Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Cedars-Sinai launches applied research center to improve value of patient care

Cedars-Sinai has launched an applied research center to improve the value of patient care inside the medical center and beyond its walls by strengthening patient-doctor bonds and bringing greater efficiency to the delivery of clinical services.

25 Jul 2014

GAO official: Report intended to identify trouble spots in health law fraud controls

It's too early to draw conclusions about fraud in the Obamacare marketplaces, a congressional investigator said at a hearing focused on a report finding 11 out of 12 fake applicants were able to obtain subsidized health insurance. Republicans jumped on the report as proof that the health care law invites fraud, but the Government Accountability Office official said the sample is too small and investigators "can't draw any conclusions" until their work is complete.

25 Jul 2014

Study: Dementia carers may require more support with medication management

Family carers of people with dementia may need more support with medication management, according to a recent study.

25 Jul 2014

Phase 3 trial: NEXAVAR tablets fail to meet primary endpoint in HER2-negative breast cancer patients

Bayer HealthCare and Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc., an Amgen subsidiary, today announced that an investigational Phase 3 trial of NEXAVAR (sorafenib) tablets in patients with advanced breast cancer did not meet its primary endpoint of improving progression-free survival (PFS).

25 Jul 2014

Senate could vote on VA nominee's confirmation before the August break

Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell named Leslie Dach, a former Wal-Mart vice president, to be a senior adviser as part of Burwell's effort to head off difficulties in the upcoming health law enrollment period.

25 Jul 2014

Parsing the health law court decisions: What does it all mean?

News outlets analyze this week's conflicting appeals courts' decisions regarding a key part of the health law, including the impact the ultimate outcome of the cases could have on coverage, politics and the marketplace.

25 Jul 2014

Healthcare.gov active with special enrollments

ProPublica reports that the once problem-plagued federal exchange handled an estimated 960,000 "834" forms between April 19 and July 15.

25 Jul 2014

10 million newly insured because of health law, study says

The study, done by Harvard researchers and published by the New England Journal of Medicine, was based on Gallup polling and data from the Department of Health and Human Services.

25 Jul 2014

Medicaid residents sue Tennessee on Medicaid enrollment delays

The suit claims that the state's decision to require residents to apply through the health law marketplace slowed down enrollment. In other Medicaid news, The Associated Press examines problems in Oregon caused by the rush of enrollment.

25 Jul 2014

Asia's first genetic test developed for identifying patients with corneal stromal dystrophy

A team of eye doctors and scientists from Singapore have developed Asia's first genetic test for identifying patients with a type of eye disease that affects the cornea called corneal stromal dystrophy which can lead to blurring and loss of vision.

25 Jul 2014

Health insurers to refund consumers $330 million

The refunds are required under the health law when insurers spend less than 80 to 85 percent of health care premiums for medical care. Florida consumers will receive the biggest rebates, with $41.7 million returned, according to government data.

25 Jul 2014

WIRB-Copernicus Group acquires Alliance Biosciences

WIRB-Copernicus Group, the world's largest provider of regulatory and ethical review services for clinical research, announced today that it has acquired Alliance Biosciences. Formerly a division of Richmond, VA-based Alliance Engineering, Alliance Biosciences was the leading biosafety and biosecurity consulting firm in the United States.

24 Jul 2014

TransCelerate selects Cognizant to develop first-of-its-kind, subscription-based platform

Cognizant today announced that it has been selected by TransCelerate BioPharma Inc., a non-profit organization with membership representation from 19 major pharmaceutical companies, to develop a first-of-its-kind, subscription-based platform that will transform the way clinical sites collaborate with pharmaceutical companies on clinical trials.

24 Jul 2014

First Edition: July 24, 2014

Today's headlines include more analysis of this week's conflicting appeals courts' decisions regarding a key part of the health law.

24 Jul 2014

Obese people have low endurance, experience excess fatigue in workplace

Workplaces may need to consider innovative meethods to prevent fatigue from developing in employees who are obese. Based on results from a new study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, workers who are obese may have significantly shorter endurance times when perfroming workplace tasks, compared with non-obese counterparts.

24 Jul 2014

Researchers uncover how malaria parasite becomes resistant to fosmidomycin drug

Researchers have uncovered a way the malaria parasite becomes resistant to an investigational drug. The discovery, at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, also is relevant for other infectious diseases including bacterial infections and tuberculosis.

24 Jul 2014

Questions abound as two appeals courts split on legality of health law subsidies

Two U.S. courts of appeals reached different decisions regarding the issue of whether the health law's subsidies can be used by consumers shopping for health coverage on the federal exchange, because their states opted against setting up their own online insurance marketplace.

24 Jul 2014

FDA approves Ryanodex for treatment of malignant hyperthermia linked with anesthesia

Eagle Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Ryanodex® (dantrolene sodium) for injectable suspension indicated for the treatment of malignant hyperthermia (MH), along with the appropriate supportive measures.

24 Jul 2014

Undercover agents get health insurance subsidies with fake IDs

Federal investigators, working undercover for the Government Accountability Office, said they had been able to obtain subsidized health insurance under the health law using fictitious identities and false documents. The administration said it was working on remedying the verification problems.

24 Jul 2014

Marketplace confronts confusion in face of conflicting rulings

News outlets report that providers and insurers worry the two appellate court decisions could undermine the stability of the newly expanded health insurance markets. Meanwhile, governors in those states that opted not to set up their own marketplaces may face pressure if consumers who used healthcare.gov to shop for coverage lose their subsidies.

24 Jul 2014