Health Care News and Research

RSS

Folate-enriched prescription medical food lowers medical costs of patients with peripheral neuropathy

Diabetic patients diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy had lower medical costs and reduced use of anticonvulsant medications when treated with a folate-enriched prescription medical food, according to data presented today at the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research 12th Annual European Congress.

28 Oct 2009

TOPROL-XL and metoprolol succinate are available for patients in all regions across the country: AstraZeneca

Following published reports that two generic companies had recalled or suspended shipments of metoprolol succinate, a beta-blocker medication taken by over half a million Americans for the treatment of high blood pressure, TOPROL-XL and its authorized generic, metoprolol succinate extended-release tablets are available.

28 Oct 2009

IFPA urges WHO to act on new insights on psoriasis to help millions of psoriasis patients

October 29 is World Psoriasis Day. Conceived by patients for patients, World Psoriasis Day is a truly global event focusing on the burden of living with psoriasis. There are more than 125 million people with psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis in the world. Psoriasis is a severe chronic inflammatory disease that effects all ages, genders, races and ethnicities.

28 Oct 2009

NCKU transfers microalgal docosahexaenoic acid production technology to Vedan Biotechnology

NCKU President, Academician Michael Ming-Chiao Lai, signed Technology Transfer Agreement in this morning with Mr. Tou-Hsiung Yang, Chairman of Vedan International (Holding) Ltd, witnessed by Vedan Biotechnology President Shih-An (Raymond) Yang and the inventor, Prof. Huey-Lang Yang of the NCKU Institute of Biotechnology.

28 Oct 2009

Self-funded division of FBMC sold to First Service Administrators

First Service Administrators, Inc. (FSAI), a leading risk manager for the health care industry and mid- to large-sized public and private employers, announced it has acquired the self-funded division of Fringe Benefits Management Company (FBMC).

28 Oct 2009

NPC, PMC to explore comparative effectiveness research for effective health care treatments

As Congress continues its efforts to reform the health care system, the National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC) and the Personalized Medicine Coalition (PMC) will host a conference tomorrow to explore a key topic in the debate: using comparative effectiveness research (CER) to determine which health care treatments are most effective while improving the quality of patient care through personalized medicine.

28 Oct 2009

Health assessment may have some influence on health behaviors, say researchers

With open enrollment now underway at many companies, employees will be making decisions about their health care coverage for 2010. As part of their health plan enrollment, they may be asked to complete a health questionnaire known as a health assessment.

28 Oct 2009

Industry experts to discuss best practices in healthcare operations at 2009 HFMA Revenue Cycle Strategies Conference

Craneware, Inc. (AIM: CRW.L), a leader in financial performance improvement solutions for U.S. healthcare, today announced a presentation at the Healthcare Financial Management Association's (HFMA) Revenue Cycle Strategies Conference scheduled for November 5-7 in Chicago, IL.

28 Oct 2009

Dementia patients face higher risk of flu mortality; refine guidelines needed for testing and vaccination policies

An epidemiological study on pneumonia and influenza (P&I) in adults age 65 and over reports that patients with dementia are diagnosed with flu less frequently, have shorter hospital stays, and have a fifty percent higher rate of death than those without dementia.

28 Oct 2009

Congress urged to support President Obama's pledge not to raise taxes on middle-class Americans

Save Flexible Spending Plans in partnership with the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) launched a new advertising campaign today encouraging Congress to honor President Obama's pledge not to raise taxes on middle-class Americans by preserving, rather than restricting, the use of flexible spending accounts (FSAs) in health care reform legislation.

28 Oct 2009

VHA helps nurses to develop work processes that are more patient-centric

Nurses work in a world of broken systems, wasted time and energy, which can be incredibly frustrating and detrimental to patient care. Most national studies show that nurses spend as little as 30 percent of their day engaged in direct patient care activities, and this can contribute to poor patient outcomes in terms of infections and other complications, poor patient and nurse satisfaction and poor quality of care overall.

