Washington Highlights: January
25, 2008 AAMC Endorses
Bipartisan Bill to Extend Medicaid Moratorium
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Issues  |
The AAMC Jan. 17 sent a letter
of support for bipartisan Senate legislation (S.
2460) that would extend by 1 year (until May 25, 2009) the current moratorium
delaying (until May 25, 2008) implementation of the Medicaid proposed rule affecting
graduate medical education (GME) payments [see Washington
Highlights, Dec. 14, 2007].
The May 23, 2007 "GME Proposed Rule" prohibits federal Medicaid payments
for GME. Sent to bill sponsors Sens. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) and Elizabeth
Dole (R-N.C.), the letter explains that the "potential multi-billion dollar
loss of Medicaid GME funding is of particular concern" to AAMC member organizations.
The letter praises S. 2460 for extending the moratorium to ensure that Congress
has sufficient time for "a careful analysis and thoughtful debate" on
the GME Proposed Rule and other proposed changes to Medicaid policy. Information:
Christiane Mitchell, Director, Federal Affairs
AAMC Government Relations
cmitchell@aamc.org
(202) 828-0526 Atul Grover, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Advocacy Officer
AAMC Government Relations
agrover@aamc.org
(202) 828-0410 Report Evaluates NIH's Management
of Conflict of Interest RegulationsThe Office of Inspector General for
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Jan. 17 issued a report on the
National Institutes of Health (NIH)'s oversight of federal conflict of interest
regulations for institutions that receive research grants. The Inspector General
(IG)'s report comes from the review of more than 400 financial conflict of interest
reports filed with NIH by research grantees for fiscal years 2004 through 2006.
Based on that review, the IG recommends that the NIH: 1) increase oversight of
grantee institutions to ensure compliance with federal financial conflicts of
interest regulations; 2) require institutions to provide details of the nature
of such conflicts and how they are managed, reduced, or eliminated; and 3) require
the NIH's institutes and centers to forward all financial conflict of interest
reports from grantee institutions to a centralized office and ensure that the
information is maintained in an NIH database. Calling the report "an
important reminder that a robust, credible, transparent system" for monitoring
potential conflicts of interest is essential to maintaining the public's trust,
the AAMC issued support
for 2 of the report's recommendations. The association joined the NIH, however,
in rejecting the recommendation that would require the agency to become involved
in research institutions' own management of specific conflict of interest cases
in a manner that is "unfeasible and beyond the NIH's existing statutory authority." Information:
Susan Ehringhaus, Sr. Director & Regulatory Counsel
AAMC Biomedical Health Sciences Research
sehringhaus@aamc.org
(202) 828-0543 Supreme Court Upholds Ruling
on Tissue Repository The U.S. Supreme Court Jan. 22 let stand a lower
court ruling that tissue and blood samples donated for research by patients to
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis belong to the institution
and cannot be reclaimed by the donors. The original case, Washington University
v. William J. Catalona, centered on whether tissue donors can reclaim or redirect
already donated samples to another institution or specific researcher. A district
court determined that donors voluntarily made an irrevocable gift of their biological
samples to Washington University and, therefore, the specimens belonged to the
school. That decision later was upheld unanimously by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court
of Appeals, and the nation's highest court now has declined to hear further challenge.
The AAMC and several medical research institutions supported Washington University
in its case. According to statement released by the medical school, "the
decision will protect donors from unregulated and potentially conflicting solicitations
for their donated tissues." Larry Shapiro, M.D., executive vice chancellor
for medical affairs and dean of the medical school reiterated the university's
intent to maintain access to the repository for researchers at other institutions
on a peer review basis and to serve the goals of advancing prostate cancer research
for which the repository was established. Information:
Stephen Heinig, Lead Science Policy Analyst
AAMC Biomedical Health Sciences Research
sheinig@aamc.org
(202) 828-0488
Susan Ehringhaus, Sr. Director & Regulatory Counsel
AAMC Biomedical Health Sciences Research
sehringhaus@aamc.org
(202) 828-0543 On the Hill
Rep. Jim Walsh (R-N.Y.) Jan. 24 announced he will retire at the
end of his current term in Jan. 2009. Rep. Walsh currently serves
as Ranking Member of the House Labor, Health and Human Services,
and Education Appropriations Subcommittee. He also sits on the appropriations
panel's subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development,
and Related Agencies.
Rep. Dave Weldon, M.D., (R-Fla.) Jan. 25 announced he will not
seek reelection to an eighth term and intends to return to his medical
practice at the end of this session. Rep. Weldon currently sits
on the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations
Subcommittee, as well as the State, Foreign Operations, and Related
Programs Appropriations Subcommittee.
Rep. Richard Baker (R-La.) Jan. 18 submitted his resignation from
the House of Representatives, effective Feb. 2. The lawmaker, who
serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
and the Financial Services Committee, recently accepted a position
to head a hedge fund trade group. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R)
has scheduled primaries for March 8, followed by a special election
April 5. Louisiana voters also will choose on those dates a successor
to Gov. Jindal's recently vacated House seat.
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