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Experts unveil roadmap to improve health and health delivery in the U.S.

A Commission of national health care experts convened by the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress has unveiled a roadmap and integrated approach that will put "health" back into our nation's health care system as well as address key opportunities following passage of health care reform legislation.

6 May 2010

MRO releases software upgrades for Audit Tracker Online

MRO Corp., a leading provider of disclosure management applications and services for healthcare organizations, today announced the launch of software upgrades for Audit Tracker Online. The upgrades to MRO's request management program offer hospitals and health systems enhanced performance and functionality in effectively managing payer audits and denials from initial medical records request through appeals and payment resolution.

6 May 2010

WHO announces new guidelines for production, regulation and control of snake antivenoms

With snake bites killing at least 100 000 people a year and countries facing a shortage of appropriate antivenoms, access to and information about available antivenoms is increasingly important. The World Health Organization (WHO) is publishing new guidelines for the production, regulation and control of snake antivenoms and a website with details on where the venomous snakes are located, what they look like, which antivenoms are appropriate, and where they can be obtained.

5 May 2010

LifePoint Hospitals to acquire Sumner Regional Health Systems

LifePoint Hospitals, Inc., a leading hospital company focused on providing quality healthcare close to home in non-urban markets, today announced that the Company has agreed to purchase Sumner Regional Health Systems (SRHS), a comprehensive three-market hospital system serving 11 counties in the northern middle Tennessee region.

3 May 2010

Intouch Health completes $10M private placement through Beringea-led financing round

InTouch Technologies®, Inc. (d.b.a. InTouch Health®), the world leader in Remote Presence Total Telemedicine solutions, announced today the completion of a private placement of $10 million. The financing round was led by Michigan-based Beringea through its InvestMichigan! Growth Capital Fund, which provides venture and expansion-stage capital to businesses with operations in Michigan.

3 May 2010

While global adult mortality rates drop, gaps between countries grow, Lancet study finds

"The global mortality rate for adults [ages 15-59] has fallen by about 1 percent a year for the past 40 years, with women making greater gains than men and huge differences opening up between countries and regions over that period, according to a new study" published online Friday in the journal Lancet, the Washington Post reports, noting the study offers "the most detailed nation-by-nation trends in adult mortality" to date.

3 May 2010

Report shows increasing rates of AMD among Asians

The May issue of Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, includes a surprising, first report on increasing rates of age-related macular degeneration among Asians, and describes an innovative "bypass" laser surgery that may help many people with central retinal vein occlusion avoid serious vision loss.

3 May 2010

Coventry Health Care reports net earnings of $97.3 million for first-quarter 2010

Coventry Health Care, Inc. today reported consolidated operating results for the quarter ended March 31, 2010. Operating revenues totaled $2.9 billion for the quarter with net earnings of $97.3 million, or $0.66 earnings per diluted share (EPS). Excluding the favorable impact of Medicare Advantage Private Fee-for-Service (MA-PFFS) results in the quarter, operating revenues totaled $2.9 billion for the quarter with net earnings of $71.9 million, or $0.49 EPS.

30 Apr 2010

G8 development ministers agree on 'guiding principles' for child and maternal health initiative

G8 development ministers "agreed to a set of guiding principles [for Canada's G8 maternal and child health initiative] that leaves flexibility for countries to 'build their basket of initiatives,'" Bev Oda, the Canadian minister for international cooperation, said at a closing news conference on Wednesday, the Toronto Star reports.

30 Apr 2010

Young adults seeking coverage on parents' plans face obstacles

Young adults and their parents eager to take advantage of a new law that will allow parents of children up to age 26 to keep their children on their health plans are facing obstacles in learning even exactly when they'll be eligible.

29 Apr 2010

Boston hospital case study in balancing mission and profits

The Boston Globe: A proposed acquisition of Boston's Catholic hospital system Caritas Christi Health Care by private-equity firm Cerberus Capital Management may test the theory that "profitability and religious mission can be integrated." However, another local hospital provides a possible window into that future.

