Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Homeopathy could soon be declared “baseless and unethical” in Australia

Homeopathy is a branch of alternative medicine based on the principles of “like-cures-like” and “ultra-dilutions”. The first principle says substances that can cause symptoms can be used in diluted form to treat the same symptom in an illness, and the second says the more dilute a substance is, the more potent it is.

14 Mar 2012

GOP fissures likely to emerge with efforts to revamp budget deal, Medicare

House Republicans appear divided over whether to push for deeper spending cuts in the 2013 budget plan than those agreed upon during last year's debt ceiling deal. Democrats and Republicans are also preparing for a Medicare fight. Meanwhile, some GOP senators have requested a hearing with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to discuss revised cost estimates for the health law.

14 Mar 2012

Healthcare exchange regulations announced

The U.S. government this Monday released broad new operating rules for state-run health insurance exchanges, which form a key part of the 2010 federal healthcare reform law. The reforms would face Supreme Court hearings in just two weeks.

14 Mar 2012

Romney, now 65, won't enroll in Medicare

Instead, GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney will buy private health insurance. News reports describe this step as Romney's effort to make a political point. He supports transforming Medicare into a premium support program and has taken the position that wealthier seniors should pay more for their Medicare benefits.

14 Mar 2012

Magnesium may help reduce blood pressure

Researchers from the University of Hertfordshire have found that magnesium supplements may offer small but clinically significant reductions in blood pressure. In a paper published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the researchers also discovered that the size of the effect increased in line with increased dosage.

14 Mar 2012

Botox - a potential for therapy of weak bladders in women

The study, published in the journal European Urology, was carried out at eight uro-gynecology centers in the UK from 2006 to 2009 by researchers from the University of Leicester. A total of 240 women were split into two groups, with 122 women given Botox and 118 receiving a dummy treatment. Researchers found improvements across a range of symptoms, including wetting oneself and feeling a need to rush to the toilet, and how often the women 'leaked' urine.

13 Mar 2012

Scotland says no to prostate cancer drug Abiraterone

Patients with advanced prostate cancer in Scotland will not get access to a new drug which can extend their lives by more than three months. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer to affect men and the second most common cause of death.

13 Mar 2012

Orra Health transcription software for physicians

One can now dictate patient observations on the way home from the clinic and view the transcripts the following morning. Calls for "Accessibility anywhere, anytime" have already started rending the air around healthcare, and here is an app that seeks to do just that!

13 Mar 2012

Quality issues: Patient safety and physicians' well-being

Medscape investigates the intersection between patient safety initiatives and how physicians practice medicine.

13 Mar 2012

Many premature infants continue to receive iNO during NICU stay

Many premature infants throughout the United States continue to receive inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) during their NICU stay, despite the lack of evidence to support its use. Whether or not a preemie will receive iNO treatment, when and for how long, varies greatly throughout the country, as its use in premature infants appears to be unstandardized.

13 Mar 2012

Santorum's message: Romney would face trouble against Obama on health issues

GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum continues to attack rival Mitt Romney's Massachusetts' health reform record, arguing that it weakens his ability to run against President Barack Obama, and candidate Newt Gingrich also is not escaping the criticism.

13 Mar 2012

Amilpar fourth quarter operating revenues increase 22.5% to R$ 2,521.1M

Amil Participacoes S.A., the largest healthcare operator in Brazil, announces today its consolidated results for December 31, 2011, in accordance with Brazilian corporate law and the ANS account chart.

13 Mar 2012

HHS releases exchange rules, highlights 'state flexibility'

The Department of Health and Human Services today released the final rule for health insurance exchanges, which reportedly includes specifics about state functions and responsibilities.

13 Mar 2012

Viewpoints: America's mixed views on health; Contraception and political 'excesses'; Colorado Medicaid debate

Most people tell pollsters they like the parts of the law that have gone into effect: health insurance for people with preexisting conditions, a clause that allows children to stay on their parents' health plans until the age of 26 and discounts for prescription drugs on Medicare. And, as time goes by, Americans seem less worried that the law will have a negative effect on their own medical care ... But the law itself isn't any more popular than the day it passed.

12 Mar 2012

Study reveals significant variation in use of head computed tomography

Imaging has been identified as one of the key drivers of increased healthcare costs. A new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School has found significant variation in the use of head computed tomography (CT), even within a single emergency department. Strategies to reduce such variation in head CT use may reduce cost and improve quality of care.

12 Mar 2012

UnitedHealth report: Spending on genetic tests to rise sharply in a decade

Genetic tests could become a $25 billion market by 2021. Currently, spending on these tests is estimated at $5 billion annually.

12 Mar 2012

Overcoming challenges to health law implementation at federal, state levels

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is central to implementing the health law, which leads to questions about its capabilities and resources. Meanwhile, states await a final rule on health exchanges.

12 Mar 2012

Simple device for disinfecting stethoscopes

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 1,900,000 people contract infections in hospitals, (Hospital Acquired Infections - HAIs) every year and well over 99,000 die as a result; more deaths than from AIDS, breast cancer and auto accidents combined.

12 Mar 2012

State abortion bills keep coming

Some call such legislation an "overreach," but at least some of the proposals are getting political traction, including a push in Washington State this week to require insurance plans to cover abortion.

12 Mar 2012

InflammaGen Therapeutics initiates Shok-Pak Phase 2 pilot study

InflammaGen Therapeutics, a development-stage, critical care company initially focused on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of multi-organ failure (MOF), announced today that the Company has initiated a 200-patient Phase 2 pilot study to examine the efficacy and safety of InflammaGen Shok-Pak as a potential treatment for critically ill patients in the Intensive Care Unit.

12 Mar 2012