Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Accretive Health says Minnesota Attorney General misled public, acted in bad faith

The Chicago-based company says last week's report by the Minnesota Attorney General did harm, and that the company will seek legal remedies.

4 May 2012

NHC first quarter net income decreases 36.5% to $10,508,000

National HealthCare Corporation, a publicly traded long-term health care company, today announced net income available to common shareholders for the quarter ended March 31, 2012 of $10,508,000 compared to $16,556,000 for the quarter ended March 31, 2011, a decrease of 36.5%.

4 May 2012

Viewpoints: Doctor-led frugality; George will on his son's life with Down syndrome; Facebook spurs organ donors

In case you missed it, a recommendation came out last month that physicians cut back on using 45 common tests and treatments. ... Most doctors will agree with the recommendations on the list. But the problem of overuse is less one of bad doctors although there are a few; the problem is more one of good doctors working in a bad system. ... But we have to start somewhere - and this list is a good start. Now it needs to be extended.

4 May 2012

NHPCO to develop and launch ‘Reaffirming Hospice Campaign’

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization has contracted with Hill + Knowlton Strategies to develop and launch a "Reaffirming Hospice Campaign." This national campaign will reinforce the vital importance and quality of hospice to policy makers, healthcare professionals, and baby boomers.

4 May 2012

Affymetrix to acquire eBioscience

Affymetrix, Inc., and eBioscience, Inc., a privately-held San Diego, CA-based company with an industry-leading position in flow cytometry and immunoassay reagents for immunology and oncology research and diagnostics, today announced they have amended their existing definitive agreement dated November 29, 2011 under which Affymetrix will acquire eBioscience.

4 May 2012

First Edition: May 3, 2012

Today's headlines include a report exploring how the Medicare payment system could suffer unintended consequences if the Supreme Court overturns the health law.

3 May 2012

Cervical spine CT exams unnecessary for simple assault and ground-level fall victims

Cervical spine CT examinations are unnecessary for emergency department (ED) patients who are a victim of "simple assault" or who have a "ground-level fall", unless the patient has a condition that predisposes the patient to spine fracture, a new study finds.

3 May 2012

Hospitals struggling to meet electronic records goals

According to the American Hospital Association, more than 80 percent of hospitals have yet to achieve the first stage of electronic health record "meaningful use" and, therefore, can't qualify for federal incentive payments.

3 May 2012

In run up to ruling on health law, Supreme Court's public approval numbers hit new low

A poll by the Pew Research Center for People and the Press found the court's favorability rating to be 52 percent, the lowest in 25 years.

3 May 2012

Congressional partisan wrangling over CHIP, postal retiree health coverage, mandatory Medicare cuts

On Capitol Hill, Republicans are charging that the health law is encouraging businesses to drop coverage and politicians prepare for the next fight on some of the law's provisions.

3 May 2012

Patients with spinal cord injury report higher rates of wheelchair breakdowns

Wheelchair-dependent patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) are reporting higher rates of wheelchair breakdowns requiring repairs, according to a study in American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (AJPM&R), the official journal of the Association of Academic Physiatrists, AJPM&R is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

3 May 2012

Roundup: Mass. health cost control bill could save $8B to $34B; Md. weighs hospital rate freeze; Iowa Senate passes a fix for HIV insurance program

As Massachusetts' state legislators put the finishing touches on a major health care cost-control bill, there is still one big question: How much could it save? A recent report claims employers and employees could see between $8 billion and $34.5 billion in savings over nine years.

3 May 2012

Kindred Healthcare first quarter consolidated revenues increase 33% to $1.6 billion

Kindred Healthcare, Inc. today announced its operating results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012. The Company's consolidated financial statements include the operating results of RehabCare Group, Inc. since the closing of the acquisition on June 1, 2011.