29 Apr 2010

Research documents early warning signs resulting from global pullback on AIDS funding

Rationing Funds, Risking Lives: World Backtracks on HIV Treatment, the new report from the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition, documents early warning signs resulting from the global pullback on AIDS commitment and funding: caps on the number of people enrolled in treatment programs, more frequent drug stock outs, and national AIDS budgets falling short.

26 Apr 2010

Electronic primary care records can help identify untreated patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease

Using routine data from electronic patient records to select individuals at high risk of developing heart disease, rather than screening all adults aged between 40 and 74 years of age, is just as effective at saving lives but will be cheaper to run, according to research published on bmj.com today.

26 Apr 2010

New USG strategy to combat malaria globally

In conjunction with World Malaria Day, and in accordance with the requirements of the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008 (Lantos-Hyde), the U.S. Government, through the President's Malaria Initiative, today released a comprehensive strategy to combat malaria globally.

23 Apr 2010

Health record push lacks FDA oversight, risks safety problems

The Huffington Post Investigative Fund: "As federal officials encourage the rapid expansion of electronic medical records to help doctors improve care and cut costs, they lack a reliable and systematic method for tracking the safety of these products, agency data and audits show. Instead, the Food and Drug Administration depends on a spotty warning system that can take a year to flag serious computer malfunctions and other software glitches.

22 Apr 2010

Global pharmaceutical market to reach $1.1 trillion in 2014: IMS Health

IMS Health reported today that the size of the global market for pharmaceuticals is expected to grow nearly $300 billion over the next five years, reaching $1.1 trillion in 2014. The 5 - 8 percent compound annual growth rate during this period reflects the impact of leading products losing patent protection in developed markets, as well as strong overall growth in the world's emerging countries.

20 Apr 2010

Minnesota OMC's $20.9M series 2010 revenue bonds rated 'BBB-' by Fitch

Fitch Ratings assigns a 'BBB-' rating to the following City of Rochester, Minnesota health care facilities revenue bonds: --$20.9 million series 2010 revenue bonds (Olmsted Medical Center Project).

17 Apr 2010

Current screening methods for FOBT are often not appropriate

More than 75 percent of primary care physicians in the United States who order or perform the fecal occult blood test as a screening option for colorectal cancer perform an in-office test rather than relying on the home-based test, even though the home-based test is more accurate, a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found.

16 Apr 2010

AstraZeneca contributes $1M for expansion of Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children

Surrounded by over 100 Nemours Associates, Rich Fante, President, AstraZeneca, U.S., presented Nemours President David J. Bailey, MD, MBA with a ceremonial check for $1 million, announcing AstraZeneca's contribution to the expansion of Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware.

15 Apr 2010

Medicare doc payment cut looms with new deadline: Tomorrow

Congress has already missed the deadline for new legislation to block cuts of 21% in Medicare payments to doctors. The pay reduction officially took effect April 1, but the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — the federal agency that oversees the giant health systems — put a hold on processing physician payments for 10 business days, effectively pushing off the bite on payments for physicians' services until April 15.

15 Apr 2010

Health Systems News and Research

Experts unveil roadmap to improve health and health delivery in the U.S.

MRO releases software upgrades for Audit Tracker Online

WHO announces new guidelines for production, regulation and control of snake antivenoms

LifePoint Hospitals to acquire Sumner Regional Health Systems

Intouch Health completes $10M private placement through Beringea-led financing round

While global adult mortality rates drop, gaps between countries grow, Lancet study finds

Report shows increasing rates of AMD among Asians

Coventry Health Care reports net earnings of $97.3 million for first-quarter 2010

G8 development ministers agree on 'guiding principles' for child and maternal health initiative

Young adults seeking coverage on parents' plans face obstacles

Boston hospital case study in balancing mission and profits

Research documents early warning signs resulting from global pullback on AIDS funding

Electronic primary care records can help identify untreated patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease

New USG strategy to combat malaria globally

Health record push lacks FDA oversight, risks safety problems

Global pharmaceutical market to reach $1.1 trillion in 2014: IMS Health

Minnesota OMC's $20.9M series 2010 revenue bonds rated 'BBB-' by Fitch

Current screening methods for FOBT are often not appropriate

AstraZeneca contributes $1M for expansion of Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children

Medicare doc payment cut looms with new deadline: Tomorrow

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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