Hospital News and Research

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Want to know what a hospital charges? Good luck

Kaiser Health News staff writer Christopher Weaver reports: "When Bill Rose broke his leg in a motorcycle accident, he knew he'd end up paying for surgery himself-- he was temporarily uninsured.

1 Jul 2010

Study examines long-term effect of TBI on women's reproductive health

After a brain injury, women often ask how the injury will affect their fertility, pregnancy and postpartum health. Now a new study provides some much-needed answers. Published in the June issue of the Journal of Women's Health, the study is the most comprehensive investigation to date of women's health issues after traumatic brain injury.

1 Jul 2010

BIDMC physician-scientist receives Young Investigator Award to research on prostate cancer

Akash Patnaik, MD, PhD, a physician-scientist in the Hematology/Oncology Divison at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School has received a Young Investigator Award from The Prostate Cancer Foundation. The three-year $225,000 award, one of 21 made to young scientists from across the U.S. and Canada, is designed to encourage the most innovative minds in cancer research to focus their careers on prostate cancer.

1 Jul 2010

Wellpoint warns 470,000 insurance applicants about website security breach

"WellPoint Inc. has warned some 470,000 people who applied for its health insurance that a website security glitch may have exposed their Social Security numbers and other sensitive data to the public." WellPoint quickly fixed the problem after being notified by a consumer who noticed it. The glitch "was introduced in October by a contractor who upgraded the site," according to a company spokesman. According to WellPoint officials, the "security glitch was exploited to access information on 940 insurance applications" and "unauthorized viewers accessed spreadsheets that 'in rare cases' contained Social Security numbers" (Finkle, 6/29).

1 Jul 2010

Hospitals struggling to prove 'meaningful use' of electronic health records

"Eight out of 10 hospital CIOs recently surveyed by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) LLP said they're concerned they ... won't qualify for federal reimbursements for rolling out" electronic medical records, Computerworld reports. Last year, the federal government set aside $36 billion in stimulus funds "to help hospitals and doctors purchase equipment to computerize patient medical records, but even the most sophisticated hospitals in the country are struggling to qualify for the payments, PwC's study indicated.

1 Jul 2010

Cubist commences enrollment in Phase 2 study of CXA-201 for complicated intra-abdominal infections

Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading acute care therapeutics company, today announced the enrollment of the first patient in a Phase 2 study with CXA-201. This multicenter, double-blind, randomized, study will compare the safety and efficacy of intravenous CXA-201 with an active comparator in patients with complicated intra-abdominal Infections (cIAI). This international study is expected to enroll 120 patients.

1 Jul 2010

Study: Medicare 'pay-for-performance' could increase care inequality

"The U.S. government's plan to base Medicare payments to hospitals on certain quality-of-care measures could end up transferring funds away from hospitals in the nation's poorest, underserved areas," according to a study published Tuesday in the journal PLoS Medicine.

1 Jul 2010

Researchers identify a set of molecular signatures for biliary atresia

Researchers have identified a set of "molecular signatures" for biliary atresia - the most common diagnosis leading to liver transplant in children - that can help identify the progression of disease at diagnosis and predict clinical outcomes.

1 Jul 2010

GSD signs agreement with Axis-Shield to distribute its proprietary assays in the U.S. Market

Gold Standard Diagnostics, Inc. a leading supplier of products and services to the medical diagnostic industry today announced the execution of an agreement with Axis-Shield to distribute their proprietary assays in the U.S. Market. Axis-Shield owns a number of patents in the areas of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and more recently, sepsis. GSD will initially focus on distribution of Homocysteine, but also gains access to distribute Axis-Shield's other key products such as Anti-CCP.

1 Jul 2010

Patel sentence today

Dr. Jayant Patel, 60, a Bundaberg Base hospital surgeon has been found criminally negligent in his patient care. He was brought before the court on three accounts of manslaughter and causing grievous harm to another person. The incidents occurred during his tenure at the hospital as Director of Surgery between 2003 and 2005.

