Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

States roundup: Calif. mental health system grapples with controversy, shortage; Texas issues new stem cell rules

In 2006, the U.S. Department of Justice sued the state, alleging that it was violating patients' rights by heavily drugging and improperly restraining them and failing to provide appropriate treatment. The state settled, agreeing to an extensive court-supervised improvement plan at four hospitals with more than 4,000 patients. But a Times investigation found that the plan has failed to achieve the Justice Department's main objective: to raise the level of care so patients could control their violent tendencies and would not be institutionalized any longer than necessary.

17 Apr 2012

More than one third of patients with invasive cancer are undertreated for their pain

More than one third of patients with invasive cancer are undertreated for their pain, with minorities twice as likely to not receive analgesics, according to research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

17 Apr 2012

Study: 1 in 26 may develop epilepsy at some point in life

A landmark study from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) reports that your chance of developing epilepsy at some point in your life is one in 26. Onset is highest in children and older adults. But epilepsy knows no boundaries—it can strike at any age and across all socio-economic levels and ethnicities. There is no known cure and one-third of people with epilepsy have treatment-resistant or refractory epilepsy.

17 Apr 2012

Beds in pediatric intensive care unit could be used more efficiently with improved flow

The pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is a precious resource. With limited number of beds and resource-intensive services, it is a key component of patient flow. A new study published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine reveals that while a large PICU observed for the study delivered critical care services most of the time, periods of non-critical care services represented a barrier to access for new patients. At times when a bed was needed for a new patient, the PICU had beds being used for patients who could have been in other settings.

16 Apr 2012

Synthon receives tentative approval for tadalafil tablets

Synthon has announced that its subsidiary Synthon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has received tentative approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its abbreviated new drug application for tadalafil tablets, 20 mg on April 13, 2012. Synthon's product is a generic and bioequivalent version of Eli Lilly & Co and United Therapeutics’ Adcirca® tablets, which are indicated for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension to improve exercise ability.

16 Apr 2012

British doctors tackle the obesity epidemic

According to the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges the approach of using voluntary agreements with industry is “failing to have a significant impact” on obesity. Obesity, says the organization is a “huge crisis waiting to happen”.

16 Apr 2012

Consumers face difficulties in getting health care price lists

News outlets report on how the health care system sometimes adds to consumers' difficulties.

16 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 16, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about what the future might look like when Medicare doctors' pay will be tied to quality and cost of care, as well as how consumer advocates are anxious about a key aspect of the health law.

16 Apr 2012

Panel discussion on personalized medicine at USciences

Advances in fields such as genetics and genomics have created new opportunities for personalized medicine applications in clinical practice and the healthcare delivery. This integration raises important questions about how personalized medicine can best help patients without increasing costs and improving health outcomes.

16 Apr 2012

Sebelius appeals to civil rights groups for health law support

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius asked civil rights activists to help defend the health law. Meanwhile, other news outlets report on specific aspects of the law, including how contractors have been preparing for its implementation, and the latest on accountable care organizations.

16 Apr 2012

House GOP dusts off old budget ideas to replace some automatic cuts

When they return to Capitol Hill next week, Republicans on key House committees are expected to take up earlier proposals as they look for ways to replace some of the automatic budget cuts scheduled to take effect in January. Members of the House Judiciary Committee will make another go at revamping medical liability laws.

16 Apr 2012

N.Y. governor signs order establishing state health insurance exchange

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo bypassed the state legislature where Republicans had blocked a bill and issued an executive order establishing a new health insurance exchange, a major part of the health care law.

16 Apr 2012

CMS settles Medicare reimbursement dispute with hospitals

With a price tag of about $3 billion, the agreement ends a decade-long dispute between an estimated 2,200 hospitals and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services over the calculation of pay rate cuts and offsets for rural hospitals.

16 Apr 2012

Presidential campaign veers back to women's issues, anniversary of Mass. health law

Obama and Romney campaigns are getting tangled in questions about women's life choices. But at the same time, Democrats are seeking to use the sixth anniversary of Romney's Massachusetts health law signing to remind voters about its similarities to the federal health overhaul.

16 Apr 2012

Tips for parents to prevent children from sexual abuse

Parents generally teach their children about "stranger danger" from an early age, telling them not to talk to, walk with or take gifts or candy from strangers. But statistics show danger often lurks closer to home. According to numbers provided by the National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, the vast majority of children who are sexually abused are abused by someone they know - most often a family member, an adult the family trusts or, in some instances, another child.

16 Apr 2012

Florbetaben PET scan reliably identifies beta-Amyloid in the brain

Piramal Imaging SA, a newly formed subsidiary of Piramal Healthcare Limited, announced positive first results from a Phase III study that showed that PET imaging with florbetaben reliably detects beta-Amyloid in the brain during life with great accuracy and thus shows value as a potential tool to aid in the diagnosis and assessment of Alzheimer's disease.

16 Apr 2012

Study reveals genetic predictors of bone health and osteoporosis

An international consortium of researchers have identified a group of genes associated with the development of osteoporosis, a debilitating bone disease that cripples more than 10 million Americans a year and costs the U.S. healthcare system an estimated $17 billion annually.

16 Apr 2012

Catholic Bishops's 'religious freedom' campaign includes action against contraception coverage mandate

All Americans should be "on guard" as the Obama administration threatens religious liberty, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops declared Thursday. The call to action is spelled out in a document, "Our First, Most Cherished Liberty," developed by the conference's Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty.

16 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: Politics distorting views of the health system; US is more efficient than most people think

If health insurers can keep denying coverage to anyone, millions of Americans could be left to fend for themselves in a system that openly discriminates against the sick and leaves many destitute.

16 Apr 2012

Roundup: Texas considers relaxing rules for stem cell treatments; States weigh bills to protect consumers against high drug costs

A Texas agency will vote Friday on whether to enact new rules that would make it easier for doctors to offer experimental treatments using adult stem cells without federal approval. The Texas Medical Board, which licenses and disciplines doctors in the state, recently drafted stem-cell rules at the behest of Dr. Stanley Jones of Houston, who in July injected Gov. Rick Perry with the governor's own stem cells to try to aid his recovery from a back injury.

16 Apr 2012

Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

States roundup: Calif. mental health system grapples with controversy, shortage; Texas issues new stem cell rules

More than one third of patients with invasive cancer are undertreated for their pain

Study: 1 in 26 may develop epilepsy at some point in life

Beds in pediatric intensive care unit could be used more efficiently with improved flow

Synthon receives tentative approval for tadalafil tablets

British doctors tackle the obesity epidemic

Consumers face difficulties in getting health care price lists

First Edition: April 16, 2012

Panel discussion on personalized medicine at USciences

Sebelius appeals to civil rights groups for health law support

House GOP dusts off old budget ideas to replace some automatic cuts

N.Y. governor signs order establishing state health insurance exchange

CMS settles Medicare reimbursement dispute with hospitals

Presidential campaign veers back to women's issues, anniversary of Mass. health law

Tips for parents to prevent children from sexual abuse

Florbetaben PET scan reliably identifies beta-Amyloid in the brain

Study reveals genetic predictors of bone health and osteoporosis

Catholic Bishops's 'religious freedom' campaign includes action against contraception coverage mandate

Viewpoints: Politics distorting views of the health system; US is more efficient than most people think

Roundup: Texas considers relaxing rules for stem cell treatments; States weigh bills to protect consumers against high drug costs

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

PhD researcher at LifeArc

Unveiling Hidden Potential: Organoids for Disease Modeling in Neuroscience Research

Newsletters you may be interested in