Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

APA Convention to highlight new research in personality and social psychology

From how relationships affect our health to the psychology of an awkward party moment to why we often choose ignorance over information - a guide to some talks with new research in personality and social psychology at the APA Convention in Orlando, Aug. 2-5, 2012.

1 Aug 2012

GSK begins shipping the first lots of 2012-2013 seasonal influenza vaccines

GlaxoSmithKline announced today it has begun shipping the first lots of 2012-2013 FluLaval (Influenza virus vaccine) and Fluarix (Influenza Virus Vaccine) to CDC distribution centers and U.S. healthcare providers.

1 Aug 2012

First Edition: August 1, 2012

WBUR's Martha Bebinger, working in partnership with Kaiser Health News and NPR, reports: "The Massachusetts Legislature Tuesday passed the next phase of its ongoing attempt to reform the health care system: sweeping cost control legislation. Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat, hailed the lawmakers' work saying, 'This is more than a good bill, a great bill.'"

1 Aug 2012

Opinion of artificial hydration varies by ethnicity

Ethnicity influences whether patients at the end of life and their carers view artificial hydration as food or medicine, with more individuals from ethnic minorities viewing it as food than non-Hispanic European Americans, show US study results.

1 Aug 2012

How the Republicans might reshape Medicaid if they win the White House and Congress

The Los Angeles Times reports on how the GOP is readying a push to scale back the health insurance program for the poor if it takes control of the White House and Congress next year. Meanwhile, the insurance industry is paying $1.1 billion in rebates to consumers under the health care law, and eying congressional efforts to overhaul the tax code next year as its best chance to roll back a new health insurance tax.

1 Aug 2012

Poll: 2 out of 3 voters favor Medicaid expansion 'in general'; 1 in 5 expect to pay penalty

A new Kaiser Family Foundation poll finds views generally reflect partisan affiliations, and, overall, the the public remains split in its view of the 2010 health law. A slim majority (54 percent) says they are tired of hearing lawmakers fight over the law and would like the debate to move on to other topics.

1 Aug 2012

Intraluminal protection device outperforms two negative-pressure IV connectors in MECH research

An IV connector known as an intraluminal protection device (IPD) significantly outperformed two widely used negative-pressure IV connectors in research performed at Methodist Extended Care Hospital (MECH).

1 Aug 2012

Roundup: Most high-ranking Iowa gov't employees to pay more for health care; Federal judge strikes Fla. law on docs asking about guns

The New Jersey state Legislature endorsed a constitutional amendment Monday requiring judges to contribute more to their government benefits, sending to voters an issue that some consider a linchpin of judicial independence. In a rare midsummer voting session, lawmakers responded quickly and almost unanimously to a state Supreme Court decision last week that said judges can't be forced to pay more for pension and health benefits, as other government workers were in a historic 2011 law.

31 Jul 2012

GE Healthcare, Intermountain partner to help reduce radiation dose in CT procedures by 50%

Intermountain Healthcare today announced a joint effort with GE Healthcare to help further reduce radiation dose in Computed Tomography (CT) procedures at its facilities by up to 50 percent.

31 Jul 2012

FDA clears Reflectance Medical's CareGuide Oximeter

Reflectance Medical, a commercial-stage company focused on the development of physiologic sensors to non-invasively and continuously assess patient metabolic status, announced today that it has received FDA 510(k) clearance for its initial product, the CareGuide Oximeter.

31 Jul 2012

Registration now open for MedtechVision 2012 conference

MedtechWomen today announced that registration is now open for MedtechVision 2012: The Empowered Patient, the second annual conference designed by and for women on the forefront of medical innovation.

31 Jul 2012

Acadia second quarter revenue increases 58.1% to $100.5 million

Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2012.

31 Jul 2012

Australia's top medical researchers for 2012 announced

Finalists for one of Australia’s longest running and most prestigious awards for medical research were announced today. This year’s winner will join a list of alumni winners that includes many of the country’s most respected scientists.

31 Jul 2012

GlobalPost examines debate surrounding PrEP

GlobalPost's "Global Pulse" blog examines questions surrounding the use of the antiretroviral Truvada for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk of HIV infection among people at high risk, as studies released and panel discussions held last week at the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) "raised concerns about the drug's effect on the future of the AIDS fight."

31 Jul 2012

Aetna reports net income of $457.6 million for second-quarter 2012

Aetna today announced second-quarter 2012 operating earnings of $452.0 million, or $1.31 per share, compared to the $1.35 per share reported in the second quarter of 2011.

31 Jul 2012

Harris reports revenue of $1.44 billion for fourth quarter 2012

Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS) reported revenue in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 of $1.44 billion compared with $1.52 billion in the prior-year quarter.

31 Jul 2012

Planned Medicare payment reductions trigger hospital action

Hospitals are sharpening their efforts to stop a scheduled 2 percent across-the-board cut in payments to Medicare providers. Meanwhile, GOP lawmakers may be stepping back from efforts to block the health law's birth control coverage mandate.

31 Jul 2012

Federal court blocks health law contraception coverage mandate for one business

A U.S. district judge in Colorado issued a temporary injunction Friday, blocking the Obama administration from enforcing the birth control coverage requirement on one employer based on the owner's religious beliefs. The judge issued a three-month temporary injunction, allowing for further legal review of the case brought by a small Catholic business owner.

31 Jul 2012

ProMedica enters collaborative business relationship with Cleveland Clinic

ProMedica has entered into a collaborative business relationship with Cleveland Clinic as part of a national Innovation Alliance network to help commercialize medical innovations.

31 Jul 2012