New website allows consumers to compare hospital quality
The Association of American Medical Colleges, American Hospital Association and Federation of American Hospitals participated Friday in the launch of "Hospital Compare," a consumer-friendly website that allows Americans across the country to access information about the quality of care at their local hospitals using government-verified data voluntarily provided by the hospitals themselves. The site is meant to provide understandable, comparative data to assist patients and their families in making important health-care decisions.

All eligible members of the AAMC's Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems have submitted their patient care data to this project. Hospital Compare is the result of a landmark public-private partnership of hospitals, government agencies, quality experts, purchasers, consumer groups and other health-care organizations, known as the Hospital Quality Alliance.

For more information, please visit http://www.aamc.org/newsroom/pressrel/2005/050401.htm.

Department of Commerce seeks comments on deemed export controls
The Bureau of Industry and Security of the U.S. Department of Commerce has released an advance notice of proposed rulemaking on "deemed export controls" (Federal Register, March 28). If implemented, the proposed rules would have wide-ranging and likely profound impacts on many university activities, including biomedical and biological research and training. Under federal regulations a technology is a "deemed export" if the technical knowledge is transferred to a foreign national in the United States. The export of technologies considered important to national security or which have "dual use" (civilian-military) applications is extensively controlled by regulations. Current regulations do not greatly affect the use of technologies in fundamental university research where the intent is to publish or otherwise broadly disseminate such knowledge. But the proposed revised regulations would require universities to restrict access to controlled technologies, including some types of genetically engineered microorganisms, as well as commonplace equipment. Universities would also face heightened requirements for managing and reporting on the security of these technologies. Comments should be submitted to the Department of Commerce by May 27.

CMS projects update to physician fee schedule
Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services informed the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission that the update to the 2006 physician fee schedule is currently projected to be -4.3 percent. A 15 percent growth in expenditures for physician services occurred in 2004. According to CMS, "major contributors to the rapid increase in spending appear to be certain diagnostic and therapeutic services, including services particularly important in the treatment of chronic illnesses." Increases included: more frequent and more intensive follow-up visits, more frequent and complex imaging and laboratory tests and minor procedures (such as physical therapy and chemotherapy administration), and increased use of drugs in physicians' offices. Medicare Modernization Act provisions, such as the 1.5 percent increase in the 2004 physician fee schedule update also contributed to spending growth. Medicare Advantage payments are not included in the fee schedule update calculations, thus the 8.5 percent payment rate increase due to MMA provisions and Medicare Advantage enrollment increases did not contribute to the 2004 spending under the physician fee schedule. Finally, CMS expressed support of MedPAC's recommendations for the development of measures related to the quality and efficiency of care by individual physicians and groups; CMS intends to continue to work with the physician community in this arena. For more information, please visit http://www.cms.hhs.gov/physicians/medpac.pdf.