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Consumers get access to nationwide ratings of individual surgeons based on patient outcomes

Preventable medical errors of various kinds kill at least 200,000 Americans each year, making this the third leading cause of death in the United States, six times as many deaths as from auto accidents. One way to reduce such errors is for consumers to choose the best surgeons. For the first time ever, consumers across the U.S. today have access to ratings of individual surgeons based on outcomes—how often their patients die in hospital or within 90 days of hospital discharge, have serious complications in hospital, or need to be readmitted to a hospital within 90 days of discharge.

14 Jul 2015

U-M Medical School researchers compare reality and rhetoric of two health plans

Few people today would dare call President Richard Nixon a radical liberal. But 44 years ago, he proposed a health plan that went far beyond what today's Affordable Care Act includes. After the first plan failed, he did it again three years later.

13 Jul 2015

Proper documentation of hospital patients' malnutrition can help increase care and reimbursement

Nutrition support professionals who are well-versed in proper documentation of malnutrition diagnoses in hospital patients can help ensure that hospitals receive maximum funding for patient care according to a new review.

13 Jul 2015

New screening program using CT scan technology can help better detect lung cancer in smokers

Long-time smokers and past smokers now have a more accurate way of detecting whether or not they have lung cancer thanks to a comprehensive lung cancer screening program that uses CT scan technology at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City.

10 Jul 2015

Revised work hour restrictions for resident physicians fail to improve surgical patient outcomes

Work hour restrictions for resident physicians, revised nationally four years ago largely to protect patients against physician trainees' fatigue-related errors, have not had the desired effect of lowering postoperative complication rates in several common surgical specialties, according to new study results.

9 Jul 2015

Phase 3 ODYSSEY JAPAN trial of Praluent injection meets primary endpoint

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Sanofi today announced that the Phase 3 ODYSSEY JAPAN trial of the investigational therapy Praluent® (alirocumab) Injection met its primary endpoint.

9 Jul 2015

Partnerships between healthcare insurers and pharmaceutical companies promote real-world value

PwC's Health Research Institute (HRI) reports that market forces are driving new sector collaborations– pairing traditional drug makers with insurers, health systems, patient groups and technology firms – to maximize real-world value and health outcomes.

9 Jul 2015

AGS supports inclusion of ACP codes in 2016 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule

The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) strongly supports inclusion of the Advance Care Planning (ACP) codes in the 2016 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.

9 Jul 2015

First-of-its-kind 'Transitional Care' provider starts treating Medicare patients

A first-of-its-kind provider group has begun treating Medicare patients who have been discharged from hospitals and post-acute care facilities under a newly launched Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) designation called ‘Transitional Care.’

8 Jul 2015

Exercise program for older adults with osteoarthritis may soon be covered by Medicare

Fit & Strong!, an exercise program tailored to break the cycle of weakening and pain in older adults with osteoarthritis and developed at the University of Illinois at Chicago, may soon be covered by Medicare.

8 Jul 2015

UVA earns national Women's Choice Awards for patient safety, patient satisfaction in orthopedics

University of Virginia Medical Center has earned two 2015 national Women's Choice Awards from WomenCertified Inc. - one for patient safety and one for patient satisfaction in orthopedics.

8 Jul 2015

Global efforts help improve quality of nursing home care for racial, ethnic minority residents

A new study of nursing homes has found that, while disparities continue to exist, the quality of care in homes with higher concentrations of racial and ethnic minority residents has improved and that this progress appears to be linked to increases in Medicaid payments.

8 Jul 2015

Improving access to affordable primary care cuts hospital stays, but fails to reduce ED visits in dual eligible patients

Convincing the nation's most vulnerable citizens to avoid costly emergency department visits is proving harder than expected. A new study from the University of Iowa found improving access to affordable primary care reduced preventable hospital stays for black and Hispanics who receive both Medicare and Medicaid but failed to reduce the number of trips to the emergency department.

