Category Archives: Prescription Drug Reform

Guess What? Docs Prescribe Drugs They Are Paid To Promote.

Posted on July 22, 2013 by

ProPublica is a non-profit news group dedicated to public interest investigative journalism. Their reporters matched for the first time federal data on payments from drug companies to prescribers and records on drugs prescribed by doctors to their Medicare patients. Until … Continue reading →

Posted in Prescription Drug Reform | 4 Comments

Happy Fiscal New Year! House, Senate Send FY 2014 Budget to Governor, With Some Good News for MassHealth Dental Coverage

Posted on July 2, 2013 by

Today the House and Senate sent to the Governor the FY 2014 budget (giant pdf), which  was filed by the joint conference committee late last night. Any minute now, we’ll get a detailed report from our friends at the Mass … Continue reading →

Posted in budget, MA Health Reform, MassHealth/Medicaid, National Health Reform, Oral Health, Prescription Drug Reform | 1 Comment

Save Money? Improve Care? What’s Not To Like? Support Academic Detailing in Budget.

Posted on June 19, 2013 by

In a recent New York Times Op-Ed, “Healing the Overwhelmed Physician,” Harvard Medical School professor Dr. Jerry Avorn highlights how “academic detailing” can both save money and improve patient care.  The House-Senate conference now meeting to finalize the state budget … Continue reading →

Posted in Prescription Drug Reform | 3 Comments

Senate Budget Debate Starts Wednesday – Here’s Our Amendment Recommendations

Posted on May 21, 2013 by

Tomorrow the state Senate will begin debating its version of the state budget for fiscal year 2014, which begins on July 1. Like the House budget did, the Senate Ways and Means version starts out with a strong commitment to … Continue reading →

Posted in budget, Children's Health, Children's Mental Health, Health Disparities, MA Health Reform, MassHealth/Medicaid, National Health Reform, Oral Health, Prescription Drug Reform, Public Health, Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities | Leave a comment

Public Health Council Fails To Tighten Pharma “Modest Meals” Regulation

Posted on November 21, 2012 by

Despite widespread opposition among Council members, the Public Health Council voted this morning to enact final regulations on meals provided by the drug and device industry to doctors and other prescribers. The regulations approved today keep intact the expansive, subjective … Continue reading →

Posted in Prescription Drug Reform | 3 Comments

D-Day Tomorrow For Pharma Gift Ban Market Regulations

Posted on November 20, 2012 by

Tomorrow morning (Wednesday 11/21), the Public Health Council will be voting on final regulations implementing the changes to the pharma gift ban and marketing regulations. Over the summer, the legislature changed the law to allow drug and device companies to … Continue reading →

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℞ed Lobster at State House; DPH Hearing Friday Morning on Drug Rules

Posted on October 19, 2012 by

(Click on picture above to see full video report)   Thursday at the State House, some 20 medical students and physicians joined with Health Care For All, Community Catalyst, Representative Jason Lewis, and others to bring attention to Friday’s DPH … Continue reading →

Posted in Prescription Drug Reform | 1 Comment

Legislature: “Only Modest Meals.” DPH: “Order Whatever You’d Like. The Bar is Open!”

Posted on September 19, 2012 by

Today the Department of Public Health approved temporary regulations that make a mockery of the legislature’s changes to the state’s drug and device marketing restrictions, further eroding doctor-patient protections (see joint press release from HCFA, AARP, MassPIRG and Community Catalyst … Continue reading →

Posted in Prescription Drug Reform | 2 Comments

Governor Patrick: Please Veto Gift Ban Loophole Provision in Budget

Posted on July 5, 2012 by

Glaxo-Smith-Kline’s ‘pheasant hunting junkets in Europe’ and other illegal kickbacks to doctors show that the strongest possible ban on inappropriate gifts is needed. (Guest commentary by Wells Wilkinson, from Community Catalyst’s Prescription Access Litigation Project) Yesterday’s new record-breaking settlement of … Continue reading →

Posted in Prescription Drug Reform | 2 Comments

Big Foot Enters: Lobbying Efforts Intensifying on Prescription Drug Marketing Gift Ban

Posted on June 27, 2012 by

AARP is the largest membership organization in the Commonwealth, with over 800,000 members in Massachusetts. With state budget conferees about to make the final decision on the prescription drug marketing gift ban, they have revved up their engines for a … Continue reading →

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