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Accretive gives detailed response to Sen. Franken inquiry

The Minnesota attorney general says the company has some overly-aggressive billing and collection practices.

14 May 2012

First Edition: May 14, 2012

In today's headlines, a report about how the Ryan budget plan -- specifically, its Medicare changes -- is playing in congressional races.

14 May 2012

HealthFitness praises IOM for in-depth report on obesity in the U.S.

In some 478 pages, the Institute of Medicine laid out a thorough case this week to re-cast the nation's growing obesity problem as both an individual and societal responsibility to solve. Despite both private and public efforts over the past decade to address the problem, obesity-related illnesses cost an estimated $190 billion a year in the first five years of the millennium.

14 May 2012

Medication nonadherence linked to unnecessary cardiovascular hospitalizations in older patients

Older patients with high cholesterol or high blood pressure are at particular risk for unnecessary hospitalizations if they don't follow doctor's orders on taking their medications, according to new research from Express Scripts presented this week.

14 May 2012

Study reveals variability in physician intentions and recommendations on HPV vaccination

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center surveyed 1,008 physicians seeking their knowledge, recommendation beliefs and information on their practices regarding the controversial human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which is aimed at preventing cancers resulting from sexually transmitted HPV infection. Of the physicians surveyed, 112 provided additional comments at the conclusion of the survey.

14 May 2012

Tips for a safe and injury-free summer camp experience

Most people have fond memories of their camping experiences. For parents, the anxiety of preparing for those days can be agonizing. Whether it's a day camp or an extended stay, parents can make the most out of the experience by preparing in advance.

14 May 2012

Event addresses FDA's recent draft guidelines for development of biosimilar products

Dr. Richard Dolinar, chairman of the Alliance for Safe Biologic Medicines (Alliance) outlined five areas of concern that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should resolve before they allow biosimilar medications on the U.S. drug market in prepared testimony for the FDA's May 11th public hearing. The event addressed the FDA's recent draft guidelines for the development of biosimilar products.

14 May 2012

Kidney transplants more frequent among NxStage home hemodialysis patients

NxStage Medical, Inc., a leading manufacturer of innovative dialysis products, today commented on findings of the Chronic Disease Research Group (CDRG) study showing that patients receiving daily, or more frequent, home hemodialysis with the NxStage System One are more likely to receive a kidney transplant when compared with conventional thrice-weekly dialysis, particularly in patients not on the transplant waitlist at initiation of daily home hemodialysis.

14 May 2012

Towers Watson signs agreement to acquire Extend Health

Towers Watson, a global professional services company, announced today that it has signed an agreement to acquire Extend Health, Inc., which operates the largest private Medicare exchange in the United States.

14 May 2012

New EMR tool helps reduce unnecessary abdominal CT scan use among ER patients

A new electronic medical record tool that tallies patients' previous radiation exposure from CT scans helps reduce potentially unnecessary use of the tests among emergency room patients with abdominal pain, according to a study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania that will be presented today at the annual meeting of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

14 May 2012

CRT-D cost-effective treatment for mildly symptomatic heart failure patients

Medtronic, Inc. today announced findings from an economic analysis of the landmark RAFT (Resynchronization / Defibrillation in Ambulatory Heart Failure Trial) trial demonstrating that cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillation (CRT-D) is a cost-effective treatment for mildly symptomatic heart failure patients.

14 May 2012

Poor planning, revenue-driven surgery force patients home too early

Revenue-driven surgery and poor planning drive some surgical patients home too early, concludes a pair of logistical studies conducted by researchers at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business.

14 May 2012

3SBio first quarter total net revenues increase 24.5% to RMB147.2M

3SBio Inc., a leading China-based biotechnology company focused on researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing biopharmaceutical products, today announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012.

14 May 2012

Novel heart monitoring device helps ER patients avoid unnecessary follow-up care

A study conducted at Scripps Health has found that a novel new heart monitoring device helped emergency room patients avoid unnecessary follow-up care. Scripps Health electrophysiologist Steven Higgins, MD, presented findings of the study titled, "Prevalence of Arrhythmias in Emergency Department Patients Discharged Using a Novel Ambulatory Cardiac Monitor", today at the Heart Rhythm Society's 33rd Annual Scientific Sessions in Boston.

14 May 2012

NBHA commends FDA for continuing investigation of bisphosphonate treatment for osteoporosis

In response to today's Perspective pieces published in the New England Journal Of Medicine, the National Bone Health Alliance (NBHA), a public-private partnership bringing together the expertise and resources of its 42 members from the private and non-profit sectors to collectively advance bone health and prevent disease, commends the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for continuing to investigate the risks and benefits of long-term bisphosphonate treatment.

11 May 2012

House subcommittee approves FY13 U.S. international affairs spending bill without amendment

The House Appropriations State and Foreign Operations subcommittee on Wednesday approved, without changes, its version of the FY 2013 U.S. international affairs appropriations bill, Devex reports (Mungcal, 5/10).

11 May 2012

Viewpoints: Two views on how to fight obesity; Tough choices for big business on health costs

Forgive us if we don't cheer at the prospect of adding 32 million to the total number of Americans who are dozens of pounds too heavy, a count that stood in 2010 at 78 million.

11 May 2012

Study looking at impact of HIV funding on Rwanda's health system has 'serious limitations'

In this post on the Center for Global Development's (CGD) "Global Health Policy" blog, Research Fellow Victoria Fan, Director of Global Health Policy Amanda Glassman, and Research Assistant Rachel Silverman of the Center for Global Development (CGD) examine what they call the "serious limitations" of a study published recently in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene that looked at the impact of HIV/AIDS funding on Rwanda's health system.

11 May 2012

International community should unite to ensure adequate family planning services for women in West Africa, globally

"For many years, in large parts of West Africa, the percentage of women who use contraception has stalled at less than 10 percent, leading many to declare that there is very little or no demand for family planning (FP) in the region.

11 May 2012

California budget cuts not over, warns governor, even as proposed trim to health centers fails

California Gov. Jerry Brown warns more budget cuts are coming, and many expect trims to health programs. In the meantime, a bid to reduce funding to federally qualified health centers in the state failed.

11 May 2012

Health Care News and Research

Accretive gives detailed response to Sen. Franken inquiry

First Edition: May 14, 2012

HealthFitness praises IOM for in-depth report on obesity in the U.S.

Medication nonadherence linked to unnecessary cardiovascular hospitalizations in older patients

Study reveals variability in physician intentions and recommendations on HPV vaccination

Tips for a safe and injury-free summer camp experience

Event addresses FDA's recent draft guidelines for development of biosimilar products

Kidney transplants more frequent among NxStage home hemodialysis patients

Towers Watson signs agreement to acquire Extend Health

New EMR tool helps reduce unnecessary abdominal CT scan use among ER patients

CRT-D cost-effective treatment for mildly symptomatic heart failure patients

Poor planning, revenue-driven surgery force patients home too early

3SBio first quarter total net revenues increase 24.5% to RMB147.2M

Novel heart monitoring device helps ER patients avoid unnecessary follow-up care

NBHA commends FDA for continuing investigation of bisphosphonate treatment for osteoporosis

House subcommittee approves FY13 U.S. international affairs spending bill without amendment

Viewpoints: Two views on how to fight obesity; Tough choices for big business on health costs

Study looking at impact of HIV funding on Rwanda's health system has 'serious limitations'

International community should unite to ensure adequate family planning services for women in West Africa, globally

California budget cuts not over, warns governor, even as proposed trim to health centers fails

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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