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Dak breaks Romo's single-season team TD record
PHILADELPHIA — With an 8-yard throw to Corey Clement in the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday, Dak Prescott established the Dallas Cowboys' single-season record for touchdown passes with 37, breaking Tony Romo's record.
It was Prescott's career-high fifth touchdown pass of the game, giving the Cowboys a 37-20 lead on their way to a 51-26 victory at Lincoln Financial Field.
Before his record-setting throw, Prescott threw four touchdown passes in the first half to tie Romo's mark, which was set in 2007, his first full season as the Cowboys' starter. He was 21 of 27 for 295 yards and no interceptions.
Prescott did not have the benefit of a 17th regular-season game since he missed the Oct. 31 meeting against the Minnesota Vikings with a calf strain.
It is the 11th time in franchise history a quarterback has had five touchdown passes in a game. Romo last had five TD passes in a game on Oct. 6, 2013, against the Denver Broncos. Don Meredith had three five-touchdown games, while Romo and Craig Morton did it twice.
Prescott's previous season high was 30 in 2019. He has three games with at least four touchdown passes this season and seven for his career.
Prescott started his touchdown run with a 14-yard strike along the sideline to Cedrick Wilson on the Cowboys' first drive. In the second quarter, he hit Wilson for a 24-yard touchdown and followed that up with back-to-back scoring throws to tight end Dalton Schultz in the final 1:45 of the first half.
The first was a 2-yard toss to the flat and the second was a 9-yard bullet in the middle of the field with five seconds left in the half after a shanked punt gave the Cowboys the ball at the Philadelphia 43.
It was the second time in the Cowboys' past three games Prescott had four touchdown passes in the first half, doing so in the 56-14 thumping of the Washington Football Team on Dec. 26. Before that game, he never had four touchdown passes in the first half of a game in his career.
Perhaps more importantly, the Cowboys offense was able to show some life in a road game, even if it came against an Eagles defense that was without a number of starters. The Cowboys had gone five straight road games without scoring more than 27 points as the offense hit a lull after Prescott's calf strain.
In a 30-point first half against the Eagles, Prescott completed 16 of 21 passes for 240 yards and was able to connect with Amari Cooper (five catches, 79 yards), Wilson (four catches, 82 yards) and CeeDee Lamb (two catches, 45 yards) with five passes of more than 20 yards.
Through three quarters, Ezekiel Elliott had 87 yards rushing to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark on the season. He had not had more than 52 yards in his past 10 games. Elliott entered Saturday with 915 yards while dealing with a right knee injury for most of the season.
Laporte resigns as French rugby president
"Not Every Test Batsman Needs To Be A Big Hitter": Sachin Tendulkar To Cheteshwar Pujara On Birthday
CEO Phillips resigns after WRU allegations
Kosmos group sues ITF for ending Davis Cup deal


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SCE's SN Systems opens new office in Dublin
News by Mike Contributor
Published on 4 Sep, 2008
Sony Computer Entertainment's SN Systems has announced the opening of a new satellite office in Dublin.
The new Irish office will focus solely on R&D for PlayStation's ProDG development tools and will be led by SN Systems veteran, Matt Bush.
"As part of the on-going development process we're finding that in order to recruit the most talented staff, we need to have offices in numerous locations. Last year we opened our first U.S. office in San Jose, California and this year it's Dublin," said Andy Beveridge, SN Systems director.
"Both offices will grow in numbers quite rapidly as we plan to recruit more staff to cope with the demand of supporting PlayStation game title developers worldwide. However, the Bristol office will still be our Headquarters and main focal point. To accommodate our growth, we'll be moving to a larger office later this year."
By Mike Bowden
33, live in Denmark, married, little boy named Aleksander help out Pat with some news stories for VG247

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


32X File Extension - What is a .32x file and how do I open it?
What is a 32X file?
Game ROM used by emulation software for the Sega 32X, an add-on component for the original Sega Genesis console; stores a copy of the original cartridge's data; used for playing older games on the PC.
Our goal is to help you understand what a file with a *.32x suffix is and how to open it.
The Sega 32X ROM file type, file format description, and Mac, Windows, and Linux programs listed on this page have been individually researched and verified by the FileInfo team. We strive for 100% accuracy and only publish information about file formats that we have tested and validated.


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Neal hails battling spirit
Chris Slavin
Manager's reaction after Dons earn a point in Wales
Neal Ardley said there was no half-time rollicking for the players at half-time today and he praised their character after a second-half fightback that stunned Newport.
Wimbledon looked down and out at half-time, but two goals from Lyle Taylor earned a 2-2 draw that offered a positive response after last week's defeat by Stevenage.
Speaking during an interview for Dons Player, Neal Ardley said: "The first-half was unlike us and we looked open. They played with a diamond and it made our two full-backs kind of redundant. It was hard because you get caught between not having a winger to defend against and covering your centre-backs. Losing Paul Robinson for 10 minutes was also a bit of a blow. We did not want to make a substitution because he is such an inspiration for us. We never really recovered from it. We just lacked a bit of everything.
"A manager's job is to try and affect the game from the side. I made a brave substitution at half-time and went with three up front. We had a chat in there at half-time and there was no ranting and raving. The only people who could change it were the players and they did that. We had the momentum and we could have scored two or three in the first five minutes. We didn't and they got a bit of control over the game again. We made another couple of substitutions and changed the shape again, but the spirit and commitment shone through.
"We could have won the game in the end. My overriding feeling is that I hope it has shown a real genuine spirit amongst the group. That was criticised a bit last week and if you are ever going to show that it is when you are 2-0 down. We should not have been in that situation in the first place, but it takes a lot of character to turn it around when you are all over the shop. The players deserve all the credit because they came out in the second-half and showed what they are capable of."
Neal added that he was pleased to welcome James Shea and Andy Barcham back into the team after two months out for the pair.
"It is great to have them back," Neal said. "Andy was running on fumes at the end, along with Lyle Taylor after the amount of work he had put in. James had only had one Under-21 game and to come straight back in was never going to be easy. But he will get better and better once he gets back into the swing of things."
Neal said afterwards that Jake Reeves missed the game due to personal reasons and the player had his full support.
The full interview with Neal Ardley will be on Dons Player later on today.


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Seibels Selects Guidewire InsurancePlatform to Help Grow its BPO Business
GuidewirePress Releases
Home » News » Press Releases » Seibels Selects Guidewire InsurancePlatform to Help Grow its BPO Business
Guidewire / Press Releases
Guidewire InsurancePlatform™ to help BPO solution provider enhance operational efficiencies and improve business agility
COLUMBIA, South Carolina and FOSTER CITY, Calif., October 19, 2016 – The Seibels Bruce Group, Inc. (Seibels), an insurance services provider of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) solutions, and Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE: GWRE), a provider of software products to Property/Casualty (P/C) insurers, today announced that Seibels has expanded its relationship with the selection of additional Guidewire core operations, data and analytics, and digital engagement products. The company is implementing these products for its current Property and Casualty lines of business in all states in which it operates, and plans to implement these products for its future Workers' Compensation lines of business. Seibels will also use the Guidewire platform to power the products it offers its BPO customers.
By standardizing its offerings on Guidewire's modern software technology platform, Seibels, a Guidewire preferred BPO provider, is able to strengthen its position in the marketplace as a best-in-class insurance services provider of BPO solutions. This foundation will enable Seibels to:
Provide exceptional customer service by offering clients access to technology powered by Guidewire. Guidewire was identified as a leader in the January 2016 Gartner "Magic Quadrant for P&C Insurance Policy Management Modules, North America[1]";
Bring new products and product enhancements to market more quickly;
Provide enhanced data and analytics to better understand results and drive business decisions;
Provide a full featured multimedia agency portal; and
Provide unmatched self-service capability to customers and their agents and policyholders.
To meet its objectives, Seibels selected Guidewire PolicyCenter® as its new underwriting, rating, and policy administration system and Guidewire BillingCenter® to manage its billing operations, including agency and direct bill and commission calculations. These products will replace the company's internally-developed policy administration and billing management systems. With these selections, Seibels will be able to expand its BPO offering to provide the benefits of Guidewire InsuranceSuite™ to its customers.
Seibels selected Guidewire DataHub™ and InfoCenter as its new data warehouse and business intelligence solutions, and Guidewire Gateway Portal for Agents™ to provide agents with more self-service functionality and greater collaboration capabilities. The company also selected Smart Communications™ for customer communications management2. Guidewire PartnerConnect Consulting member, Cynosure, a boutique global consulting firm specializing in the implementation of Guidewire InsurancePlatform™ products, will lead the implementation.
"Guidewire's long-term commitment to its products was attractive to us," said Nan Brunson, Vice President of Business Development, Sales and Marketing, Seibels. "Selecting these additional Guidewire products will provide us with improved growth opportunities and increased functionality, credibility, and reliability."
Dallas Covington, Vice President of Project Management Office, Seibels, said, "Together, ClaimCenter, PolicyCenter, and BillingCenter provide the core system foundation on which Seibels will be able to grow our business efficiently and provide innovative, best-in-class products to our customers."
"We are honored that Seibels has entrusted us with their Guidewire product implementations," said Anupam Mittra, Senior Director & Co-founder, Cynosure. "We look forward to helping them transform their business and succeed in the rapidly-changing insurance market."
"We appreciate Seibels' vote of confidence in Guidewire InsurancePlatform and all it offers," said Ken Shapiro, Group Vice President, Americas Sales, Guidewire Software. "Seibels is well positioned to become an agile, efficient, and technologically advanced solution partner for their customers and we are excited to be a key part of their BPO offering."
About Seibels
The Seibels Bruce Group, Inc. (Seibels) offers the insurance industry a suite of business process outsourcing (BPO) solutions powered by Guidewire technology. Streamlined operations, improved efficiencies and predictable, managed costs are just some of the benefits clients receive when working with Seibels. By leveraging a strong combination of insurance experience and industry-leading technology, Seibels best-in-class insurance services allow risk managers to simplify business processes and maximize opportunities so they can focus on growth and development. Since its founding in 1869, Seibels has recognized the value of quality customer service, strong client relations, continuous innovation and integrity. For more information, please visit www.seibels.com. Follow us on twitter: @SeibelsITS.
About Cynosure
Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Cynosure is a team of Guidewire InsurancePlatform™ experts focused on simplifying core system transformation for insurers. Cynosure was founded with the objective of helping Guidewire Software® customers lower their total cost of ownership. Leveraging its deep understanding of Guidewire products, Cynosure delivers speed and efficiency to its clients' business operations. For more information about Cynosure, visit CynosureInc.com or call (630) 481-7739.
About Guidewire Software
Guidewire delivers the software that Property/Casualty (P/C) insurers need to adapt and succeed in a time of rapid industry change. We combine three elements – core operations, data and analytics, and digital engagement – into a technology platform that enhances insurers' ability to engage and empower their customers and employees. 260 P/C insurers around the world have selected Guidewire. For more information, please visit www.guidewire.com. Follow us on twitter: @Guidewire_PandC.Contact:
Diana Stott Director, Communications
Guidewire Software, Inc.
Stacey Cohl
Marketing Communications Specialist, Seibels
Sid Wadhwa
CEO and Co-Founder
[1] Magic Quadrant for Property and Casualty Insurance Policy Management Modules, North America; Published: 25 January 2016 ID: G00273868, Gartner, Inc.Gartner DisclaimerGartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
2 Guidewire is a reseller of Smart Communications, a Guidewire PartnerConnect™ Solution and Ready for Guidewire program member.
NOTE: Guidewire, Guidewire Software, Guidewire ClaimCenter, Guidewire PolicyCenter, and Guidewire BillingCenter are registered trademarks of Guidewire Software, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries


