Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

First Edition: July 17, 2012

Today's headlines include a report that concludes that few Americans will pay more as a result of the health law.

17 Jul 2012

U.S. News & World Report names Hospital for Special Surgery among 2012 America's Best Hospitals

For the third consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named Hospital for Special Surgery the top hospital in the country for orthopedics in its 2012 "America's Best Hospitals" survey. Once again, the hospital ranked as a leader in rheumatology at number three in the nation. In addition, neurology was ranked at No. 10.

17 Jul 2012

HCHD named among Hospitals and Health Networks’ Most Wired list

For the second year in a row, the Harris County Hospital District was named to the Most Wired list by Hospitals and Health Networks, the flagship publication of the American Hospital Association. The Harris County Hospital District joins one other healthcare system in Houston and six others in Texas to be recognized for advances in technology.

17 Jul 2012

Governors stake out political and policy positions on Medicaid expansion

During the National Governors Association meeting this past weekend in Williamsburg, Va., the nation's state executives continued to wrestle with what to do in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision.

17 Jul 2012

Gilead receives FDA approval for Truvada to reduce risk of sexually acquired HIV-1 infection

Gilead Sciences, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved once-daily oral Truvada (emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate), in combination with safer sex practices, to reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV-1 infection in adults at high risk.

17 Jul 2012

Roundup: Some troubled N.Y. hospitals don't carry malpractice insurance; Lobbying may dilute Mass. health care cost bill

Several of the city's most troubled hospitals are partially or completely uninsured for malpractice, state records show, forgoing what is considered a standard safeguard across the country.

17 Jul 2012

High cost of ‘weekend effect’ in stroke care

Weekend admission adversely affects a range of quality and safety indicators of acute stroke care, report UK researchers.

16 Jul 2012

Polio eradication: an interview with Dr. Kathleen O’Reilly

Polio is a disease caused by a virus and results in paralysis, usually in the legs, of those affected. The paralysis is irreversible. In some extreme cases the virus spreads to the nerve cells of the brain reducing breathing capacity and this rarer form can be fatal.

16 Jul 2012

Hospedia acquires Extramed

Healthcare providers globally can now benefit from millions of dollars in potential savings thanks to UK-based Hospedia's acquisition of patient flow and bed management provider Extramed today.

16 Jul 2012

UCB’s Neupro now available in U.S. pharmacies

UCB announced today that Neupro (Rotigotine Transdermal System) is now available in U.S. pharmacies. Neupro was approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration in April to treat the signs and symptoms of early and advanced stage idiopathic Parkinson's disease and moderate-to-severe primary Restless Legs Syndrome.

16 Jul 2012

Studies describe ability of targeted exercise training on cognitive impairment and dementia

Four studies reported today at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2012 (AAIC 2012) describe the ability of targeted exercise training to promote improved mental functioning and reduced risk for cognitive impairment and dementia in cognitively healthy older adults and those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

16 Jul 2012

New eye-tracking device for amputees

Millions of people suffering from Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injuries or amputees could soon interact with their computers and surroundings using just their eyes, thanks to a new device that costs less than £40.

16 Jul 2012

Polls: Public views health law as a tax, opinions divided along party lines

A Quinnipiac poll finds that most people view the health law as a tax increase, while a survey by the Pew Research Center for People and the Press not only found that the public is sharply divided over the law, but in regard to the court, too.

14 Jul 2012

Health groups brace for sequester, ask Congress to undo scheduled cuts

Hospital groups are planning lobbying efforts to convince lawmakers to cancel a 2 percent Medicare cut that would kick in next January. Meanwhile, 3,000 groups signed a 64-page letter expressing concern about the impact of non-defense discretionary spending reductions.

14 Jul 2012

Governors' concerns continue to surface about health law's Medicaid expansion

Though much of the dust-up following the Supreme Court's Medicaid decision has come from Republican governors vowing to opt out of the expansion, news outlets report that some Democratic governors also have concerns. Meanwhile, Kentucky became the 13th state to say it would set up its own online insurance exchange where individuals and small businesses could shop for coverage beginning in 2014.

14 Jul 2012

Minn. attorney general adds 10 more patient claims to lawsuit against Accretive

The Minnesota attorney general, who is suing Accretive Health over its patient bill-collection practices. added more patient claims to the case this week in an effort to buttress the action against the debt-collector.

14 Jul 2012

Research roundup: Medication adherence, performance at community health centers

For people diagnosed with depression, it's important that they adhere to their medication regimen so that they avoid recurrent episodes. But because of Medicare's Part D coverage gap, financially burdened seniors might not take their prescriptions as recommended. This study looked at Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with depression in 2007.

14 Jul 2012

EU-funded researchers develop new antimicrobial resistance monitoring solution

Every year hundreds of thousands of people die because of infections that have become resistant to treatment. A new data-mining, clinical monitoring and decision-support system, developed by EU-funded researchers, offers a powerful new weapon in the war on resistance to antibiotics.

14 Jul 2012

Viewpoints: Wis. Gov. calls Obamacare 'bad policy;' 'Do the math' before deciding on Medicaid expansion

Since the Supreme Court upheld President Obama's health-care mandate, there has been exhaustive discussion about the philosophical basis of this federal law. As Election Day approaches, debate will surely grow about the proper role of our federal government. But while much attention has focused on Congress's intention to repeal or replace the Affordable Care Act, too few are studying the law's practical impact.

14 Jul 2012