1 Jul 2010

Proton Therapy USA, CareCapital form Proton Therapy Global Management

Proton Therapy USA and CareCapital plc announced today the formation of Proton Therapy Global Management (PTGM). The Company will design, develop and manage a global network of proton therapy centers, providing access to this specialized and highly effective treatment to the world's growing population of cancer patients. Proton therapy is a precise form of radiation treatment that has been very successful in treating a wide range of localized tumors, while leaving healthy tissue mostly intact.

30 Jun 2010

AMI study finds India's healthcare sector set to spend over $250M on IT in 2010

Seemingly untouched by the worldwide economic downturn, India's healthcare sector is set to spend over US$250 million on IT in 2010. Healthcare in India comprises more than 5% of the nation's GDP and displays a healthy growth rate over the next four to five years. This comes from a study by New York-based Access Markets International (AMI) Partners, Inc., a leading consulting firm specializing in IT and telecom sectors.

30 Jun 2010

First Edition: June 30, 2010

Today's headlines highlight the results of a new tracking poll that indicate that the health reform law has gained popularity among Americans while implementation advances for overhaul initiatives such as high-risk pools and the early retiree reinsurance program.

30 Jun 2010

Blue Shield of California offers SilverSneakers Fitness Program to Medicare Supplement Plan subscribers

Blue Shield of California is now offering the Healthways SilverSneakers® Fitness Program to subscribers of Blue Shield Medicare Supplement Plans throughout California. SilverSneakers, the nation's leading social support and exercise program designed to keep seniors healthy, has been a popular benefit with California Medicare HMOs, but Blue Shield is one of the few health plans in the state to offer the benefit as part of its Medicare Supplement plans as well.

30 Jun 2010

Integra LifeSciences VP honored as Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing

Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation announced today that Linda Littlejohns RN MSN CCRN CNRN, Vice President, Clinical Development at Integra, has been selected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, one of the most prestigious nursing organizations in the country. The Academy's Fellows include many of the nation's top nursing executives, policymakers, scholars, researchers and practitioners.

30 Jun 2010

Concord Medical board authorizes $20 million share repurchase program

Concord Medical Services Holdings Limited, operator of the largest network of radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging centers in China, today announced that its board of directors approved a share repurchase program, effective immediately.

30 Jun 2010

Grifols to acquire Pharmalink's Xepol programme for post-polio syndrome

Pharmalink AB, today announced that it has closed its agreement with Grifols SA for the acquisition of Pharmalink's Xepol(R) programme for the treatment of post-polio syndrome (PPS). The parties had previously announced reaching an agreement whereby Grifols would acquire all know-how and global intellectual property rights related to the use of human immunoglobulin for the treatment of (PPS) - the concept at the heart of the Xepol programme.

30 Jun 2010

Call for incorporation of scientific evidence into illicit drug policies

Three leading scientific and health policy organizations today launched a global drive for signatories to the Vienna Declaration, a statement seeking to improve community health and safety by calling for the incorporation of scientific evidence into illicit drug policies. Among those supporting the declaration and urging others to sign is 2008 Nobel Laureate and International AIDS Society (IAS) Governing Council member Prof. Fran-oise Barr--Sinoussi, co-discoverer of HIV.

30 Jun 2010

Tufts Medical Center physicians conduct online, live medical consultations for Haiti relief efforts

Tufts Medical Center physicians are conducting live medical consultations from their facilities in Massachusetts to earthquake-ravaged areas in Haiti. Tufts clinicians, together with Tufts University School of Medicine students in Haiti, consult on demand and in real time with Boston-based Tufts Medical Center specialists to augment treatment of the challenging conditions facing Haitian patients.

30 Jun 2010

Sensor integrated insulin pump for better blood sugar control

Adding a continuous blood sugar level sensor to an insulin pump helps patients with type 1 diabetes achieve better blood sugar control compared to the common standard of care, multiple daily insulin injections, concludes a study published on-line today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

30 Jun 2010