statements or speeches she made in the past, according to Roll Call. Both said that their strategy is to avoid a point-counterpoint argument with Republicans. A White House official said there is "no reason to speculate on her record," which includes more than 3,000 panel decisions. Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said that he has been "struck by her extraordinary career and how she"s excelled at everything she"s done." Leahy said that he is not convinced that Republicans need more time, noting that the Senate is using the same confirmation timetable as it used for Chief Justice John Roberts. Although Leahy said that he might be willing to discuss a schedule change if Republicans agreed not to filibuster or delay the nomination, he added that Republicans have not suggested such a deal at this point (Stanton, Roll Call, 6/24).
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Physicians Can Lead Health Care Reform Through Payment And Delivery System Reforms

Physicians can and should play a leading role in achieving health care reform by working towards comprehensive reform of the way health care is paid for and delivered, helping achieve a guaranteed 1.5 percent annual savings in health care costs that would pay for covering all Americans, according to a New England Journal of Medicine Perspective piece published online. In "Achieving Health Care Reform - How Physicians Can Help," co-authors Elliott Fisher, M.D. M.P.H. professor at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Donald M. Berwick, M.D., M.P.P. president and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and Karen Davis, president of The Commonwealth Fund say that achieving savings that are sufficient to cover everyone is possible, and "need not impose a hardship on patients or providers." Slowing the growth of health care costs by 1.5 percentage points annually would allow spending - including total provider income - to rise from $2.6 trillion in 2010 to $4.3 trillion in 2020, while saving the health care system $3.1 trillion of the estimated $40 trillion the U.S. is projected to spend in that 11-year period. The authors say that to achieve real reform, voluntary efforts to achieve savings may not be enough, and legislation may be needed that will allow the federal government to reduce updates in Medicare fees if the 1.5 percent annual savings target is exceeded. Further, the savings should be linked both to health insurance coverage for all and comprehensive reform of the health care delivery and payment systems. The authors cite reforms physicians could champion to eliminate waste and avoidable complications, such as integrated systems of care, innovative payment models including shared savings, bundled payments, or global fees for primary, acute, or comprehensive care, and performance measures that promote care coordination. "U.S. physicians are leaders in providing excellent medical care, and can also be leaders in the effort to achieve a U.S. health system that is also excellent," said Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis. "A high performing U.S. health system is what all physicians and patients need and deserve for the future health and economic security of our nation. The authors conclude that "physicians can become our most credible and effective leaders of progress toward a new world of coordinated, sensible, outcome-oriented care in which they and their communities will be far better off. Defending the status quo is a bankrupt plan for the United States, and physicians have an opportunity to help us all see beyond it." "This is a clarion call to U.S. physicians to seize this once-in-a lifetime opportunity to achieve health care reform that deserves the name reform," said Dr. Elliott Fisher. "Physician leadership can be the key to ensuring success. Let"s not miss this chance." The Commonwealth Fund is a private foundation supporting independent research on a high performance health system. Mary Mahon Commonwealth Fund


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