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ApolloMed Hospitalists, Benchmark Hospitalists form strategic partnership

Apollo Medical Holdings, Inc., a leading provider of hospitalist services to the healthcare community, today announced that ApolloMed Hospitalists, one of its affiliated medical groups, has entered into a strategic partnership with Benchmark Hospitalists, a division of Emergent Medical Associates, to provide hospitalist services at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, a 434-bed acute care hospital.

3 Apr 2010

Mass. rejects insurers' rate hikes

Massachusetts regulators denied 235 of 274 requests by health insurance plans to raise premiums because officials view the hikes as excessive, The Boston Globe reports. "The rulings, following a review process set in motion by emergency regulations [Gov. Deval] Patrick filed in February, mark the first time the state has used its authority to turn down health premium increases."

3 Apr 2010

Endovascular aortic abdominal aneurysm repair utilization associated with disease prevalence

While health policy researchers commonly suggest that geographic variations in the amount of medical care provided can be attributed to hospital costs or physician practice patterns, a new study examining regional utilization of a specific surgical procedure - minimally invasive aneurysm repair - shows that is not the case.

3 Apr 2010

AAPC's membership continues to grow

The American Academy of Professional Coders announced today its membership reached a record high 90,000. Donna Peters, from Yorba Linda, CA was the 90,000th member and to reward her, the AAPC is giving her a CPC® certification exam free of charge.

3 Apr 2010

Scientific American features Echo Therapeutics' non-invasive, wireless Symphony tCGM System

Echo Therapeutics, Inc., a company developing its needle-free Symphony™ tCGM System as a non-invasive, wireless, transdermal continuous glucose monitoring (tCGM) system and its Prelude™ SkinPrep System for transdermal drug delivery, announced today that its Symphony™ tCGM System has been featured in a March 31, 2010 online magazine article in Scientific American entitled "This Really Won't Hurt a Bit: Wireless Sensor Promises Diabetics Noninvasive Blood Sugar Readings," by Larry Greenemeier.

3 Apr 2010

Premature fall in the swine flu vaccination rates worries health officials

Last fall there was a mad rush for the HINI vaccine for the deadly swine flu that had gripped countries across the world. H1N1 flu has killed about 12,000 Americans and put 265,000 into the hospital in the last pandemic. This year has seen a few signs of seasonal flu, which kills about 36,000 people in the United States each year and puts 200,000 in the hospital.

2 Apr 2010

EMA selected to staff RWJ Rahway's Emergency Department

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway (RWJ Rahway), a member of the Robert Wood Johnson Health System, has announced the selection of Emergency Medical Associates (EMA), one of the country's premier emergency physician groups, to staff its Emergency Department. EMA began staffing the Emergency Department on April 1, 2010.

2 Apr 2010

"Mouse model" study finds LRRK2 gene mutation may cause inherited Parkinson's disease

Using new one-of-a-kind "mouse models" that promise to have a significant impact on future Parkinson's disease research, Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers are among the first to discover how mutations in a gene called LRRK2 may cause inherited (or "familial") Parkinson's disease, the most common form of the disease.

2 Apr 2010

Variant of ATG16L1 gene associated with higher risk for Crohn's disease

The ATG16L1 gene is located on chromosome 2 and encodes a protein involved in the formation of autophagosomes during autophagy. Autophagy is a cytoplasmic process that keeps a cell stable. Hampe et al first identified ATG16L1 as a Crohn's disease (CD) susceptibility gene in 2007, and many other studies have arisen since then. However, the definite relationship of variants of ATG16L1 with IBD remains unclear.

2 Apr 2010

CCE recognizes Good Samaritan Hospital with CAPE Silver-level Eureka award

Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles was recognized with a California Awards for Performance Excellence (CAPE) Silver-level Eureka award for its performance excellence by the California Council for Excellence (CCE). Good Samaritan Hospital was one of four organizations recognized with the Silver-level Eureka award. CCE also awarded 1 Gold-level Eureka award and 3 Bronze-level Eureka awards. Organizations represent the business, education, non-profit, health care and military sectors. In addition 25 businesses received the lower-level Prospector award.

2 Apr 2010

PIH to acquire DRMC, signs non-binding letter of intent

Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital (PIH) and Downey Regional Medical Center (DRMC) today announced they had each signed a non-binding letter of intent with plans to execute a definitive agreement calling for PIH's acquisition of DRMC. This will bring together two not-for-profit hospitals both with long standing histories of being dedicated to providing quality care to the communities they serve. The nonbinding letter of intent would allow for the continuation of a nonprofit hospital serving the greater Downey community.