Blessed because it is the place of Lord of Lords "SRI VENKATESWARA". Holy because it is a magnificent ancient temple. It is "SWAYAMBHOO". It is a place of "APADA MOKKULU". This is called as Upamaka meaning that there is no other place equal to this. The prominence of this holy place is spread over the entire region. Any fervent prayer begets immediate boons. It is a strong belief, nay-practical experience of one and all. The Lord is known as giver of "PROGENY". The Temple is famous for its "SCULPTURE" and "ARCHITECTURAL BEAUTY"
At the end of Dwapara Yuga, Munis ardently prayed for emancipation. Garuda also entreated Lord Srikrishna for resting on his "SIRASSU" forever. In order to upkeep the word, the lord descended on "GARUDA PARVATHA" in upamaka villageThe existence of god was made known to public through shepherds who were doing Pooja and Naivedyam every day.
Sri Krishana Bhupaludu the king of Kandregula Sansthanam of East Godavari Dist. constructed the Temple during 6th Century A.D. It was mentioned in Kshetra Mahatmayam. The History of the Temple is vividly referred in - BRAHMAVAIVARTHA PURANAM which is otherwise known as "GARUDACHALA MAHATMAYAM" and in a treatise of poet BROWN. At present this tract is available "KANNIMARA" Library at Chennai. Sri Ramanuja mentioned this Kshethram as one of the 108 sacred Vaishnava Abhimana Kshethrams. Simhachalam is named after this as "Tharsyadri Simhachale". Sri Ramanuja lived during the period from 1017 A.D. to 1137 A.D by which this Kshethram is known to be ancient one.
The top of the "GARUDADRI HILL" is the abode of LORD VENKATESWARA. The Hill looks the shape of "GARUDA" to the viewers yonder. Seated on Horse along with "LAKSHMI", The Horse facing the north, the Lord gives "DARSHAN" to Bakthakoti (Devotees). Underneath of Hill, there is a temple of "SRI VENUGOPALA SWAMY". Mythological background of the temple reveals that it is sage NARADA who made "PRATHISTA" of the temple. SRI VENUGOPALA SWAMY is known as the pervader of this holy place.
UPMAKA KSHETRAM is prominently known as "PLACE OF PAVALIMPU" (Rest) to Swamy. In other words it is place of rest, to LORD. How fortunate it is to UPAMAKA KSHETRAM, which is endowed with this divine providence. It is the experience of every devotee that lord venkateswara - upamaka guards with invisible arms and fulfills their needs. If one once gets darshan of lord venkateswara, one would develop attachment with upamaka unwittingly. Such is the charisma and magic of the lord.
Supported by : Devi Charitable Foundation, Nakkapalli - 531081, Visakhapatnam Dist. , Andhra Pradesh, India.


Mr. Winningham is an HNN intern.
In the aftermath of President Bush's commutation of I. Lewis Libby's 30-month prison sentence, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee conducted a hearing in which some testimony invoked references associated with the history of the presidential clemency. Excerpts follow.
Unfortunately, in modern times, the "fail safe" of executive clemency has been failing to effectively serve the ends of justice that the Framers emphasized. Perhaps because only the most troublesome grants of clemency generate media attention and legislative hearings, executive officials often sensibly conclude that they will never face serious criticisms for failing ever to exercise their historic clemency powers, but will always face scrutiny for exercising this power. These political realities have led a Supreme Court Justice and leading scholars to lament that the clemency process has "been drained of its moral force" and that the important concept of mercy has lost its resonance in modern times. The diminished state and perception of executive clemency is quite unfortunate, especially because I believe the Framers would view an executive's record of denying all clemency requests to be a matter of embarrassment rather than a point of pride.
David B. Rivkin Jr., Partner, BakerHostetler, LLP.
Second is the criticism that the commutation of Mr. Libby's sentence, imposed after the jury found him guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice, somehow evinces disregard for the rule of law or, at the very least, trivializes what are properly considered to be serious violations of federal law. Let me stipulate that perjury and obstruction of justice are indeed major transgressions and ought to be taken seriously. By the same token, the very nature of the pardon power presupposes the President's ability to pardon individuals convicted of serious violations of federal law; there is no suggestion in the Constitution that only minor offenses ought to be a proper subject for the exercise of the pardon power.
More fundamentally, I believe that the pardon power, when properly deployed, advances the cause of justice. The Framer's understood that justice under the law, the justice of rules, procedures and "due process", while important to our system of "ordered" liberty, is not the only conceivable form of justice. They wanted the political branches to render a different kind of justice, driven by the considerations of equity and not by rules. It is the closest we come today to what the Founders would have called the natural law-driven justice. The President's pardon power is one example of such justice; the ability of Congress to pass private bills, which sidestep the rules governing immigration or land acquisition, is another.


78-109. Bonds of fiduciaries or representatives; amount. In all cases where a bond is required to be given by any executor, administrator, conservator or other person acting in a fiduciary capacity, if such bond be executed or guaranteed by a corporation incorporated under the laws of the United States or of any state authorized to do business in the state of Kansas, and having power to guarantee the fidelity of persons holding positions of public or private trust and to execute and guarantee bonds and undertakings in judicial proceedings, the amount of such bond to be fixed by the officer required to approve said bond shall be not less than one hundred and twenty-five percentum of the amount involved in the trust, or the actual value of the property belonging to the estate or coming into the hands of and under the control and management of such executor, administrator, conservator or trustee.
History: R.S. 1923, 78-109; L. 1965, ch. 508, § 2; Jan. 1, 1966.