28 Oct 2009

Experts release policy recommendations to promote better medication adherence and health outcomes

A diverse group of health care and consumer organizations released five policy recommendations this week that are designed to promote better medication adherence and improved health outcomes for patients.

28 Oct 2009

HHS funds projects to combat health care-associated infections

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the award of $17 million to fund projects to fight costly and dangerous health care-associated infections, or HAIs.

28 Oct 2009

HMSMobile Swine Flu Center application to provide information on H1N1 virus introduced

The HMSMobile Swine Flu Center, a new iPhone application developed by the Harvard Health Publications Division of Harvard Medical School, is now available for purchase in the iTunes store.

28 Oct 2009

Lieberman, other lawmakers express opposition to Reid's public plan

Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., says he'll filibuster Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's health care reform bill. Politico reports: "Lieberman, who caucuses with Democrats and is positioning himself as a fiscal hawk on the issue, said he opposes any health care bill that includes a government-run insurance program — even if it includes a provision allowing states to opt out of the program, as Reid has said the Senate bill will."

28 Oct 2009

House Republicans take aim at AARP

The Wall Street Journal: "Republicans in Congress are taking aim at AARP's financial ties to the health-insurance industry just as the advocacy group is taking a more prominent role supporting an overhaul of the nation's health-care system."

28 Oct 2009

The stakes are high for the top Medicare job

Reuters reports that health care overhaul currently being considered in Congress "elevates the job of running the government's $700-billion Medicare agency to new heights and all but guarantees a political battle over filling the post."

28 Oct 2009

Also in Global Health news: U.S. grant to Uganda; reproductive health in Philippines; counterfeit drugs

The U.S. Embassy in Uganda announced a grant of $246 million in new aid for improving the Uganda's agricultural and health systems, Reuters reports. "More than $170 million will be spent on health and education to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic, fight tuberculosis, eradicate malaria, improve maternal and child health and increase access to family planning and reproductive health services," the news service writes (Biryabarema, 10/27).

27 Oct 2009

Medicare payment issues worry doctors

The issue of Medicare payment cuts to doctors still looms, causing some physicians to shun Medicare patients and others to push for greater reform. Many worry that doctors may boycott the program if the planned 21 percent cut in payment rates goes through in 2010 while others complain about low Medicare reimbursement rates for certain procedures and geographic areas.

27 Oct 2009

Global health promotion conference begins in Kenya, maternal mortality addressed

At the 7th Global Conference on Health Promotion, which kicked off in Kenya on Monday, participants discussed reducing maternal mortality and the related Millennium Development Goals (MDG), the Daily Nation reports. According to the newspaper, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki "said that globally, the number of maternal deaths had … risen to 536,000 per year, translating to one death per minute."

27 Oct 2009

Health Care News and Research

Folate-enriched prescription medical food lowers medical costs of patients with peripheral neuropathy

TOPROL-XL and metoprolol succinate are available for patients in all regions across the country: AstraZeneca

IFPA urges WHO to act on new insights on psoriasis to help millions of psoriasis patients

NCKU transfers microalgal docosahexaenoic acid production technology to Vedan Biotechnology

Self-funded division of FBMC sold to First Service Administrators

NPC, PMC to explore comparative effectiveness research for effective health care treatments

Health assessment may have some influence on health behaviors, say researchers

Industry experts to discuss best practices in healthcare operations at 2009 HFMA Revenue Cycle Strategies Conference

Dementia patients face higher risk of flu mortality; refine guidelines needed for testing and vaccination policies

Congress urged to support President Obama's pledge not to raise taxes on middle-class Americans

VHA helps nurses to develop work processes that are more patient-centric

Experts release policy recommendations to promote better medication adherence and health outcomes

HHS funds projects to combat health care-associated infections

HMSMobile Swine Flu Center application to provide information on H1N1 virus introduced

Lieberman, other lawmakers express opposition to Reid's public plan

House Republicans take aim at AARP

The stakes are high for the top Medicare job

Also in Global Health news: U.S. grant to Uganda; reproductive health in Philippines; counterfeit drugs

Medicare payment issues worry doctors

Global health promotion conference begins in Kenya, maternal mortality addressed

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