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Alcon signs definitive agreement to acquire Optonol

Alcon announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Optonol, Ltd., a medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets novel miniature surgical implants used to lower intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with glaucoma.

14 Dec 2009

Bederra announces third-quarter results ending September 30, 2009

Bederra Corporation, a Houston, Texas-based diversified medical services provider, has announced its third quarter results. For the quarter ending September 30, 2009, the company had gross revenues of $860,158.00 with an operating loss of $49,980.00.

14 Dec 2009

Medipattern and OMIC team up to provide breast ultrasound imaging service

The Medipattern Corporation ("Medipattern"), a pioneer in the development of medical software solutions that help improve imaging workflow and productivity, has announced that it has partnered with Ocean Medical Imaging Center (OMIC), developed through a partnership with Lake Forest, Calif.-based InSight Health Services Holdings Corp. ("Insight Imaging") (OTCBB:ISGT), to provide the service of B-CAD® computer aided detection of breast ultrasound imaging under the B-CAD-FOR-LIFETM program.

14 Dec 2009

First Edition: December 14, 2009

Today's headlines reflect the mounting pressure in the Senate regarding the pending health overhaul bill -- especially as the clock ticks closer to the Christmas holiday.

14 Dec 2009

Detroit-area residents plead guilty in connection with health care fraud schemes

Detroit-area residents Baskaran Thangarasan, Sandeep Aggarwal and Wayne Smith pleaded guilty this week for their roles in connection with several Detroit-area health care fraud schemes, Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Terrence I. Berg, Special Agent in Charge Andrew G. Arena of the FBI's Detroit Field Office and Daniel Levinson, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today.

14 Dec 2009

Maine-based EMHS recognized for creating system-wide culture of safety

A poor economy in a rural area might seem like overwhelming obstacles to creating a sophisticated culture of safety in a health care system that serves the largest aging population in the country, but leaders at Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems (EMHS) beat those odds in 2009.

14 Dec 2009

Study finds racial disparities in breast cancer care

Black women are less likely than white women to receive radiation therapy after a lumpectomy, the standard of care for early stage breast cancer, according to a new study by researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

14 Dec 2009

African American women with breast cancer receive no follow-up care after lumpectomy, shows study

A new study finds many breast cancer patients - particularly African American women - do not receive recommended radiation treatments after undergoing a lumpectomy.

14 Dec 2009

Senator Arlen Specter proposes new amendment to current healthcare reform bill

Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA) today proposed a new amendment to the current healthcare reform bill which will preserve access to care for millions of Medicare patients seen by a medical specialist.

14 Dec 2009

Senate plan may raise costs and cut healthcare access for senior citizens, says new report

A new report released by the Medicare Chief Actuary, Richard Foster, and the Center for Medicaid Services, the federal agency that oversees Medicaid, says that the proposed health care overhaul plan will dramatically increase health care costs and senior citizens will suffer from Medicare cuts.

14 Dec 2009

UnitedHealthcare completes previously announced acquisition of Health Net

UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group company, and Health Net, Inc. today announced that UnitedHealthcare has completed the previously announced acquisition of Health Net of the Northeast’s licensed subsidiaries and has obtained rights to renew Health Net’s membership in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey.

14 Dec 2009

Some Democratic Senators raise red flag on Medicare expansion idea

The possibility of allowing some 55-64 year olds to buy-in to Medicare is in the news today.

14 Dec 2009

Some rural communities concerned reform provisions could hurt Medicare services

Newspapers in Alaska and Washington state explore how health reform provisions might affect Medicare services in rural areas, while a Colorado newspaper looks at one senator's efforts to increase the number of doctors in rural areas.

14 Dec 2009

Pelosi calls House, Senate bills "75 percent compatible"

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., indicated Thursday that she may be amenable to a Senate compromise that would expand Medicare and allow the federal government to oversee nonprofit national health plans in lieu of the public option, CNN reports.

13 Dec 2009

Democrats struggling to find delicate balance on Senate health bill

The Hill: "Two key senators criticized the most recent healthcare compromise Sunday, saying the policies replacing the public option are still unacceptable. Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) both said a Medicare 'buy-in' option for those aged 55-64 was a deal breaker.

13 Dec 2009

UPMC Health Plan signs agreement to offer brain fitness software from Posit Science

UPMC Health Plan announced today that it has signed an agreement to offer award-winning brain fitness software from Posit Science®, at no cost, to all UPMC for Life Medicare Advantage members.

12 Dec 2009

Health policy study roundup

Relationship of Primary Care Physicians' Patient Caseload With Measurement of Quality and Cost Performance - To "determine whether primary care physicians in the same physician practice collectively see enough Medicare patients annually to detect meaningful differences between practices in ambulatory quality and cost measures," the authors of this study combed through a national sample of Medicare beneficiaries and a database identifying the practice affiliations of the physicians who delivered care to these patients.

12 Dec 2009

Results from clinical survey of Oncotype DX on patients with node-positive breast cancer announced

Genomic Health, Inc. today announced results from a clinical survey evaluating the impact of the Oncotype DX® Recurrence Score® result on physicians' adjuvant treatment recommendations for patients with node-positive, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.

12 Dec 2009

Expansion of Medicare in health care compromise faces challenges

The expansion of Medicare included in a Senate compromise hailed as a breakthrough in the discussions of health care overhaul earlier this week is now encountering some friction.

11 Dec 2009

Talk To Me Technologies to help customers get funding through Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance

AbleNet, Inc. announces a new program to offer Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance funding support through Talk To Me Technologies, LLC. This service is effective December 2009 for the AbleNet SuperTalker™ progressive communicator and FL4SH™ scanning communicator products.

11 Dec 2009