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Turing Pharmaceuticals emphasizes continued availability of Daraprim

Turing Pharmaceuticals AG, a privately-held biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative treatments for serious diseases and conditions, today emphasizes the continued availability of Daraprim and cautions healthcare providers of proposed alternatives to Daraprim.

20 Dec 2015

NITOS coding platform allows users to examine role and value of medical imaging

A new free resource allows researchers to use Medicare and other payer claims databases to identify and meaningfully characterize medical imaging by noninvasive or invasive procedures, modality, body region and clinical focus. Developed by the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute, the Neiman Imaging Types of Service (NITOS) coding platform is an open source classification system, allowing users to readily extract utilization and cost data to examine the role and value of medical imaging.

17 Dec 2015

Reducing cost for screening does not increase colorectal cancer screening rates

Making colonoscopy available at no cost to eligible Medicare beneficiaries under the Affordable Care Act did not increase the number of people in this target population who regularly undergo the procedure, says a new large scale national study from University Hospitals Case Medical Center Seidman Cancer Center.

17 Dec 2015

Stanford study finds that overprescription of opioids goes beyond ‘pill mill’ prescribers

Most prescriptions for opioid painkillers are made by the broad swath of U.S. general practitioners, not by a limited group of specialists, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

17 Dec 2015

Executive Care earns recognition as 2015 HomeCare Elite Top Agency

Greystone Home Health of Columbus d/b/a Executive Care, part of the Greystone Health Network, has earned recognition as a 2015 HomeCare Elite Top Agency. The home health provider earned Top Agency status in 2014, and continues to be recognized as one of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States.

16 Dec 2015

VistaPharm announces launch of Potassium Chloride Solution

VistaPharm today announced that it has launched Potassium Chloride Solution, USP, 10% in Unit Dose. The product is supplied to the market in a 50 count case of 30mL unit dose cups.

14 Dec 2015

Study may help guide patients and physicians to determine appropriate treatment option for early breast cancer

In a review of guideline-concordant treatment modalities for women with early stage breast cancer, mastectomy and reconstruction had the highest rate of complications and complication-related costs, regardless of age. It was also the most expensive treatment option in a younger patient population, according to a new study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

11 Dec 2015

Postponing chemotherapy may increase risk of death for triple-negative breast cancer patients

Postponing the start of adjuvant chemotherapy for more than 90 days following surgery may significantly increase risk of death for breast cancer patients, particularly those with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), according to a new study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

11 Dec 2015

Economic and racial barriers impact treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis

In the first known study to examine the prevalence and treatment of psoriasis in older Americans, experts from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have found that black patients receiving Medicare are less likely to receive biologic therapies -medications derived from human or animal cells or tissues - for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis than white patients.

9 Dec 2015

Mayo Clinic researchers report national trend toward overtesting HbA1C levels in diabetes patients

In a study released online today in The BMJ, researchers from Mayo Clinic report a national trend toward overtesting glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) levels in adult patients with Type 2 diabetes.

9 Dec 2015

Age doesn't matter when considering HCT for patients with MDS, study reveals

Results from a prospective study of 1,280 patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) showed that survival at 100 days and at two years following hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) for patients aged 65 and older is comparable to patients aged 55 to 64.

7 Dec 2015

STSI launches home-based clinical trial that uses wearable sensors to identify people with AFib

Researchers at the Scripps Translational Science Institute have launched a home-based clinical trial that uses wearable sensor technology to identify people with asymptomatic atrial fibrillation (AFib).

1 Dec 2015

Comorbidities relevant to CML TKI choice common

Comorbid conditions that could affect the choice of tyrosine kinase inhibitor are common in patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia, finds an analysis of a US claims database.

27 Nov 2015

Meridian Health Plan wins 2015 Top Workplaces award

Meridian Health Plan has been awarded a 2015 Top Workplaces honor by the Detroit Free Press. The Top Workplaces lists are based solely on the results of an employee feedback survey administered by WorkplaceDynamics, LLC, a leading research firm that specializes in organizational health and workplace improvement.

25 Nov 2015

Health insurance coverage for transgender people is cost-effective, study finds

A new analysis led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests that while most U.S. health insurance plans deny benefits to transgender men and women for medical care necessary to transition to the opposite sex, paying for sex reassignment surgery and hormones is actually cost-effective.

25 Nov 2015

Catasys to provide assistance to Humana members experiencing substance abuse challenges

Catasys, Inc., a provider of proprietary big-data based analytics and predictive modeling driven health management services for health plans, announced today that it has signed a national agreement with Humana Behavioral Health to combine its substance abuse care management with Humana clinical programs to address the needs of members experiencing substance abuse challenges.

24 Nov 2015

Complex numeric data on hospital-acquired infections confuses consumers

Patients have difficulty deciphering complex numeric data on healthcare-associated infections used by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to help consumers choose hospitals, according to a new study published online today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA).

24 Nov 2015

Modest physical activity associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease in older adults

In a large prospective community-based study of older Americans, modest physical activity was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This was true even among men and women older than age 75 at baseline - a rapidly growing population for whom regular activity has been advised, but with little supportive empirical evidence.

19 Nov 2015

UPMC for You honored by MHPA Institute for Medicaid Innovation

UPMC for You, the Medical Assistance program of UPMC Health Plan, was honored by the Medicaid Health Plans of America Institute for Medicaid Innovation for demonstrating innovative and effective approaches to providing services that have improved the health of Medicaid enrollees, at MHPA's annual Best Practices Awards program held in Washington, D.C., earlier this month.

19 Nov 2015

Higher levels of air pollution in major urban areas linked to heart attack risks in people 65 and older

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have found a link between higher levels of a specific kind of air pollution in major urban areas and an increase in cardiovascular-related hospitalizations such as for heart attacks in people 65 and older.

18 Nov 2015

Medicare News and Research

Turing Pharmaceuticals emphasizes continued availability of Daraprim

NITOS coding platform allows users to examine role and value of medical imaging

Reducing cost for screening does not increase colorectal cancer screening rates

Stanford study finds that overprescription of opioids goes beyond ‘pill mill’ prescribers

Executive Care earns recognition as 2015 HomeCare Elite Top Agency

VistaPharm announces launch of Potassium Chloride Solution

Study may help guide patients and physicians to determine appropriate treatment option for early breast cancer

Postponing chemotherapy may increase risk of death for triple-negative breast cancer patients

Economic and racial barriers impact treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis

Mayo Clinic researchers report national trend toward overtesting HbA1C levels in diabetes patients

Age doesn't matter when considering HCT for patients with MDS, study reveals

STSI launches home-based clinical trial that uses wearable sensors to identify people with AFib

Comorbidities relevant to CML TKI choice common

Meridian Health Plan wins 2015 Top Workplaces award

Health insurance coverage for transgender people is cost-effective, study finds

Catasys to provide assistance to Humana members experiencing substance abuse challenges

Complex numeric data on hospital-acquired infections confuses consumers

Modest physical activity associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease in older adults

UPMC for You honored by MHPA Institute for Medicaid Innovation

Higher levels of air pollution in major urban areas linked to heart attack risks in people 65 and older

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How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

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