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Study highlights importance of individualized, patient-centered therapies

In an analysis from the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial, one of the largest studies of its kind to determine whether intensive blood glucose (sugar) control worked better than standard blood sugar control among diabetics, results show that the benefits of intensive therapy need to be balanced against the increase in total and cardiovascular disease-related death, increased weight gain, and high risk for severe low blood sugar.

30 Jun 2010

Merck wins Vioxx lawsuit

Merck & Co., Inc. said today that it had prevailed in all respects in a trial of claims brought by the State of Louisiana related to Vioxx. The case was tried before federal district court Judge Eldon E. Fallon without a jury.

30 Jun 2010

Gene diagnosis to be featured at 9th INT'L BIO FORUM & BIO EXPO JAPAN

9th INT'L BIO FORUM & BIO EXPO JAPAN, organized by Reed Exhibitions Japan, will come back again as Asia's largest bio-event from June 30 - July 2, 2010. "Gene diagnosis" is one of the featured topics for this year.

30 Jun 2010

U.N. Economic and Social Council meeting focuses on MDGs, empowering women

"The world's anti-poverty gains achieved over the past years are being eroded by the presence of multiple crises, including an unprecedented economic and financial crisis, increased food [in]security, oil prices volatility and climate change," according to a report released Monday by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during the opening of an annual high-level segment of the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Bernama reports.

30 Jun 2010

Complication rates for vaginal and C-section deliveries can vary across hospitals

Complication rates for vaginal and C-section deliveries can vary widely from one hospital to the next according to a study released today by HealthGrades, the leading independent health care ratings organization.

30 Jun 2010

Khon Kaen University deploys Aruba's adaptive Wi-Fi networks and AirWave Wireless Management System

Aruba Networks, Inc., a global leader in distributed enterprise network solutions, today announced that Thailand's Khon Kaen University Faculty of Medicine has deployed its adaptive Wi-Fi networks and AirWave Wireless Management System to support X-Ray image archiving, healthcare and drug dosage record access, and Internet access to 2,000 staff members and 1,200 students. The new system replaces legacy Cisco and 3COM autonomous FAT access points, and was deployed by Aruba authorized partner World Information Technology Company.

30 Jun 2010

Insuring your health: Part-time workers to get help on health insurance – but not now

In this Kaiser Health News consumer column, Michelle Andrews writes: "Sarah Rose Nordgren works 25 to 30 hours a week as a waitress at an upscale restaurant in Chapel Hill, N.C."

30 Jun 2010

Health law provisions kicking in; States prepare for high-risk insurance pool implementation

Three months after health reform was enacted, state leaders are beginning to make decisions about implementing the new law, Politico reports: "With the messy politics of health reform, the burden of balancing state budgets and the goal of expanding health coverage, lawmakers at the state level have had mixed reactions."

30 Jun 2010

SMART-UR launches Client Service Center to assist with medical Utilization Review request process

Gregg Bernhard, COO of SMART-UR, announced the company has launched a Client Services Center to assist its clients with the processing of medical Utilization Review (UR) requests.

30 Jun 2010

Experts evlauate impact of Medicare Part D program on independent and chain pharmacies

The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (Medicare Part D) added prescription drug coverage to Medicare beginning in January 2006.

30 Jun 2010

Lack of reimbursements limit drug-eluting stent market across Latin America

According to Millennium Research Group (MRG), the global authority on medical technology market intelligence, despite the rising popularity of drug-eluting stents (DES) across Latin America, bare-metal stents (BMS) will continue to represent a significant portion of the overall coronary stent market through 2014. This trend is especially evident in Brazil, where the public healthcare system does not provide any reimbursement for DES procedures.

30 Jun 2010

Ph II data of perifosine + capecitabine in metastatic CRC to be presented at gastrointestinal cancer congress

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that abstract O-0017, entitled "Subset Analysis of 5-FU Refractory Patients from a Randomized Ph II Study of Perifosine + Capecitabine (P-CAP) vs. Placebo + Capecitabine (CAP) in Patients with 2nd or 3rd Line Metastatic CRC" has been selected for oral presentation at the upcoming 12th World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer, to be held in Barcelona, Spain from June 30 - July 2, 2010.

30 Jun 2010

States struggle as Congress fails to come through with extra Medicaid money

Congress' rejection - at least for now - of a package extending $16 billion in Medicaid funding and $35.5 billion in other jobless benefits has left at least 30 states struggling to balance next fiscal year's budgets with tax increases, spending cuts and layoffs, The Associated Press reports. The new fiscal year begins in just days for most states.