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Practice Group - Luncheon Details
Go to Events and Recordings
Session Faciliy Long Name Name Created By Created On Luncheon Social Event Description End date Start date Facility Session Materials URL Instructions Ascending Descending
Physicians and Hospitals Law Institute
Monday, February 04, 2019 - Wednesday, February 06, 2019
Grand Hyatt San Antonio
#MeToo in Medicine: Transforming Hospital Culture Through Hostile Work Environment Claims
Monday, June 26, 2017 - Wednesday, June 28, 2017
"Hands Up! Step Away from the Computer!"– Responding to Search Warrants in the Health Care Industry
A Practical, Real-Life Look at Recent Joint Venture Activity
Legal Issues Affecting Academic Medical Centers and Other Teaching Institutions
Thursday, March 09, 2017 - Friday, March 10, 2017
Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel
Academic Medical Centers and Teaching Hospitals Practice Group Luncheon
Monday, March 14, 2016 - Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Ritz-Carlton Washington, DC
New and Emerging Cybersecurity Risks for Academic Medical Centers and Teaching Hospitals
Institute on Medicare and Medicaid Payment Issues
Wednesday, April 13, 2016 - Friday, April 15, 2016
Baltimore Marriot Waterfront Hotel
What Makes an ACO Successful: Lessons from the Front Lines
Institute on Medicare and Medicaid Payment Issues 2015
Wednesday, March 25, 2015 - Friday, March 27, 2015
The Medicare Shared Savings Program—Lessons from the Past, for the Present, and into the Future
Health Care Transactions
Tuesday, May 17, 2016 - Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Navigating Corporate Practice of Medicine Laws in a Value-Based Payment Environment: ACOs and Interaction with State Laws, Waivers, and Regulations
Health Care Transactions 2015
Thursday, April 16, 2015 - Friday, April 17, 2015
Application and Implementation of ACO Waivers and Ongoing Compliance Issues
ACOs: The Year in Review—Hot Topics, Developments of the Past Year, and Prognostications for the Future
The State of ACOs
Whistling Past the Graveyard: Dealing with Regulatory Uncertainty in the Capital Formation and Value Metrics of ACOs
Thursday, January 25, 2018 - Friday, January 26, 2018
The Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City Hotel
The Lion in the Path: Precision, Participants, and Privacy
Transforming the Medical Staff to Meet Today's (and Tomorrow's) Evolving Challenges: VBP, CIN, ACOs . . . OMG!
Conversation with Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Winkler, Chief, Health Care Fraud Unit for the Boston U.S. Attorney's Office
Everything You Need to Know About Handling a Whistleblower Case—But Were Afraid to Ask
Home Health: The Future is Now
Joint Operating and Management Agreements: The Nuts and Bolts
Perspectives on Valuation Issues in Physician Hospital Transaction
Recent Trends in Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Impacting Payors, Plans, and Providers: Get Your House in Order Before the Government Comes Knocking
ACO Credentialing and Peer Review: Practical Tips and How-Tos from an ACO Trailblazer
The Attorney General: Keeping a Close Eye on Hospital Transactions and Operation
Meet the Prosecutors: U.S. Department of Justice Healthcare Fraud Enforcement Priorities for 2012 and Beyond
Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego
Young Professionals Happy Hour
The Latest Trends in Health Care Enforcement: Federal Prosecutors on the Front Line
Monday, June 29, 2015 - Wednesday, July 01, 2015
Marriott Marquis Washington DC
Pragmatic Strategies to Enable Hospitals to Continue Physician Affiliations and Mitigate The Risks of Being The Next St Luke's Case
Physicians and Physician Organizations Law Institute 2011
Wednesday, February 09, 2011 - Thursday, February 10, 2011
Legal and Practical issues for New Business Models in a More Integrated Delivery System
Antitrust Enforcement: Heightened Focus on Physician Transactions
Monday, February 11, 2013 - Tuesday, February 12, 2013
JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa
Review of Antitrust Enforcement of Hospital-Physician Transactions
Hosted by Labor and Employment and Medical Staff, Credentialing, and Peer Review Practice Groups
Sponsored by NorthGauge Healthcare Advisors LLC
Jeffrey Frost
Deputy General Counsel, Sutter Health, Sacramento, CA
Elizabeth S. Washko
Ogletree Deakins, Nashville, TN
The recent #MeToo Movement created a spike in sexual harassment complaints, claims and lawsuits. This spike has increased Healthcare employers' & Physicians' exposure for liability do to sexual harassment. This luncheon will explore the current state of sexual harassment litigation against healthcare facilities and physicians practices, as well as, steps to insure employees have a workplace free from harassment, and mitigate the risk of liability due to complaints of sexual harassment or retaliation, through effective policies, education, contracts, investigations and action.
More information will be available soon. This event is not included in the program registration. There is an additional fee of $60 for members of the sponsoring Practice Groups and $70 for non-members; limited attendance; pre-registration required. Continuing Legal Education Credits are not available for the luncheon.
Hosted by Health Care Liability and Litigation and Post-Acute and Long Term Services Practice Groups and Behavioral Health Task Force
Sponsored by Simione Healthcare Consultants LLC
In the event state or federal authorities enter a health care organization with a search warrant, the front line will often be the organization's general counsel. In these situations, the GC will have to make on-the-spot decisions in his or her interaction with law enforcement. What can you ask of law enforcement? Can they interview your employees? Should you authorize what documents they can or cannot have access to? Can you object to their review of certain records? Can you inspect or copy what they gather? The GC will be required to have these answers (and more), often without the luxury of legal research or outside counsel advice. Join us and hear from experts in this area so you can be prepared to respond if you hear that knock on the door.
Thomas D. Bever, Chilivis Cochran Larkins & Bever LLP, Atlanta, GA
Hardy Gold, Supervising Deputy Attorney General, California Department of Justice, San Diego, CA
Jennifer M. Lohse, Vice President and General Counsel for the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, Center City, MN
This event is not included in the program registration; there is an additional fee; limited attendance; pre-registration required.
Hosted by Antitrust, Business Law and Governance, Regulation, Accreditation, and Payment, and Tax and Finance Practice Groups
Sponsored by Bloomberg Law
Our panelists will provide a practical and real-life look at joint ventures, describing their recent experiences:
How are things going since execution?
What has worked?
How did antitrust laws impact the parties discussions and planning?
What has not worked?
What do you think you could have done differently?
What do you wish you had considered before execution?
John Carroll, King & Spalding LLP, Washington, DC
James A. Gilman, General Counsel, Methodist Healthcare, San Antonio, Texas
Joanna McCay, Assistant Vice President and Associate General Counsel, Ochsner Health System, New Orleans, LA
Sponsored by PYA
This event is not included in the program registration. There is an additional fee, limited attendance, and pre-registration required.
Emerging Issues in the Area of FDA Regulation
Theodore Ruger, Dean
Bernard G. Segal Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School, Philadelphia, PA
What may be in store for FDA under the new administration
What the impact may be on academic medical centers
This luncheon presentation is brought to you by the Academic Medical Centers and Teaching Hospitals Practice Group and the Health Information and Technology is sponsored by PYA
According to a recent report by the Ponemon Institute, criminal attacks are now the leading cause of data breaches in the health care industry. Earlier surveys have indicated that almost 95% of medical institutions have been victims of a cyberattack. These risks are only expected to increase with the continued push toward interoperable electronic health care records, use of networked medical devices, and the steady expansion of the internet of things. Clearly, awareness and active evaluation of new and emerging threats and vulnerabilities will be critical for hospitals to prepare for these risks.
Please join our speakers, Katherine Keefe, Global Focus Group Leader at Beazley Breach Response Services and Gerard Nussbaum, Director of Technology Services at Kurt Salmon, moderated by Alisa Chestler, Shareholder at Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC for an engaging discussion of best practices for responding to a cyberattack or data breach, as well as proactive steps that counsel can take for addressing potential network vulnerabilities.
This luncheon presentation is brought to you by the Accountable Care Organization and Health Care Reform Educational Task Forces.
Over the last several years, Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) have matured and become more common entities operating in the health care industry. Over this time, a great deal of institutional knowledge and experience has been obtained by physicians, attorneys, and others who contribute to the operations of ACOs. Attend our lunch panel for a discussion on the aspects of ACOs that contribute to success, including:
Cultural aspects of ACOs that facilitate successful outcomes or pose barriers to be overcome;
Implications of health information technologies and telemedicine capabilities in an evolving industry; and
Strategies for success from differing perspectives, including Pioneer and Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs, as well as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Our presenters include Julia Feldman, General Counsel at Beth Israel Deaconess Care Organization; Dr. Morey Menacker President and Chief Executive Officer of Hackensack Physician-Hospital Alliance ACO, LLC; Dr. Terri Postma, Medical Officer for the Performance-Based Payment Policy Group of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; and moderator Amy E. Bolian, Associate at McGuireWoods LLP.
Providers and payers monitoring Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed changes to the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) combined with the upcoming ending to the first three-year Accountable Care Organization (ACO) participation contracts are all asking the same questions:
What has made some ACOs successful?
What can we learn from the first three-year contracting cycle?
What does the future look like for ACOs? And,
Why should providers continue to participate in the MSSP?
The ACO and Health Care Reform Educational Task Forces invite you to ask these questions and more of the panelists, Dr. Terri Postma, Medical Officer of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Andrew Shin, Director, Health Policy & Life Sciences of the ML Strategies LLC, and Dr. Dennis Weaver, Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President of The Advisory Board Company, who will be speaking from the government, the practitioner community, and the health care system perspectives that all need to collaborate to make the MSSP a success.
This luncheon is presented by the Accountable Care Organization Task Force and sponsored by Veralon.
A number of states have existing corporate practice of medicine laws that are potentially implicated by Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). This lunch panel discusses the activities of some states (state waivers) to proactively exempt ACOs from behavior that would otherwise constitute a prohibited practice of medicine. Topics include definitions of the corporate practice of medicine, as well as variations among different states and approaches to avoid concerns in employment, contracting, and participation. Also discussed will be potential effects on the ability to adopt clinical guidelines and practices essential to the performance improvement of ACOs, networks, and employment models.
Our speakers include Matthew C. Connors of Hancock Daniel Johnson & Nagle PC; Grace D. Mack of Wilentz Goldman & Spitzer PA; and Rose Willis of Dickinson Wright PLLC.
This luncheon is presented by the Accountable Care Organization Task Force and the Teaching Hospitals and Academic Medical Centers Practice Group and sponsored by Meditract.
This luncheon presentation will discuss the Medicare Shared Savings Program Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Waiver, and, specifically, how an ACO governing board might go about making the requisite bona fide determination that an arrangement is "reasonably related to the Shared Savings Program", as required by the ACO Waiver. The presenters, David Grauer, Jones Day and Robert Cimasi, Health Capital Consultants, will also discuss the various steps that an ACO governing body might consider taking to indemnify against future changes in the ACO Waiver.
This luncheon presentation is brought to you by the Accountable Care Organization Task Force and Hospitals and Health Systems Practice Group Luncheon and is sponsored by Towers Watson.
Distinguished panel members,Robert F. Leibenluft, Partner at Hogan Lovells US LLP; Sarah Swank, Principal at Ober|Kaler; and Stephen M. Weiner, Member at Mintz Levin, will discuss the hot topics and developments of the past year, with prognostications for the future.
The panelists will have a roundtable discussion about the state of the ACOs.
Accountable Care Organization Task Force and Healthcare Reform Educational Task Force Luncheon
David W. Grauer
Squire Sanders LLP, Columbus, OH
Troy A. Barsky
Crowell & Moring, Washington, DC
Robert James Cimasi (Moderator)
Health Capital Consultants LLC, St. Louis, MO
This presentation will provide a brief overview of certain fraud and abuse and related valuation topics associated with the development of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). Panelists will discuss implications for the utilization of ACO waivers (and the role of fair market value), as well as mechanisms for identifying and addressing compliance issues related to the capital formation aspects of developing ACOs.
Please note: There is an additional fee, pre-registration is required, and space is limited for each of the luncheons.
Hosted by the Academic Medical Centers and Teaching Hospitals and Life Sciences Practice Groups
Carrie D. Wolinetz, Ph.D., Associate Director for Science Policy and Acting Chief of Staff to the Director at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD
Dr. Wolinetz will highlight the exciting science and initiatives NIH is currently doing in the realm of precision medicine along with promising discoveries, engagement efforts with research participants, and the agencies processes to secure privacy and protections of participants in NIH funded clinical trials and cohort studies.
Precision medicine along with promising discoveries: (1) NIH POV: What is precision medicine? (2) NIH recent discoveries in precision medicine: BMT and gene therapy to treat SCD; others
Engagement efforts with research participants: All of Us Research Program - mission and objectives; value for the research community; types of engagement; program infrastructure; data collections
Privacy and protections of participants in NIH funded clinical trials and cohort studies: Privacy and protections/ revised Common Rule?; Certificates of Confidentiality Policy
This event is not included in the program registration; there is an additional fee of $60 for members of the sponsoring Practice Group / $70 of non-members; limited attendance; pre-registration required.
This luncheon presentation is brought to you by the Academic Medical Centers and Teaching Hospitals; Medical Staff, Credentialing, and Peer Review; and Physician Organizations Practice Groups and the Accountable Care Organization Task Force and is sponsored by Sullivan, Cotter and Associates, Inc.
