Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Quest Diagnostics receives FDA clearance for Simplexa C. difficile Universal Direct test

Quest Diagnostics, the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted 510(k) clearance to its Simplexa C. difficile Universal Direct Test on the 3M Integrated Cycler.

From Quest Diagnostics 12 Apr 2012

Study: Health law would add $340 billion to nation's deficit

Although the health overhaul is touted by the Democrats as a means to control health care costs, a study by a Republican member of the board that oversees Medicare financing contends that it will add at least $340 billion to the federal deficit.

12 Apr 2012

Preliminary results from GE Healthcare’s flutemetamol Phase 3 studies on AD

GE Healthcare today announced the preliminary results of two Phase 3 studies of its investigational PET amyloid imaging agent, [18F]flutemetamol, where both studies met their primary endpoints. One study, in terminally ill patients who agreed to undergo brain autopsy, showed strong concordance between flutemetamol PET images and Alzheimer's disease-associated beta amyloid brain pathology.

12 Apr 2012

HHS proposes to push back ICD-10 -- a billing system unpopular with docs

The Department of Health and Human Services announced that it would push back for one year the compliance deadline for doctors to convert to the ICD-10 revision of diagnostic and procedural codes.

12 Apr 2012

Emdeon, MZIHC enter services agreement

MZI HealthCare, LLC (MZIHC), a leading provider of health plan administration software, announced today that it has entered into a services agreement with Emdeon, a leading provider of revenue and payment cycle management and clinical information exchange solutions.

12 Apr 2012

Polls and politics: How the high court's health law consideration is changing public sentiment

Recent polls generally indicate that last month's oral arguments changed public views about the health law, but it is not clear in which direction. There are also surveys and analysis about the law's under-26 coverage provision and whether people think seniors with higher incomes should pay more for Medicare.

12 Apr 2012

States plot Medicaid managed care changes; Kansas managed care plan met with skepticism

In Ohio, Molina Healthcare loses its Medicaid managed care contract. In Texas, a plan to save money by incorporating Medicaid drug benefits into a managed care program gets pushback. And, Kansas counties weigh in on a plan to shift Medicaid beneficiaries to managed care.

12 Apr 2012

GPs seeking separate remuneration for maintaining e-health records

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11 Apr 2012

Too frequent dental X-rays linked to higher risk of brain tumors

A new study has found that people who received frequent dental x-rays in the past have an increased risk of developing meningioma - a type of brain tumor. The study was published online Tuesday in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

11 Apr 2012

Times of India examines how female health volunteers are improving maternal, child health in India

"In many parts of India, teenagers and housewives are now donning the garb of health volunteers and convincing pregnant women to deliver in hospitals, and not at homes," the Times of India reports, and profiles Lata Ravikar, "one of the many ordinary women who are leading a silent revolution in urban slums and villages across the country."

11 Apr 2012

Pelvic floor muscle training effective for adult women with urinary incontinence

A type of exercise called pelvic floor muscle training is effective for treating adult women with urinary incontinence (the involuntary loss of urine) without risk of side effects, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The report also found that drug-based treatments can be effective, but the degree of benefit is low and side effects are common.

11 Apr 2012

SomaLogic, HUNT Biosciences partner to advance clinical use of cardiovascular biomarkers

HUNT Biosciences and SomaLogic, Inc., today announced a new collaboration to advance the clinical use of protein biomarkers, with an initial focus on the validation of biomarkers for the prediction of cardiovascular events such as strokes, heart attacks, and heart failure.

11 Apr 2012

New supplement outlines prospective surveillance model for breast cancer

A new supplement in the journal Cancer outlines an innovative model to address a wide range of physical issues faced by women with breast cancer and offers hope for improved function and full participation in life activities for patients through rehabilitation and exercise.

11 Apr 2012

Bayer announces updated labels for drospirenone-containing COCs in the U.S.

In agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced that it has updated the labels for its drospirenone-containing combination oral contraceptives (COCs) in the United States.

11 Apr 2012

State roundup: Calif. drug monitoring system casualty of budget cuts; Data breach in Utah worse than thought; Md. legislature approves health enterprise zones

California has the oldest continuous prescription-drug monitoring program in the U.S. … It used to rely on carbon copies. … The system went online in 1998, and that's when its full power was realized. ... So alarm bells went off among doctors and law enforcement when California Gov. Jerry Brown announced last year that, for budget reasons, he was eliminating the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, which had long managed the prescription-drug monitoring program.

11 Apr 2012

Siemens announces integrated imaging solution for detection of amyloid plaques

Siemens Healthcare is the first company worldwide to announce a complete integrated diagnostic imaging solution proposed for the detection of amyloid plaques — one of the necessary pathological features of Alzheimer's disease— in the living brain.

From Siemens Healthineers 11 Apr 2012

3M announces acquisition of CodeRyte

3M announced today that it has acquired CodeRyte Inc., an industry leader in clinical natural language processing (NLP) technology and computer-assisted coding solutions for healthcare outpatient providers.

11 Apr 2012

Avid Radiopharmaceuticals receives FDA approval for Amyvid to treat AD

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Amyvid (Florbetapir F 18 Injection) a drug for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging of the brain in adults who are being evaluated for Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and other causes of cognitive decline.

11 Apr 2012

High cancer treatment costs in the US – are they worth it? Study explores

Healthcare in the United States is costlier than care in other countries. A new analysis suggests that the cost may be worth it at least when it comes to cancer care. Americans may pay more for cancer treatment, but they also live longer after diagnosis — getting a benefit that offsets their higher health expenses the study says.

10 Apr 2012

Genstar Capital enters definitive agreement to acquire ERT

eResearchTechnology, Inc. (ERT), a global technology-driven provider of health outcomes research services to biopharmaceutical sponsors and contract research organizations (CROs), today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by affiliates of Genstar Capital LLC, a leading middle market private equity firm for $8.00 per share in cash in a transaction valued at approximately $400 million.

10 Apr 2012