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MedQuist, AMI partner to provide CAC within CodeRunner coding workflow platform

MedQuist Inc., a leading provider of technology-enabled clinical documentation services, has announced an agreement with healthcare informatics software developer Artificial Medical Intelligence Inc. (AMI) to provide computer-assisted coding (CAC) within MedQuist's CodeRunner™ coding workflow platform.

2 Apr 2010

States examine how they may be impacted by reform, Medicaid expansion

Kaiser Health News: "Starting today, states can choose to take the first steps toward the massive expansion of insurance coverage that is the health overhaul's chief goal. And for some states, that move could have the benefit of reviving funding for state-run programs that insure low-income adults. As of April 1, states can apply for federal funding to expand their Medicaid programs to cover low-income people earning up to 133 percent of the poverty level, or $14,404 for an individual and $29,326.50 for a family of four.

2 Apr 2010

Reform promotes patient safety by creating payment incentives, making mistakes public

The Albany Times Union: "More than a million Americans are harmed each year as a result of their medical care — not their underlying condition — and an estimated 100,000 die. Another 100,000 people die from hospital-acquired infections. In addition to expanding coverage to the uninsured, the health reform law attacks the problem of medical errors on two fronts: It establishes new payment incentives for safer care, and makes some mistakes public."

2 Apr 2010

UK researchers receive grant to study link between manmade chemicals and heart disease

The British Heart Foundation is to fund research exploring the link between Bisphenol A (BPA), a manmade chemical found in commonly used plastics, and heart disease.

2 Apr 2010

Scientists create genetic map to identify mechanism behind heart abnormalities

Though heart disease is a major cause of disability and death, very little is understood about its genetic underpinnings. Recently, an international team of investigators at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA), Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) and other organizations shed new light on the subject.

2 Apr 2010

APP, Fresenius Kabi and sanofi-aventis sign license and settlement agreements

Fresenius Kabi Pharmaceuticals Holding, Inc.,, the parent company of APP Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced today that APP and other Fresenius Kabi companies have entered into license and settlement agreements with sanofi-aventis covering patents that apply to Eloxatin® (oxaliplatin injection and oxaliplatin for injection).

2 Apr 2010

International, four-year study finds dutasteride reduces risk of prostate cancer diagnosis in men

A drug already prescribed to shrink benign, enlarged prostates has been shown to reduce the risk of a prostate cancer diagnosis by 23 percent in men with an increased risk of the disease, a large international trial has found. Results are reported April 1 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

2 Apr 2010

Liver function tests misinterpreted in majority of children's hospitals

New research led by physician-scientists at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine shows that the test most commonly used to screen pediatric patients for chronic liver disease is often incorrectly interpreted in many children's hospitals throughout the United States.

2 Apr 2010

Researchers identify link between genetic mutation and schizophrenia

In what may provide the most compelling evidence to date, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have illuminated how a genetic variant may lead to schizophrenia by causing a disruption in communication between the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex regions of the brain, areas believed to be responsible for carrying out working memory.

2 Apr 2010

Short of cash before Easter? Error in payment of Queensland Healthcare staff

In one of the largest pay hitches of its kind in the recent years, the Queensland government has been forced to apologize for shortchanging thousands of doctors and nurses. Due to a recent new system of pay there has been an error in payment with several complaints from the injured parties. With the Easter break round the corner many are frazzled with the error.

1 Apr 2010

Living donor exchange poses new option for liver transplantation

Two major transplant centers in Hong Kong and South Korea released results from their paired donor exchange programs for living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). A single paired exchange, performed by the Hong Kong team under emergency circumstances, was a success. The Korean team reported 16 donor exchanges conducted over a 6-year period were successful. Full details of this novel approach to organ transplantation appear in the April issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).

1 Apr 2010

Patient Safety Technologies' 2009 fourth-quarter revenue up 85.2%

Patient Safety Technologies, Inc. announced record quarterly and annual revenues for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2009.

1 Apr 2010

FDA clears Sysmex America's XT-4000i Automated Hematology Analyzer

Sysmex America, Inc., a leading medical diagnostic instrument manufacturer and information systems developer, today announced that its Sysmex XT-4000i™ Automated Hematology Analyzer has been cleared by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

From Sysmex America, Inc. 1 Apr 2010

UC Irvine Healthcare's heart failure program earns the Gold Seal of Approval

UC Irvine Healthcare's heart failure program and Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center have again earned the Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission, healthcare's predominant standards-setting and accrediting body.

1 Apr 2010

NSF panel to discuss advances in vaccine development and production in Asia/Australia

How did China and Australia develop and produce swine flu vaccine months before North America and Europe? A panel of U.S. experts will try to answer this question and report on other comparative findings in a workshop at the National Science Foundation in Arlington, VA, on May 5, 2010.

1 Apr 2010

Perception, rather than actual sleep quality may predict postpartum mood disturbances in new mothers

A study of healthy new mothers in the April 1 issue of the journal Sleep found that the perception of poor sleep and the conscious awareness of its impact on daytime functioning might be stronger predictors of immediate postpartum mood disturbances than actual sleep quality and quantity.

1 Apr 2010

Ensuring medication compliance in clinical trials: Pill capsules with microchips to signal ingestion

Seeking a way to confirm that patients have taken their medication, University of Florida engineering researchers have added a tiny microchip and digestible antenna to a standard pill capsule. The prototype is intended to pave the way for mass-produced pills that, when ingested, automatically alert doctors, loved ones or scientists working with patients in clinical drug trials.

1 Apr 2010

KCI launches V.A.C. ATS Therapy System in Japan

Kinetic Concepts, Inc. has announced the first patient placement of the company's innovative V.A.C.® ATS Therapy System in Japan. This landmark event represents the commercial launch of the therapy in Japan and the beginning of a comprehensive market development strategy in the country. V.A.C.® Therapy has treated more than three million patients in more than 50 countries worldwide and has been clinically proven in 20 randomized controlled trials and more than 550 peer-reviewed articles.

1 Apr 2010

Mount Sinai Medical Center's overall revenue growth for 2009 increased by 5%

Demonstrating the fortitude to address a challenging healthcare environment, president and C.E.O. Steven D. Sonenreich has led Mount Sinai Medical Center to financial stability and successfully reinforced its image as a healthcare leader. The most recent audit posted on March 26 reports nearly $14 million in profit for 2009.

1 Apr 2010

KKR announces investment in Ambea

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. today announced that KKR has joined Triton in its investment in Ambea, a leading healthcare and care company in the Nordic Region and one of the largest European healthcare service providers.

1 Apr 2010