Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

First Edition: November 5, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about the final round of polls, forecasts regarding which party will control the House and Senate and analysis of how campaign-trail messages have been playing during the election season's final hours.

5 Nov 2012

PsiOxus receives UK government grant to initiate ColoAd1 Phase I/II trial for ovarian cancer

PsiOxus Therapeutics, Ltd., a development stage biotechnology company, today announced the award of a £1.7 million ($2.7 million) grant from the UK government-backed Biomedical Catalyst to initiate a Phase I/II clinical trial to assess the use of ColoAd1 in the treatment of platinum-resistant, recurrent ovarian cancer.

5 Nov 2012

Pradaxa use does not appear to increase serious bleeding

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced the results of a Mini-Sentinel assessment that indicates bleeding rates associated with new use of Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate mesylate) capsules do not appear to be higher than bleeding rates associated with new use of warfarin, which is consistent with observations from the pivotal RE-LY trial.

4 Nov 2012

House Republicans appear to have thwarted Democratic attack on Medicare

Attacking Paul Ryan's Medicare plan - once seen as the most potent weapon in House Democrats' campaign arsenal - is turning out to be a dud. Democratic leaders have hit Medicare harder than any other issue for more than a year, even calling Ryan's plan a "majority-maker."

4 Nov 2012

Two research groups present data on Pressure BioSciences' PCT Platform at HUPO 2012

Pressure BioSciences, Inc. today announced that scientists from two separate research groups presented data at the recent HUPO 11th Annual World Congress (Boston, MA) indicating that the incorporation of the Company's Pressure Cycling Technology Platform into their sample preparation processes resulted in a marked improvement in the quality and/or efficiency of test results.

3 Nov 2012

New information related to kidney transplantation

Three studies presented during the American Society of Nephrology's Annual Kidney Week provide new information related to kidney transplantation—specifically, the post-transplant health of kidney donors and the racial disparities faced by children in need of transplants.

3 Nov 2012

Health insurance news: Cigna earnings climb, small businesses drop coverage

The Bloomfield, Conn., managed-care company significantly boosted its full-year adjusted earnings guidance after posting better results than Wall Street expected. The company Thursday also announced a restructuring plan that includes reducing the size of its global workforce about 4%, affecting 1,300 workers amid a mix of layoffs and hiring. Cigna continued a streak of "beat and raise" third-quarter reports for large health insurers.

3 Nov 2012

'Keep the Promise on HIV/AIDS' March and Rally to be held on Nov. 3 in Centennial Park

Hundreds of advocates and community leaders are expected to participate in the "Keep the Promise on HIV/AIDS" March and Rally this Saturday, November 3, 2012 beginning at 1:00 pm in Centennial Park.

3 Nov 2012

TeleMedTM announces launch of TeleMedTM Psychiatry

TeleMedTM announces the launch of TeleMedTM Psychiatry, a first-of-its-kind telepsychiatry solution designed to give mental health providers and patients scheduled access to one another through secure online video therapy, regardless of location.

3 Nov 2012

Medicare, health law part of Obama, Romney pitches for votes

In the campaign's final days, President Barack Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney deliver closing arguments about their health care positions, among other issues.

3 Nov 2012

CMS raises Medicaid rates for some doctors

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that, as a part of the health law, primary care and other physicians will see higher payments.

3 Nov 2012

ACE Environmental Advisory explores potential risks of mold and legionella at healthcare facilities

The ACE Group today announced the release of an environmental advisory entitled, "Legionella and Mold: Construction and Renovation Risks at Healthcare Facilities," which explores the potential risks of pollutants, such as mold and legionella, that hospitals and healthcare facilities can experience during renovation or construction projects.

3 Nov 2012

Xenex offers room disinfection devices to hospitals hit by Hurricane Sandy

Xenex Healthcare Services, the world leader in UV room disinfection systems, today announced it is making its room disinfection devices available to hospitals affected by Hurricane Sandy.

3 Nov 2012

AHA sues Medicare over audit program aimed at trimming improper payments

The American Hospital Association says the audit program is preventing hospitals from being reimbursed for care they provide.

3 Nov 2012

Research roundup: Lowering health costs of the poorest sick; Local variations in health spending

Olmstead County, Minn., which earlier required just restaurants to be smoke-free, enacted a law in 2007 that banned smoking in all workplaces. Researchers reported "a substantial decline in the incidence of MI from 18 months before the smoke-free restaurant law was implemented to 18 months after the comprehensive smoke-free workplace law was implemented 5 years later.

3 Nov 2012

New study sheds light on employment and health insurance

Men with employment-contingent health insurance who suffer a health shock, such as a cancer diagnosis or hospitalization, are more likely to feel "locked" into remaining at work and are at greater risk for losing their insurance during this critical time as compared to men who are on their spouse's insurance plan or on private insurance plans, according to a new study by Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center.

3 Nov 2012

New edition of AACN Scope and Standards for Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Practice now available

A new edition of "AACN Scope and Standards for Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Practice" is now available from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses in downloadable PDF, mobile-friendly and print versions.

3 Nov 2012

Baylor University receives two new federal grants for research on Gulf War illness

Baylor University has been awarded two new federal grants for research on Gulf War illness, the complex medical condition that affects veterans of the 1991 war. The grants, from the Office of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs of the U.S. Department of Defense, total nearly $1.6 million, and bring current federal funding for Baylor's Gulf War research program to over $2.3 million.

3 Nov 2012

Studies show standardizing computer programs help improve genetic testing for Lynch Syndrome

Many patients who have genetic testing for Lynch syndrome, a hereditary predisposition to colon cancer, receive the inconclusive result "variants of uncertain clinical significance."

3 Nov 2012

Public health threats, struggling hospitals loom in Sandy's wake

Public health officials are warning that people in areas devastated by Superstorm Sandy face many risks in the aftermath and are urging people to protect themselves from health threats in the water, air and even their refrigerators.

3 Nov 2012