Medical staffs are evolving rapidly—added to the traditional responsibilities for credentialing and peer review are now the imperatives of the culture of safety, increasing expectations for meeting quality measures, evidence-based medicine, care coordination, population health, and team-based care involving non-physicians on care teams, all while payment methods are dramatically altering relationships and increasing employment. Form follows function! What might those forms be?
The luncheon will include the perspective of a physician leader with experience in innovative approaches to medical staff organization and function.
Speakers: Linda Haddad, Senior Partner, Horty Springer & Mattern, Pittsburgh, PA; and Dr. Tom Downes, Chief Medical Officer, UC Health – Northern Colorado, Fort Collins and Loveland, CO
This luncheon presentation is brought to you by the Fraud and Abuse Practice Group.
The Boston U.S. Attorney's Office is a dominant force in the U.S. Department of Justice's healthcare fraud enforcement initiatives, and its investigations have generated ground-breaking resolutions and changed the health industry on governance and compliance. It is uniquely organized to meet the challenges of health industry enforcement issues and has been led for many years by Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Winkler, who as chief of the Health Care Fraud Unit supervises more than thirty criminal and civil assistant U.S. attorneys who focus exclusively on healthcare fraud allegations. Our luncheon will focus on the history of the Boston U.S. Attorney's Office's Health Care Fraud Unit, its organization, priorities, and perspectives on health industry enforcement and compliance issues.
Kathleen McDermott(Moderator), Partner, Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, Washington, DC
Susan Winkler, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Chief, Health Care Fraud Unit.,U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts, Boston, MA
This luncheon presentation is brought to you by the Healthcare Liability and Litigation and Labor and Employment Practice Groups.
The consequences for mishandling a whistleblower employee in a health care organization can be severe. Issues abound concerning treatment of suspected whistleblowers and known whistleblowers. In-house counsel and outside counsel conducting independent investigations or simply running the organization dayto day all need to know how to advise the entity on protecting the organization while preserving the rights of the whistleblower.
The discussion by an attorney who represents whistleblowers and an attorney who represents defendants will include:
How to conduct an effective internal investigation of a whistleblower's complaint and avoid common mistakes.
How to manage and document the investigation results.
Is there a way to encourage whistleblowers to report internally, rather than contact the government?
Dealing with the difficult whistleblower.
How to avoid or minimize state and federal retaliation claims.
This luncheon presentation is brought to you by the Post-Acute and Long Term Services Practice Group.
With greater emphasis being placed by policymakers on the roles of technology and home and community-based services as an alternative to facility-based long term care, now may, indeed, be the future of home care. Join Ronald Malone, Chairman of Gentiva Health Services Inc. for a wide ranging discussion of the state of home health care today and where it's likely to be heading tomorrow.
Mr. Malone will address such issues as:
The future of home health as part of the continuum of care;
The role of technology in home health;
The most significant regulatory risks for home health;
The most significant market risks for home health; and
The effect of health care reform on the home health sector.
This luncheon presentation is brought to you by the Antitrust; Physician Organizations; and Regulation, Accreditation, and Payment Practice Groups.
Joint operating agreements customarily involve the creation of a jointly governed entity created by two or more hospitals to operate the hospitals. Title to the hospitals' respective assets remains with each individual hospital, but revenues and future capital expenditures are shared and operating and strategic decisions are made jointly through the new entity. A management agreement typically involves a hospital entering into an agreement with another provider or a management company for the outsourcing of management services. Customarily, many "back-office" functions, such as human resources and billing, are turned over to the management company, but all clinical services continue to be provided and entirely administered by the hospital. The objective of both agreements is usually to reduce costs through the use of shared efficiencies and most cost-effective methods of operating the hospitals.
During this luncheon presentation, the panelists will:
Highlight key structural components of both types of agreements;
Explore the regulatory concerns raised by both models including, but not limited to the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark law; and
Identify the federal tax issues involved, specifically, those under IRC § 501(c)(3).
This luncheon presentation is brought to you by the Hospitals and Health Systems and Teaching Hospitals and Academic Medical Centers Practice Groups.
A panel of national health care valuation experts shared their views and experiences on various hot topics pertaining to physician practice transactions.
Topics for discussion included:
Practice Intangibles – When and how they can be considered?
Stripping out and valuing a practice's ancillary service lines – A legal/valuation issue?
Medical Chart Valuation – The original intangible practice asset.
Reconciling intangible value with post-transaction employment compensation.
The discussion will expose the audience to the ongoing discussions that are going on in the valuation community. Though the discussion is expected to contain meaningful discussion on valuation theory and health care regulation, the panelists will also provide perspective on the practical application of theory based on their transactional experience. The panel will be moderated by the Hospitals and Health Systems Practice Group Vice Chair, Lisa M. Ohrin, Esq. and audience participation will be strongly encouraged.
This luncheon presentation is brought to you by the Payers, Plans, and Managed Care Practice Group.
This lunch presentation will address the recent trends in fraud, waste and abuse impacting payors, plans and providers, including specialized plans such as vision and dental to pharmacy benefit managers and ancillary providers, including pharmacies.
This luncheon presentation is brought to you by the Medical Staff, Credentialing, and Peer Review Practice Group.
Robert Gerberry, Associate Counsel of Summa Health System, will share Summa's experience with its ACO pilot project and discuss overcoming the challenges and pitfalls of credentialing and peer oversight in the ACO context. In addition, Mr. Gerberry will discuss the strategic plan of Summa's Delivery Network Committee and the Conditions of Participation that its providers must meet in order to become part of its ACO.
This luncheon presentation is brought to you by the Tax and Finance Practice Group.
Several hospital conversion transactions have made the headlines recently, including the Caritas Christi hospital sale transaction to Steward Health Care System (part of private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management) in Boston and the sale of several other sizable nonprofit religious and governmental hospitals throughout the country to for-profit hospital companies. The Attorney General, as part of its many roles, serves to protect the interests of the community and the charitable assets in which a nonprofit hospital conversion takes place.
This luncheon program will provide insight into the role of the state attorneys general in the health care industry and their oversight responsibilities in hospital conversions and other transactions. In addition, hospital governance, board member fiduciary duties, executive compensation, conflicts of interest and community benefit are all areas where the Attorney General may play an active role. State Attorney Generals throughout the country are more active and leading many initiatives impacting hospitals, along with enforcement actions. This timely discussion of these issues and other areas by Mr. Spackman will provide a unique perspective from the attorney general side.
Hear from federal prosecutors who are responsible for implementing the Obama Administration's enhanced efforts to fight fraud, waste, and abuse in the healthcare industry. The speakers will address the HEAT initiative, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, recent criminal and civil healthcare fraud cases and resolutions, the use of data analysis in case selection and prosecution, and trends in enforcement.
Sam Sheldon, Deputy Chief of Criminal Division/Fraud Section, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC
Hank B. Walther(Moderator), Partner, Jones Day, Washington, DC
Linda Wawzenski, Deputy Chief, Civil Division and Civil Healthcare Fraud Coordinator, U.S. Attorney's Office Northern District of Illinois, Chicago, IL
Drop in at Redfield's Sports Bar located off the hotel lobby and have a beverage, introduce yourself, and compare schedules with other young professionals in time for the meeting
Sponsored byHORNE LLP This luncheon presentation is brought to you by the Fraud and Abuse Practice Group
Lead federal prosecutors from the Southern District of California will discuss the latest trends in federal enforcement that you and your clients should be aware of, based on their current investigations and cases, the HEAT initiative, and the Medicare Fraud Strike Force. They will also discuss how data analysis has continued to transform how they select cases to investigate and prosecute.
Charles La Bella (Moderator), Deputy Chief, Fraud Section, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC
Katherine A. Lauer, Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP, San Diego, CA
Joseph Price, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Deputy Chief - Civil Division, and Civil Health Care Fraud Coordinator, U.S. Attorney's Office Southern District of California, San Diego, CA
This luncheon presentation is brought to you by the Antitrust and Business Law and Governance Practice Group and is sponsored by First Chesapeake Group.
The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) victory in the St. Luke's decision has made hospitals rethink their aggressive physician acquisition plans. This luncheon panel: David Ettinger, Partner at Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP, Amy McFarlane, Assistant Attorney General of the Office of the New York State Attorney General, Antitrust Bureau, and Jenny Schwab, Attorney Advisor of the Federal Trade Commission, Office of Commissioner Terrell McSweeny will review the challenges presented by the FTC victory and suggest pragmatic strategies to mitigate antitrust compliance risks and enable hospitals to continue to partner with physicians for their integrated delivery networks.
This luncheon presentation is brought to you by the Antitrust and Business Law and Governance Practice Groups.
This program will address Accountable Care Organizations and other business models being contemplated in response to reforms in health care delivery. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Federal Trade Commission guidance will be discussed, along with legal and practical issues associated with forming these business affiliations. The prohibition against the corporate practice of medicine and fee splitting will also be addressed.
Hosted by Antitrust, Health Care Liability and Litigation, and Physician Organizations Practice Groups
Jennifer K. Schwab
Honigman, Chicago, IL
Hospital acquisitions of physician practices have become a significant trend in U.S. health care, and two pending cases – one in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and one in Washington state court – are proof that antitrust enforcers won't take a pass at challenging physician transactions that enforcers believe will substantially lessen competition. This luncheon will explore recent cases, provide insight on when physician transactions are most likely to draw antitrust scrutiny, and explore what hospitals and physician groups can do to anticipate and respond to antitrust concerns.
This event is not included in the program registration. There is an additional fee of $60 for members of the sponsoring Practice Groups and $70 for non-members; limited attendance; pre-registration required. Continuing Legal Education Credits are not available for the luncheon.
This luncheon presentation is brought to you by the Antitrust Practice Group.
Physician practice consolidations have been the subject of increased federal and state scrutiny, as well as at least one recently filed private antitrust action. Several transactions have been blocked by antitrust enforcers, and some parties have entered into consent agreements to resolve antitrust concerns. The private case is currently in litigation. Drawing on these cases, our panelists will identify factors that may impact the risk of antitrust scrutiny (including both antitrust red flags and procompetitive justifications for a transaction) as well as potential means of minimizing or resolving those concerns.
The panelists will provide specific examples and illustrations based on actions such as:
Federal enforcement actions: Renown Health's acquisition of Sierra Nevada Cardiology Associates and Reno Heart Physicians; and Providence Health System's proposed acquisition of Northwest Cardiology and Spokane Cardiology;
State enforcement actions: Urology of Central Pennsylvania; MaineHealth; and Atrius Health/Fallon Clinic;
Private actions: St. Luke's Health System's proposed acquisition of Saltzer Medical Group.
J. Gabriel McGlamery
Senior HCR Policy Consultant
Florida Blue Center for Health Policy
4800 Deerwood Campus Pkwy # DCC8-2
Ursula A. Taylor
Strategic Health Law
1500 N Halsted St Fl 2
Steven E. Gordon
Assistant United States Attorney, Civil Rights Enforcement Coordinator
US Attorney's of Office for the Eastern District of VA
2100 Jamieson Ave
David B. Adcock
Ogletree Deakins
4208 Six Forks Rd Ste 1100
A.G. Alexander
Deputy Administrator/ Director
Center for Program Integrity
Daniel R. Anderson
Deputy Director, Comm Litigation, Civil Division
Steve Aragón
Chief Counsel
Health & Human Services Commission
David A. Argue
Corporate Vice President and Principal
Economists Inc
2121 K St NW Ste 1100
Marissa W. Arreola
President, Physician Networking
Nobilis Health Corporation
11700 Katy Fwy Ste 300
Dixie Baker
Martin Blanck & Associates
2034 Eisenhower Ave Ste 270
Catherine M. Ballard
Bricker & Eckler LLP
Edo Banach
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
Crowell & Moring LLP
1001 Pennsylvania Ave NW Fl 10
Thomas E. Bartrum
Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC
2000 1st Tennessee Bldg.
Maureen Bennett (Moderator)
100 High St Ste 2200
Ann M. Bittinger (Moderator)
The Bittinger Law Firm
3621 Hendricks Ave
Sandy Bledsoe
Assistant Vice Chancellor, Risk and Insurance Management
Office of Risk and Insurance Management
Chris Bowen
Chief Privacy & Security Officer
ClearDATA
101 W 6th St Ste 310
Kimberly Brandt
Principal Deputy Administrator for Operations and Policy
7500 Security Blvd
George B. Breen (Moderator)
Chair, Health Care and Life Sciences Practice Steering Committee
Epstein Becker & Green PC
1227 25th St NW Ste 700
Jeffrey W. Brennan
500 N Capitol St NW Ste Lr
Jonathan Harris Burroughs
The Burroughs Healthcare Consulting Network Inc
Glen, NH
Michael R. Callahan
Senior Attorney
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
525 W Monroe St Ste 1900
Recording and Materials
Luncheon Materials
AHLA Sponsoring Groups
Academic Medical Centers and Teaching Hospitals
AHLA Co-Sponsoring Groups
Correlation ID: 8487414d-6d84-44d8-beb4-bbf4f9aabf2f
Date and Time: 07/17/2019 23:39:27


