The Senate Finance Committee has launched an investigation into the physicians who consulted with Medtronic on its Infuse after a recent study published in The Spine Journal showed a stronger correlation between the product and male infertility than was originally reported, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

The 21.3 percent Medicare physician fee cut automatically went into effect today, but CMS is instructing Medicare contractors to hold physicians' Medicare claims for the first 10 business days in June to give Congress a chance to avert the cut.

By a vote of 56 to 43, the Senate passed changes in the health reform bill, which will now be returned to the House of Representatives for a final vote, according to a report by the New York Times.

Michael Pryce, MD, an orthopedic surgeon in Kent, Ohio, has formally announced his candidacy for the Ohio U.S. Senate Seat being vacated by Republican George Voinovich who will retire in 2011, according to a news release by Dr. Pryce's campaign office.

Forty-four Democratic senators are urging Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to introduce a bill that would extend enhanced Medicaid funding to the states after the end of the year, according to a report by AHA News Now.

Healthcare reform legislation passed by the Senate in December would cut the number of uninsured Americans to 25 million by 2019, a 53 percent decrease, according to a new study released by RAND Corp.

Provisions to postpone a Medicare fee cut for physicians and possibly other health-related measures have been removed from the Senate jobs bill, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times.

Officials in some 20 states with already expanded healthcare coverage are arguing that the health reform bill just passed by the Senate would unfairly penalize them for their expansions, according to a report by the New York Times.

The United States Senate has voted 60-39 to approve a healthcare bill that would extend health coverage to more than 30 million uninsured, according to a report by the Washington Post.

The U.S. Senate has joined the House in delaying implementation of the 21.2 percent Medicare pay cut for physicians from Jan. 1, 2010, to until Feb. 28, 2010, and President Obama is expected to sign the measure, according to a report by Medscape.