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French National Program finds significant decreases in the rates of HAIs since 2004

Researchers evaluating France's national infection control program for healthcare facilities found significant decreases in the rates of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) since 2004. The drop in HAIs, including MRSA and surgical site infections, could be attributed to important changes in the national infection control system.

18 Mar 2010

First Edition: March 18, 2010

Today's headlines indicate that Democrats are inching closer to securing the votes necessary to pass their health bill while the GOP is planning steps to bottle neck the measure's progress.

18 Mar 2010

Study finds the cost of cancer care is skyrocketing

USA Today: "The cost of cancer treatment is 'skyrocketing' — both for individual patients and the nation, a new analysis shows. From 1990 to 2008, spending on cancer care soared to more than $90 billion from $27 billion. The increase was driven by the rising costs of sophisticated new drugs, robotic surgeries and radiation techniques, as well as the growing number of patients who are eligible to take them, says Peter Bach of New York's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Cancer, co-author of an analysis in today's Journal of the American Medical Association.

18 Mar 2010

Health IT Now! Coalition panel discussion: Develop affordable access to broadband and healthcare

The Health IT Now! Coalition hosted a panel discussion today with the Federal Communications Commission and a panel of experts to discuss the FCC's National Broadband Plan and its proposals to develop affordable access to broadband and healthcare.

18 Mar 2010

Bleach-based disinfectants more effective against noroviruses

Some 40% of commercial disinfectants used to clean surfaces are believed to be ineffective in eliminating noroviruses, a group of viruses responsible for more than half of all foodborne gastroenteritis outbreaks. According to a recent study published by Universit- Laval researchers in the Journal of Food Protection, only bleach-based disinfectants drastically reduce the concentration of these viruses.

18 Mar 2010

Health care reform: Obama, Hispanic voters differ on priorities

Hispanic voters are troubled by the direction of the country and are very concerned about the economy, spending, debt and national security, according to a new Resurgent Republic survey. The study, released today, showed that most are responsive to fiscally conservative messages and believe that President Obama is pursuing a different main priority on health care than what they think should be the top priority.

18 Mar 2010

Health Integrated recognized with URAC accreditation for innovative health management solutions

Health Integrated, a leading provider of Health Management Solutions to health plans, has been awarded full accreditation for case management, disease management and health utilization management by URAC, a Washington, DC-based healthcare accrediting organization that establishes quality standards for the healthcare industry.

18 Mar 2010

Competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment: Myths and realities

Medicare has been touting the merits of the "competitive" bidding program for durable, or home medical equipment and services (HME) to convince Congress that the program is good for seniors. Unfortunately, proponents have conveyed misleading information and cherry-picked facts that exaggerate the benefits and ignore the severe shortcomings of the program.

18 Mar 2010

American Scientific Resources receives additional Bayer Healthcare order for Disintegrator Needle Destruction Device

American Scientific Resources, Inc., confirms today that it has received formal confirmation and payment advice for the additional purchase of its Disintegrator Needle Destruction Device from Bayer-Schering Pharmaceuticals.

18 Mar 2010

China’s healthcare reform one year later

In April 2009, the Chinese government announced the guidelines for healthcare reform, with the core principle of providing universal healthcare services to the country's 1.3 billion population. China will invest 850 billion RMB ($124 billion) on healthcare from 2009 to 2011, further stimulating demand for medical devices, in what is already one of the world's fastest growing markets for medical technology. One year later, a number of new regulations and guidelines are in place, which are beginning to reshape the structure of the Chinese healthcare industry.

18 Mar 2010

Alpharma to pay $42.5M for settling alleged Kadian kickback scheme

Alpharma Inc. has agreed to pay $42.5 million to the federal government and certain states to settle a whistleblower lawsuit that exposed an alleged kickback scheme by the pharmaceutical company to boost its sales of Kadian, a prescription painkiller.

18 Mar 2010

BUSM: Subject on unhealthy substance use must be incorporated into internal medicine residency training

Educational leaders from Boston University School of Medicine believe teaching the subject of unhealthy substance use must be incorporated into internal medicine residency training and can be done within existing teaching venues. The findings, which currently appear on-line in BioMedCentral Medical Education, represent a national model for addressing this issue for internal medicine residents.

18 Mar 2010

Palliative care continues to play vital role in the continuum of cancer care: Study

A study from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports that cancer centers in the United States provide patients and their families with palliative care, though the depth, range and integration of programs and services widely vary.