We begin our April issue on a bittersweet note, with a farewell to OVERDRIVE editor Shubhabrata Marmar - we wish you the very best with everything the road brings your way, Shumi! But, spring is in the air, and we've got a bloom of colours on our cover to show it! From the latest electric Pininfarina supercar with Mahindra backing, to an array of comparison tests that have you covered whether it's a small hatchback, compact SUV or executive sedan you're looking for, our April 2019 issue has a little of everything.Starting with the biggest BMW there is, the X7, the coupe-SUV BMW X4, and moving on to the Volkswagen T- Cross, the compact SUV to take on the Hyundai Creta, the refreshed Figo and the Bajaj Qute.
The question on a lot of people's minds is whether the recently launched new WagonR is a better first car, or even second car, than the all-rounder Hyundai Santro, the stylish Tata Tiago and the refreshed Datsun Go. Of course, you'll have to read our comparison test to see what we think. Another burning question is how Mahindra's entrant to the compact SUV segment, the XUV300, stacks up, against the runaway success that is the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, the popular Tata Nexon, and the refreshed Ford EcoSport, an SUV which kick-started the segment. At the other end, we pit the all-new Toyota Camry Hybrid against the stately VW Passat and competent Skoda Octavia, to see which executive sedan is the best success statement to live with.
On two wheels, we have a go at BMW's superlative superbike, the S 1000 RR, now meaner, lighter and quicker. Closer to home, we ride another BMW, the F 750 GS, an adv with a fun side, and the Benelli TRK 502 X, a full-size adv with a fun-size sticker price. Last but not the least, we ride the Yamaha MT-15, a naked street motorcycle with an R15's heart.


