About JALBCA JALBCA Hotline Newsletters Calendar Contact JALBCA Join Our Mailing List Membership Information Make a Donation Useful Links






Vol. 11, No. 5  ·  September 2007  ·  Editor: Martha L. Golar, Esq.

Download a PDF version of the Newsletter.
(Adobe Acrobat Reader required; click here to download if necessary.)

Access the Newsletter Archive.
· SAVE THE DATE -- The Twelfth Annual Ellen P. Hermanson Memorial Symposium

· NYC GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL THAT PROVIDES NEW RIGHTS TO CONSUMERS AND PHYSICIANS IN MANAGED CARE PLANS

· OCTOBER COURTHOUSE ALERT ANNOUNCEMENT

· JALBCA COCKTAIL RECEPTION IN SEPTEMBER

· PESTICIDE PRODUCTS -- ACTIVE AND INERT INGREDIENTS

· BCERF REGIONAL CANCER AND ENVIRONMENTAL FORUM

· BREAST CANCER NEWS

· CALENDAR / CONTACTS



SAVE THE DATE -- The Twelfth Annual Ellen P. Hermanson Memorial Symposium

DATE:Wednesday, November 7, 2007
TIME:6 pm - 8:30 pm
LOCATION:Association of the Bar of the City of New York
42 West 44th St., NYC
SUBJECT:Specific topics to be announced. Panelists and judges will generally discuss (1) the role of government policies and laws, or absence thereof, in reduced breast cancer screening and the significance of reduced screening to the reported lower incidence of breast cancer and (2) the impact universal health care would have on cancer patients.
2 CLE credits -- qualification pending
Free of charge -- open to the public
Please RSVP to JALBCA




NYC GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL THAT PROVIDES NEW RIGHTS TO CONSUMERS AND PHYSICIANS IN MANAGED CARE PLANS

On August 1, 2007, Governor Eliot Spitzer signed legislation to broaden the rights of health care consumers, physicians and hospitals associated with managed care health plans. The new law provides key legal protections to address long-standing problems of patients who become caught in the middle between hospital and insurer disputes, as where a health plan denies care that it previously pre-authorized. The law also helps untangle the complicated maze of rules that have been developed by hospitals and insurers so that clear and timely health care decisions can be made.

The package of legal protections contained in the new law advances consumer and provider rights in several crucial areas:

  • Limits a health plan’s ability to deny care that it had already preauthorized;

  • Gives consumers the ability to appeal to an independent reviewer when a health plan denies a request to see an out-of-network specialist for a service not available in their plan network;

  • Provides for a cooling-off period so that consumers aren’t needlessly alarmed by notices that a hospital may no longer be in a health plan’s network when a contract negotiation between the health plan and a hospital goes down to the wire;

  • Requires managed care plans to report key data on health care quality that the Department of Health can then publish for consumers;

  • Sets a time limit of 15 months for hospitals to submit claims to health plans when they have provided out-of-network services to patients.

    Organizations that participated in this process include the Medical Society of the State of New York, the HealthcareAssociation of New York State, NewYork Health Plan Association, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, the Suburban Health Care Alliance and the Greater New York Hospital Association. Senator Kemp Hannon sponsored the bill in the Senate, and Assembly Health Committee Chair Richard N. Gottfried sponsored the bill in the Assembly.



    OCTOBER COURTHOUSE ALERT ANNOUNCEMENT

    The Harlem Mammography Van will be located in front of the Harlem Community Justice Center, 170 East 121st St., on October 22, 2007, beginning at 8 am. Appointments can be made by calling 1-800-564-6868.



    JALBCA COCKTAIL RECEPTION IN SEPTEMBER

    JALBCA has scheduled its annual cocktail reception to kick-off theAnnual CourthouseAlert. The reception is scheduled for Wednesday, September 19, 2007 from 5 PM to 7 PM at the Appellate Division, Second Department Courthouse, 45 Monroe Place, Brooklyn Heights, NY. The Honorary Event Chair is Hon. Gail A. Prudenti, Presiding Justice, Appellate Division, Second Department. The Event Co-Chairs, as in prior years, are Hon. Ellen Spodek and Hon. William C. Thompson of JALBCA’s Judge’s Division.

    All persons interested in attending are asked to R.S.V.P. by contacting JALBCA at 212-289-9720.



    PESTICIDE PRODUCTS -- ACTIVE AND INERT INGREDIENTS

    Pesticide products contain both active ingredients (that control the pest) and inert ingredients (added ingredients which do not have pesticide activity but can be biologically active). Inert ingredients may comprise most of the weight of the pesticide product and include, for example, water, solvents, emulsifiers, surfactants, clay or propellants. Many inert ingredients used in these products are listed as hazardous chemicals under the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act. Environmental organizations, consumers and policy makers have expressed concern about potential health effects of many of these substances. Under current labeling requirements, there is no need to identify the inert ingredients by name, or state the toxicity of inert ingredients on the pesticide product label.

    To learn more about this subject and applicable reference material, you may want to refer to the Spring 2007 Newsletter of the Cornell University Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors (BCERF) at envirocancer.cornell.edu.



