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Eisai collaborates with Biogen Idec to develop and commercialize treatment options for AD

Eisai Co., Ltd. and Biogen Idec announced today that they have entered into a collaboration to develop and commercialize two of Eisai's clinical candidates for Alzheimer's disease (AD), E2609 and BAN2401.

5 Mar 2014

One third of nursing home patients harmed by caregivers

The finding by the Health and Human Services Inspector General emphasizes the extent of medication errors, preventable infections and other care issues in skilled nursing facilities. Also, California's Sutter Health system says it has developed a program to make end of life care both more caring and more economical.

5 Mar 2014

New RAND report assesses value-based purchasing programs in health care

After a decade of experimentation with reforms that give health providers financial incentives to improve performance, relatively little is known about how to best execute such strategies or judge their success, according to a new RAND Corporation report.

5 Mar 2014

Drug firms trimming speaking fees to doctors

ProPublica examines a shift in the money that pharmaceutical companies gave physicans for promotional speeches.

5 Mar 2014

Viewpoints: Ryan's attack on Medicaid; time to fix Medicare's doc pay

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., obviously is a great adherent of the adage, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." On Monday his committee released another attack on Medicaid, one of the linchpins of the Affordable Care Act and one that for some reason is especially detested by conservatives, like the majority members of Ryan's committee (Michael Hiltzik, 3/3).

5 Mar 2014

Motivating kids to be more physically active

Parents can help motivate kids to be more physically active, but the influence may not result in an improvement in their children's body mass index (BMI), finds a new evidence review in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

5 Mar 2014

Johns Hopkins public health and emergency preparedness experts to host first national symposium

Johns Hopkins public health and emergency preparedness experts will host the first national symposium designed to help health care providers and staff better prepare for and react to an "active shooter" in hospitals and other the health care settings.

5 Mar 2014

President's budget expected to outline health law spending

President Barack Obama's proposed budget will lay out steps to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining Medicare and is expected to lay out how much has been spent to carry out the health law so far.

5 Mar 2014

Medicare drug program falls short in tracking fraud

Medicare's massive drug program continues to be in the news, from a report finding that it fails to adequately track fraud, to continued opposition to an administration proposal that would revamp the program.

5 Mar 2014

Is another health law delay on the horizon?

The Hill reports that the Obama administration is preparing to announce as early as this week a directive that would allow insurers to continue offering plans that do not meet the overhaul's minimum coverage requirements.

5 Mar 2014

3.5 million estimated Medicaid signups under health law

Avalere Health projects that of the 8.9 million people "determined eligible" for Medicaid starting last Oct. 1, the number of new enrollees under the health law is likely much smaller -- between 2.4 million and 3.5 million. Other reports look at how health insurance could result in nearly half a million more Americans getting tested for HIV by 2017 -- but how 60,000 people with the virus will be left uninsured in states not expanding Medicaid.

5 Mar 2014

Overweight Group Health patients with hypertension benefit from 'pocket dietitian'

A rich chocolate cake is tempting you, but where is a dietitian when you need one? The e-Care for Heart Wellness study sought to solve this problem. In the study, Group Health patients who were overweight and had hypertension were more likely to have lost 10 pounds in six months if they had secure online access to a dietitian than if they received only information and usual care. The American Journal of Preventive Medicine published the e-Care study.

4 Mar 2014

Experimental drug nivolumab shrinks tumors in patients with advanced melanoma

An experimental drug aimed at restoring the immune system's ability to spot and attack cancer halted cancer progression or shrank tumors in patients with advanced melanoma, according to a multisite, early-phase clinical trial at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and 11 other institutions. All patients had experienced disease progression despite prior systemic therapies, and most had received two or more prior treatments.

4 Mar 2014

Sound Physicians launches new ECHO jobs mobile app

Sound Physicians, a leading hospitalist organization focused on driving improvements in quality, satisfaction and financial performance of inpatient healthcare delivery, is pleased to announce the launch of the new ECHO jobs mobile app, featuring real-time notification of temporary staffing opportunities via iPhone, iPad and Android mobile devices.

4 Mar 2014

First Edition: March 4, 2014

Today's headlines include highlights and themes from President Barack Obama's 2015 budget to be released today.

4 Mar 2014

Tom Daschle, with group of former Senators, focuses on telehealth rules

About eight months ago, Daschle, now a senior policy adviser at the law firm DLA Piper, shifted his focus to "telehealth" - a system in which health-care providers examine and treat patients virtually.

4 Mar 2014

NYSS affiliates with International Journal of Surgery to access important research

The New York Surgical Society (NYSS) has decided to affiliate with the International Journal of Surgery in an agreement that gives members of the Society easy access to the important research published by the journal and marks the growth in the journal's international reach.

4 Mar 2014

New AskRx version 1.0 enables patients to ask health and medication questions

RxWiki, Inc. announced today the launch of AskRx version 1.0, enabling patients to ask Digital Pharmacists™ health and medication questions.

4 Mar 2014

New research project explores link between pitch count and throwing arm injuries

The correlation between pitch count and throwing arm injuries has been a hot-button issue in baseball for years and now is the focus of a pioneering study by the Mercyhurst University Department of Sports Medicine, UPMC Hamot and Shriners Hospitals for Children - Erie.

4 Mar 2014

Health reform gives people with history of jail time access to continuous health care

Under the Affordable Care Act, an estimated 4 million people who have spent time in jail will have better access to health coverage for conditions that might-if left untreated-result in higher health care costs and an increased risk of recidivism.

4 Mar 2014