• A coalition rebellion against the so-called hospital closure law seems to have fizzled out after Dan Poulter, the health minister, announced a concession at the end of the Commons debate on the law (clause 119). Paul Burstow, the Lib Dem MP who tabled the amendment with Lib Dem colleagues, said he was satisfied by the concession and that he would not be backing his own amendment. (See 6.10pm.) The concession seems relatively minor. Labour voted for it, but it was defeated by a majority of 47. Earlier indications suggest only six Tories and one Lib Dem voted against the government.
• Poulter has announced that government guidance will be updated to make it clear that, if an administrator brought in to deal with a failing hospital tries to change services at other local hospitals, those hospitals will have to agree that essential services are being protected. He said that this was the intention of the existing clause anyway, but that it was not clear. He told MPs.
The government agrees that it is important for other local commissioners to be able to protect their essential services and we will look at the guidance and update it to make clear that the agreement of commissioners to the TSA [trust special administrator] report should include their agreement that essential services have been protected at other trusts, as well as the failing trust, so that all local commissioners have an equal say, with NHS England arbitrating in the event of a disagreement.
He also said Paul Burstow would be invited to chair a committee of MPs and peers drawing up this guidance.
That's all from me for tonight. I have to rush off now.
The government won the vote by 288 votes to 241 - a majority of 47.
This is what Paul Burstow said explaining why he was not pushing his amendment to a vote.
What I think I have heard the minister tell us tonight is that there will be an equivalence between commissioners, that they will all have to agree to changes being led by a trust special administrator, that there will be further examination of the issues of consultation and that we will make sure that this process is used rarely and exceptionally. With the minister's confirmation of those things, I would want him to know that I am satisfied that my concerns are being addressed and on that basis I would not intend to press this amendment [to a vote] and I would urge my colleagues to do likewise.
Paul Burstow did not call for a vote on his amendment.
But Labour's Jamie Reed, who also signed it (see 2.44pm), called for a vote. MPs are voting now.
Poulter says Andy Burnham is good at politics, good at spin.
But Poulter says he is a doctor. He does what's best for patients. That is what he is doing on the bill.
Paul Burstow says he is now satisfied his concerns are satisfied.
He is not going to press his amendment to a vote, he says.
• Paul Burstow says he won't push his amendment to a vote.
Poulter addresses Paul Burstow's NC 16.
The government is grateful to Burstow for raising this issue. But it cannot accept the amendment, he says.
Burstow's plan would be cumbersome, he says.
But he says clause 119 already says that commissioners from other trusts should be considered.
Commissioners from other trusts have every opportunity to make their views known, he says.
But he has two announcements up his sleeve.
• New guidance will be issued to make it clear that, when a trust special adminstrator is considering closing a service, commissioners from other trusts will be consulted and they will take into account the need to protect other services, Poulter says.
• Paul Burstow, the Lib Dem MP who drafted the rebel amendment, will be invited to chair a committee of MPs and peers to draft this guidance, Poulter says.
Poulter says Andy Burnham introduced the TSA regime in 2009.
Clause 119 would allow the TSA to make recommendations taking into account wider concerns. He quotes from a 2009 impact assessment that seemed to imply this would be a good idea.
Andy Burnham intervenes. If the coaliton is doing what Labour backed, why did the judge in the Lewisham case say the government was acted illegally?
Poulter says the legislation was badly drafted. It did not do what Labour wanted it to do.
Dan Poulter says the TSA regime has only been used twice in the last five years.
Steve Brine, a Conservative, asks for an assurance that the TSA process will not be introduced in his constituency, Winchester.
Poulter says the reconfiguration in Winchester has nothing to do with a TSA.
Dan Poulter, the health minister, is winding up the debate now.
He says the TSA process would not be used routinely. It would only be used in "extreme" cases. It is an action "of last resort", he says.
Richard Fuller, the Conservative MP for Bedford, asks for an assurance that the TSA process will not be introduced for his hospital.
Poulter says there is a routine reconfiguration process going on at the moment. There are no plans to bring in the TSA process. Any suggestiong otherwise is scaremongering.
Even good hospitals have run deficits, he says.
Chris Pincher, a Conserative, says there are genuine concerns about how consultation works.
Poulter says that is a good point. Particularly under the previous government, people felt decisions were made too them.
He says clinicians were not in the lead.
He has a long list of maternity units downgraded under Labour, he says.
He says the coalition has a better system. Local decisions are now led by clinicians.
Jamie Reed, the shadow health minister, intervenes. He says the judge in the Lewisham case says the government was trying to use the TSA process for a strange and unnatural purpose. Does Simon Burns agree?
Burns says he doesn't. He says he was in government at the time.
Stephen Dorrell intervenes. If a TSA must intervene, isn't it best for them to consider the whole health economy?
Simon Burns says he agrees.
Simon Burns, the Conservative former health minister, is speaking now.
He says he wants to speak without party rancour. He thinks there is no real different between his view of the NHS and Andy Burnam's.
But the NHS has constantly evolved, he says.
He says he believes decision making in the NHS should be devolved. That is why he supported the Health Act.
And he is glad the health secretary is no longer micro-managing the NHS.
But, if the NHS is to evolve, difficult decisions will need to be taken. Politicians will have to be braver. Because the easy decision is to oppose a hospital closure.
Andy Burnham intervenes. He says when the Health Act was going through parliament, Burns defended it on the grounds it would put doctors in charge. Does he thinks clause 119 does that?
Burns says he does. Politicians should take decisions if they are in the best interest of patients.
But there will be a few "rare and exceptional circumstances" when a trust special administrator needs to be appointed.
Labour's John McDonnell is speaking now. Labour has not run out of speakers.
He says this debate is about trust, and listening to local people.
We should not let central government accumulate more power, he says.
He says David TC Davies was wrong to denigrate 38 Degrees. They were just expressing a view, he says.
David TC Davies, a Conservative, says he will be supporting the government.
As a Welsh MP, he knows what happens when Labour is left in charge of the NHS, he says.
He says 38 Degrees are a "hard-nosed, leftwing, Labour party organisation". They are scaring the public, he says.
Labour have stopped putting up speakers. It just seems to be a Tory debate now.
Nick de Bois says he accepts that there is no masterplan to use clause 119 to push through reconfigurations.
But there is a "democratic deficit" in the process.
Bob Stewart, a Conservative, intervenes. Where is the limit, he asks. It could be like pouring water on a tile. This could spread much more than people expect.
De Bois says in business, it is easy to work out if a firm is solvent. But the same does not apply in the NHS. Difficult judgments have to be made.
With a "very heavy heart", he will be voting against the government, he says.
Nick de Bois, the Conservative MP for Enfield North, is speaking now.
He says he is voting for Paul Burstow's amendment.
He says he has been involved in a long hospital reconfiguration process in his constituency.
Steve Barker, the Conservative MP for Wycombe, intervenes. He says he thinks many of these consultations are "a sham".
Karen Lumley, Conservative MP for Redditch, says she supports the principle behind clause 119.
But Redditch trust is in debt. Will the minister assure her that Alexandra hospital is safe?
Dan Poulter, the health minister, says there are no plans for a trust special administrator to be sent in to that hospital.
Lumley says she agrees with the principle. But she does not think clause 119 has been thought through enough. There is a lot of concern in his constituency, she says.
Here are two blogs from today on clause 119.
• George Eaton at the Staggers says hospital closures could be a disaster for the Tories.
For the Tories, the row is a new political headache. Despite a concerted attempt to pin the blame for the Mid-Staffs scandal on Labour (including a lengthy section in David Cameron's conference speech), the opposition retains a double-digit lead on health (37-24 in the most recent YouGov poll). One party source told me that focus groups reacted "particularly strongly" when they were reminded of Cameron's past pledges on the NHS. By again exposing the Tories to the charge of broken promises, Hunt's hospital closure clause is in danger of becoming the new "top-down reorganisation".
• Matt Dykes at Left Foot Forward explains why the TUC is opposed to clause 119.
Grahame Morris, Labour MP for Easington, says clause 119 could be a Trojan horse to privatise our hospitals.
Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary, intervenes. Given that this is a massive extension of the secretary of state's powers, isn't it amazing that Jeremy Hunt is not here.
Morris shares Burnham's incredulity. He says Hunt thinks that the NHS is a 60-year-old mistake. When challenged, he says that is a direct quote from Hunt's time in opposition.
Here's a Guardian video of Andy Burnham explaining why he is opposed to clause 119.
Stephen Dorrell, the Conservative chair of the Commons health committee, says he is supporting clause 119.
But he thinks Paul Burstow had a point about commissioners "out-of-area" having a right to safeguard affected services.
All MPs agree reconfiguration can be necessary. And they can all agree that consultation is best.
But what happens if a trust become financially unsustainable.
In those circumstances, should the trust special administrator just think about that hospital? Or should they consider the interests of patients in the wider health economy?
Labour's Grahame Morris intervenes. He says Labour has figures showing 32 trusts are in trouble. So this could become more common.
Dorrell says being in deficit is not the same as being in adminstration.
He says that, if he thought clause 119 really was just a backdoor means of reconfiguring services without consultation, he would oppose it. But he does not think that for a moment.
The question is just: should the TSA just consider the bankrupt hospital, or should it take into account the wider interests of patients? You only have to ask the question to know the answer is, he says.
Heidi Alexander is still speaking.
She says Paul Burstow's NC 16 (see 2.44pm) still leaves clause 119 in the bill.
Burstow intervenes. He says the key thing is to stop hospitals getting to this point in the first place. He says he hopes the minister will say something about that in his speech.
Alexander says she is not clear if it gives a veto to commissioners from a neighbouring trust if the TSA recommends closure.
Burstow says that is the intention. But he wants to see if the government agrees.
Alexander says it is not clear which neighbouring commissioners are covered. In the Lewisham case, would it just have been Lewisham? Or would Greenwich and Bexley have had a say too?
She says Burstow is someone concerned about the health service and the care system. But she is not sure why he has brought forward this amendment when it would be better just to vote against clause 119.
Dan Poulter, the health minister, intervenes. He says there have been no discussion about applying the trust special adminstrator (TSA) regime elsewhere.
Heidi Alexander, Labour MP for Lewisha East, says that if clause 119 had been on the statute book, Lewisham's A&E unit, maternity unit and paediatric unit would now be closing.
People feel very strongly about hospitals, she says. That is because they experience the best moments of their lives and the worst moments of their lives in hospitals.
The government is trying to spin this as a "clarification", she says. It is not. It is a fundamental change of policy.
Burstow says he is grateful to the government for what it has already done. it has included HealthWatch at a consultee. But it needs to go further, he says, to ensure this process works within the interests of patients.
Burstow says the commissioners of neighbouring trust cannot block a decision taken by the trust special administrator under the legislation.
His amendment (see 2.44pm) wants to change that by giving them a veto, he says.
Burstow says he tabled NC 16 to insert two principles into the process.
First, trust special administrators should take decisions taking into account the need of other NHS services.
Andy Burnham, the shadow healthy secretary, intervenes. Burstow was highly involved in the development of coaliton health policy. Does he accept that this represents a major departure.
Burstow says he will address this point shortly. Burnham will be interested in what he has to say.
Paul Burstow, the Lib Dem former care minster who has tabled the rebel amendment, is speaking now.
David TC Davies, a Conservative, says this is the same pressure group that said the NHS was doing to be privatised. They are leftwingers with links to Labour, he says.
Burstow says he just wanted to mention the petition.
He says he accepts that no NHS institution is an island.
During the committee state he expressed concern about the arrangements a trust special administrator would use to engage with the public, he says.
The government has made changes to the bill to reflect those concerns,he says.
Trust special adminstration is a last resort, he says.
Bob Stewart, a Conservative, asks what is the process by which this "extraordinary witchfinder general", the trust special administrator, comes into a hospital.
Burstow says this needs to be clearer. Many trust have financial problems, he says.
He accepts that South London healthcare trust was short of money. If a family were short of money, they would have to take action. But it would not be right just to go next door, and nick someone else's stuff, he says.
The process by which Lewisham units were singled out for closure was impenetrable and antagonistic, he says.
He says clause 119 will lead to this happening to more communities.
Jim Dowd says clause 119 would allow the trust administrator to make recommendations about any hospital, not just a neighbouring one. It is a threat to hospitals in all MPs' constituencies.
Bob Stewart, the Conservative MP for Beckenham, intervenes to say he never understood why Lewisham was penalised when the South London healthcare trust ran out of money.
Jim Dowd, the Labour MP for Lewisham West and Penge, says Lewisham was stitched up by the Department for Health. In 40 years as a public representative, he has rarely come across anything so "duplicitous", he says.
Sir Tony Baldry, a Conservative, is speaking now.
He says he has left instructions for his body to be left to Oxford University medical school for research.
He says he is "slightly disappointed" Jeremy Hunt is not here for the debate.
He is "concerned" by the plans, he says.
Many trusts will have a deficit this year, he says.
He says he wants assurances that these section 119 powers will only be used in "exceptional circumstances".
Dan Poulter, the health minister, responds. He says Andy Burnham tried to conflate routine reconfiguration decisions with the powers to close trusts referred to by cluse 119, which have only been used twice in the last five years (in Lewisham and in Mid-Staffs).
Baldry repeats the point about wanting an assurance that these powers are only going to be used occasionally.
Burnham says ministers have gone from campaigning outside hospitals to save them to calling for special powers to shut them down.
He says the CQC already has the powers to shut down services for clinical reasons.
Clause 119 does not add anything. But it takes away the patients' voice, and it sets a "dangerous precedent" by allowing hospitals to be closed on financial grounds, not clinical grounds.
Labour will vote to take out clause 119, he says. But, if it cannot get that, it will also back Paul Burstow's amendment to water it down.
Burnham says that the government's decision to use a brutal mechanism to close services is a "spectacularly wrong approach".
Public engagement is essential if we are going to have change in the NHS, he says.
Burnham says "common decency" suggests that, having had a court ruling go against him on Lewisham, Jeremy Hunt should just have accepted that he was wrong.
But instead he is trying to change the law. It is like a burglar being caught, and trying to change the law.
Andrew George, a Lib Dem, says every MP will defend their local hospital, even though some reconfiguration is required.
Burnham said the last government made changes. But there is a right way to configure, and a wrong way. The last government made a clinical case for change. That is how it was able to reorganise stroke services in London.
Burnham says the government's arrogance is "breathtaking".
He pays tribute to Lewisham for the way it fought against Jeremy Hunt's proposed closure.
He says Labour has identified 32 communities with entrenched financial problems.
He challenges Dan Poulter to say whether there are any plans being drawn up to put hospitals into administration.
Stephen Dorrell, the Conservative chairman of the Commons health secretary, asks if Burnham thinks we can reconfigure health services by looking just at the finances.
Burnham says he thinks you have to start by asking if there is a clinic case for change.
Under clause 119, the financial case for change would come first.
Dan Poulter, the health minister, intervenes again. The Care Quality Commission would have powers over patient care.
Burnham repeats his point about the government legislation implying financial motives take precedence.
Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary, is speaking now.
He says the coalition came to power saying it would put doctors in charge of the NHS.
But clause 119 would allow a hospital to be closed justn because a neighbouring one is is trouble.
It will put management consultants, not hospital consultants, in the driving seat.
Dan Poulter, the health minister, intervenes. Under Labour's legislation, the trust adminstrators could only close hospitals on financial grounds, not care grounds.
Burnham says that shows the point. Labour's legislation had a different purpose.
This policy represents a major change, he says. But there has been no green paper or white paper.
He says the health secretary has rammed this clause into the bill on the back of a court defeat. Jeremy Hunt has not even had the courtesy to come to the Commons himself to defend his plans, he says.
The debate is starting now.
It will run until voting at 6pm.
Paul Burstow's amendment is being debated along with various others, including one tabled by Jeremy Lefroy, the Conservative MP for Stafford.
Lefroy is opening the debate. He says his amendment would give the health secretary more power to alter recommendations from Monitor about the future of an NHS trust, Under the current law, the health secretary can only accept or reject a Monitor recommendation, he says.
On her blog, the Conservative MP Nadine Dorries has explained why she will not be supporting Paul Burstow on clause 119.
And the Conservative MP Bob Neill has also explained why he will not be supporting Burstow in a letter on his website (pdf). He says he is satisfied the clause "does not have the draconian effect claimed".
The rebel amendment on clause 119 has been tabled by the Lib Dem MP, and former care minister, Paul Burstow.
You can read it here, on the paper containing all the amendments being debated today (pdf). It is New Clause 16 (NC 16).
Here's the note from Burstow explaining what it does.
This clause ensures that all commissioners of services affected by a trust special administrator's report have the right to define local specified services; clarifies that, save for the trust in administration, local commissioners remain the decision makers for services they commission; and restores public engagement for changes other than for a trust in administration.
And here are the MPs who have signed it.
The Labour party has tabled a separate amendment saying clause 119 should be taken out of the bill altogether.
MPs will soon be starting the debate on clause 119, the hospital closure measure in the care bill.
Here's a quick clause 119 reading list.
• Polly Toynbee in today's Guardian.
A panic measure in the Commons today faces a cross-party rebellion. When MPs debate clause 119, hastily tacked on to the care bill, Labour will be joined by a bunch of Lib Dems and maybe some Tories seeking to strike it out. The clause lets trust special administrators (TSAs) close down any hospital or A&E at 40 days' notice – with no meaningful consultation to stop objections until it's all over.
Every MP should consider carefully how they vote today as this may come back and bite them hard in their own backyard. If a hospital is in financial trouble, clause 119 gives a TSA special administrative powers not just to close, merge or alter the troubled hospital – astonishingly, it gives a TSA the power to cannibalise any other thriving hospital to seize profitable services to plug the cash gap, regardless of local social and health effects. Unsuspecting MPs who think their own hospital is financially hunky dory should watch out: clause 119 lets an administrator grab juicy slices to fix a distant bankruptcy.
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt was thwarted in his attempt to do that in Lewisham, so this new clause gives him the power. Lewisham hospital was fine, financially and clinically, but when the South London healthcare trust went bankrupt, partly due to a PFI, its administrator tried to kidnap Lewisham's A&E and maternity services. The protest from Lewisham's doctors, public and mayor led to the court of appeal rejecting the plan. Clause 119 is Hunt's retaliation, allowing future administrators to seize a whole area's services. Even the local clinical commissioning groups will have no say over the fate of services they commission: so much for putting GPs in control.
• Denis Campbell's Guardian news story about the proposed rebellion.
• A 38 Degrees blog post about the petition it has collected against the clause, with 159,000 signatures.
• A 72-page briefing on the care bill from the House of Commons library (pdf).
Alex Salmond, Scotland's first minister, has issued this tribute to Bob Crow.
My thoughts and condolences are with Bob Crow's family following this sad and untimely news.
Bob Crow was a formidable and tireless champion for the workers and causes that he represented. His loss will be felt, not just by the RMT, but by all trade unionists, who have lost a fearless and effective campaigner.
It is clear from the tributes we have heard this morning that, even amongst those who did not agree with Bob Crowe's politics, that there was genuine respect for the principled way he spoke out for his members.
Unfortunately, the press notice sent out by the Scottish government spelt Crow's name with an e (Crowe). I've corrected it in the quote.
• Adversaries and supporters have united in paying tribute to Bob Crow following his surprise death from a suspected heart attack at the age of 52. They have acknowledged the skill and the passion he displayed standing up for his members in the RMT rail union, characteristics that made him possibly Britain's best known union leader - and often its most demonised one too. Ken Livingstone, the former Labour mayor of London, said: "He fought really hard for his members. The only working-class people who still have well-paid jobs in London are his members." (See 10.30am.) Boris Johnson, the current Conservative mayor, accused Crow of holding a gun to the head of Londoners when the RMT went on strike recently. But today Johnson said Crow was more moderate than people realised and someone who "wanted what was in the best interests of his members". (See 12.09pm.) Management figures in the railway industry also said he had made a positive contribution, especially on the issue of safety.
• A senior judge has told the BBC that postal voting is open to fraud on an "industrial scale" and is "unviable" in its current form.
• Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, has told MPs that the Bank needs to improve its economic forecasting. He was giving evidence to the Commons Treasury committee. There are more details on our business live blog.
• Vince Cable's wife, Rachel Smith, has said she is "not wild" about the idea of her husband becoming Lib Dem leader after the general election.
• Danny Alexander, the Lib Dem chief secretary to the Treasury, has told MPs that he is not entirely opposed to the idea of the Office for Budget Responsibility auditing party spending plans at the election.
I think this is an idea well worth further consideration. What I'd be worried about in taking it forward is the pressure it would place on the OBR which is a new organisation which has only recently taken on responsibility for forecasting the public finances. I'd worry that in the first election where they have those responsibilities this function may be difficult for them to carry through.
Ed Balls wants the OBR to audit Labour's plans, but George Osborne has so far resisted the idea. Alexander was speaking at Treasury questions in the Commons, standing in for Osborne, who was away.
At the Number 10 lobby briefing the prime minster's spokesman did not just use the one line about Bob Crow quoted earlier. (See 12.47pm.) He also said that the prime minister associated himself fully with the comments about Crow made by Patrick McLoughlin (see 11.44am), saying he was a "passionated voice for safety" on the railways and a "powerful advocate" for his workers and the industry. The spokesman also said the death of Crow was "very sad news" and that it was important to recognise the depth of the shock that his loved ones will be experiencing.
Here's John Cridland, the CBI general secretary, on Bob Crow.
We often disagreed on employment relations, but Bob Crow was a doughty and committed advocate for his members.
I would like to extend my sincere condolences to his family, friends and colleagues at this very difficult time.
The prime minister expresses his sincere condolences to Mr Crow's family and friends.
Kate Hudson, general secretary of CND, says Bob Crow was a great friend of the anti-nuclear movement.
It was with shock and sadness that all of us here at CND heard the news of Bob Crow's passing. We offer our sincere condolences to Bob's family, friends and colleagues.
Bob was a passionate trade unionist who fought tirelessly for his members: a man of courage and conviction. There are too few of his kind in British politics.
He was also a great and principled friend of the anti-nuclear movement, and fought alongside CND to oppose replacement of the Trident nuclear weapons system. His RMT anti-Trident resolution to the TUC Congress in 2006 began to turn the tide against replacement which rapidly reached majority proportions across the country.
Bob's passing is a tragic loss for working people across the UK and for comrades in the trade union movement.