30 Jun 2010

Geriatric population soars while NIH devotes modest resources to aging research

With a nudge from the new health care law and pressure from Medicare, hospitals, doctors and nurses are struggling to prepare for explosive growth in the numbers of high-risk elderly patients. More than 40 percent of adult patients in acute care hospital beds are 65 or older. Seventy million Americans will have turned 65 by 2030.

30 Jun 2010

Oil spill disaster raises concern in the Gulf region

Two months after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion caused the oil spill now globally acknowledged as the worst environmental disaster in our nation's history, the residents of the Gulf region immediately impacted are exhibiting dramatically high levels of anxiety, both among adults and children, about the future health and well-being of the region. Many children – and parents – still recovering from Katrina are now reeling from a second major trauma as a result of the oil catastrophe.

30 Jun 2010

Health experts to discuss OA prevention and treatment strategies at international Arthritis Summit

Hospital for Special Surgery plans to host a two-day international Osteoarthritis Summit in June 2011.

30 Jun 2010

Survey of doctors suggests widespread 'defensive medicine'

HealthDay/Bloomberg Businessweek reports that a new survey published in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that 91 percent of 2,416 doctors believe their colleagues practice defensive medicine by giving patients more tests and treatments as a means of protecting themselves from lawsuits. "In addition, 90.7 percent of the respondents believe better protection against unwarranted malpractice suits is necessary to reduce the number of unnecessary medical tests" (Preidt, 6/28).

30 Jun 2010

Seventh Annual HealthGrades Maternity Care in Hospitals Study ranks Good Samaritan in top 5%

Good Samaritan Hospital's maternity care is in the top 5 percent in the nation for the third year in a row according to a new study issued today by HealthGrades, Inc., the independent ratings organization. The Seventh Annual HealthGrades Maternity Care in Hospitals Study used state-government data to compare hospitals in terms of complication rates for vaginal and C-section deliveries as well as neonatal mortality.

30 Jun 2010

News round up: UniCare will drop health coverage for Virginians; Hawaii concerned about lack of physicians

The Washington Post: "About 3,000 Virginians who have health insurance through UniCare, a private insurer, will lose that coverage Jan. 1, a UniCare spokesman said Monday. Most live in Northern Virginia and get their coverage through the individual market, officials said.

30 Jun 2010

Doctors want pain drugs to be tracked

The Hill: Doctors who belong to the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians want lawmakers to give money to help states begin collecting and sharing data on patients who "doctor shop" for pain medications. The group wants $55 million for the program and are asking Congress "to reauthorize a 2005 bill providing grants to states that collect prescription drug information and share it with physicians and pharmacists — and law enforcement officials when there's an investigation — while protecting patients' privacy.

30 Jun 2010

Healthcare News

Study highlights importance of individualized, patient-centered therapies

Merck wins Vioxx lawsuit

Gene diagnosis to be featured at 9th INT'L BIO FORUM & BIO EXPO JAPAN

U.N. Economic and Social Council meeting focuses on MDGs, empowering women

Complication rates for vaginal and C-section deliveries can vary across hospitals

Khon Kaen University deploys Aruba's adaptive Wi-Fi networks and AirWave Wireless Management System

Insuring your health: Part-time workers to get help on health insurance – but not now

Health law provisions kicking in; States prepare for high-risk insurance pool implementation

SMART-UR launches Client Service Center to assist with medical Utilization Review request process

Experts evlauate impact of Medicare Part D program on independent and chain pharmacies

Lack of reimbursements limit drug-eluting stent market across Latin America

Ph II data of perifosine + capecitabine in metastatic CRC to be presented at gastrointestinal cancer congress

States struggle as Congress fails to come through with extra Medicaid money

Geriatric population soars while NIH devotes modest resources to aging research

Oil spill disaster raises concern in the Gulf region

Health experts to discuss OA prevention and treatment strategies at international Arthritis Summit

Survey of doctors suggests widespread 'defensive medicine'

Seventh Annual HealthGrades Maternity Care in Hospitals Study ranks Good Samaritan in top 5%

News round up: UniCare will drop health coverage for Virginians; Hawaii concerned about lack of physicians

Doctors want pain drugs to be tracked

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

How cohesin mechanics and nanotracker tech are redefining DNA research

Todd Bauman and Chris Povich

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