Health Care News and Research

RSS

Republicans call for investigation of health law's costs

Politico: "House Republicans on Wednesday demanded an investigation into whether the health care overhaul plan would increase national health spending, following a recent report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that showed cost increases, at least in the first decade." The Medicare actuary's report showed a one percent increase in health spending over 10 years, which Republicans said cut against Democrats' pledge that the health overhaul would "bend the cost curve down."

30 Apr 2010

Experts see 'lump sums' in health spending's future

Los Angeles Times/Dallas Morning News: Some elite California hospitals will begin "bundling" their fees for joint replacement surgeries into a single lump sum in an attempt to rethink the current pricing system that leaves "hospitals and doctors charging separately for their services," driving "up costs while leaving no one to coordinate decisions about patient care."

30 Apr 2010

Partisan disagreement mounts as health programs are considered by debt commission

This week's focus on the federal deficit -- at a fiscal summit that drew many major policy makers and at the opening of President Barack Obama's bipartisan debt-reduction commission -- has renewed interest in the economic effects of the new health care law, especially given Obama's remarks that everything, even that law, would be under consideration by the commission as it looks to cut the national debt.

30 Apr 2010

Study examines doctors' uncompensated daily work

The New York Times: "A new study detailing the uncompensated work burden on family doctors points to the need to change how they are paid, medical experts say — particularly as the new health care law promises to add millions more patients to the system. … Family doctors make up the embattled front line of the nation's health care system.

30 Apr 2010

Bristol-Myers Squibb reports 11% increase in first-quarter 2010 revenue

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today reported strong sales and earnings growth for the first quarter of 2010.

30 Apr 2010

First Edition: April 29, 2010

This week, as yet another major health insurer reports quarterly gains, the industry says it will stop the practice of rescissions earlier than required by the new reform law. Meanwhile, other headlines examine key provisions of the measure, such as its high risk pools.

29 Apr 2010

First UK conference to address benefits of breastfeeding for babies with developmental disabilities

The first UK conference to address the benefits of breastfeeding for babies with developmental disabilities will be hosted by the University of Hertfordshire next week.

29 Apr 2010

New FineThanx phone system gives peace of mind to elderly patients

In a new system, telephone calls twice a day find out how an aging loved one is doing. Then the system reports back the good news or bad.

29 Apr 2010

Health care providers now have access to free toolkit to improve youth smoking cessation programs

Health care providers and educators nationwide who run youth smoking cessation programs now have access to a free toolkit to improve their programs.

29 Apr 2010

Masimo forms non-profit Foundation to improve patient safety, deliver advanced health care

Masimo Corporation, the inventor of Pulse CO-Oximetry and Measure-Through Motion and Low Perfusion pulse oximetry, announced today the formation of The Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare, a non-profit organization that will facilitate its corporate philanthropy.

29 Apr 2010

Primary health care providers play key role in helping patients navigate Canadian health care system

For Canadians with chronic conditions, having a regular doctor doesn't necessarily mean they're receiving the safest or most supportive medical care. That doctor must also provide the basic elements of good primary care, two of which are: knowing their patient's history and helping to coordinate other aspects of their care, according to a Health Council of Canada bulletin released today.

29 Apr 2010

Federal employee health program unlikely to extend young adult coverage on parents' plan this year

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jessica Marcy reports: "Many parents breathed a sigh of relief when they heard that health insurance companies were opening up coverage to young adult children.

29 Apr 2010

PMC Canada puts latest Canadian health research at fingertips of researchers

The flow of information and ideas amongst researchers is a fundamental element in turning knowledge into discoveries that will address the health challenges of tomorrow. Thanks to the newly launched PubMed Central Canada, Canadian researchers can now contribute to a growing, searchable digital archive of published Canadian health research.

29 Apr 2010

Emdat launches DaRT solution to help physicians utilize EMRs more efficiently

Emdat announces the launch of DaRT, or Discrete accurate Reportable Transcription, a solution that enables more efficient utilization of electronic medical records by seamlessly integrating with Emdat's online medical transcription platform.

29 Apr 2010

Sierra Leone launching free health care program for mothers, children; Challenges remain

Sierra Leone is launching a program to provide free health care for mothers and children in an effort to reduce high maternal and child mortality rates, Ernest Bai Koroma, the country's president, said on Tuesday, the Associated Press reports (4/27).

29 Apr 2010

Survey: Americans worry about getting health coverage, but leading Democrat optimistic of turnaround

Reuters: A new survey published Wednesday suggests that "Americans are steadily losing confidence in their ability to get healthcare and pay for it, despite the passage of healthcare reform legislation."

29 Apr 2010

Injection drug use contributes to transmission of syphilis

A binational team of researchers led by University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that active syphilis infections are significantly greater in female sex workers who inject drugs and share needles than those who don't. The findings suggest that injection drug use may play as big a role as risky sexual behavior in the transmission of syphilis. It may also exacerbate the spread of both HIV and syphilis, as syphilis is frequently a co-factor for HIV infection.

29 Apr 2010

Mass. legislation to push poor seniors into managed care plans stirs concerns

Legislation that could push more than 100,000 low-income senior citizens in Massachusetts into managed care health plans spurred intense lobbying yesterday, as consumer advocates argued the measure would strip patients of their freedom to stay in traditional Medicare, while proponents said it could save the state significant money.

29 Apr 2010

Astrazeneca settles drug marketing lawsuit, plea deal rejected for possibly defective heart device maker

The New York Times: AstraZeneca has settled a case and agreed to pay $520 million after federal investigations into its marketing practices for a schizophrenia drug, Seroquel. The announcement came Tuesday from Attorney General Eric Holder. Government officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, said the company paid illegal kickbacks to doctors to promote drugs for unapproved uses by children, the elderly, veterans and prisoners, which is illegal under federal law.

29 Apr 2010

State regulators say insurance industry should easily meet medical-loss requirement

Insurers can meet the requirements in the new health overhaul law for minimum spending on patient care by deducting taxes and relabeling expenses related to improving "health care quality" as medical costs, rather than administrative ones, according to an April 24 memo from an expert at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports.

29 Apr 2010

Health Care News and Research

Republicans call for investigation of health law's costs

Experts see 'lump sums' in health spending's future

Partisan disagreement mounts as health programs are considered by debt commission

Study examines doctors' uncompensated daily work

Bristol-Myers Squibb reports 11% increase in first-quarter 2010 revenue

First Edition: April 29, 2010

First UK conference to address benefits of breastfeeding for babies with developmental disabilities

New FineThanx phone system gives peace of mind to elderly patients

Health care providers now have access to free toolkit to improve youth smoking cessation programs

Masimo forms non-profit Foundation to improve patient safety, deliver advanced health care

Primary health care providers play key role in helping patients navigate Canadian health care system

Federal employee health program unlikely to extend young adult coverage on parents' plan this year

PMC Canada puts latest Canadian health research at fingertips of researchers

Emdat launches DaRT solution to help physicians utilize EMRs more efficiently

Sierra Leone launching free health care program for mothers, children; Challenges remain

Survey: Americans worry about getting health coverage, but leading Democrat optimistic of turnaround

Injection drug use contributes to transmission of syphilis

Mass. legislation to push poor seniors into managed care plans stirs concerns

Astrazeneca settles drug marketing lawsuit, plea deal rejected for possibly defective heart device maker

State regulators say insurance industry should easily meet medical-loss requirement

Event guide: 3rd Measuring Patient Engagement Summit eBook

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

How microplastics and bacteria interact to drive antibiotic resistance

Latest News