Article written by Kelly Carroll, 2018 BRIT Herbarium and Research Intern and student at Trinity University.
The property doesn't look like much, driving by – a sea of seemingly uniform brown grass studded with mesquite trees, bordered by development and what looks to be a small-scale hackberry forest with a dry creek-bed running through it. Of course, everything looks different when you get close enough to see detail. Still, I didn't have very high expectations when I arrived with Dan Caudle, a BRIT Resident Research Associate and grass and prairie expert, in May of 2018 to do a survey of the vegetation cover and biodiversity on the property ahead of construction that would ravage a good-sized section.
When the summer started, I had no real experience in identifying anything beyond being able to say, "That is a grass, yes sir." I looked out at this piece of property and saw, on one side of a fence, a sea of beggar's lice, skeletal ragweed remnants, and dozens of hackberry trees, and on the other side, a sea of brown grass grazed within an inch of its life by cattle for decades. In a few words, the land looked to be chigger heaven, tick heaven, and nothing more than that.
The property, not including the grassy pasture to the right. Just behind these trees is an open area with incredibly high biodiversity for the location.
The dreaded poison ivy patch.
Some of the surprises, though, were not only pleasant but unexpected in the best way. Dan and I found a little bluestem plant whose old seedheads had grown to be almost as tall as me, with a base more than a foot in diameter.
We found multiple areas covered in grasses we'd never expected to find – yellow indiangrass and big bluestem, both tall grasses that used to dominate in the area long before development and cattle ranchers moved in, still somehow growing and thriving in a little patch of land roughly the size of a football field, surrounded on all sides by development.
The massive little bluestem plant. I'm 5'6", for context.
In fact, we found more species in that little patch of land than we ever expected – none particularly rare, but certainly more exciting than my first impression of hackberry trees, ragweed, and some single generic grass.
Now, summer draws to a close, and I'm wrapping up the loose ends of this project, tying them into bows and slipknots, ready for other people to pick them up and unravel them to see what new discoveries could fall out. At the start of the summer, I could identify the very basics – tree, grass, wildflower, ragweed. Now, I may not be able to identify everything in a field by sight, but I can "speak the language," as such, and I know how (and who) to ask for help. Thanks to Dan, I can identify more grasses than anything else – big bluestem's base is incredibly hairy, yellow indiangrass is blue-green with wide, decently rigid leaves, and little bluestem is blue-green with narrow leaves. At the start of the summer, all that I saw in that empty field was the prospect of dozens of chigger bites and a lot of work. Now, I look into the property and see opportunity, as cliché as it sounds; future work on the property will add to my findings, add to my collections, and keep a record of the biodiversity of that area, hopefully for years to come.
Stay hydrated. I carried two bottles of water into the field and drank them both in the four hours I stood under the sun, sometimes shaded by the hackberries but always enduring the humidity and the bugs.
Sometimes, picking all of the beggar's lice out of the socks they manage to adhere themselves to just isn't worth it. I sacrificed one pair of socks, instead of picking out the hundreds of little seeds stuck to every inch of the fabric. After one day, I'm sure that I had an even two thousand little seeds stuck to me from the waist down.
I'm still learning, and I always will be.
Caught this little guy hiding from the heat!
***Further information on Kelly's project and research findings can be found here.
Bryophytes, defined by their lack of vascular tissue, are a category of smaller plants that include the mosses, liverworts, and hornworts.
High school students from Trinity Valley School spent their summer break utilizing their computer science skills to create a quick and easy way to determine the fullness of our herbarium cabinets.


