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Liberal hospice insurance benefits improve health care for patients with advanced illnesses

Patients with advanced illnesses more than doubled their use of hospice care when a major national health plan made hospice care more readily accessible, according to the results of a comparative study published in Journal of Palliative Medicine, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.(www.liebertpub.com).

2 Sep 2009

Inadequate government funding increases British Columbians' healthcare cost burden

British Columbia families will bear the brunt of the provincial government's failure to adequately fund health care, Health Sciences Association of BC president Reid Johnson said in response to the provincial government's budget introduced today.

2 Sep 2009

Touchstone Health Partnership appoints Bryan D. Birch as President and Chief Executive Officer

Touchstone Health Partnership, a managed care company primarily operating in the Medicare Advantage Program, today announced the appointment of Bryan D. Birch as President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Birch brings over 20 years of experience in the health services and managed care sector.

1 Sep 2009

AAO-HNSF to issue the first guideline for helping physicians manage dysphonia

The American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) will issue the first--and only--national clinical practice guideline to help healthcare practitioners identify and manage patients with hoarseness, also known as dysphonia. The guideline emphasizes evidence-based management of hoarseness by clinicians, and educates patients on the prevalence of this common vocal health issue.

1 Sep 2009

CT and PET scans carry a very real risk of radiation exposure

Thomas Dehn, M.D., FACR, executive vice president and chief medical officer of National Imaging Associates, a Magellan Health Services (Nasdaq: MGLN) company, today issued the following statement about the New England Journal of Medicine study published on Aug. 27 regarding patient exposure to ionizing radiation in imaging procedures.

1 Sep 2009

Study reveals that downregulation of IRF-8 gene causes gum diseases, arthritis and osteoporosis

Investigators at Hospital for Special Surgery, collaborating with researchers from other institutions, have contributed to the discovery that a gene called interferon regulator factor-8 (IRF-8) is involved in the development of diseases such as periodontitis (gum disease), rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis. The study, which will be published online August 30, ahead of print, in the journal Nature Medicine, could lead to new treatments in the future.

31 Aug 2009

Usage of the TomoTherapy system to be explored at the 10th Biennial ESTRO Conference

TomoTherapy Incorporated (NASDAQ: TOMO) announced today that there will be more than 40 presentations at the 10th Biennial ESTRO Conference on Physics and Radiation Technology for Clinical Radiotherapy that explore use of the TomoTherapy® treatment system. The TomoTherapy system -- a versatile, CT scanner-based device that integrates image guidance for increased treatment accuracy and helical radiation therapy delivery for enhanced tumor targeting -- is helping cancer centers advance patient care around the world.

29 Aug 2009

HealthPartners' EHR helped Regions Hospital reduce the radiology report turn-around times from two days to four hours

HealthPartners is one of the first organizations in the country to integrate electronic X-rays, MRIs and CT scans and radiology reports into patients’ electronic health records (EHR). The images and the radiology reports can be accessed quickly by doctors at Regions Hospital and at all 25 HealthPartners Clinics.

29 Aug 2009

Medical procedures are a key source of ionizing radiation exposure in U.S. according to researchers

The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) reaffirmed its commitment to patient safety today in responding to a study and accompanying perspective on radiation dose from medical imaging procedures in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

28 Aug 2009

TomoTherapy to discuss the uses of CT scanner-based device at the 10th Biennial ESTRO Conference

TomoTherapy Incorporated announced today that there will be more than 40 presentations at the 10th Biennial ESTRO Conference on Physics and Radiation Technology for Clinical Radiotherapy that explore use of the TomoTherapy treatment system. The TomoTherapy system -- a versatile, CT scanner-based device that integrates image guidance for increased treatment accuracy and helical radiation therapy delivery for enhanced tumor targeting -- is helping cancer centers advance patient care around the world.

28 Aug 2009

Health Canada issues marketing approval for NeuroVasx's cPAX Aneurysm Treatment System

NeuroVasx, Inc., a medical device company that develops technologies for the treatment of hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke, announced today that it has received approval to market its cPAX Aneurysm Treatment System in Canada from Health Canada's Therapeutic Products Directorate. In addition to Canadian regulatory approval, the cPAX System also received CE Mark in March 2009.

27 Aug 2009

Study: Patients may face radioactive risk from imaging tests

"At least four million Americans under age 65 are exposed to high doses of radiation each year from medical imaging tests, according to a new study in The New England Journal of Medicine," The New York Times reports. And about ten percent of those patients "receive very high doses, more than the maximum annual exposure allowed for nuclear power plant employees or anyone else who works with radioactive material." The study was based on a survey of nearly one million patients insured by UnitedHealthcare.

