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The 32nd British Transplant Games 30th July - 2nd August 2009
This year the British Transplant Games takes place in Coventry and 900 transplant athletes are preparing to take part. For a handful of these athletes, the Games offers vital training and preparation for other major sporting challenges such as triathlons and marathons. The event organisers, Transplant Sport UK shines the spotlight on these inspiring people, who visibly demonstrate that there is life after transplant, allowing them to train to a high level of fitness against all the odds.

Psychiatrists Begin Revising Diagnostic Manual For Mental Illnesses
Over the next 18 months, psychiatrists will revise the American Psychiatric Association"s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is used to determine how U.S. residents" mental health is assessed, diagnosed and treated, the Los Angeles Times reports. Since the manual was last updated in 1994, technologies such as brain imaging and new understandings of the biological and genetic causes of many disorders have "almost guaranteed alterations" in the number of mental disorders included in fifth DSM volume, which is scheduled to be published in 2012, the Times reports.While some psychiatrists argue the manual should be broad enough to determine treatment for those who need it, others are concerned that if too broad, the manual will diagnose conditions that would otherwise be considered normal human behavior. David Kupfer, a psychiatrist at the University of Pittsburgh"s Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinics and chair of the DSM-V task force, said the DSM-V will recognize variations of disorders that have not been seen as part of "classic" illnesses, and will describe disorders in more detail, including how they differ based on race, gender, age, physical health and culture. Health insurance companies use the manual to determine coverage options for certain treatments.People involved in the revisions said the manual will be a better reflection of mental conditions of "real" people, rather than just those with the most severe cases of disorders or obvious diagnoses, the Times reports (Roan, Los Angeles Times, 5/26).
News of the day
Nile Therapeutics, Inc. Announces Dosing Of First Patient In Phase 2 Study Of CD-NP For The Treatment Of Acute Heart Failure
Nile Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: NLTX), a company focused on the development of novel therapeutics for heart failure patients, today announced dosing of its first patient in a Phase 2 clinical study of its lead product, CD-NP, for the treatment of acute heart failure.
Cardiovascular

Shutting Down Health Care Fraud; Increasing Transparency

U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) joined with U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) on an effort to require all Medicare and Medicaid provider payments to be made through direct deposit at federally-insured banking institutions. If signed into law, this measure will make it easier to track providers engaged in fraud thereby dramatically reducing the estimated loss of more than $60 billion every year. "Each year, criminals take advantage of our country"s Medicare and Medicaid programs that pay for care for tens-of-millions of seniors and disabled persons. This effort will allow law enforcement to more quickly identify and track Medicare and Medicaid payments to fraudulent providers," said Martinez, lead Republican on the Special Committee on Aging. "This effort to bring better transparency to all who provide Medicare and Medicaid services will help protect taxpayer dollars and the solvency of our health care entitlement programs." "As a former prosecutor, I saw firsthand how crooks cheated the health care system and stole money that should have been used to provide care for those who need it most - our seniors and most vulnerable citizens," said Klobuchar. "This legislation can save taxpayer dollars as well as the valuable time and res of our law enforcement officials." The effort Martinez is helping to usher through Congress is known as the Improving Medicare and Medicaid Policy for Reimbursements through Oversight and Efficiency or "IMPROVE" act. Earlier this year, Senator Martinez introduced two other measures aimed at fighting waste, fraud, and abuse within our health care entitlement programs. The Seniors and Taxpayers Obligation Protection or "STOP" act will create Medicare fraud prevention and detection systems designed to protect seniors and doctors from identity theft, keep criminals from becoming Medicare providers, and strengthen data mining and matching to catch criminals engaged in Medicare fraud. The Medicaid Accountability through Transparency or "MAT" act will provide transparency in billing for services and medical equipment by requiring the Department of Health and Human Services to disclose the Medicaid payment data it already collects on a public-accessible Web site. The Office of Senator Mel Martinez


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