In a landmark development, Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) has reached a $2.8 billion settlement to resolve antitrust claims brought by health care providers, including chiropractors. The lawsuit accused BCBS of dividing the nation into exclusive regions and limiting competition, which resulted in lower reimbursements for providers. Although BCBS denies any wrongdoing, the company agreed to the settlement to avoid lengthy litigation – and you can get a piece of the pie.
Your Chance to Be a CAM Researcher
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has reissued its "Transitional Tools for Clinical Studies of CAM Interventions" funding opportunity announcement, "a request for applications that focuses on encouraging the development of improved research methodology (i.e., translational tools) to study safety, efficacy, and clinical effectiveness" of manual therapies, mind-body interventions and/or yoga therapy. The NCCAM will commit up to $6 million per year for eight grants. The application deadline is March 23, with an anticipated start date of December. To learn more, visit http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files.