Weekly Roundup: ‘Tis The Season
By Hygeia | Friday, December 19th, 2008The holidays are upon us, and we all know what that means for health issues β besides higher sugar and alcohol intake. That’s right, healthcare reform house parties! Check out the message from HHS Secretary nominee Tom Daschle below, and learn more about hosting or attending a healthcare community discussion over the holidays.
Meanwhile, four issues dominating discussions around the web this week are the future of the FDA, the new Nursing Home Compare rating system and web site, physicians and health IT, and of course, healthcare reform issues.
At the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest DrugWonks blog, Peter Pitts shared his recommendations for reforming the Food and Drug Administration:
I was honored when the Obama FDA transition team called and asked for my advice on how the incoming administration could make the agency a more robust and forward-looking regulatory instrument.
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My suggested areas of focus are
- A strong, science-based FDA
- The Reagan/Udall Foundation β a Partnership of Unequals
- Clarity vs. Ambiguity
- Information Management
- Food Safety and Security
- Risk Communications
- The Drug Label and the “Safe Use” of Drugs
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There are, obviously, many, many other important issues … and I look forward to working with the transition team to ensure that the new commissioner can hit the ground running… And kudos to the Obama transition team for reaching out to a wide variety of groups.