2 May 2012

Older Americans experience significant and troubling gaps in primary care

Large majorities of older Americans experience significant and troubling gaps in their primary care, according to a new national survey, "How Does It Feel? The Older Adult Health Care Experience," released today by the John A. Hartford Foundation, a champion for improved geriatric care and longtime partner of the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at New York University's College of Nursing.

2 May 2012

Lower rate of reintubation observed in infants receiving SURFAXIN

Discovery Laboratories, Inc. today announced the presentation of a new pharmacoeconomic analysis demonstrating that the lower rate of reintubation previously reported in infants treated with SURFAXIN, when compared with infants treated with Curosurf® and Survanta®, the current global market leading surfactants, also resulted in a potential hospital cost savings of $160,000 to $252,000 per 100 infants.

2 May 2012

Novo Nordisk granted exclusive rights to Caisson's heparosan-based drug delivery technology

Caisson Biotech, L.L.C., a biopharmaceutical company with a patented heparosan-based drug delivery technology, announced today that it has entered into a Development and License Agreement with Novo Nordisk A/S, a global healthcare company and leader in diabetes care.

From Novo Nordisk 2 May 2012

Diagnosis of neonatal abstinence syndrome triples between 2000 and 2009

About one baby is born every hour addicted to opiate drugs in the United States, according to new research from University of Michigan physicians.

2 May 2012

Study assesses perceived impact of CMS payment policy on hospital infection prevention efforts

The 2008 decision by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to cease additional reimbursement to hospitals for certain healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) has led to enhanced focus on infection prevention and changes in practice by front-line staff, according to a national survey of infection preventionists published in the May issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

2 May 2012

Nelson-Miller announces acquisition of KDM

Nelson-Miller, Inc., a leading manufacturer of membrane switches and product identification components, announced today that it has acquired KDM from CoActive Technologies.

2 May 2012

House Republicans divided over how to 'replace' health law

Ask each of the 242 House Republicans what kind of health policy they'd like to enact instead of President Barack Obama's health care reform law and you might get 242 different answers. Even after three years of railing against Obama's plan, Republicans have coalesced around only a few basic tenets of health policy - let alone a full replacement plan.

2 May 2012

Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Accretive Health says Minnesota Attorney General misled public, acted in bad faith

NHC first quarter net income decreases 36.5% to $10,508,000

Viewpoints: Doctor-led frugality; George will on his son's life with Down syndrome; Facebook spurs organ donors

NHPCO to develop and launch ‘Reaffirming Hospice Campaign’

Affymetrix to acquire eBioscience

First Edition: May 3, 2012

Cervical spine CT exams unnecessary for simple assault and ground-level fall victims

Hospitals struggling to meet electronic records goals

In run up to ruling on health law, Supreme Court's public approval numbers hit new low

Congressional partisan wrangling over CHIP, postal retiree health coverage, mandatory Medicare cuts

Patients with spinal cord injury report higher rates of wheelchair breakdowns

Roundup: Mass. health cost control bill could save $8B to $34B; Md. weighs hospital rate freeze; Iowa Senate passes a fix for HIV insurance program

Kindred Healthcare first quarter consolidated revenues increase 33% to $1.6 billion

Older Americans experience significant and troubling gaps in primary care

Lower rate of reintubation observed in infants receiving SURFAXIN

Novo Nordisk granted exclusive rights to Caisson's heparosan-based drug delivery technology

Diagnosis of neonatal abstinence syndrome triples between 2000 and 2009

Study assesses perceived impact of CMS payment policy on hospital infection prevention efforts

Nelson-Miller announces acquisition of KDM

House Republicans divided over how to 'replace' health law

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

Building quality into drug development for safer, faster medicines

How Pulp Fixin Is Turning Paper into High-Performance Sustainable Labware

A new method to measure intracellular water in biological systems

Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

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

Building quality into drug development for safer, faster medicines

How Pulp Fixin Is Turning Paper into High-Performance Sustainable Labware

A new method to measure intracellular water in biological systems

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