Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Can rebate checks really change public perception about the health law?

National Journal reports that although the checks are one of the earliest, tangible benefits for people with insurance, they are unlikely to alter the public view -- in part because they have gone to only about 10 percent of households.

27 Sep 2012

Hospitals respond to feds' warning about electronic records, billing fraud

Hospital industry groups responded Tuesday to the warning issued by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Attorney General Eric Holder, saying that the federal government shares part of the blame, because it hasn't provided hospitals adequate guidance on billing for common services.

27 Sep 2012

Hatch seeks more details from the Obama administration about federal exchanges

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R- Utah, charged that states can't make decisions about whether to pursue their own health insurance exchanges or to rely on the federal fallback version unless they have more information.

27 Sep 2012

Go Daddy donates $10,000 for Scottsdale Healthcare Cancer Center fundraiser

GoDaddy.com, the world's largest provider of Web hosting and domain name registrations, is donating $10,000 to help cancer patients and kick-start fundraising for the 4th annual Scottsdale Healthcare Rob Moy Memorial Motorcycle Run.

27 Sep 2012

Accera to sponsor National Memory Screening Day of Alzheimer's Foundation of America

Accera, Inc., a privately-held, commercial-stage, healthcare company focused on the discovery and development of innovative clinical applications to address acute and chronic neurodegenerative diseases, announced today that it is a silver sponsor of the Alzheimer's Foundation of America's (AFA) National Memory Screening Day (NMSD) on November 13, 2012 during National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month.

27 Sep 2012

Prime Healthcare Services purchases Dallas Medical Center

Prime Healthcare Services announced today that it has purchased Dallas Medical Center, located in Dallas, Texas.

27 Sep 2012

First Health, Stratose announce partnership

Stratose, a leader in healthcare cost containment services for medical, dental and workers' compensation claims, is pleased to announce their partnership with First Health.

27 Sep 2012

Short-course amphotericin is cost-effective for cryptococcal meningitis

The treatment of cryptococcal meningitis in resource-limited settings is most effective with a short 1-week course of amphotericin induction therapy coupled with high-dose fluconazole for at least 2 weeks, a Ugandan study suggests.

26 Sep 2012

The ABC of terminal hemorrhage management

To best cope with terminal hemorrhage, at-risk patients should be identified by healthcare professionals while their families and caregivers are prepared, supported, and instructed to assure, be there for, and calm and comfort the patient as the event occurs, say researchers.

26 Sep 2012

Tips on safe use of opioids in hospitals

On August 8, The Joint Commission issued a Sentinel Event Alert on the safe use of opioids in hospitals. The Alert discussed the significance of accurate pain assessment and effective pain management plans.

26 Sep 2012

Retail Benefits acquires My HSA Rewards

Retail Benefits today announced the acquisition of My HSA Rewards, an innovative program that allows employees to use cash back from shopping to reduce healthcare costs.

26 Sep 2012

MindChild receives FDA pre-market clearance for MERIDIAN non-invasive fetal heart monitor

MindChild Medical, Inc. today announced that it has received clearance for its Pre-Marketing Notification (510(k)) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its MERIDIAN non-invasive fetal heart monitor.

26 Sep 2012

Romney scolded for emergency room remark

During his Sunday interview on CBS's 60 Minutes, GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney said that uninsured Americans can get care in emergency rooms -- a comment that drew a critical response from the American College of Emergency Physicians.

26 Sep 2012

Medicare plans, policies draw analysis, voters' interest

News outlets report on how Medicare and other health policy issues will play in the presidential debates; on similarities and differences between the candidates' Medicare plans; and offer tips for reporters trying to cover this complicated issue.

26 Sep 2012

Health insurance to provide easy-to-understand plan summaries

On Monday, a health law provision goes into effect that requires insurance companies to provide user-friendly guides that provide explanations of plan benefits that will be as clear and easy to understand as the nutrition facts provided on food packages.

26 Sep 2012

Health insurance costs rise, driven by higher hospital, doctor prices

According to a report by the Health Care Cost Institute, insurance spending jumped in 2011 - a departure from the two previous years.

26 Sep 2012

Double-digit premium increases seen in popular Medicare drug plans

Seniors in seven of the 10 most popular Medicare drug plans will see marked premium increases for 2013 if they don't opt to change plans, according to an analysis by Avalere Health.

26 Sep 2012

Obama administration warns hospitals on Medicare billing abuses

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Attorney General Eric Holder notified hospital trade groups Monday that they planned to prosecute providers that use electronic records to "game the system" by billing Medicare for more complicated care than they actually deliver.

26 Sep 2012

Congress approves bill designed to protect patients from stolen medical products

Elsewhere on Capitol Hill, some Senate conservatives are considering taking steps to block a deal to avert the automatic cuts called for under sequester.

26 Sep 2012

IV connectors can play a crucial role in protecting patients from infections and other complications

Medical devices known as IV connectors, through which intravenous medication and nutrition are provided to a patient, can play a crucial role in protecting patients from life-threatening infections and other complications. But some types of connectors are much more prone to dangerous complications, according to a recent poster presentation at an international meeting of oncology nurses, the 17th International Conference on Cancer Nursing, held Sept. 9-13 in Prague, Czech Republic.

26 Sep 2012