18 Mar 2010

New chemotherapeutic agents for colorectal cancer: High-cost/low-value medical care

New chemotherapy agents appear associated with improvements in survival time for patients with metastastic colorectal cancer, but at substantial cost, according to a report in the March 22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

18 Mar 2010

Poll: Use of booster seats drops sharply to 40% by age 8

All 50 states have some type of child safety seat law, 28 of which require kids to use child safety seats or booster seats through age 8 to reduce the risk of injuries in car crashes. But the latest C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health finds that while nearly all parents report their kids, ages 5 and younger, use booster seats or car seats while riding in vehicles, use of booster seats drops sharply to 40 percent by age 8.

18 Mar 2010

SEIU's civil lawsuit against former local union staff and elected leaders: Trial set for Monday

For the last year, SEIU officials have been suing 29 local union reformers and whistleblowers who exposed the union's corruption and backroom deals and helped healthcare workers protect their democratic right to join a new union after a hostile takeover.

18 Mar 2010

Evaluating all Medicare plan options can reduce healthcare costs

Nearly 8 million former workers have disabilities so severe that they rely on Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, and an estimated 3.3 million more will apply for disability benefits this year. For these people and others suffering from serious conditions and disabilities, taking the right steps quickly to manage costs is essential for their financial and health well-being, according to Allsup, a nationwide provider of Social Security disability representation and Medicare plan selection services.

18 Mar 2010

Societies endorse AIUM Training Guidelines for musculoskeletal ultrasound

The AIUM is pleased to announce that 4 professional societies have collaborated with AIUM to endorse the recent AIUM Training Guidelines for the Performance of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Examinations. The guidelines allow for a several practitioners, including physicians, osteopathic physicians, podiatrists, and sonographers, to perform musculoskeletal ultrasound examinations, marking significant promise for the future of this growing field.

18 Mar 2010

Patients can partner with their caregivers to prevent health risks and errors

Being hospitalized for acute care presents health risks beyond the medical treatment at hand. Medication errors, patient identification errors, falls and infections are just some of the risks that can be prevented through a closer partnership of patients, their families and medical providers.

18 Mar 2010

Rauland-Borg, Visonic Technologies integrate Elpas RTLS technology with Responder 5 Nurse Call System

Rauland-Borg, the leader in Healthcare Nurse Call Systems and Visonic Technologies a global provider of scalable Active RFID/RTLS based safety, security and management solutions for the healthcare industry announce the integration of Elpas RTLS technology with the Responder 5 Nurse Call System. This joint collaboration between Visonic Technologies and Rauland-Borg provides Responder 5 with real-time staff presence functionality throughout the hospital to room and sub-room level accuracy, automatic visual indication that a patient's needs are being responded to and automatic nurse call cancellation.

18 Mar 2010

Healthcare News

French National Program finds significant decreases in the rates of HAIs since 2004

First Edition: March 18, 2010

Study finds the cost of cancer care is skyrocketing

Health IT Now! Coalition panel discussion: Develop affordable access to broadband and healthcare

Bleach-based disinfectants more effective against noroviruses

Health care reform: Obama, Hispanic voters differ on priorities

Health Integrated recognized with URAC accreditation for innovative health management solutions

Competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment: Myths and realities

American Scientific Resources receives additional Bayer Healthcare order for Disintegrator Needle Destruction Device

China’s healthcare reform one year later

Alpharma to pay $42.5M for settling alleged Kadian kickback scheme

BUSM: Subject on unhealthy substance use must be incorporated into internal medicine residency training

Palliative care continues to play vital role in the continuum of cancer care: Study

New chemotherapeutic agents for colorectal cancer: High-cost/low-value medical care

Poll: Use of booster seats drops sharply to 40% by age 8

SEIU's civil lawsuit against former local union staff and elected leaders: Trial set for Monday

Evaluating all Medicare plan options can reduce healthcare costs

Societies endorse AIUM Training Guidelines for musculoskeletal ultrasound

Patients can partner with their caregivers to prevent health risks and errors

Rauland-Borg, Visonic Technologies integrate Elpas RTLS technology with Responder 5 Nurse Call System

Digital pathology and the PathoVerse: A conversation with Dr. Singh

Bioprocess Efficiency with Cell Density Monitoring

Exploring electron microscopy for plant and microbial imaging at the John Innes Centre

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