House Republicans have recently introduced 10 bills that, collectively, aim at increasing the predictability, consistency and transparency of the FDAs medical device review and approval process. Legislators summarized their concerns in an Oct. 14 memorandum sent to the Energy and Commerce Committee, detailing the proposed measures designed to reform the medical device review and approval process.

The FDA warned against the use of jet injectors for administering influenza flu vaccines in an Oct. 21 statement. Now, Portland, Ore.-based Bioject Medical Technologies, a developer of needle-free drug delivery systems, is questioning why the FDA cleared two such devices for that use.

The probability that screening mammography saved a womans life is less than 25 percent, according to an article published Oct. 24 in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The accompanying commentary advocated for clinicians to share a simple scientific message that does not inflate the survival benefit of screening mammography.

Under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) final e-prescribing rule the deadline to apply for additional hardship exemptions and avoid the 2012 e-prescribing penalty is Nov. 1. The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is encouraging eligible professionals to apply for exemptions via the CMS web-based portal.

The Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has named The Joint Commission deeming authority for accreditation of critical access hospitals, meaning they can meet requirements for reimbursement by the CMS.

Areva's nuclear medicine subsidiary, Areva Med, has acquired Macrocyclics for an undisclosed sum.

Numerous California healthcare associations and organizations helped craft and pass the Telehealth Advancement Act of 2011, signed into law Oct. 7 by Gov. Jerry Brown. Among the groups leading the charge was the Center for Connected Health Policy, which released a report Sept. 30 that highlighted the potential cost savings to be realized from an expansion of telehealth in the Golden State.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) does not propose that states collect personal data such as name, social security number or address for the risk adjustment program, wrote Steve Larsen, Director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight in a White House blog posting.