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UMA introduces Healthcare Management and Health Information Technology degrees

To meet the growing demand for allied health professionals, Ultimate Medical Academy (UMA) has expanded its array of healthcare training programs with two new associate degrees. Prospective students throughout the U.S. can now enroll in online healthcare degree programs leading to an Associate of Science in Healthcare Management or an Associate of Science in Health Information Technology.

21 Jul 2011

Outliving one's resources, falling into poverty more common among senior citizens

Outliving one's resources and falling into poverty is an increasingly common experience among today's senior citizens, according to a new report produced jointly by the Heller School's Institute on Assets and Social Policy and the public policy research and advocacy organization Demos.

20 Jul 2011

Promega PowerPlex 18D System receives approval for generating DNA records for NDIS

Promega PowerPlex® 18D System is now approved for use in laboratories generating DNA records for the National DNA Index System (NDIS). NDIS is the U.S. national database containing over seven million offender and forensic DNA profiles used to help authorities identify criminals nationwide.

20 Jul 2011

Magellan sells TREK business to Thermo Fisher

Magellan Biosciences, a global manufacturer of products designed to make diagnostic testing easier, more cost-effective, and less labor intensive, announced that it has sold its microbiology business, TREK Diagnostic Systems, to Thermo Fisher Scientific.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 19 Jul 2011

Wales attempts ban on smoking in cars carrying kids

Wales is slated to become the first country in Europe to ban drivers from smoking with children in their car. Labor leaders in the Welsh Assembly are considering a new law barring cigarettes in cars carrying anyone under 18. The move could see a driver who legally lights up in England face criminal charges if they keep smoking over the border in Wales.

18 Jul 2011

Research roundup: Putting good science into practice; shifting hospital costs; finding savings in Mass.

In 2006, researchers published a widely reported study showing that for many patients who had suffered a heart attack more than 24 hours before and had a blocked coronary artery, certain heart procedures, such as balloon angioplasty and the insertion of stents, were no more effective than drugs alone. In 2007, the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology issued guidelines urging doctors to not use such treatments in those patients.

16 Jul 2011

Oxytocin does not boost prospects for normal births

A new Cochrane review says that oxytocin, a medication often used to quicken slow-paced labor in its early stages, doesn't boost the prospects for normal births. Riskier births that required cesarean section or the use of forceps didn't become less common.

15 Jul 2011

State roundup: Model insurance brings 'modest' savings

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts' alternative quality contract, which Governor Deval Patrick has held up as a potential model for controlling health care costs, produced "modest" savings in its first year while yielding improved quality of care in some areas, according to a new study in this week's New England Journal of Medicine.

15 Jul 2011

OSI Systems introduces Sonicaid Encore to track fetal heartbeat

OSI Systems, Inc., a vertically-integrated provider of specialized electronic products for critical applications in the Security and Healthcare industries, today announced the introduction of the Sonicaid Encore, a high performance fetal and maternal monitor that uses advanced technology for patient monitoring in labor and delivery.

15 Jul 2011

Study about impact of drug shortages on U.S. health systems

Increasing drug shortages are impacting patient care and increasing costs to the nation's health system, according to a new study released today by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

13 Jul 2011

U.S. hospitals report severe drug shortages: Survey

A survey called “Impact of Drug Shortages on U.S. Health Systems” released this Tuesday showed that a vast majority of U.S. hospitals have restricted the use of life-saving chemotherapy drugs and other critical-care medications in the past six months to cope with unprecedented shortages.

13 Jul 2011

Sexually transmitted diseases more common in women age 40

A Johns Hopkins infectious disease expert is calling for all sexually active American women age 40 and older to get tested for the parasite Trichomonas vaginalis after new study evidence found that the sexually transmitted disease (STD) is more than twice as common in this age group than previously thought.

12 Jul 2011

FitView solution for personal trainers

Professional fitness trainers and coaches got a leg up today with the release of a new suite of tools that fills a broadening gap between fitness trainer and trainee.

12 Jul 2011

Slow economic recovery slows tally of new health care jobs

Health care employment, which defied the economy by adding jobs through the 2007-09 recession, is looking less robust. The sector is starting to come under pressure as the weak recovery coupled with state budget cuts and uncertainty about the financial effects of the health care overhaul are pushing hospitals and health systems to cut costs.

11 Jul 2011

Cardiac Science's Powerheart G3 AED receives Japanese regulatory approval

Cardiac Science Corporation, a global leader in automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and diagnostic cardiac monitoring devices, announced today that the Japan Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare approved a new model of its Powerheart G3 AED. The company is partnering with Omron Healthcare to distribute its AEDs in Japan. Japan-based Omron is a leading healthcare company dedicated to prevention of heart disease.

8 Jul 2011

States continue to wrestle with public employee health benefits

Reports from Connecticut and Oregon detail ongoing negotiations between the state and unionized state employees. Proposed changes to health benefits play major roles in both situations.

8 Jul 2011

Study links physician leaders with hospital performance

Top-performing hospitals are typically ones headed by a medical doctor rather than a manager. That is the finding from a new study of what makes a good hospital.

7 Jul 2011

Connecticut first state to require paid sick time

The measure, which was signed into law Tuesday by the governor, will benefit -- say its backers -- between 200,000 and 300,000 workers. Its opponents argue the requirement will make the state less competitive. In related news, Denver voters could consider a similar measure on the November ballot.

7 Jul 2011

The essential role of midwives

Mary Ellen Stanton, a senior maternal health advisor at USAID, and Chris Thomas, global health communications and policy advisor at USAID, outline the agency's work to promote better health outcomes for women and children in the developing world on GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog.

6 Jul 2011

State roundup: Calif. weighs bill to curb premium increases

Assembly Bill 52 … would give the state the authority to approve, deny or modify excessive health insurance rate hikes - much as regulators do now with auto insurance. The bill is a lightning rod for many of the Capitol's most influential interest groups, pitting consumer, labor, small business and health care advocacy groups against the California Chamber of Commerce and hospital, physician and health insurance associations.

6 Jul 2011