Health Care News and Research

RSS

Medicare's Part D program subsidizes cost of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries

Medicare's Part D program, designed to subsidize the cost of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries, has been the subject of much debate. Proponents have touted the plan's ability to expand access to prescription drugs to seniors; critics have long questioned its design and user-friendly appeal.

26 Aug 2009

Grassley: 'Government is not a competitor, it's a predator'

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, 75, is presenting new skepticism about reform plans, The Wall Street Journal reports. "(S)peaking in front of a mostly friendly audience of about 250, Mr. Grassley stressed the distance between the two parties and what he thinks wouldn't work. 'Government is not a competitor, it's a predator,' he said of the public option that has been embraced by key congressional Democrats.

26 Aug 2009

Implementation of The T SystemEV improves revenues of Graham Hospital

For the past 100 years, Graham Hospital in east central Illinois has provided the city of Canton and its surrounding communities with outstanding healthcare. Today, Graham Hospital provides a full range of inpatient, outpatient, home care and long-term care services. Not unlike many communities across the country, the area Graham Hospital serves has been faced with economic challenges. Despite those challenges, the emergency department (ED) at Graham has actually seen an increase in revenue, even with a slight drop in patients, due to their relationship with T-System, the nation's leading provider of clinical documentation solutions for emergency departments.

26 Aug 2009

Mental health in the news: Foreclosures spur depression

Nearly half of people questioned who were in foreclosure proceedings in Philadelphia showed some signs of depression, The Washington Post reports.

26 Aug 2009

Arizona awards health care contract to Aetna

Aetna (NYSE:AET) announced today that it was awarded a contract to provide health care benefits to Arizona’s state employees. The contract becomes effective on October 1, 2009.

26 Aug 2009

Aetna promotes patient safety measures through informative website

Aetna (NYSE:AET) is strengthening its efforts to promote patient safety with easy-to-find online information for members. New policies also require health care facilities, physicians and other health care professionals to take action to prevent medical errors and changes the way they are paid when medical errors do occur.

26 Aug 2009

Young Obama supporters missing from health reform debate

Obama's tech-savvy young activists, who were instrumental in getting him elected, are not as active on health care reform, a gap Obama will have to fix if he is to regain momentum for his top domestic priority, The Associated Press reports.

26 Aug 2009

GOP unveils latest salvo in health reform battle: seniors' bill of rights

Republicans unveiled what they've termed the "Health Care Bill of Right for Seniors" Monday in an attempt to tailor their messages to the elderly, The Washington Post reports.

26 Aug 2009

Hospitals find openness about mistakes improves safety, reduces lawsuits

"Medical errors kill as many as 98,000 Americans each year," writes Laura Landro in the Wall Street Journal's "Informed Patient" column. "Now, some hospitals are hoping to stem the tide of lawsuits by being more open with aggrieved patients and their families. While some experts warn that disclosure will lead to an increase in litigation and costs, there are some indications that patients are less likely to sue if they receive full disclosure and an apology, along with an offer of compensation."

26 Aug 2009

$Rates of hip fracture decline in Canada$

Rates of hip fracture decline in Canada

Standardized rates of hip fracture have steadily declined in Canada since 1985, with a more rapid decline between 1996 and 2005 and a more marked decrease among individuals age 55 to 64 years, according to a report in the August 26 issue of JAMA.

25 Aug 2009

Venlafaxine alleviates depressive symptoms

The Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) was commissioned by the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) to investigate whether patients with depression benefit from taking drugs belonging to the selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) drug class.

25 Aug 2009

Total Medical Solutions is the 15th fastest growing firm in Florida, finds place in Inc. Magazine’s list

Total Medical Solutions (TMS) made Inc. Magazine’s top 5,000 fastest growing private companies in the country, coming in as the 15th fastest growing firm in Florida and among the top five in the Orlando market. The Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2005 through 2008.

25 Aug 2009

Seechange Health acquires Central Benefits National Life Insurance company

SeeChange Health, the nation’s only fully-insured, value-based health insurance provider, announced today the acquisition of Central Benefits National Life Insurance, a health and life insurance company based in Westerville, OH. The transaction closed on July 31, 2009.

25 Aug 2009

NCI investigator’s endorsement of of inaccurate high-risk HPV test to refer women to cervical cancer tests is “unfortunate and inappropriate” says Sin Hang Lee

A National Cancer Institute (NCI) investigator’s endorsement of inaccurate high-risk HPV test to refer women to cervical cancer tests, despite the weak evidence of its value, is “unfortunate and inappropriate.”

25 Aug 2009

Bioneutral Group holds scientific and business discussions with major health care companies

BioNeutral Group, Inc. (“BioNeutral”) (OTCBB:BONU), a specialty chemical technology based Life Science Company, announced discussions with four of the world’s largest health care companies.

25 Aug 2009

Aging with Dignity president urges Department of Veterans Affairs to suspend use of advance care planning guide

Paul Malley, President of the national non-profit organization Aging with Dignity, today called on the Department of Veterans Affairs to immediately suspend use of its "Your Life, Your Choices" advance care planning guide dubbed "The Death Book for Veterans." Malley also praised Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, who announced on "Fox News Sunday" yesterday that he would call for hearings into the matter.

25 Aug 2009

States pass laws to expand parents' ability to insure 20-somethings

Wall Street Journal reports: "As Washington wrestles with health-care reform, states have been busy passing their own laws to allow many young adults to remain longer on a parent's health insurance."

25 Aug 2009

TIME examines discrimination against HIV-positive children in Vietnam

TIME examines the discriminatory efforts to keep Vietnamese children living with HIV out of the country's public schools even though, by law, "[c]hildren cannot be barred from school because they or any of their family members have HIV/AIDS."

25 Aug 2009

Medline Industries' Foley catheter management system helps minimize CAUTI risk

In an effort to help clinicians reduce the risk of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), Medline Industries, Inc. today launched a ground-breaking Foley catheter management system featuring a reengineered catheter tray coupled with an evidence-based clinical education program.

25 Aug 2009