Healthcare News

RSS

CVS Caremark survey results of specialty pharmacy patients

CVS Caremark today announced results of a survey of the company's specialty pharmacy patients that provides insights into their views on medication adherence and their perceptions about the role of their specialty pharmacy. The survey results show nearly 70 percent of respondents believe their specialty pharmacy team played an important role in encouraging them to take their specialty medications as prescribed.

21 Apr 2010

AACN joins national, state and community organizations in support of NHDD

Because critical care nurses are often among those caring for patients during their final days, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses joins national, state and community organizations in support of the third annual National Healthcare Decisions Day on Friday, April 16, 2010.

21 Apr 2010

Hospital mortality rates make poor diagnostic tests for quality of care

Mortality rates are a poor measure of the quality of hospital care and should not be a trigger for public inquiries such as the investigation at the Mid Staffordshire hospital, argue experts in a paper published on bmj.com today.

21 Apr 2010

Physicians, patients sign online petition to stop Medicare Meltdown

Medicare, the foundation of America's health system, is crumbling and needs permanent repair. Yet Congress just passed major health system reform legislation without solving the Medicare problem.

21 Apr 2010

New survey shows 82% of patients select OTC products recommended by their pharmacist

According to the most recent Pharmacy Today Over-the-Counter Product Survey conducted by the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), pharmacists believe that 82 percent of consumers purchase over-the-counter products that were recommended by their pharmacist.

21 Apr 2010

State Round Up: Colorado's medical marijuana dispensaries; Insurance discounts for wellness; Florida's pain clinic oversight legislation

Hundreds of new medical marijuana dispensaries have cropped up in Denver, Boulder and other Colorado cities, causing the state to stop accepting walk-up applications from people seeking cards that allow them to buy the plant, CNBC/USA Today reports. Would-be medical-marijuana consumers will now have to mail in their applications. "The changes are necessary due to the explosive growth in the number of medical marijuana applications," said a state health official.

21 Apr 2010

Regence takes action to prevent gap in health care coverage

Regence, the largest insurer in the Northwest/Intermountain Region, announced today that it is taking action to prevent a gap in coverage that could leave many young members uninsured.

21 Apr 2010

Nutrition experts call for sodium reduction strategies

Responding to the health threat posed by Americans' over-consumption of sodium, experts in the department of nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) called today for sodium reduction strategies that are strong and effective-and that maximize the enjoyment people derive from food.

21 Apr 2010

Proteus Biomedical's wireless personal health device receives FDA marketing clearance

Proteus Biomedical Inc., a pioneer in intelligent medicine, announced today that it has received 510(k) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration to market its wireless personal health device, the Raisin Personal Monitor.

21 Apr 2010

Feinstein bill would close 'enormous hole' in health reform but must be amended to cut industry influence: Consumer Watchdog

A health reform fix-it bill by Senator Dianne Feinstein that was debated in a Senate committee this morning aims at closing what Feinstein called an "enormous loophole" in the new federal law, allowing insurers to jack up rates on insurance policies that Americans will soon be required to buy.

21 Apr 2010

CIHR experts available to discuss current health research related to motherhood

In light of Mother's Day (May 9), experts from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) are available to discuss current health research related to motherhood.

21 Apr 2010

Inpatient mortality rates not the best way to judge hospital care

Inpatient mortality rates, used by organizations to issue "report cards" on the quality of individual U.S. hospitals, are a poor gauge of how well hospitals actually perform and should be abandoned in favor of measures that more accurately assess patient harms and the care being provided, argue patient safety experts in a paper out today.

21 Apr 2010

Some health insurers move to cover kids up to age 26 even earlier than law requires

Insurers will move even more quickly than required to keep young adults on their parents insurance plan, USA Today reports. "UnitedHealthcare, Humana, Kaiser Permanente and WellPoint said they will put into effect some provisions of the new health care law ahead of schedule to let adult children stay on parents' plans until age 26." The reason for moving earlier than the Sept. 23 deadline? "[T]he companies said they are changing rules now to prevent young adults from falling into a coverage gap" (Young, 4/20).

21 Apr 2010

InfoLogix launches HealthTrax mobility solution for University Health System

InfoLogix, Inc., a leading technology provider of enterprise mobility solutions for the healthcare and commercial industries, announced today it has successfully launched a customized HealthTrax mobility solution for University Health System's 604-bed acute care hospital and 20 ambulatory clinics in San Antonio, Texas.

21 Apr 2010

U. S. senators propose retinal scanning may serve as an identity proof

The configuration of retinal blood vessels is unique to each individual and cannot be altered, said Dr. Brian Proctor, an ophthalmologist at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Melrose Park, Il.

21 Apr 2010

Florida House approves expanding Medicaid managed care; Kansas weighs proposal to raise nursing home fees

Calling the current system 'broken' and warning of long-term financial problems, the state House today approved a proposal that would gradually shift almost all Medicaid recipients into managed-care plans. The votes on two bills set the stage for the House and Senate to try to reach agreement on a Medicaid overhaul before the annual legislative session ends April 30.

21 Apr 2010

Caliber Point announces partnership with MedLink for EHR records

Caliber Point Business Solutions Ltd., a leading BPO service provider and a subsidiary of Hexaware Technologies, today announced their partnership with MedLink, a healthcare IT Company, which provides a complete Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and practice management platform named TotalOffice. This partnership provides a 'One Stop' solution for physician practices who otherwise have to work with multiple vendors across platforms to integrate their clinical data and billing information systems.

21 Apr 2010

Baptist Hospital extends discount for Lap-Band procedure for self-pay patients

To allow more patients the opportunity of affordable weight loss surgery, the Metabolic Surgery Center at Baptist Hospital has extended its discount for Lap-Band surgery for self-pay patients. The cost of the Lap-Band procedure has been reduced by 25 percent - from $16,100 to $12,000 - for self-pay patients only.

21 Apr 2010

Study: Magazine's rankings of hospitals reflect reputation, not necessarily quality

The Cleveland Plain Dealer: "Hospital rankings shouldn't be a popularity contest. But U.S. News & World Report's annual Best Hospitals issue is just that -- and not a reflection of the quality of care that is provided -- says a study conducted by a local physician.

21 Apr 2010

FDA files consent decree against STERIS

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that a consent decree has been filed against the device manufacturer, STERIS Corp. of Mentor, Ohio. The decree stops the company from distributing unapproved and misbranded devices used to sterilize heat-sensitive instruments and medical devices. It prohibits the distribution of the STERIS System 1 Processor, or SS1, a tabletop liquid chemical system marketed to disinfect certain devices, such as endoscopes, that cannot withstand steam sterilization.

21 Apr 2010