Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with an increased risk of stroke in middle-aged and older adults, especially men, according to new results from a landmark study supported by the NHLBI.

Donald Berwick, MD, is expected to be nominated as the new administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

With Congress in recess at this time, the 21-percent Medicare payment cut for physician services is scheduled to go into effect for care provided after March 31.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has re-issued an initiative to support "time-sensitive" ancillary studies related to heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders in conjunction with ongoing clinical trials and other large clinical studies (large epidemiological cohorts).

President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum that will expand the federal government's efforts to combat fraud and reduce improper Medicare and Medicaid payments.

In April the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education will consider a proposal to reduce the number of hours medical residents may work per week from 80 to as few as 60.

The National Institute on Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has posted a draft strategic research planning report to invite comment by members of the scientific community and the public.

Daniel Levinson, head of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG), testified during a congressional hearing that waste and abuse of health programs cost an estimated $7.8 billion in 2009.

The Senate passed a $138 billion bill that delays a 21 percent cut in physician Medicare reimbursements until Oct. 1 and extends jobless and COBRA benefits for unemployed workers.

The NHLBI and Northwestern University have announced that a workshop to inform researchers on how to access and use data from major NHLBI-sponsored cohort studies will be held July 11-14, 2010, at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.