27 Aug 2009

Resonant Medical's multi-anatomy Clarity System to be exhibited at ESTRO, Netherlands

Resonant Medical, an innovator in soft tissue planning, image-guidance and adaptive radiotherapy products, today announced that the Company will be exhibiting the next generation of its multi-anatomy Clarity System at the 10th Biennial Meeting of The European Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncologists (ESTRO), being held in Maastricht, Netherlands.

27 Aug 2009

Kansas City Cancer Center uses radiation therapy for cancer treatments

Kansas City Cancer Center (KCCC), an affiliate of US Oncology, Inc. which supports the nation's foremost cancer treatment and research network, has treated its first patient with the new TomoTherapy(R) radiation therapy technology at its new KCCC-Shawnee Mission office.

27 Aug 2009

Relationship between the CD14 variation and the formation of portal lymphoid aggregates discovered

It is still unknown why the natural history of chronic disease caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV), which currently infects 3% of the world's population, varies from mild in some patients to rapidly progressing in others. Age, sex, alcohol consumption and liver sensitivity to gut-derived bacterial endotoxins, were the early factors defined to enhance the risk of fibrosis progression.

27 Aug 2009

Concussions could result in permanent brain impairment

Concussions, whether from an accident, sporting event, or combat, can lead to permanent loss of higher level mental processes. Scientists have debated for centuries whether concussions involve structural damage to brain tissue or whether physiological changes that merely impair the way brain cells function, explain this loss.

24 Aug 2009

New minimally invasive surgery techniques and instruments reduce tissue damage and infection

New, delicate surgery techniques to hunt for tumours could benefit from a lighter touch - but from a robot, rather than from a human hand. Canadian researchers have created a touchy-feely robot that detects tougher tumour tissue in half the time, and with 40% more accuracy than a human. The technique also minimises tissue damage.

24 Aug 2009

AETC Chicago launches 24/7 veterinary emergency care center

As of September 1, Chicago's approximately 1.6 million pets* will have access to 24-hour emergency medical attention - and ongoing hospitalization - should they fall victim to accident or illness. Located at 3927 W. Belmont, Animal Emergency & Treatment Center (AETC) is the only veterinary emergency and specialty center in the city to offer care at any hour of the day or night, 365 days a year.

21 Aug 2009

Research attributes accumulation of belly fat to change in hormone balance during menopause transition

In middle-aged women, visceral fat, more commonly called belly fat, is known to be a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but what causes visceral fat to accumulate?

21 Aug 2009

John R. Walsh to be responsible for continued expansion of IMS' payer and government solution initiatives

IMS Health today announced that John R. Walsh has been named senior vice president, Payer and Government Solutions, a new position. Previously, Walsh was senior vice president, Strategy and Business Development for IMS. He continues to report to David R. Carlucci, IMS chairman and CEO, and will be based in Norwalk, CT.

20 Aug 2009

CT News and Research

Liberal hospice insurance benefits improve health care for patients with advanced illnesses

Inadequate government funding increases British Columbians' healthcare cost burden

Touchstone Health Partnership appoints Bryan D. Birch as President and Chief Executive Officer

AAO-HNSF to issue the first guideline for helping physicians manage dysphonia

CT and PET scans carry a very real risk of radiation exposure

Study reveals that downregulation of IRF-8 gene causes gum diseases, arthritis and osteoporosis

Usage of the TomoTherapy system to be explored at the 10th Biennial ESTRO Conference

HealthPartners' EHR helped Regions Hospital reduce the radiology report turn-around times from two days to four hours

Medical procedures are a key source of ionizing radiation exposure in U.S. according to researchers

TomoTherapy to discuss the uses of CT scanner-based device at the 10th Biennial ESTRO Conference

Health Canada issues marketing approval for NeuroVasx's cPAX Aneurysm Treatment System

Study: Patients may face radioactive risk from imaging tests

Resonant Medical's multi-anatomy Clarity System to be exhibited at ESTRO, Netherlands

Kansas City Cancer Center uses radiation therapy for cancer treatments

Relationship between the CD14 variation and the formation of portal lymphoid aggregates discovered

Concussions could result in permanent brain impairment

New minimally invasive surgery techniques and instruments reduce tissue damage and infection

AETC Chicago launches 24/7 veterinary emergency care center

Research attributes accumulation of belly fat to change in hormone balance during menopause transition

John R. Walsh to be responsible for continued expansion of IMS' payer and government solution initiatives

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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