Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Hand hygiene rates 3 times higher when auditors visible to healthcare workers

Hand hygiene rates were found to be three times higher when auditors were visible to healthcare workers than when there were no auditors present, according to a study in a major Canadian acute care hospital.

9 Jul 2014

Study: Poor oral health remains major problem in Navajo Nation

A new study from Colorado School of Public Health shows that despite some modest improvements, poor oral health remains a major problem in the Navajo Nation and among American Indians overall.

8 Jul 2014

Despite signing up and paying premiums, some people still aren't covered

News outlets report that difficulties resulting from health exchange websites and enrollment systems continue to impact insurance coverage. News outlets also report on related developments from D.C., Colorado, Wisconsin and Missouri.

8 Jul 2014

Clinicians launches ACEmobile app to support assessment of dementia

A team of clinicians from Plymouth, UK, and Sydney, Australia, have today (Wednesday 9th July 2014 UK, Thursday 10th July Australia) launched ACEmobile - a free-to-use app to support the assessment of dementia, worldwide.

8 Jul 2014

VA whistleblowers to tell all to House

These whistleblowers say they were often placed on administrative leave for bringing up their concerns. Also, wait times at Connecticut VA clinics explode, even after the recent scandal came to light.

8 Jul 2014

Despite warnings many young adults believe that hookah smoking is not harmful to health

Despite warnings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that hookah smoking can be just as dangerous as cigarettes, many young adults believe that using the water pipes is not harmful to their health, according to a UCLA School of Nursing study.

8 Jul 2014

Senate majority leader vows response to Hobby Lobby decision

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Democrats will take up legislation to address the Supreme Court's decision allowing some employers with religious objections to opt out of the health law's contraceptive mandate. Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood sets up a text helpline for women who have lost or will lose contraceptive coverage.

8 Jul 2014

Courts consider challenges to health law subsidies

A federal judge weighs whether to allow a Republican senator's lawsuit challenging the awarding of tax-free federal subsidies to buy health insurance to members of Congress and their staffs.

8 Jul 2014

Medicare mulls expanding telehealth to wellness, behavioral visits

The proposed rule would also pay for rural telemedicine for providers who are closer to big cities. Elsewhere, telemedicine in treating injured workers -- especially in rural areas -- catches on.

8 Jul 2014

Tufts Medical Center goes live with Plexus IS' Anesthesia Touch

Plexus Information Systems, Inc., a market-leading provider of Anesthesia Information Management Systems (AIMS), announced today that Tufts Medical Center went live with Anesthesia Touch, a full-featured AIMS that automates the anesthesia documentation process.

8 Jul 2014

Perrigo receives final approval from FDA for congestion relief tablets

Perrigo Company today announced that it was the first to receive final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its abbreviated new drug application for ibuprofen and phenylephrine hydrochloride tablets, 200 mg/10 mg (over-the-counter), the store brand equivalent to Advil Congestion Relief Tablets, 200 mg/10 mg.

8 Jul 2014

RD Biomed announces Chinese distribution agreement for reflux diagnostic tool Peptest

RD Biomed, the Yorkshire medical technology company, has announced a Chinese distribution agreement for its world-leading reflux diagnostic tool Peptest.

8 Jul 2014

First Edition: July 8, 2014

Today's headlines include reports that a federal judge in Wisconsin heard arguments in a health law challenge brought by a U.S. senator.

8 Jul 2014

Viewpoints: Wheaton injunction muddies court's ruling on contraceptives; Boston hospital merger problems; advice for new VA chief

In a bizarre attempt to have it both ways, the Supreme Court held that a small evangelical Protestant college in Illinois did not have to include contraceptive coverage in employee health insurance even though it didn't fill out the paperwork the government required for claiming an exemption. ..

8 Jul 2014

Ill. Supreme Court rules state can't cut retiree health benefits

The Court said the benefits are protected under the Illinois Constitution. The state wants to cut the benefits to save money on the state's pension liabilities.

8 Jul 2014

Teen dating takes violent turn for nearly 1 in 6 young people

Dating during the teen years takes a violent turn for nearly 1 in 6 young people, a new study finds, with both genders reporting acts like punching, pulling hair, shoving, and throwing things.

8 Jul 2014

House Of Representatives lawyers ask judge to reject SEC lawsuit

In what is viewed as an ongoing power struggle between two branches of the federal government, the House lawyers termed the investigation related to Medicare insider-trading allegations to be a "fishing expedition."

8 Jul 2014

Federal push for electronic health records may make fraud easier

USA Today reports on this development. Meanwhile, in other health IT news, The Fiscal Times reports on how hospitals are getting more involved in big data collection.

8 Jul 2014

Patient choice and hospital capacity during pandemic

Allowing patients to choose which hospital they attend when suffering illness during a pandemic rather than assigning them to a specific healthcare facility is appealing to patients during such a crisis. However, such a patient-centric hospital capacity management is conventionally viewed as inefficient system-wide.

8 Jul 2014

New worksite wellness approach more effective in decreasing problematic eating behaviors

Problematic eating behaviors and dissatisfaction with one's body are familiar struggles among women. To combat those behaviors, which have led to higher healthcare premiums and medical trends, employers have offered worksite wellness programs to employees and their families.

7 Jul 2014