Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

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

Viewpoints: The 'real story' of Ryan at AARP; 'Get thee to an emergency room'

The headlines this weekend were all about the boos Paul Ryan elicited on Friday when he addressed the AARP, the self-styled seniors' lobby. The herd of independent media minds missed the real story, which is that the Republican Vice Presidential nominee went into the heart of the entitlement culture, told some hard truths, and even won applause for doing so.

26 Sep 2012

Self-image, social interaction help explain link between exercise and mental health

We've heard it time and time again: exercise is good for us. And it's not just good for physical health - research shows that daily physical activity can also boost our mental health. But what actually accounts for the association between exercise and mental health?

26 Sep 2012

Study: 42% of patients with advanced non-malignant conditions prefer home death

Improved home care resources for people with conditions such as dementia, who would prefer to die at home, are key to providing better end of life care and reducing the strain of the UK's ageing population on the NHS, according to researchers at King's College London.

26 Sep 2012

Persistence pays out exercise benefits in heart failure

Health benefits derived from regular exercise accumulate over the long term, shows a 10-year study in patients with heart failure.

25 Sep 2012

NeuroSigma to launch Monarch eTNS system at 10th European Congress on Epileptology

NeuroSigma, Inc., a Los Angeles-based medical device company, announced today that its Monarch eTNS system for the adjunctive treatment of epilepsy and depression will make its debut at the 10th European Congress on Epileptology, which takes place in London, England from September 30 to October 4, 2012.

25 Sep 2012

Positive results from Antares Pharma’s VIBEX MTX clinical study on rheumatoid arthritis

Antares Pharma, Inc. today announced positive results from an Actual Human Use (AHU) study for VIBEX Methotrexate (MTX).

25 Sep 2012

First Edition: September 25, 2012

Today's headlines headlines include reports about a study that details accelerating health care spending.

25 Sep 2012

Health issues are hot topics on campaign trail

From their appearances Sunday night on CBS' 60 Minutes to their answers to questions about their proposals for Medicare, President Barack Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney draw stark differences in their visions.

25 Sep 2012

State roundup: Anthem dumps Cedars-Sinai, UCLA docs

Two of the most prestigious names in Southern California health care -- Cedars-Sinai and UCLA -- are getting shut out of a major insurance plan for being too expensive. In a bold cost-cutting move, Anthem Blue Cross has eliminated doctors affiliated with the hospitals from a health plan offered to about 60,000 employees and dependents at the cash-strapped city of Los Angeles.

25 Sep 2012

AMGA to convene more than 600 participants at IQL 2012 Annual Conference

The American Medical Group Association (AMGA) is convening more than 600 participants, representing the leaders of the nation's preeminent healthcare provider organizations, at the IQL 2012 Annual Conference, October 3 - 5 at the Gaylord National Harbor Resort & Conference Center in National Harbor, MD.

25 Sep 2012

Chronic respiratory disease treatments: an interview with Dr Sven Jan-Anders Karlsson, CEO of Verona Pharma

There are many different chronic respiratory diseases. Verona Pharma is mainly focused on two diseases: asthma and COPD. Asthma is a very common disease and unfortunately it has been increasing in prevalence in developed countries. This is the same with COPD; however, there may be different reasons for this.

25 Sep 2012