Month: May 2011

In four published papers between 2002 and 2009, doctors failed to mention a link between Medtronic's spinal fusion product Infuse and a serious complication that causes sterility in men. Last year, six of those co-authors received a total of more than $6 million in various royalties from Medtronic, according to information from a public registry of physician payments maintained by Medtronic. None of the royalties was for Infuse. (MILWWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 5/25)

A comprehensive reform of Milwaukee County's mental health system could take up to three years to get under way while numerous committees examine community treatment alternatives, building a new and smaller Mental Health Complex and figuring out how to pay for it all. That's far longer than many who spearheaded a push to fix problems contemplated more than a year ago. (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 5/25)

Wisconsin's budget-writing committee is considering whether to reject Gov. Scott Walker's proposed changes to the popular SeniorCare prescription drug program. Top Republicans have said they won't go along with Walker's proposal to require enrollees in SeniorCare to first sign up for Medicare Part D. (AP, 5/24)

Preparing for a tornado was fresh on the minds of Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center employees before the real emergency hit on Sunday. Employees had just undergone an incident training drill four days before the tornado hit, so people were prepared to handle the emergency, said Jerry Arndt, senior vice president of business services at Gundersen Lutheran. (LA CROSSE TRIBUNE, 5/24)

In a bid to thaw Gov. Scott Walker's proposed freeze on enrollments in the state's popular Family Care program, service providers are touting a study they commissioned that says the program is cheaper than other alternatives. The study was done for the Wisconsin Family Care Association, made up of public and private firms that arrange for services for frail elderly and adults with disabilities served through the program. (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 5/23)

Think you won't have to worry about health care costs once you're covered by Medicare? Think again. Women who retired last year will need an average of $93,000 in savings to pay for health care expenses in retirement, according to an estimate by the Employee Benefit Research Institute. Men will need $65,000. (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 5/23)

Federal officials are threatening to withhold new money and take back previous funds for Wisconsin's food assistance program if state officials don't scale back efforts to privatize it.

Democrats brought the fight over Medicare reform to U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan's backyard Thursday, holding an event in the home state of the man attempting to turn the federal program into a subsidized private insurance plan. Democratic U.S Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., held a press conference at the community senior center in Waunakee, where they vowed to fight for continued funding of the social safety net that helps millions of seniors get medical care. (WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL, 5/20)