2 Apr 2010

Findings support value of advance directives, living wills and other means of making end-of-life treatment preferences known

One in four elderly Americans require someone else to make decisions about their medical care at the end of their lives, according to a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

2 Apr 2010

Scientists identify potential new method for treating sleeping sickness

Scientists have identified a potential new approach to treat human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), commonly known as sleeping sickness, which afflicts "tens of thousands of people in sub-Saharan Africa" annually, IRIN reports. By targeting an enzyme the sleeping sickness parasite needs in order to survive, researchers say they can kill it without causing harm to the patient (4/1).

2 Apr 2010

Substantial number of older Americans need others to make decisions about end of life care

More than one in four elderly Americans lacked the capacity to make their own medical care decisions at the end of life, according to a study of 3,746 people to be published April 1 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

2 Apr 2010

SBRT effective in primary tumor control, study finds

Many of the world's leading radiation oncologists are employing the unique capabilities of SBRT to treat a variety of cancers that often have defied conventional radiation therapy techniques. A multitude of studies evaluating SBRT are ongoing and investigators are publishing articles that demonstrate the effectiveness of this technique. Two studies led by renowned radiation oncologists were conducted at centers that use Elekta SBRT technology, and their results were published recently.

From Elekta 2 Apr 2010

Challenges facing all health professions highlight need for comprehensive policy

Now that the Administration and Congress have enacted historic health reform legislation, they must work together to establish a comprehensive and coordinated national health workforce policy to ensure health reform's successful implementation, according to Dr. Steven A Wartman, president and CEO of the Association of Academic Health Centers.

2 Apr 2010

Stellaris Health Network announces expiry of contract with Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield

Stellaris Health Network said today that its contract with Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield expired at midnight March 31st ending a long-standing relationship with the prominent health insurance provider that is owned by WellPoint Inc., one of the nation's largest health insurance conglomerates. The expiration follows several months of unsuccessful efforts to reach a new agreement giving the hospitals reimbursement rates that are consistent with those being paid by other health insurers in the market.

2 Apr 2010

CARF re-accredits Thomas Jefferson University Hospital's Comprehensive Acute Rehabilitation Unit

The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) International recently announced that the inpatient rehabilitation program and stroke specialty program of the Comprehensive Acute Rehabilitation Unit of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital have again been re-accredited for a period of three years. The accreditation extends through February 2013.

2 Apr 2010

Loyola University Medical Center launches 'Pay-it-Forward Kidney Transplant Program'

It's extremely rare when someone asking for nothing in return steps forward at a hospital and offers to donate a kidney to a complete stranger.

2 Apr 2010

First national centralized application service for students applying to RN programs launched

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) announces the launch of NursingCAS, the first national centralized application service for students applying to all types of registered nursing (RN) programs. Similar to services already in place for medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and other health professions, NursingCAS provides individuals with a convenient way to apply to nursing programs nationwide while serving as an important mechanism to fill vacant seats in schools of nursing.

2 Apr 2010

Hospital News and Research

ApolloMed Hospitalists, Benchmark Hospitalists form strategic partnership

Mass. rejects insurers' rate hikes

Endovascular aortic abdominal aneurysm repair utilization associated with disease prevalence

AAPC's membership continues to grow

Scientific American features Echo Therapeutics' non-invasive, wireless Symphony tCGM System

Premature fall in the swine flu vaccination rates worries health officials

EMA selected to staff RWJ Rahway's Emergency Department

"Mouse model" study finds LRRK2 gene mutation may cause inherited Parkinson's disease

Variant of ATG16L1 gene associated with higher risk for Crohn's disease

CCE recognizes Good Samaritan Hospital with CAPE Silver-level Eureka award

PIH to acquire DRMC, signs non-binding letter of intent

Findings support value of advance directives, living wills and other means of making end-of-life treatment preferences known

Scientists identify potential new method for treating sleeping sickness

Substantial number of older Americans need others to make decisions about end of life care

SBRT effective in primary tumor control, study finds

Challenges facing all health professions highlight need for comprehensive policy

Stellaris Health Network announces expiry of contract with Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield

CARF re-accredits Thomas Jefferson University Hospital's Comprehensive Acute Rehabilitation Unit

Loyola University Medical Center launches 'Pay-it-Forward Kidney Transplant Program'

First national centralized application service for students applying to RN programs launched

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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

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