Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Research roundup: The effect of expensive cancer therapies; missed hospital handovers; children's mental health needs

Medicare uses more than a dozen different payment systems to set payment rates for the medical items and services the program covers for beneficiaries.

4 Aug 2014

ACA provides opportunities to increase availability of CR programs in workplace

Through financial incentives and an emphasis on proven health outcomes, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides opportunities to increase the availability of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs—including offering CR as part of worksite health programs (WHPs), according to an article in the August Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

4 Aug 2014

Administration says next marketplace enrollment season will have 'bumps'

In a House hearing, the number two officials at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services responds to a critical GAO report and says while improvements to the federal online exchange are being made, it still "won't be perfect."

4 Aug 2014

Medicaid expansion offers financial boost for hospitals

Second quarter earnings reports highlight how health law provisions are helping increase hospital companies' profits.

3 Aug 2014

Medicare drug premiums to rise $1 a month in 2015

The modest increase of the monthly premium to $32 comes even as officials are concerned about the impact of expensive specialty drugs, such as Sovaldi, which cures hepatitis C but costs $1,000 a pill.

3 Aug 2014

Health law critics ask Supreme Court to take case about subsidies

The appeal comes after the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond upheld the administration's use of subsidies on the federal insurance marketplaces.

3 Aug 2014

Health law negatives reach an all-time high

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation's monthly tracking poll, negative views of the health law reach a high point, erasing six months of gradual improvements in popularity.

3 Aug 2014

Research helps explain why brain tumors occur more often in males

New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis helps explain why brain tumors occur more often in males and frequently are more harmful than similar tumors in females.

3 Aug 2014

Research reveals that seizures linked to feelings of anxiety

New research by clinical psychologists from the UK and US has revealed psychogenic seizures which could be mistaken for epilepsy are linked to feelings of anxiety.

3 Aug 2014

New joint ESC/ESA Guidelines on non-cardiac surgery

The publication of the new joint ESC/ESA Guidelines on non-cardiac surgery: cardiovascular assessment and management introduces a number of recommendations in the field. Among other topics, the Guidelines include updated information on the use of clinical indices and biomarkers in risk assessment, and the use of novel anticoagulants, statins, aspirin and beta-blockers in risk mitigation.

1 Aug 2014

First Edition: August 1, 2014

Today's headlines include more questions about how healthcare.gov will function during the next open enrollment period.

1 Aug 2014

Depressive symptoms and pain in patients on dialysis may have serious negative consequences

Depressive symptoms and pain in patients on dialysis may have serious negative consequences for patients' health and increase the need for costly medical services, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).

1 Aug 2014

Adoption of hourly rounds schedules for nurses may improve patient safety and satisfaction

Adoption of hourly rounds schedules for nurses working in acute care hospitals may improve patient safety and overall satisfaction with care provided, according to research reported in the Journal for Healthcare Quality, the peer reviewed publication of the National Association for Healthcare Quality.

1 Aug 2014

Researchers one step closer to finding treatment for dengue fever

There have been several news reports that the world's first dengue vaccine will be available next year. However, the latest clinical trials show that the vaccine only provides a protection of around 50 per cent for DENV-2 and DENV-1, which are commonly found in Singapore.

1 Aug 2014

State highlights: Maryland's top health official leaving for Johns Hopkins; Minnesota lawmakers to propose legislation to require contraception coverage

Maryland's top health official, Joshua M. Sharfstein, announced Wednesday that he will leave at the end of Gov. Martin O'Malley's term in January to become an associate dean at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (Johnson, 7/30).

1 Aug 2014

Untreated psychosis duration linked to age, gender and immigration status

First-generation immigrants, men and younger patients are at risk of treatment delays for first-episode psychosis, study findings indicate.

31 Jul 2014

InformedDNA reaches $4.5 million funding agreement with Zaffre Investments

InformedDNA, a leading provider of Genetic Benefits Management and the largest independent network of genetic specialists in the U.S., announced today that it has reached a $4.5 million funding agreement with Zaffre Investments, a wholly owned subsidiary of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.

31 Jul 2014

Study shows important benefits of applying vacuum pressure after brain injury

Controlled application of vacuum pressure is a promising approach to limiting tissue damage after traumatic brain injury (TBI), suggests an experimental study in the August issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

31 Jul 2014

Endo International revenues increase $719M to 1% in Q2 2014

Endo International plc today reported second quarter 2014 revenues of $719 million, an increase of 1 percent compared to second quarter 2013 revenues of $712 million.

31 Jul 2014

Hospital 'observation stays' scrutinized by Senate Aging Committee

Meanwhile, on the House side, the Energy and Commerce Committee approved legislation that would allow people with group health insurance to keep policies that don't conform to the health law's standards.

31 Jul 2014