 |
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
"Some college administrators seem so distracted with fund raising, academic infighting, and community initiatives that they set up their emergency communications departments very poorly. Training is poor to nonexistent, secretaries are pressed into service with tremendous responsibilities for running 'notification systems' 24/7 and on weekends because no one else knows how to do it and the administration won’t pay for additional staff. Procedures are seat-of-the-pants and dependent on HIPPO (highest paid person’s opinion), except when something like Virginia Tech happens and there is some sort of scramble to do something different." --Donna
Most Colleges Avoid Risk Management, Report Says
Jill Biden Shines a Global Spotlight on American Community Colleges
Speaking at a Unesco conference in Paris, the vice president’s wife stressed the importance of two-year institutions to the nation’s educational goals.
Connecticut Public Colleges Lose 200 Professors to Early Retirement
Administrators are scrambling to plug holes in their course schedules for fall, with most expecting to do so by hiring more adjuncts or increasing class sizes.
U. of Georgia Paid 2 Fraternities $2.4-Million to Relocate, Contracts Show
The two were among five with houses on property where the university plans to build new academic facilities.
New Allegations in Admissions Controversy at U. of Illinois Suggest Ex-Provost Played a Role
Linda P.B. Katehi, the incoming chancellor of the University of California at Davis, has insisted she knew nothing of the admission of politically connected applicants at Illinois.
Sonoma State U. Foundation May Lose $350,000 on Loan to Former Board Member
The foundation will be forced to issue fewer scholarships in the 2010-11 academic year because of a diminished endowment, a university official said.
College Suspends Student for Working in Gay Pornography | 58
President Obama's Visit to Notre Dame Carries Barely a Hint of Controversy That Preceded It | 58
Drug Sting Nabs 21 Students at U. of Illinois | 57
Faculty Members and Union Protest Staff Layoffs at Temple U. as 'Cruel' | 57
North Dakota Board's Vote Puts 'Fighting Sioux' Mascot on Thinner Ice | 57
Athletics
Community Colleges
Government & Politics
Information Technology
International
Money & Management
Northern Illinois
Research & Books
Short Subjects
Students
The Faculty
Prior days' news: By date | Search
This week's print issue
Back issues: By date | Search
October 3, 2007
Medicare Endorses Clinical Journals With Questionable Policies, Critics Say
Last month the federal government made a quiet adjustment to a list of scientific journals consulted in paying Medicare claims, and critics say the change, which potentially affects hundreds of thousands of cancer patients, could leave them with inadequate protection.
Medicare requires contractors to consider current scientific evidence when deciding whether to approve payments for the use of specific medications and other treatments. For 14 years contractors have used an approved list of 15 peer-reviewed journals, including such heavyweights as the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association, to assess whether clinical evidence supports the use of particular treatments.
Since 2003 the American Society of Clinical Oncology has been pushing to expand that list. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services solicited public comments last year and decided last month to add 11 more journals to the list..
But the Center for Science in the Public Interest argued this week that many of the new and old journals on the list do not conform to the most rigorous publishing standards. Specifically, most of the new journals do not require authors to register their clinical trials in a public database, a move that helps reviewers and the public assess medical data.
Also, at least one of journals, Bone Marrow Transplantation, does not automatically disclose to readers if its authors have a potential conflict of interest, according to the center. During the public-comment period, the center advocated that all journals on the list require registration of clinical trials and disclosure of conflicts of interest.
The American Society of Clinical Oncology, however, dismissed such criticisms. In a letter last year, a society official said the center’s two criteria were important but not the only measures of quality in a scientific journal. What’s more, he said, many journals were considering policies related to clinical trials and conflicts of interest, and it would be premature to bar such journals from the approved list. —Richard Monastersky
Posted on Wednesday October 3, 2007 | Permalink |
Previous: Don't Just Blame Colleges, Lobby on Their Behalf, CEO's Are Told
Next: University Presidents Meet With FBI Officials to Coordinate on Security Issues