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Medicare unveils rules for hospital quality bonuses

The shift in payment strategy will reward hospitals for the quality, rather than the quantity, of care they provide. The change was set in motion by the health law.

3 May 2011

Poor asthma training among GP’s: Report

According to figures revealed by authorities, a lack of training for GPs in how to treat asthma is putting sufferers' lives at risk. Asthma UK says a survey found that 47 per cent of GPs admit their own knowledge about the condition could be better. Emergency hospital admissions for asthma cost the NHS over £60m a year, yet the charity maintains 75 per cent of admissions are avoidable. It estimates at least £45m could be saved if GPs were better informed and care was better managed.

3 May 2011

Leeds hospitals fined over levels of superbug related cases

According to latest figures the Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) superbug cases are again above allowed levels at Leeds hospitals and the hospitals are now facing a fine of £500,000 over failure to tackle the bug. As reported by the Yorkshire Evening Post earlier this year, every month that the number of MRSA cases exceeds a target agreed by health bosses, a fine of £100,000 is levied. Between April last year and the end of January, the target was breached four times.

3 May 2011

South Australian man succumbs to Murray Valley Encephalitis

A 27-year-old South Australian Riverland man has succumbed to Murray Valley Encephalitis (MVE) – a viral disease that is carried by mosquitoes. According to SA Health's chief medical officer Paddy Phillips, the man had been receiving hospital care for MVE since March.

3 May 2011

Sports-specialization can increase risk of injuries in young athletes

Competitive young athletes are under increasing pressure to play only one sport year round, but such specialization could increase the risk of injuries, a Loyola University Health System study has found.

3 May 2011

Helping Babies Breathe focuses on resuscitation in 'The Golden Minute'

A program that teaches health care workers in developing countries basic techniques to resuscitate babies immediately after birth is saving lives, according to a study to be presented Tuesday, May 3, at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Denver.

3 May 2011

Coronary artery disease patients with high BMI may face higher risk of death

One of the largest studies of its kind has found that people with coronary artery disease who have even a modest beer belly or muffin top are at higher risk for death than people whose fat collects elsewhere. The effect was observed even in patients with a normal Body Mass Index.

3 May 2011

Affinium announces AFN-1252 Phase I study results in staphylococcal infections

Affinium Pharmaceuticals announced today the results of a new multiple ascending dose Phase I study of its novel, selective-spectrum, anti-staphylococcal agent, AFN-1252 in a novel oral formulation.

3 May 2011

Incentive-based wellness programs can lead to low health care costs

A new longitudinal study conducted among participants in the world's largest incentive-based health enhancement program shows that wellness programs incorporating positive incentives can lead to behavior change that, over time, are associated with lower health care costs.

3 May 2011

FDA approves new targeted therapy to treat men with advanced prostate cancer

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved abiraterone, a new targeted therapy in the class of androgen receptor blockers.

3 May 2011

McMaster receives new Canadian Cancer Society grants for groundbreaking research

Three cancer studies led by Hamilton researchers are among 52 new research projects worth close to $22 million announced by the Canadian Cancer Society.

3 May 2011

Statins can help reduce lung damage in severe abdominal sepsis

Statins may be best known for their ability to reduce cholesterol, but a research report appearing in the May 2011 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology shows that these same drugs could also play a crucial role in the reduction of lung damage resulting from severe abdominal sepsis and infection.

3 May 2011

First cryoablation procedure using new mapping catheter performed at Baylor Heart and Vascular Hospital

Baylor Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital today announced the first patient procedure in the U.S. using the Achieve Mapping Catheter, an intra-cardiac electrophysiology diagnostic catheter that can be used to assess pulmonary vein isolation when treating paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

3 May 2011

Secondhand smoke is hazardous for children hospitalized with flu

Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to need intensive care and intubation when hospitalized with influenza, according to new research by the University of Rochester Medical Center presented today at the Pediatric Academic Society meeting in Denver. The children also had longer hospital stays.

3 May 2011

State roundup: Assisted living hazards in Fla.; Ariz.'s Medicaid limits

Despite some efforts to ease the blow to pediatric health care providers, Texas' proposed budget cuts will most likely have a disproportionate effect on children's hospitals.

3 May 2011

New non-invasive device can measure brain's precise temperature

Doctors have long sought a way to directly measure the brain's temperature without inserting a probe through the skull. Now researchers have developed a way to get the brain's precise temperature with a device the diameter of a poker-chip that rests on a patient's head, according to findings presented May 1 at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in Denver.

3 May 2011

Diabetes cell implant company approved for Argentina clinical trial

Living Cell Technologies Limited, a company pioneering the development of a cell implant to treat diabetes, has obtained approval to commence a Phase II DIABECELL clinical trial in Buenos Aires, Argentina, DIABECELL's third jurisdiction to date which has approved human trials. Up to eight adult patients with Type 1 diabetes, including those with unstable diabetes and severe hypoglycaemia, will each receive two implants of DIABECELL, three months apart with a dose seeking component. The trial is expected to begin in the second half of this year.

3 May 2011

FDA clears ITI's FilmArray RP assay for respiratory virus detection

Idaho Technology, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a 510(k) clearance for the FilmArray instrument and the FilmArray Respiratory Panel.

3 May 2011

FDA approves Achieve Mapping Catheter for use in first patient procedure

Medtronic, Inc. today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for use, and the first patient procedure using the Achieve™ Mapping Catheter, an intra-cardiac electrophysiology diagnostic catheter that can be used to assess pulmonary vein isolation when treating paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

3 May 2011

IASIS Healthcare acquires St. Joseph Medical Center

IASIS Healthcare LLC today announced the completion of its acquisition of a 79% ownership interest in St. Joseph Medical Center a 792 licensed bed facility in downtown Houston, Texas.

3 May 2011