8 Jul 2015

Centene to acquire Health Net shares for approximately $6.8 billion

Centene Corporation and Health Net, Inc. announced that the Boards of Directors of both companies have unanimously approved a definitive agreement under which Centene will acquire all of the shares of Health Net in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $6.8 billion, including the assumption of approximately $500 million of debt.

2 Jul 2015

Health Ethics Trust's Compliance Program certification awarded to Diversified Service Options

Diversified Service Options, Inc., (Diversified) today announced that the company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, First Coast Service Options and Novitas Solutions, have achieved the prestigious Health Ethics Trust's Compliance Program certification for their compliance program, Navigator.

1 Jul 2015

Express Scripts report shows that new exchange plan enrollees spent less on medications in Q1 2015

New exchange plan enrollees spent less on medications in the first quarter of 2015 compared to the same time a year ago, according to the third edition of the Express Scripts Exchange Pulse report, released today.

1 Jul 2015

Hospital-wide clinical improvement initiative for patients at risk for DASH reduces readmission rates

Brigham and Women's Hospital finds that developing and implementing an interdisciplinary care improvement initiative improves outcomes.

1 Jul 2015

FAU awarded $2.1 million to examine effectiveness of antipsychotic medication for schizophrenia

Florida Atlantic University's Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine was recently awarded a $2.1 million, two-year contract by Otsuka America Pharmaceutical Inc. to conduct a study to examine the effectiveness of an injectable long-acting antipsychotic medication for schizophrenia and its impact on 30-day hospital readmission rates.

1 Jul 2015

Veracyte named to Bay Area News Group's Top Workplaces list for second consecutive year

Veracyte, Inc., a molecular diagnostics company pioneering the field of molecular cytology, today announced that it has been named to the Bay Area News Group's prestigious Top Workplaces list for the second year in a row. The news group selects Top Workplace winners based solely on an annual survey of Bay Area-company employees.

29 Jun 2015

Kenall Manufacturing introduces light fixture to kill harmful bacteria linked to HAIs

Kenall Manufacturing today introduced Indigo-Clean, a light fixture that uses Continuous Environmental Disinfection technology to continuously kill harmful bacteria linked to hospital acquired infections (HAIs). The technology behind Indigo-Clean inactivates a wide range of micro-organisms that are known causes of HAIs, including MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), C.difficile and VRE (Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus).

27 Jun 2015

Medicare News and Research

Consumers get access to nationwide ratings of individual surgeons based on patient outcomes

U-M Medical School researchers compare reality and rhetoric of two health plans

Proper documentation of hospital patients' malnutrition can help increase care and reimbursement

New screening program using CT scan technology can help better detect lung cancer in smokers

Revised work hour restrictions for resident physicians fail to improve surgical patient outcomes

Phase 3 ODYSSEY JAPAN trial of Praluent injection meets primary endpoint

Partnerships between healthcare insurers and pharmaceutical companies promote real-world value

AGS supports inclusion of ACP codes in 2016 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule

First-of-its-kind 'Transitional Care' provider starts treating Medicare patients

Exercise program for older adults with osteoarthritis may soon be covered by Medicare

UVA earns national Women's Choice Awards for patient safety, patient satisfaction in orthopedics

Global efforts help improve quality of nursing home care for racial, ethnic minority residents

Improving access to affordable primary care cuts hospital stays, but fails to reduce ED visits in dual eligible patients

Centene to acquire Health Net shares for approximately $6.8 billion

Health Ethics Trust's Compliance Program certification awarded to Diversified Service Options

Express Scripts report shows that new exchange plan enrollees spent less on medications in Q1 2015

Hospital-wide clinical improvement initiative for patients at risk for DASH reduces readmission rates

FAU awarded $2.1 million to examine effectiveness of antipsychotic medication for schizophrenia

Veracyte named to Bay Area News Group's Top Workplaces list for second consecutive year

Kenall Manufacturing introduces light fixture to kill harmful bacteria linked to HAIs

Industry Focus eBook - Life Science Microscopy (2nd Edition) eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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