text:
Q: Line break in XMLView UI5 How can I set a line break between two controls?

I want to display one by one in vertical manner.

A: You can use a flex box control: either <VBox> or <HBox>.
<VBox xmlns="sap.m" wrap="Wrap" renderType="Bare">
  <!-- ... -->
</VBox>

A: You don't really use linebreaks but layout controls.
If you want to have an element below another element, put both of them in a vertical layout.
https://sapui5.hana.ondemand.com/explored.html#/entity/sap.ui.layout.VerticalLayout/samples
<l:VerticalLayout>
    <Input placeholder="UserID" />
    <Input placeholder="Password" type="Password" />
</l:VerticalLayout>

Don't forget to include the namespace: xmlns:l="sap.ui.layout"
You can also nest different layouts: Outer layout is vertical, and each row of the vertical layout can be a horizontal layout where items are placed next to each other.

Edit: This also works in IE9. VBox unfortunately does not work in IE9.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Diplomate Digest - The American Board of Ophthalmology Blog
Diplomate Stories
Test Science
Congratulations to ABO Diplomate Thomas Samuelson, M.D., New ASCRS President
The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery recently named Thomas W. Samuelson, M.D., of Minnesota, as its new president. A diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology, Dr. Samuelson is the current vice president of ASCRS and the OSN Glaucoma Section Editor. He specializes in the treatment of glaucoma and anterior segment disorders. The ABO extends its congratulations to Dr. Samuelson on this appointment.
#professionalachievement #diplomates #professionalism
Two ABO Diplomates Named to the National Academy of Medicine
The American Board of Ophthalmology congratulates the following diplomates who were elected to membership of the National Academy of Medicine in 2019. Election to the National Academy of Medicine is c
Dr. Julia Haller, ABO Diplomate, Named Philadelphia Inquirer's Physician of the Year
July Round-Up: What American Board of Ophthalmology Diplomates Were up to this Month
© 2020 American Board of Ophthalmology


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Home Todays story More steps needed for double digit growth: Modi
More steps needed for double digit growth: Modi
NEW DELHI, June 17:
The challenge before India is to take the economic growth rate to double-digits for which many more steps need to be taken, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a meeting of Chief Ministers here today.
Speaking at the Niti Aayog's fourth meeting of Governing Council, Modi stressed that the world expects India to become a USD 5 trillion economy soon, according to a statement by the Prime Minister's Office.
As many as 23 Chief Ministers and one Lt Governor attended the meeting.
The notable absentees were Chief Ministers of Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Niti Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar said some of the Chief Ministers could not participate as they were busy handling flood situation in their respective states.
Regarding the absence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, he said invites were sent to him, but there was no response.
Kejriwal's seat was reserved at the meeting, but he did not attend, Kumar added. Kejriwal, along with his Ministers, has been holding a sit-in protest at the LG's office.
On development agenda document, 'New India 2022′, he said: "It was not presented in the meeting. We want to make document to reflect ground realities".
The document will be sent to States for comments, he said, adding that it will be finalised in a month-or so.
As per the PMO statement, Modi assured the Chief Ministers of flood-affected States of providing all Central assistance to deal with the situation.
He urged the Chief Ministers to "give fresh ideas" to the 15th Finance Commission for incentivising outcome based allocations and expenditure correction, amid demands by some states to revisit panel's terms of reference.
Modi said India has no shortage of capabilities, capacities and resources and in the current financial year, the States would receive over Rs 11 lakh crore from the Centre — an increase of about Rs 6 lakh crore from the last year of the previous Government.
Observing that the Indian economy has grown at a healthy rate of 7.7 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2017-18, Modi said that the "challenge now is to take this growth rate to double digits, for which many more steps have to be taken".
The conference deliberated on issues such as doubling of farmers' income, development of aspirational districts, Ayushman Bharat, Mission Indradhanush, Nutrition Mission and celebrations of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
These steps, Modi said, are essential for achieving the vision of New India by 2020.
The Governing Council, he said, is a platform which could bring about "historic change" in the development of the country.
Modi further said the Council has approached complex issues of governance as "Team India", in the spirit of cooperative, competitive federalism.
Chief Ministers have played a key role in policy formulation, through sub-groups and committees on issues such as Swachh Bharat Mission, Digital Transactions and Skill Development, he said.
Modi said 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres are being constructed under the Ayushman Bharat programme.
He said about 10 crore families will be provided with health assurance worth Rs 5 lakh every year.
A comprehensive approach was being adopted for education, under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, Modi added.
Observing that schemes such as Mudra Yojana, Jan Dhan Yojana and Stand Up India were helping in greater financial inclusion, the Prime Minister said it was imperative to tackle economic imbalances on priority.
He said all aspects and parameters of human development need to be addressed and improved upon in the 115 aspirational districts.
The Gram Swaraj Abhiyan has emerged as a new model for implementation of schemes, he said, adding that it has been extended to 45,000 villages in the aspirational districts.
In his closing remarks, Modi assured the gathering that suggestions made during the meeting would be "seriously considered" in the course of decision-making.
He asked Niti Aayog to follow up with the States on the actionable points made by them within three months.
On the lines of the 115 aspirational districts identified by NITI Aayog, Modi said States can define their own parameters to identify 20 per cent of the total blocks in the State as aspirational blocks.
He also called for "widespread" debate on holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies saying that it will result in financial savings.
Speaking on the issue of environment, raised by Chief Ministers, he urged all States to use LED bulbs in their Government buildings, official residences and street lights.
As per the PMO, Modi called upon Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Sikkim, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, to work together to make recommendations on a coordinated policy approach on agriculture and MNREGA.
Kumar said the Prime Minister said the Centre will fulfil all promises made at the time of bifurcation of Bihar and Andhra Pradesh in "letter and spirit".
Referring to the Government's flagship 'Swachh Bharat Mission', Modi said the cleanliness drive was being discussed around the world. In the last four years, 7.70 crore toilets have been constructed.
He called upon all present, to work towards 100 per cent sanitation coverage by October 2, 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. (PTI)
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