    BCERF REGIONAL CANCER AND ENVIRONMENTAL FORUM

    BCERF is sponsoring a forum on Thursday, September 27, 2007, 10 am – 3 pm, at Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Dining Room, Rockefeller University, 1230 York Ave, NYC. The subjects to be covered are:

  • Breast Cancer, Estrogens, and Environmental Pollutants
  • Prophylactic Human Papilloma Virus Vaccines
  • New Developments in Breast Cancer Detection
  • Relevant Environmental Exposures in the 21st Century: Hormonally Active Agents and Potential Health Effects
  • Panel Discussion: Local Efforts on Breast Cancer Research, Education and Activism.

    To RSVP or for further information, contact Carmi Orenstein at 607-255-1185 or cso1@cornell.edu.



    BREAST CANCER NEWS

    BSGI

    The Journal of Academic Radiology recently published results of a study concerning breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI), which involves nuclear medicine imaging of the breast utilizing a high-resolution gamma camera. The results indicated that BSGI provides a higher sensitivity for the detection of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) than mammography or MRI and can reliably detect small, sub-centimeter lesions. This would support the value of BSGI as a complementary diagnostic procedure to mammography to detect breast cancer when post-mammogram evaluation is indicated. Standard film and digital mammography are the accepted imaging procedures for breast cancer screening, and mammograms (and ultrasound) can detect the location, size and shape of a mass.

    BSGI, however, involves a test to determine if a suspicious mass is benign or malignant. Therefore, results can be of assistance in a decision as to whether a breast biopsy is appropriate. The test involves the injection of a small amount of a radioactive tracer that is absorbed by all the cells in the body. Because cancerous cells in the breast have an increased rate of metabolic activity, they absorb a greater amount of the tracing agent than normal, healthy cells. Breast compression is not required for the procedure. It appears that BSGI is particularly helpful for patients with mammograms that are difficult to interpret because of a variety of factors: dense breast tissue, suspicious areas on a mammogram, lumps that can be felt but not seen with mammography or ultrasound, implants and breast augmentation, scarring from previous surgeries and women with a strong positive family history of breast cancer.


    Evista Recommended for Approval to FDA for Breast Cancer in Post-menopausal Women

    An expert panel that advises the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted in July 2007 to recommend that the osteoporosis drug Evista, manufactured by Eli Lilly, be approved for use in preventing invasive breast cancer in post-menopausal women. Evista (chemical name raloxifene hydrochloride) is a prescription drug that prevents and treats osteoporosis in post-menopausal women. It is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) which the FDA has recently classified as an estrogen agonist/antagonist.

    Three studies filed by Eli Lilly all showed that women who took Evista for up to five years developed fewer invasive breast cancers than women who took a placebo. But women who took the drug also had a higher risk of serious blood clots and fatal stroke. Evista is not recommended for women who are pregnant or breast feeding, or who have liver or kidney problems or are under treatment for blood clots or have a history of them. Being immobile for long periods would add to the risk of blood clots developing in the veins. An FDA analysis of the three studies was reportedly inconclusive as to whether Evista’s potential benefits outweighed its risks. It is recommended that women with a history of stroke or associated risk factors, smoking, or irregular heart beat (atrial fibrillation) should discuss both the risks and the benefits of taking Evista with their medical provider before taking the drug.



    CALENDAR / CONTACTS

    ADELPHI NY STATEWIDE BREAST CANCER
    Hotline & Support Program
    Adelphi University School of Social Work
    Garden City, NY 11530
    www.adelphi.edu/nysbreastcancer/index.html



    CancerCare
    275 Seventh Avenue
    NY NY 10001
    1-800-813-HOPE (4673)
    www.cancercare.org

    Telephone Education Workshop:
    DATE:September 20, 2007
    TIME:3 pm - 4 pm
    TOPIC:Update on Metastatic Breast Cancer
    SPEAKERS:Joyce O’Shaughnessy, MD, Co-Director, Breast Cancer Research Program, Baylor-Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center
    Generosa Grana, MD, Director, Breast Cancer Program, Cooper Hospital, UMC
    Julie R. Gralow, MD, Associate Professor, Medical Oncology, University of Washington School of Medicine
    Patricia Spicer, MSW


    MEMORIAL SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER CENTER
    Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
    Post-Treatment Resource Program
    Educational Forums
    1275 York Avenue - Room M107
    New York, NY 10021
    212-717-3527
    www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/59513.cfm

    Bendheim Integrative Medicine Center
    1429 First Avenue (at 74th Street
    New York, NY

    DATE:October 10, 2007
    TIME: 2 - 3:30 pm
    TOPIC:Transitions: for Those Who Have Recently Undergone Autologous or Allogenic Transplant
    This is a disease-specific meeting, co-led by social workers and nurses, and is tailored to give people an opportunity to work on adjustment to life after autologous or allogenic transplant. This may include changes in physical functioning, appearance, and lifestyle, as well as altered self-image.


    SHARE
    (Self-Help for Women with Breast or Ovarian Cancer)
    1501 Broadway, 704A
    New York, NY 11530
    www.sharecancersupport.org
    212-719-0364


    JALBCA does not endorse the content or efficacy of any workshops or programs listed in the Calendar of Events; listings are for informational purposes only, so that our readership is aware of current offerings.
    •  
    Hotline # 212-683-6630